HFS's Cars

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> Funny, The 2G CR-V was a hoot to drive, smooth for my standards. Maybe some variations differences between the USDM, ASEAN, and even Euro version may different animals after all. The 10-seat version was only made out of desperation due to the competition on some AUVs (Asian Utility Vehicles) in our country perhaps.

 

[eiriksmil]

If I were you, I would have bought a Mk3 and slammed it on its arse, but it's basically what I'm doing if I can avoid spending dough on my other cars

 

[homeforsummer]

If I were you, I would have bought a Mk3 and slammed it on its arse, but it's basically what I'm doing if I can avoid spending dough on my other cars

The Golf?

 

[eiriksmil]

Yeah, loads of fun parts and love for them, plus they look fantastic. The 8v GTi isn't exactly a sports car, but the point of the Golf isn't a race car in stock form. It's an all-rounder that will deliver when you want to have fun, but that's able to be a grocery getter when you need one. Plus they look fantastic.

Can you insure a VR6?

 

[homeforsummer]

I expect insurance for the VR6 would be a little steep - I've not actually checked the insurance on a Mk3 GTI yet but a Mk2 GTI was around £400 and a Mk1 around £200, benefitting from a classic policy. I expect a Mk3 will be closer to the £400 so a VR6 might be a bit steep. Plus, they're generally over my budget by about £1000.

I do know what you mean though. The Mk3 has aged very well, mostly helped by the fact the Mk4 didn't really look that much different. And you're right about the all-rounder ability, the practicality of them is one of the reasons it wound up on the shortlist. Plus, it takes very little to turn VWs of pretty much any kind into very tidy looking cars.

I'm not into the whole slammed look like you are really, my style would be more along the lines of some OEM or maybe some BBS rims. Or some Porsche rims, such as those on this one:

(I'm aware this one is very low and the wheels are quite big... I don't have the money to splash out on making a car look that good, but it's the sort of style I like)​

I must say though, there are some fantastic looking cars in this thread on VWVortex (beware, high res images) and it pretty much sums up what I like about VWs.

My ideal vee-dub, incidentally (apart from a Splittie) would be either a V5 or 130/150 TDI Bora, with the Hofele body kit, as below (very subtle yet nicely agressive), in black, with wheels from the Audi RS4 and interior trim from the Golf GTI Anniversary. That would be awesome.

(The Hofele kit)​

 

[eiriksmil]

Yeah, they have aged really well.

Or you could buy a Daihatsu Charade haha

I never make threads like this because I'd just get more confused as every fanboy recommended the car he loves, regardless of how good it actually is. At the end of the day, you're deciding what car you want, not us. Just don't forget that
Although peer pressure is win.

 

[homeforsummer]

Heh I opened the thread more for discussion on the cars I've got my eye on, and to gain any useful information anyone might have on them. As you say, at the end of the day the car I choose will be my choice, but it's cool hearing people's opinions on them and seeing if people have any ideas for things I may have missed. For example, I'd completely forgotten about the Mazda MX-3 until Famine mentioned it a while back. It's a car I've always liked, but considering it didn't even cross my mind before!

Anyway, back to the Golf - do you have much experience with them then? I'm interested to hear how reliable they are and if they're resistant to rust - the Golf Mk3s I've seen seem to all be in very good condition, but I've heard mixed reports on stuff that goes wrong with them.

 

[YSSMAN]

My Mexican-built Jetta had only minor rust problems before I had to get rid of it. Here in Michigan, it seems like the problem areas are usually on the front edges of the hood, on the rear quarter panels (near the wheel arches) and on the trunk/hatch edges (particularly at the bottom by the bumper).

In the UK, I'd imagine the weather is overall a bit more friendly.

 

[homeforsummer]

In the UK, I'd imagine the weather is overall a bit more friendly.

I'm not sure really. We don't really get distinct seasons here, just 51 weeks of cold and wet and one week of sunshine and humidity. It's certainly taken it's toll on my current car, along with the amount of salt they put on the roads. I'm just glad the underseal is good because I wouldn't want the floorpan going the same way as my exhaust and sump are going.

