[retired_janet]

Most cars you can buy have good points bad points and every car can have something go wrong with it that doesn't normally happen to it.

The ford fiesta my girlfriend had was very reliable.

I've got a Golf TDI - and it's great apart from the window regulator problem - get 60mpg from it. That'd be a lot more to insure though.

You really need to know your finances before making such a purchase. Insurance is expensive - then there's the petrol and road tax and then if anything goes wrong.....sh!t creek.

[retired_adsi10]

Originally posted by Verbal:
<BLOCKQUOTE>Originally posted by Serpico:
How much more was it from standard spec? I can get an extra 30bhp out of mine but have been put off by the insurance hike.

It was £40 plus a change of policy fee of £15. The only other mod I`ve had was Eibach springs which are lower 30mm on the front 20 on the rear, but that didn`t change my policy at all.

If you do get it done,make sure the company doing it has a good reputation, as I`ve heard stories of people wrecking there engines due to poor remaps.

Mine is switchable, so I can drive the car as standard or with the extra, although i never change it. It makes a big difference with the Seat, as there are some big drop off's in the rev range, where you don`t get power, but the re-map sorted that. The biggest difference in the torque. I caon`t remember the figures but I`m sure its about now at around 160lbs of torque per square inch, which is amazing, i should really go in for hill climb contests, since it just keeps on pulling </BLOCKQUOTE>

you into car modification? I dont mean like chavvy bodykits. The more subtle approach? or you only done the engine re-map and springs?

[retired_salemcobol]

Originally posted by Cheese On Toast:
<BLOCKQUOTE>Originally posted by Verbal:
<BLOCKQUOTE>Originally posted by Serpico:
How much more was it from standard spec? I can get an extra 30bhp out of mine but have been put off by the insurance hike.

It was £40 plus a change of policy fee of £15. The only other mod I`ve had was Eibach springs which are lower 30mm on the front 20 on the rear, but that didn`t change my policy at all.

If you do get it done,make sure the company doing it has a good reputation, as I`ve heard stories of people wrecking there engines due to poor remaps.

Mine is switchable, so I can drive the car as standard or with the extra, although i never change it. It makes a big difference with the Seat, as there are some big drop off's in the rev range, where you don`t get power, but the re-map sorted that. The biggest difference in the torque. I caon`t remember the figures but I`m sure its about now at around 160lbs of torque per square inch, which is amazing, i should really go in for hill climb contests, since it just keeps on pulling </BLOCKQUOTE>

you into car modification? I dont mean like chavvy bodykits. The more subtle approach? or you only done the engine re-map and springs? </BLOCKQUOTE>

I`ve never done any bodywork modification, as its not my thing. My car is standard apart from the re-map, a BMC panel induction kit and the eibach springs.

The springs are brilliant, as they give a soft ride under normal driving conditions, but are wound tighter at the bottom end, so when the car is pushed it stays flat. I toyed with coilovers, but they were over £400 for ajustable ones and the springs were only £150.

I don`t like chav motors, I just like my car to look nice and drive nice. The only things I`ve still got planned are a new head unit (one with an Ipod out) colourcode the front spliter and back bumper and possibly put a subtle stainless steel exhaust on it. I hate those throaty cherrybomb exhausts that some people put on there 1ltr wonders ,I want very litle noise butr a little more performance, as I`ve increased the air into the engine, to get the max out of the engine I need a larger exhaust so compensate and keep the engine running cooler.

The only other motor I`ve worked on, was my Toyota Surf 2.4TDI truck. I put a 4 iinch lift kit on it, mirrored tints all around, did a few little engine mods to keep it cool (the 2.4 had a habit of blowing the head gasket). I put BF Goodrich All Terrains on all four corners. It looked like a proper moster truck I`ll have a look and maybe upload a few picks of it.

[retired_adsi10]

im on a few websites/forums (sort of car clubs) that 'modify' their cars but their style is totally different to the chav look of stuck on bodykits.

Theres a lupo forum but its for lupos and arosa's (more lupos though, although near enough the same car), could always have a look on theere if you needed help or anything. www.clublupo.co.uk not many, if any chavvy motors (unless thats what you call chav).

some nice cars though

[retired_kikiiscwazy]

Originally posted by Retro:
You can buy the Parkers Guide in WHSmith for a couple of £ in the mag section - which is probably more convenient for browsing.

If the snow stops I may pop into town in a bit and have a look today, any other mags worth taking a look at? DP said that Whatcar? is decent.

[retired_deljo]

yeah but that's effort

[retired_civilian888]

Mika do you have any idea how much you want to spend, what type of car you want etc?

[retired_kikiiscwazy]

Originally posted by Juni:
yeah but that's effort

Effort

I'm at uni atm so I can't escape it unfortunately.

[retired_kikiiscwazy]

Originally posted by Eric Cartman:
Mika do you have any idea how much you want to spend, what type of car you want etc?

Well my circumstances as I said earlier are:

Originally posted by Mika:
Basically my financial situation is that I am going to be doing a legal course in York that will cost me about £8,500 from September 2007.

I have most of that saved, but will need a professional studies loan as well for living/travel expenses which can be between £5-£25k, so the car money would come out of there. Naturally while I could go and get the £25k and blow it all, I'm not that stupid, but at the same time I wouldn't mind paying a little bit more if it would be beneficial.

So it's not really fixed, I'd like to keep the loan as low as I can ideally but I'm happy to spend more if it is really worth it. The figures I have seen banded around seem to be cars that are £8k new and are £3k-£4k used, which are both possible, but unless there was something massively better about getting a new one, a used car seems to make more sense in my position.

[retired_adsi10]

you dont have to spend 3k on a used car though. decent ones for lower price