mikeymk
Part of things
'85 Polo Coupe S 1.6 16v
Posts: 931
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I like lightweight fwd cars the best, the '80s was very much my decade.
There's just something really enjoyable about driving so many of those cars, and Vauxhall and Volkswagen were particularly good at it. Fords, yeah, bit too tinny. I've had a few '80s Escorts already.
The Novas and Astras were good to drive, eager, fresh. The gear change wasn't ever perfect but nice otherwise.
I've had a MK2 VW Polo for a long time, i've made it fast, and I've made it handle. But the kid is tiny and she struggles to get in and out the back with the baby seat. It's not a car that's very protective in a crash, I'm sure. So I want to up-size something similar.
I'm thinking either a Belmont or Cavalier. I know the Belmont is good to drive, I had one. The MK2 Cavalier is very promising.
Course, it won't stay standard. I'll need a 2.0 16v on carbs as a minimum, possibly something like an Alfa V6 though. But with 4/5 doors and being the weight of a VW Lupo it should make for a suitable replacement for the 1.6 16v 720kg Polo.
So. Experiences and wisdom on this handsome, lean '80s rep-mobile most welcome. Pics, inspiration, warnings, what do you know..?
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mikeymk
Part of things
'85 Polo Coupe S 1.6 16v
Posts: 931
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One at a time, as I'm on the phone, but these are hitting the spot..  |
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mikeymk
Part of things
'85 Polo Coupe S 1.6 16v
Posts: 931
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mikeymk
Part of things
'85 Polo Coupe S 1.6 16v
Posts: 931
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mikeymk
Part of things
'85 Polo Coupe S 1.6 16v
Posts: 931
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I had an ex-company pov spec four door saloon years ago and I loved it! Nippy, handled well and had a massive boot. Always had a craving for a convertible and I'll have one soon hopefully.
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mikeymk
Part of things
'85 Polo Coupe S 1.6 16v
Posts: 931
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Boot access is a thing, the Polo can just squeeze in the pushchair but little else. She'll have a bike soon, and I go to Devon every couple of months.
They appear to have a very high loading sill compared to the Belmont, though. The Polo has been great for carrying engines and the loading height of the Cavalier is off-putting.
Does the rear seat fold? Presumably in the hatch, dunno about the saloon. Would be good to be able to sleep in it when I venture out in the mountain bike. The Polo isn't long enough so I have to use a tent, which is a pain.
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mikeymk
Part of things
'85 Polo Coupe S 1.6 16v
Posts: 931
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Would have thought you would be better off with the equivalent VW as 80s Vauxhalls were a little stodgy to drive and in my experience at least, require a lot of maintenance (that was in the late 90s too)
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Last Edit: Mar 18, 2014 9:38:18 GMT by mattxr3i
MK4 Ford Escort XR3i - Standard
MK6 Ford Escort GTi - Track Car
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Mar 18, 2014 12:23:14 GMT
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Don't think the seat folds on the saloon (as far as I can remember), you're right though, you'll have problems if you're shifting engines about.
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MrSpeedy
East Midlands
www.vintagediesels.co.uk
Posts: 4,794 
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Mar 18, 2014 13:02:50 GMT
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I had two of these back in the early 90's
A '86 1600L followed by an '83 1600. Both 4 door saloons.
Excellent reliable cars. The '86 was a really nice car, but I wrapped it around a war memorial, so that was the end of that.
The '83 was thrashed and abused until the cam belt snapped, then abused some more after I fitted a new belt kit (Non interference engine). It was eventually scrapped when the rear axle mountings began parting company :/
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,586
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Mar 18, 2014 13:03:56 GMT
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The estate version was pretty big and had quite a low loading height. I had a 1.6L and it was pretty reasonable to drive after fitting a Weber carb and sorting the suspension out a bit. I've still got the engine fitted in an Astra and after a lot of hassle trying to fit it I found that MK2 cav 1.6 engines are actually a smaller capacity version of the 1.8 and 2.0L, not the smaller 1.3 to 1.6.