What I do expect though is that our German-built Golfs might be more resilient than both the Ford and your Mexican-built VWs.

Moving away from VWs for a second, look what I found on UK ebay. Amazing what you can get for the money. I don't care if it's a manual and no leather either. 130k miles is only just over average for it's age too.

And I've always liked how they look too. Sod what Clarkson says Must admit, I've been tempted by mid to late nineties XJ6 3.2s too, there are quite a few going for not a lot of money at the moment. Gotta love the credit crunch.

Oh, and I'm aware that the Jags aren't exactly the most fuel efficient choices, but I reserve my right to throw certain elements of my criteria out of the window in mad heart-over-head decisions

 

[YSSMAN]

XJ6 >>> S-Type

Just my opinion.

 

[homeforsummer]

That S-type at 1.5k is a rare occurrence anyway, never seen one that cheap before. It's very, very unlikely that I'd wind up getting an S-type anyway, unless the market was suddenly flooded with cheap ones. An XJ6 would be tempting though. They actually seemed to do quite well in reliability surveys over here too, so good ones shouldn't even be a risky purchase.

I expect running costs might be a bit of a killer though. Just general parts and labour will be fairly high.

Funnily enough though, insurance isn't a problem at all. 330 quid a year for the S-Type and 340 quid a year for an XJ6. And that's in my current situation, hopefully I'll have another year's no-claims by the time I change my car. Means the insurance for aaaall my choices will go down

An XJ or S-Type would also be worth it for out-doing my best mate's E46 3-series for a year or two until he gets an M3

 

[niky]

An M3 will be faster, but it won't be nearly as posh. Ever.

 

[homeforsummer]

True. I prefer the image of the Jags.

 

[YSSMAN]

True Ango awesomeness only ever emanates from the Jaguar. Who cares if the windows don't want to roll down, or if the lights never want to come on, or if the engine works only on prime days of the month. Its a Jaguar, its beautiful, and they still design their cars with the best balance of leather, wood and other metal trim than any other company in the industry. Simply put, the XJ is still probably my choice in that segment of luxury.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

^ Only if I have a LOT of spare cash to repair all of the Jag's grem'ins, no thank you. I'd rather keep my E30 M3.

-> I drove a late-80's XJ6, and it was a P.O.S.

 

[homeforsummer]

^ Only if I have a LOT of spare cash to repair all of the Jag's grem'ins, no thank you. I'd rather keep my E30 M3.

They don't have nearly the same gremlins now as they did twenty years ago. The early S-types went straight into the top ten in customer satisfaction and reliability surveys, and XJs made a sharp rise around the same time. I think mid-nineties onwards are safe bets.

Plus, E30 M3 owners aren't that similar to Jag owners I love E30s and Jaguars, but I think day-to-day I'd prefer the wafting luxury of a Jag. Not that more sedate E30s aren't still on my shortlist.

-> I drove a late-80's XJ6, and it was a P.O.S.

Again, nineties and on are supposed to be so much better. I've heard nothing but good things about the way they drive (even from magazines like Autocar, who can be quite scathing if a car is even slightly average).

But I'd still need deep pockets, methinks.

 

[niky]

It's a manual, right? That answers my biggest concern about buying a big old car... high end ATs can be a right pain to maintain.

Too bad there's no cheap counterpart you can source inexpensive parts from, like the Jaguar Mondeo... errh... X-Type.

 

[homeforsummer]

It's a manual, right? That answers my biggest concern about buying a big old car... high end ATs can be a right pain to maintain.

The S-Type I posted was a manual yeah, I was thinking along the same lines, that a manual might have less expensive problems than an auto.

At first I thought the price was too good to be true... you know, there had to be a catch somewhere... but then I realised it's a gold, manual-transmission, non-leather Jaguar, which explains the price pretty easily! Everyone wants silver or dark colours, auto, and leather. It's almost mandatory for luxury cars.

