HFS's Cars

[Stotty]

I'd advise you to avoid anything with poor body work. Mechanical stuff is generally much easier to fix... and you're much more likely to take care of something that you feel proud to drive (and enjoy it more too).

The black 318 certainly looks good in the pictures... though dealers are usually pretty good at maximising the 'forecourt appeal' of their stock.

ANy reason why you're looking in dealers as opposed to a private sale where you'll probably get more for your money.

 

[niky]

We actually got your crappy European 90 hp engine till 1998. A friend just bought one. Incredibly fun to drive, but slow as hell. I think he mentioned his top speed is somewhere around 140 km/h.

If it's the more powerful one, no problems, then. There are some mechanical quirks to the Miata... if you plan to track the thing, you'll want to look at adding some aftermarket cooling... better oil cooler, better radiator, maybe add some redline water wetter...

That Civic, if the only thing wrong is rear fender rust (common for the time)... looks sweet.

 

[homeforsummer]

I'd advise you to avoid anything with poor body work. Mechanical stuff is generally much easier to fix... and you're much more likely to take care of something that you feel proud to drive (and enjoy it more too).

The body on the Civic was generally very good, just the rear arches were suffering. But regardless, I won't be buying that particular car as it'll likely be gone by the time I get around to selling mine.

ANy reason why you're looking in dealers as opposed to a private sale where you'll probably get more for your money.

Because it's dead easy to turn up at a dealer, pop out for a test drive and then disappear again. No hassle of ringing a private seller at their home, arranging a time to meet, arranging my own insurance so I can drive their car (my current policy doesn't let me drive other cars) etc etc. Even if I buy privately in the end, I'll have driven plenty of examples of each car so I'm better informed to make my decisions 👍

Plus, at this price point there isn't much of a difference between trade and private anyway. There's so much variation when looking at £995 Civics or 3-series that you're equally likely to get a bargain at a dealer as you are going private. For example, I've seen plenty of Compacts for sale privately and none seem to offer anything more for anything less than the Compacts I've driven from trade sellers.

We actually got your crappy European 90 hp engine till 1998. A friend just bought one. Incredibly fun to drive, but slow as hell. I think he mentioned his top speed is somewhere around 140 km/h.

Hah, not much quicker than my current car then! If not slower...

If it's the more powerful one, no problems, then. There are some mechanical quirks to the Miata... if you plan to track the thing, you'll want to look at adding some aftermarket cooling... better oil cooler, better radiator, maybe add some redline water wetter...

Not so fussed on tracking it at the moment, but I do like how huge the aftermarket is for them - the competition seems to keep the prices of aftermarket bits (and OEM, for that matter) low.

That Civic, if the only thing wrong is rear fender rust (common for the time)... looks sweet.

Was definitely a nice car. No other rust, the interior looked well looked-after, drove well. It's definitely remaining on the shortlist, especially given the running costs and insurance (lowest of anything I'm looking at).

 

[Stotty]

Cool... just wondered... not bought a car in that sort of price bracket since my late teens, so a bit out of touch (and back then, they were a lot cheaper)!

On the body work front... I know what you're saying, but anything that's going to need paint work is ultimately going to be a pain.

I think the compact is a good choice if you can find the right one... they are good to drive, particularly the sport ones (as you've discovered, the harder suspension an bigger tyres give the steering a bit more weight and feel), and they are solidly built. They can be a bit tail happy in the wet though - my wife's company gave her a 316 pool car for a few weeks after I wrote off her TT... quite surprised how sideways it would go with so little power.

 

[Famine]

Really? Could you possibly send me a few links to these pages/articles, because I can't seem to find any myself. The engine code for the NA MX-5 1.6 is B6P, and the only stuff I can find is saying that if anything, the engine is quite over-engineered for it's application, being non-interference, with oil-spray cooling for the pistons, and being a naturally-aspirated version of a turbocharged engine (from the contemporary 323 Turbo), so basically having a block and head that's designed for much more power.

Which is why more than half the force-induction modified MX-5s in the UK are Mk1 1.6s. Not to mention the factory-standard BBR Turbo edition (1.6) and turbocharged Le Mans edition (1.6).

