The Car Thread

[charlesr]

OK, just to get some further ideas incase I've missed anything. After car ideas, looking to spend around 4k, mileage under 50k and around 2004

Oh and 0 to 60 to be on the good side of 10 seconds.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/887954.htm

?4k, 50k, 2002, 0-60: 6seconds.
How's that?

[Soundwave]

OK, just to get some further ideas incase I've missed anything. After car ideas, looking to spend around 4k, mileage under 50k and around 2004

Oh and 0 to 60 to be on the good side of 10 seconds.

Any other clues as to what you'd like??

4 Doors?
Convertable?
2 Seater?
etc/etc.

The worlds your oyster my good fellow but some more clues would help us point you in the right direction

Neil

[nakamura]

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/887954.htm
?4k, 50k, 2002, 0-60: 6seconds.
How's that?

How did i know it would be a scooby!!!

[vanpeebles]

Any other clues as to what you'd like??

4 Doors?
Convertable?
2 Seater?
etc/etc.

The worlds your oyster my good fellow but some more clues would help us point you in the right direction

Neil

Oh er 3 door if possible, metal roof, would take 5 doors. Scoob is good but a bit flash and nothing that looks really nickable/standout.

[Soundwave]

Oh er 3 door if possible, metal roof, would take 5 doors. Scoob is good but a bit flash and nothing that looks really nickable/standout.

Now dont shoot me down here but what about a Peugeot 106GTi??

1.6 16v
120Bhp
0-60 - 8.6secs

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/PEUGEOT+106/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-18-50-110-240-4294967024-4294967204/advert.action?R=200847323771431&distance=17&postcode=ss14+2tn&channel=CARS&make=PEUGEOT&model=106&min_pr=&max_pr=4000&max_mileage=&vehicleYearOfManufacture=2002&vehicleRegLetter=52&loadCapTechSpec=true

I owned one a few years back & it was awesome, weighs about the same as an empty packet of crisps so even with only 120Bhp it goes like stink & handles like a Go-Kart
Awesom fun & would embarrass bigger heavier stuff off the line.

Or Golf GTi 1.8Turbo?

1.8 20V
150Bhp
0-60 - around the 7.9 mark

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk...hicleRegLetter=

Great car, seriously good build quality
Easy to tune...a ?400 remap will easily see you near 180Bhp add an Exhaust, Decat & Cold Air Intake & you'll happily see over 190Bhp
Obviously will hold it's value well being a VW
I have the Leon version of this car (Cupra) & it's an awesome machine.

I'll keep thinking during the day but also look at...

Audi A3 Turbo (same as the leon/Golf)
Volvo C70 (Seriously the 2.4T5 is so awesome & totally different to the norm)
Honda Accord Type-R (Best Type-R IMO 212Bhp 2.2Vtec power Yo!!)
BMW M3 (E30 & E36 should fall within budget now)
Seat Leon (Cupra if you can but might still be out of budget slightly)
Ford Focus ST170 (Same as everyone else on the road)
Mondeo ST24 (2.5V6 rep mobile...quick & comfy)
Vectra SRi (See Mondeo ST24 lol)

HTH to begin with

Neil

[vanpeebles]

Pug is a bit old. Had checked the ST170 but theres a big fault with plastic manifolds. Mondeo is a bit too big. Audi will be too pricey I think and not a fan of Vauxhalls. I'll check the others though and report back.

[charlesr]

My normal route to the childminder is flooded and although it's passable, after going through it once, I decided to take the long route. So I turned out of my road and lo and behold all the flood water had washed away the grit, so as soon as the turbo spooled up, I'm rallying down the road sideways on the ice. No one else around, so kept it slow and experimented a bit. Surprising amount of control. It was weird though, with being 4x4, it felt like the car was pivoting in the middle, rather than swinging the back.

Whilst this might seem irresponsible, I don't think people really understand their cars, they just drive them and when they encounter something like ice, they have no idea what to do. I like to be prepared.