It's an interesting point for me to note actually - depreciation worries me not a jot, because for my £1500 budget, most cars will be at the bottom of their depreciation curves anyway. So unlike those buying newer cars, something like the above Jag that might be hard to sell on isn't a problem for me. In fact, it's a bonus, and another reason that many of the cars I'm looking at aren't too common. Most unusual stuff is hard for people to shift, which brings the price down, which is great for yours truly on the look out for an awesome second car

Too bad there's no cheap counterpart you can source inexpensive parts from, like the Jaguar Mondeo... errh... X-Type.

Well, with the S-type there is, but it's a Lincoln LS and there aren't many of those around these parts

And don't diss the X-Type, I like those too

 

[homeforsummer]

*Bump*

So, Honda Preludes... tell me about them.

They've been on my shortlist for a while, but at the moment they seem very cheap.

If anyone has experience of them, I'd like to know:

- How they drive, in any engine version (specifically, the base 2.0 and the 2.2 VTEC of both 4th and 5th gen Preludes), and which generation is more fun.
- How comfy they are
- How reliable they are... are they as reliable and well built as I'm led to believe? The reviews on carsurvey.org are overwhelmingly positive.
- Which would be the better car to live with, given that Prelude 4s are getting quite old now, would a 5 be a safer option?

Fuel economy is good enough for me (around 30 UK mpg) and having run through a couple of insurance quotes, they're affordable enough to insure too. And as pre-2001 cars, they're in the higher of two tax bands, which at least is more predictable than the post-2001 CO2 based bands.

So yes, any info would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure someone on here must have owned one or who has a mate who owns one...

 

[Moglet]

I had a bad experience once with a Prelude.

I saw a model like the one on the right and ended up stabbing myself in my eyes. Did the designer sneeze?

 

[homeforsummer]

I don't mind the looks of the 5th gen Prelude any more. I've been conscious of them ever since they were released, as I already liked the looks of the 4th gen. It doesn't look ugly to me any more, even has a little character. Not as nice as the model that preceded it, but it has other qualities. Or so I'm led to believe, hence me asking about them.

 

[niky]

Just no automatics... I don't know how much the Prelude has in common with the Accord... the Accords from those years generally had <expletive-withheld> automatics, and there's some word that there are issues with the manuals as well. Everything else is about as good or better than other cars of that age. No weird suspension quirks. No MAF sensor means no niggling fuel problems when it goes on the fritz (the MAP seems more reliable), no ignition coil quirks, and even the extra VTEC electronics are pretty reliable (the solenoid might leak, but I've never heard of one failing... ever).

That 2.2 is a sweeeet engine (we don't have many Preludes here, but the 2.2 is a popular swap locally), and the steering racks are generally good. As with any old car, condition is the number one decider. You can get even the best-made Honda and still have to spend a fortune in cooling, suspension and brake repairs if the previous owner basically ran it into the ground.

 

[homeforsummer]

Thanks for the advice 👍 There are a lot of autos for sale. It's very, very difficult here to get CRX (Del Sols) and Preludes with manual transmission. With the Del Sols, it's because most are imports and the Japanese like their autos. With Preludes, it's because they were all bought by the elderly and specified with autos! There are still manuals about though, so it's not impossible.

At first I was thinking that I'd just settle for the 2.0 model if I went down the Prelude route, but I've run a couple of insurance quotes through online, and it'll cost me less than £350 a year to insure a 5th gen 2.2 VTi, which is only around £40 more than the 2.0. Or about £3.33 a month, which I think I can live with. And it's no worse on petrol, and it's in the same road tax bracket.

What would still persuade me to get the 2.0 over the VTEC is condition. If all the 2.2s are looking a bit tired, then I'd be happy to go for a cleaner 2.0. At the end of the day, it'll still be a lot quicker than my current car!

For the record, as well as Preludes, I'm mainly looking at MX-5s and Civics at the moment, as well as wondering if there's any way in the world I can extend my budget to around £5k and buy a Smart Roadster...