The B-series 4-pot essentially ran Mazda during the 80s and 90s, with variations of it in everything, from 1.1 to 1.8s and a standard 210hp peak in some flavours. The B6P and B6ZE are, architecturally, the same design as the BP 1.8 in the MX-5...

 

[homeforsummer]

I think the compact is a good choice if you can find the right one... they are good to drive, particularly the sport ones (as you've discovered, the harder suspension an bigger tyres give the steering a bit more weight and feel), and they are solidly built. They can be a bit tail happy in the wet though - my wife's company gave her a 316 pool car for a few weeks after I wrote off her TT... quite surprised how sideways it would go with so little power.

That's why it's good the car has traction control - I'd be able to use it while I was getting used to the car! I assume it was on during the test drive - at one point I accelerated hard in second over a sharp transverse ridge in the road, and there was very little drama. I've done the same in other (admittedly FWD, though much less powerful) cars where the revs have shot up briefly and the wheels have spun.

As you say though, the build was very good, though a little more rattly than the others I've driven (which I put down to the suspension and wheels again, as well as the test route generally being pretty bumpy).

EDIT: I've just thought too, it shows that the other 318ti I tested was well overpriced for what it was - far more bodywork blemishes, lower spec, no radio, no aircon, not many fewer miles, no newer, no ///M bits... and yet £200 more. Riiiiight.

Which is why more than half the force-induction modified MX-5s in the UK are Mk1 1.6s. Not to mention the factory-standard BBR Turbo edition (1.6) and turbocharged Le Mans edition (1.6).

The B-series 4-pot essentially ran Mazda during the 80s and 90s, with variations of it in everything, from 1.1 to 1.8s and a standard 210hp peak in some flavours. The B6P and B6ZE are, architecturally, the same design as the BP 1.8 in the MX-5...

So basically, they're pretty reliable then, right? I've a couple of MX-5 buyers guides so I know generally what to look for in terms of wear and tear, corrosion etc. From what I've heard, the main thing to look for with the engine in the MX-5 is noisy tappets, but even that doesn't seem too expensive to deal with.

 

[Famine]

They all have noisy tappets. Regular servicing and some HLA additive every now and then stops them being quite so noisy

 

[Leonidae]

I'll see if I can find them again. There's also slight possibility that second gear synchro might be rather unwilling to do it's job..

gearbox issue

I'll update this post when I find it. if I recall right, it was related to camshafts.. them being too short or something.

 

[homeforsummer]

They all have noisy tappets. Regular servicing and some HLA additive every now and then stops them being quite so noisy

I think they mean excessive noise. My car is quite tappety but it's just a characteristic of the engine. I'd know if they were making too much noise though.

I'll see if I can find them again. There's also slight possibility that second gear synchro might be rather unwilling to do it's job..

gearbox issue

I'll update this post when I find it. if I recall right, it was related to camshafts.. them being too short or something.

What an odd problem. Look forward to seeing the link. I'm not doubting you, it's just as far as I'd heard, they were pretty reliable things. 👍

 

[Leonidae]

hm, it was crankshaft issue, not camshaft.

http://www.miata.net/garage/crankshaft.html

 

[niky]

Well... shifter bushing on a 13 year old car... not an issue. And here I thought it was much like the 3rd gear issues on FS/FP equipped cars.

I've heard of the crankshaft thing before... but it's such a freak occurence, and confined to a small number of units, that I wouldn't worry about it, secondhand. It's been 17 years... if it was ever going to fail, it would have, by now.

 

[homeforsummer]

Mazda MX-5

So, I finally tested an MX-5 today - or to be strictly correct, a Eunos Roadster, the Japanese import. Pics first, then talk:

Some details first - It's a Eunos 1.6 with somewhere between 110-120bhp (I can't remember what the Eunos models make). It has a CD changer, aircon, power steering, and a space-saver spare (I'm pretty sure the UK models have a full size spare, though I'm not certain). It doesn't have any rust (well, very, very little indeed, enough for it to be a non-issue). It appears to have had underseal treatment since it was imported. The electrics all seem to work (including the pop-up lights).