[Dirty Sanchez]

Ahem

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?p=1483881#post1483881

http://prison-diary.blogspot.com/

[charlesr]

Is that a true story? Sounds wrong to me. If his car was stationary in the road, why wasn't the motorcyclist at fault. He should have been able to stop in the distance he could see. He couldn't and thus almost killed himself. Yes the car driver shouldn't have been there, but if he'd broken down going the other way and ended up parked in the road, the motorbike still would have hit him with the same results. Bikers going round corners too fast is asking for trouble. I should know - I did it on my bike. I came round a blind corner in a 40mph zone doing 35mph which, whilst less than the speed limit, was too fast for the distance I could see and fell off while trying to brake because there was a car parked in the middle of the road just around the corner. I don't remember him going to prison, but then my bike just missed his car and I only injured my thumbs. It was my fault, not his. Should he have gone to prison if I'd been going a little faster and had hit him and hurt myself?

Just to clarify, speed this morning was 20mph in a 30mph zone ("rallying" might have given the wrong impression) that almost everyone except me does 40 down (I always do max 30 in 30 zones). All the idiots I saw sliding gracefully off the road on Friday night in the snow are the dangerous ones - they had no idea what to do when their car didn't have normal levels of grip - whereas I knew what to do and could negotiate the bend successfully (the road was later closed). I'd also been testing the amount of grip on the straight by seeing how easily the ABS came on. People need to try this stuff.

The real question is probably "would I have been trying this if the police has been behind me?" Answer is no, but I also wouldn't have been doing it if there had been any driveways/sideroads or oncoming cars or pedestrians. Would I have been doing it if there was a 6 inch steel spike in the middle of the steering wheel? Yes, because there was no chance of coming to a sudden stop.

[Dirty Sanchez]

It is a true story, I think the guilt there was the amount of evidence against him that indicated he'd ended up straddled across the road due to dangerous driving, rather than a breakdown or some other event he had no control of.

In your case of the parked car, even if the car was parked legally if you could prove, or even implicate, that the parking attributed to your accident you could have a case.

Fair enough that you tried this in a controlled and safe manner, it does take an amount of judgement to decide what is safe though. Given you didn't know how it would pan out if there was an accident you could be at least partially to blame. I've done something similar to feel how the ABS feels, I had to brake sharply not long after getting the car, not having experience ABS before it was a shock how the pedal/steering felt when I did it. It is worth taking the time to test some of these limits but there will always be the ones that take it too far, the perfect example being the 'spirited driver' above, a little knowledge can be dangerous.

[charlesr]

All good points. Most people will gradaully push the boundaries, either on purpose or more often just through "becoming accustomed to the level of risk". This will continue until they have an accident or near miss and then readjust their boundaries down a few notches.

[Dirty Sanchez]

Agreed, I have nightmares thinking about some incidents in my 205.

[VR46]

OK, just to get some further ideas incase I've missed anything. After car ideas, looking to spend around 4k, mileage under 50k and around 2004

Oh and 0 to 60 to be on the good side of 10 seconds.

Can you get a new shape Celica for that money yet? might have to be a couple of years older than a 2004 though.

[Richard.John]

I have taken my Mazda for spirited drives on mountain roads, and had people carriers coming round a blind bends. We would miss each other (passing, not head on) by seemingly inches, but then again I have confidence in my reactions and ability to steer clear of trouble. My problem is other drivers, so I have now taken the view that defensive driving is best, as I can't guarantee that the other guy (the one in the people carrier) hasn't had a beer or three...

Spirited drives are dangerous though so will refrain from doing such, as it only takes one slip up and maybe next time I will meet a Skyline or WRX and its driver out for a spirited drive, coming round a blind bend.... then, well, you can imagine.

[charlesr]

A friend had his Caterham torn apart while going around a blind hairpin mountain bend in Spain at 20mph, only to find a local lady in a Corsa apexing it on his side of the road. He tried pulling in a bit more towards the wall, but there was nowhere to go and she tore the wheels off the side and knackered the frontend spaceframe.

I'm having a spell of people coming around corners with their car a couple of feet over the line on to my side of the road. The roads round me aren't particularly wide, but you can easily stay on your own side. The amount of times I've watched people veer back on to their own side of the road to avoid me over the winter period has been astonishing and often they have a surprised look on their face.... I don't get it. Why is it surprising to have to avoid a car if they cutting a blind corner??? wtf....

Luckily I'm a slow-in fast-out kinda guy (learnt from my motorbike off ), so it's never been a real problem and gives me time to give them "the stare"(Tm).