 

[Boz Mon]

The 5th gen autos are the only ones you need to steer clear of. It has a "sport shift" auto that fails, and there aren't many shops that can service them. The 5th gens have some minor differences from 97-98, and 99-01 this should not have any influence on your purchase. Make sure the timing belt water pump, and AUTO TENSIONER (5th gen only) were changed at 90k miles, if the belt breaks valves will bend.

More shortly, I have to go eat....

 

[Casio]

Smart roadster ftmfw

 

[Boz Mon]

Ok, so 4th gens are the same as far as timing belts and water pumps. All gens are amazing handlers, in fact the 3rd gens out slalomed everything that they were put up against. The 5th gen, Type SH was named the best handling car for under 30k. Reliability....its a Honda, my Prelude has 120k miles on it and I still take it to 7400RPM at least 3 times per day. They do use oil, 1 quart per 3000 miles is normal.

One downside is that the VTEC engine, as well as the 2.3 liter 4th gen take premium fuel. In the summertime I average about 26mpg mixed city/highway, this is driving at least 80mph on the highway. If I think of anything else I will add it, and if you have any questions just ask...

 

[homeforsummer]

The 5th gen autos are the only ones you need to steer clear of. It has a "sport shift" auto that fails, and there aren't many shops that can service them. The 5th gens have some minor differences from 97-98, and 99-01 this should not have any influence on your purchase. Make sure the timing belt water pump, and AUTO TENSIONER (5th gen only) were changed at 90k miles, if the belt breaks valves will bend.

More shortly, I have to go eat....

Thank you. Look forward to hearing more info 👍 I won't be getting an auto Prelude if I go down that route, but it's good to know their possible faults.

Smart roadster ftmfw

You have no idea how much I want a Roadie . On fuel and insurance costs over a year, it's cheaper than virtually all the cars I'm looking at (about £50 less a year than a 1.5 Civic EK). It's just such a pity the initial purchase price is so high, even if you take into account the price of selling my current car.

Ok, so 4th gens are the same as far as timing belts and water pumps. All gens are amazing handlers, in fact the 3rd gens out slalomed everything that they were put up against. The 5th gen, Type SH was named the best handling car for under 30k. Reliability....its a Honda, my Prelude has 120k miles on it and I still take it to 7400RPM at least 3 times per day. They do use oil, 1 quart per 3000 miles is normal.

One downside is that the VTEC engine, as well as the 2.3 liter 4th gen take premium fuel. In the summertime I average about 26mpg mixed city/highway, this is driving at least 80mph on the highway. If I think of anything else I will add it, and if you have any questions just ask...

Again, many thanks for the info 👍 I'd heard about their oil usage, I certainly intend to give my next car better treatment than I give the current one. My car will no longer be an object of transport, it will be something I'll take pride in.

I did forget about their thirst for premium fuel though. I'll have to look into how that affects costs over the course of a year (EDIT: the answer is about £50 over a year. Not too bad, as I don't do many miles). Fuel economy itself doesn't bother me. I'm quite confident that I can get good mileage out of whatever I choose, even if it's not quite up to the standard of my Fiesta.

 

[Prosthetic]

That sucks that "affordable" cars aren't really affordable...

 

[Casio]

You have no idea how much I want a Roadie . On fuel and insurance costs over a year, it's cheaper than virtually all the cars I'm looking at (about £50 less a year than a 1.5 Civic EK). It's just such a pity the initial purchase price is so high, even if you take into account the price of selling my current car.

Yeah, I was looking at them before I got the Saab. Super awesome, individual, but like yourself, I wasn't prepared to spend $25k on one, that's almost double what I brought the Saab for.

But for my next car, hopefully I'll have a full time job, and I'll seriously consider getting one.

 

[Boz Mon]

I have seen 5th gens managing 30mpg, I have tried and came close but never managed it. They will run on regular, but the benefits dont outweigh the costs. I can go for a week on a tank of gas. You will easily be able to get 300+ miles on one tank