It doesn't have any service history. I pressed the dealer on this, asked him when it was imported. After um-ing and ahh-ing for a little while he appeared to pick a number at random "98". I asked if it had any UK service history (surely it must, after 11 years in the UK?...) "Erm... no... [sheepish look] we don't have any history for it". Last cambelt change? "Errrm... not sure". Okay, when was the last minor service? "Two weeks ago, we changed the oil, plugs, filters etc". Right, some progress. He didn't seem to have such a great knowledge of the car, but then in my experience there aren't many traders who know more about a particular model than I do anyway.

Engine a little tappety, though the dealer admitted it hadn't really been driven for a while (after my drive it was much quieter). Hood seemed in good nick, rear screen a bit fogged but that's to be expected. Didn't have an enormous crease down the middle though, unlike many seem to. Two different tyres on the back axle.

The drive - pulls well, everything worked as it should. Driving in a straight like I seemed to be having to steer a little to the left the whole time (one or two degrees - tracking, maybe?). Clutch good, brakes good, steering good (lovely having power assistance...) other than the off-centreness. Gearchange great, all gears worked well (including reverse). Lots of wind noise even with the top up, but that's to be expected.

A successful test drive then. The price? £1495. Top of my budget, same as that black 318ti. Unfortunately I'm still not in a position to buy right now, but at least now I have an MX-5 benchmark and I'm a little more clued up on what they're like on the road. This is because I've only ever driven MX-5s on a circuit before, three or so years back:

(Neither is me behind the wheel, but I drove both these cars. Slick tyres + damp track + no power steering = handful)

Anyway, I'm still having fun looking for cars! I think my next drive will actually be a Ford Puma (Jondot suggested one earlier in the thread, but the idea has grown on me more recently) until I can find more examples of Civics or MX-5s. I've driven enough BMWs now to know that they're a definite possibility!

 

[lmracer]

I'm glad you are keen to the MX-5. I absolutely love mine. They are super easy to maintain and very satisfying to upgrade (for cheap!) I hope you decide to go for it! Even though it is only a two-seater. I think you are over that fact already, so that is good. Performance oriented choices all the way!

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

An MX-5 is ideal if you have no need for rear seats. Get a lot of fun for very little money. Bear in mind you may need to buy a hardtop for it due to British weather, security, etc.

Pumas are awesome, you can almost think them around corners. Nickasil liners can be a big problem so finding a good runner with fairly high mileage on the clock is important (The liners seem to fail reasonably early in the life of the car if they do fail)

 

[homeforsummer]

An MX-5 is ideal if you have no need for rear seats. Get a lot of fun for very little money. Bear in mind you may need to buy a hardtop for it due to British weather, security, etc.

That's the rub. Ideally if I was getting an MX-5 it'd have to be even cheaper than that one, so that by Autumn I could budget for a hard-top, which don't seem to go for anything less than about £300 (and that's if you're not bothered about colour-matching...)

Pumas are awesome, you can almost think them around corners. Nickasil liners can be a big problem so finding a good runner with fairly high mileage on the clock is important (The liners seem to fail reasonably early in the life of the car if they do fail)

I have a mk4 Fiesta at the moment (the one the Puma was based on). The Puma appeals because in theory, it should be better in every single performance/handling department (grip, steering feel, response, brakes, clutch, balance etc) over the already, very good Fiesta. Case in point - the only car I've driven so far that has a better gearchange than my Fiesta was the MX-5. And the Puma is supposed to have an excellent gearchange.

I'm thinking of driving a Puma tomorrow. There's one in a garage nearby.

Only major problem with the Puma (beyond the Nikasil liners you mentioned, which I've read up on already) - shockingly poor resistance to rust on the rear arches. I never realised how many older ones are rusting there until I started actively looking. And many of the ones that appear to be fine have had repairs, with not particularly well-done resprays to those rear panels.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Good to see you're fully clued up on the cars that you're considering. I don't think you could go far wrong with an MX-5 to be honest, very hardy cars on the whole. Keep it a few years then turbo it!

Friend of mine had a 240bhp MX-5, would sit with Evos and Imprezas nicely. Yummy TorSen differential was yummy.

 

[homeforsummer]

Good to see you're fully clued up on the cars that you're considering. I don't think you could go far wrong with an MX-5 to be honest, very hardy cars on the whole. Keep it a few years then turbo it!