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Mar 18, 2014 15:38:43 GMT
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this was my trusty 1.6l. ive had a few mk2 cavs they can be alot of fun, just watch for rust in the back end. i still regret selling this one : (  |
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dave80
Part of things
Posts: 408
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Mar 18, 2014 16:03:29 GMT
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Quite a fan of these as I had a few of them back in the late 90s.all of them took a lot of punishment and nothing really went wrong.they all felt quite quick compared to other similar size cars too, I would look for an sri or late lxi.
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sierra 1.6 ghia
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`state
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,215
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Mar 18, 2014 16:49:48 GMT
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I've had just about everything from the 1980's that vauxhall and Opel have to offer and the cav is my 2nd favourite. Ultra reliable,cheap parts,easy to work on. Will do mega milage with no worries.
I really really miss mine and hopefully will have another in the next couple of years.
The boots are massive in the hatch and the seats fold down for even more room. I had a couple of engines in mine including a v6 with no bother.
As has been said just watch for rust around the rear springs and chassis rails. And interior trim is hard to find.
I had the cdi which had eleccy windows and heated mirrors with Central locking ect. That and the Sri would be my pick.
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Look at all the plastic people who live without a care.Try to sit with me around my table,but never bring a chair.
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Mar 18, 2014 17:18:25 GMT
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My old man had a GLSi (not sure what engine?!) on a Y-plate back in't day... It was a superb shade of metallic brown and at the time I thought it was the quickest fugging thing I'd ever been in!!! A few years later my Ma had a 1600 GL which was a great car, it even had a cassette deck!!!
These are great cars but they do like to rot so look everywhere for the dreaded tin worm. If you find a rust free one and end up purchasing is spread, spray, paint and douse rust proofing goo EVERYWHERE...!!!
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***GARAGE CURRENTLY EMPTY***
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MK2VR6
Posted a lot
Mk2 Golf GTi 90 Spec
Posts: 3,329
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Mar 18, 2014 18:47:46 GMT
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Brilliant cars. The ultimte 80's rep-mobile. Pretty sure I read somewhere that they had some sort of record as the ratios of cars registered compared to the speed they were scrapped was ridiculously short. A mate's Dad had 3 in a row as rep cars - a y plate, D plate and then an F plate! He used to hammer the curse word out of them and they were bombproof. If you want exclusive, you should buy an ultra-rare Commander:  Interesting fact about why the sri's were so lively - 'SRi mk2 was only 1060kg. Hence why it went rather well with just 115PS (108.5PS/tonne)' Do it. |
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Last Edit: Mar 18, 2014 18:48:30 GMT by MK2VR6
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mikeymk
Part of things
'85 Polo Coupe S 1.6 16v
Posts: 931
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Mar 18, 2014 18:53:00 GMT
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I'm not keen on the look of the SRi and it won't be quick enough standard, with trim availability it'll probably be best for me to get one that looks well and sort the heart out.
I know about brakes as they share the same sizing with VW, I'm pretty savvy with it's suspension design and can work with that.
I'm particularly interested in body shell culture. With a lot of 80s European cars it all went wrong in the mid 80s with a monumental deterioration in metal quality. The Cavalier seems no different, with the average 87 model rusting 5x quicker than an 82 model..
This, and trim, are the fields I'm most interested in.
And pictures! These are so nostalgic, the Belmont makes more sense (if I could find one) but i'm not great on the look of them and they don't quite grab the era i'm going for like the Cavalier does, because it doesn't have the character and identity of the Cavalier. I'm not ashamed to say the appeal includes the nostalgia element. But it also makes for a promising driver's car, potentially.
The problem with the choice of Volkswagen is the cult bar that is the Golf - a really good car, but the identity has been destroyed. The Jetta is much of the same, only ugly, and the Passat was hideous.
Though a clean, original Santana could do it!
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duncancento
Part of things
Posts: 117
Club RR Member Number: 20
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Mar 18, 2014 19:28:27 GMT
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My old man had one of these, a grey SRi. One of my earliest memories was sitting in the back in a car seat and we ended up backwards on the Wilby Way roundabout near Wellingborough!
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mikeymk
Part of things
'85 Polo Coupe S 1.6 16v
Posts: 931
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Mar 18, 2014 19:48:04 GMT
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I've been looking at the SRi and the silly paint job seems to be most of my problem with it. Easily sorted. That and I won't find a good driver's seat, though that's likely to be a problem anyway.
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