I do try and do my research before going and testing things, but I'm a bit of an information sponge anyway and like doing as much research as possible before buying anything, whether it's a car, a guitar or a videogame!

As for turboing an MX-5, I don't think it really appeals. I'm not much of a speed freak really - the appeal of the MX-5 is that it doesn't have to be fast to be fun. And on that philosophy, today I tested the base model EK Civic available in this country...

97 Honda Civic 1.4

Stumbled across it when I was out looking today. It's in reasonable nick, broken driver's mirror but they're replacing it soon, faded bonnet (red paint sucks), rolls on four Smarties as you can see. The 1.4 is a nice engine, smooth and 90bhp so not a rocket but pulls better than mine. Gearbox felt better than the 1.5 I drove before, and the ratios seemed shorter too. Steering felt weird a couple of times... like the assistance was varying and pulsing a bit... Anyone know what this could have been? Maybe the PAS pump on it's way out?

Anyway, overall not as nice as the 1.5 VTEC or any of the BMWs I've driven, nor the MX-5. Price only £799 though, and only 81k miles on the clock with a recent cambelt change, full service history and taxed+tested - so it'll be a good deal for someone.

 

[YSSMAN]

It seems like a halfway decent car, and if you're looking to save some cash, it sounds like a good way to go. At least to me, running the "low-spec" car is a smart way of not being bothered, and having a cheap platform to tinker with. Throw a halfway decent set of wheels and tires on there, maybe a slightly tighter suspension setup, and you've got a fun little car to toss around on back roads, all while getting the 40-ish MPG at the same time.

 

[C-ZETA]

Hmm...a Civic 1.4 from 97...too bad Honda have a 1.4 modern day Civic today, and that pumps out 99bhp, rather than just 90. And the ratios are bound to feel shorter, as it is a less powerful engine than the 1.5, all along.

 

[homeforsummer]

To be honest Brad I still favour the 1.5, as it has all the advantages you mention, yet is even more efficient and still manages to be quicker. It's very unlikely I'd choose the 1.4 Civic over something like one of the BMWs I've driven, but the 1.5 has significant enough advantages that I would consider one.

Hmm...a Civic 1.4 from 97...too bad Honda have a 1.4 modern day Civic today, and that pumps out 99bhp, rather than just 90. And the ratios are bound to feel shorter, as it is a less powerful engine than the 1.5, all along.

The ratios in the 1.4 are likely shorter because the 1.5 is very economy-orientated, and as you say, has better power and torque figures. I expect if the 1.4 had the longer ratios it would barely move That said, I'd rather have the 1.4 in a Civic like the one above than the newer ones, simply because it weighs significantly less so that 10bhp deficiency wouldn't really make much difference.

 

[homeforsummer]

Another update - had a go in this today:

Alfa Romeo 146 1.8 TS

The first Alfa I've ever driven. An interesting experience. It's not really one of the cars on my shortlist but I saw it online and thought it might be interesting to have a go.

Info about the car - it's a 1.8 petrol, and like many Alfa engines there are two spark plugs per cylinder. It produces a fairly reasonable amount of power for a 1.8 - 144bhp, which is actually more than the 1.9 in the BMW 318ti I drove before (probably the closest for comparison purposes), and it weighs around 50kg less, managing around the same top speed (130mph) and a slightly quicker 0-60 time (9.2s versus 9.6, manufacturer's figures). It's not quite as fuel efficient as the BMW, but not far off.

To drive - the engine is fantastic. It sounds better than any of the ones I've driven so far and performs about as well as the BMW. The steering is fantastic - only 2.1 turns lock to lock so it's very quick and responsive (quickest I've driven previously is a new Mini Cooper, 2.5 turns lock to lock, my Fiesta is around 4 turns lock to lock!). I found myself turning into corners and then winding off a bit of lock as I'd turned too much. The throttle was very responsive indeed, the brakes seemed okay and the clutch fairly heavy. The driving position was quite odd - very high even on the lowest seat setting. I'm not a tall person but I felt like I was perching above the pedals, which made getting used to them difficult at first. No support under my knees so I expect on a long journey I'd get leg and back pains quite quickly.

Condition wise this one wasn't amazing, but wasn't bad. There were a few scuffs on the paintwork and one of the arches was a little scraped, but no rust anywhere to be seen. The engine sounded okay, the interior was in good nick and didn't rattle (after 77k miles on the clock, not bad for an Alfa). There was a lot of moisture in the spare wheel well in the boot for some reason, but no sign of rust in there either so it must be quite recent. It had a tow hook (as you can see) so I'm dubious as to how hard a life it's led.

Anyway, as I said at the start, it's probably not on my shortlist but everyone has to drive an Alfa at some point in their life so the 146 is a reasonable place to start! Price was £1495 - not bad at all for the amount of car you get.

And for the record, I quite liked the colour...

 

[Tornado]

Before this post, I had never even heard of the 146.

 

[homeforsummer]

Glad to be of service then There's a similar model called the 145, a 3-door hatch.

 

[Tornado]

I knew about the 145 (GT2), but never knew there was a sedan version.

 

[buickgnx88]

Looks like it was excited.

 

[YSSMAN]

DOOD.

That Alfa is epic awesome. No, scratch that... Its amazingly epic awesome. If there is a way to get it, that's the way to go. Unique, and a true driver's car.

[Clarkson]

How bad could it really be?

[/Clarkson]

 

[homeforsummer]

I knew about the 145 (GT2), but never knew there was a sedan version.

It's not actually a sedan, that's the funny thing. It's a 5dr hatch that looks like a compact sedan. Which I quite like, as most 5dr hatches look a bit lame.

Looks like it was excited.

I was wondering how long it would take for a comment like that!

DOOD.

That Alfa is epic awesome. No, scratch that... Its amazingly epic awesome. If there is a way to get it, that's the way to go. Unique, and a true driver's car.

[Clarkson]

How bad could it really be?

[/Clarkson]

I do like the 146s so I'm glad it was my introduction to Alfas. I'd quite like to drive a few more (a GTV, a 156, maybe a 145 too). A 146 was on my original shortlist but it got cut. I need to drive another just to see if I could actually live with one or not, because of the weird driving position. And they look best in metallic green.

I'm still on the hunt for BMWs and Civics too, as well as keeping a beady eye open for MX-5s and MX-3s popping up.

 

[Joey D]

I really like that Alfa, although as Top Gear has often said it's a car your buy with your heart, not your head. If you can afford to keep it running and put up with the hassle of owning a car that isn't really known for reliability then I say go for it. Just a shame it isn't in red.

This may sound like a dumb question but what's the curved thing on the back of the car, a trailer hitch?

 

[Tornado]

It's not actually a sedan, that's the funny thing. It's a 5dr hatch that looks like a compact sedan. Which I quite like, as most 5dr hatches look a bit lame

Ah, so its like the Dodge Shadow in the respect. Interesting.

 

[homeforsummer]

This may sound like a dumb question but what's the curved thing on the back of the car, a trailer hitch?

Yup, or "tow hook", for us Brits. I'm dubious of anything with a tow hook because you never know whether the previous owner has just been towing a small trailer or a huge caravan, which could ruin the rear suspension and give the engine something extra to worry about too. I did ask the seller whether he knew what the previous owner had been towing but he didn't know.

The draw of owning an Alfa is very, very strong. I've loved cars from the marque way before Top Gear started eulogising about them and they've always been a marque I've wanted to own an example of. I can place the love of Alfas back to the 1994 British Touring Car season when Tarquini dominated in a 155. I consider myself pretty level-headed and not easily swayed by emotion but it's amazing how much the drive today has made me think. What was nice was opening the door into the 146 and it smelling like an Italian car. Many years ago my family had a string of Fiats and this Alfa had the characteristic Italian car smell.

As for affording to keep it running, at this sort of age it should be like any car - careful maintenance and it should go on quite happily. And of course, I'm much more inclined to look after something that I have a passion for. Whether I get an Alfa, or a BMW, Honda or whatever, my next car is something that will capture much more of my attention than my current car.

Over the next week or so I've a few more cars I'm keeping an eye on. One is a Mitsubishi FTO for sale nearby. I semi-dismissed the idea of an FTO a while back but it'd be interesting to test one so if I have a free couple of hours over the next few days I may well pop along and have a closer look.

Ah, so its like the Dodge Shadow in the respect. Interesting.

After doing a little research, I can confirm "yes"