The car thread 2.

[charlesr]

Went to see 3 Integras and some Skylines today. However, the Integras were all a bit worse for wear and uncared for so we walked away. They were all newer and half the mileage of my Impreza, but felt like 10 years older. They were also a bit Garyboy with roof shark and towing loops still on (look at me - I'm a race car!). The place didn't fill me confidence either - sales peeps were clueless with no charisma, with no idea which key was for which car - hadn't even bothered tagging the fobs.

Lucy liked the GTS with GTR bodykit, but I didn't fit in it. The seat literally didn't go back far enough for it to be comfortable I have them all the way back in my scooby and it's perfect. In the Integras, the seats went back even further than my needs (giants??). The wheels on the GT-R were worth rubbing myself against though. Check it: http://www.exclusiveautosltd.co.uk/u...01508015685609

To see what it was like though I fired up the Integra with the Buddyclub exhaust and the Nurburgring sticker. Blinkin eck!!!! At idle, the whole car was shaking from the exhaust note. Unfeasibly loud. Once it had warmed up, I revved it and the noise was ear splitting. I've never heard such a loud exhaust on the road - unsure if it was even legal. Sounded super sexy tbh. Also, the way it revved was ballistic - so different from the boxers - it was like lighting. The needle teleported round to 5,500rpm (and then the limiter cut in - vtecs won't let you engage the high end valve timing in neutral). Superb. Engine had a leak from somewhere (exhaust gasket I think - because it didn't seem oily) = no sale.

Might end up ordering one from Japan and getting something dull in the interim.

[charlesr]

Just got a call from RAC saying the garage in France can't find anything wrong with the car and they want me to go out there and drive it back.... I almost lost my rag. However, I remained calm and said if the garage can confirm they have driven it for 20 minutes without issue then I will come and get it. That test drive will be at my expense though

They also couldn't explain why there was stuff (air con fluid?) pouring out of the bottom of the car in the garage and aren't bothered by that fact at all. I feel like I'm being set up for candid camera or something.

[fishbowlhead]

Just got a call from RAC saying the garage in France can't find anything wrong with the car and they want me to go out there and drive it back.... I almost lost my rag. However, I remained calm and said if the garage can confirm they have driven it for 20 minutes without issue then I will come and get it. That test drive will be at my expense though

They also couldn't explain why there was stuff (air con fluid?) pouring out of the bottom of the car in the garage and aren't bothered by that fact at all. I feel like I'm being set up for candid camera or something.

Never trust French mechanics, my old man had a place in france for 15 years, every time he needed to use one out of dire necessity, it would come back still broken (or even worse than when it went in) along an astronomical bill to boot.

[speedlolita]

Seems like a fair assessment of an entire country.

[Brad]

French cars come out the factory broken!

[The Moleman]

Driving to Spain through France my dads Range Rover refused to start after a short stop at a service station, to cut a long story short when we were picking it up on the way back it was "ready to drive home", upon starting it up and trying to drive away it transpired that 1st and 2nd gear were gone. It went from a car that didn't start to an insurance write off thanks to French mechanics.

Also, as the owner of a Clio R27 I can attest that French Engineers are a bunch of dicks. Simple maintenance jobs are now expensive garage jobs, since when is changing light bulbs a garage job?

[charlesr]

[MENTION=9465]Brad[/MENTION] that brought a massive smile to my otherwise dull day

[charlesr]

I'm off to North Wales tomorrow for some night MTB and caving (invited by Led Lenser to test out their stuff). I wonder what joyous hire car I'll be getting However, for a 6+hr drive, I'll take anything that's comfy.

[charlesr]

It was a Corsa SRi, brand new (well... 9 miles on the clock). Did 700 miles.

I have some good things to say. The gadgets were cool. Rear view mirror auto dim. Lights auto-on. Looks ok. 45mpg. Lovely gearbox. Tyre pressure thingies. Engine was deceptively slow, i.e. 12s but felt quicker and a bit fun sometimes. Comfy for a 5hr non-stop drive. Interior felt very plush. Sports seats. Beautiful dash enhancements (which unfortunately reflected lights at night making it seem like a light was whizzing across the width of the car each time I passed a lamppost). Nick black alloys.

However. Why is it so high up? I was looking down on to the roofs of most cars. Ridiculous. The power steering was massive overkill - supposed to be variable, but seemed finger light at all speeds which made it twitchy and the body roll made me scared. It did grip though and felt better the faster you went, so 50-60mph country roads were vastly better than slower bends. No way of turning the touchscreen off, so at night, it's like having a light next to you. And then there's a red LED under the rear view mirror pointing down at the touchscreen area so it's even brighter. Brake pedal felt good, but braking was noisy and varied each time in the amount of braking.

For the money, pretty amazing value. If I was in the market for a new runaround, I'd consider it. Just don't be fooled into thinking it's in any way sporty.

[charlesr]

Drove a new Renault Clio from Caen to Poitiers. It had far fewer gadgets and stuff than the Corsa SRi, but it was sooooo much better to drive. The steering was hardwired into your brain and there was almost no body roll. Fantastic. The suspension worked. And I got there in just as much comfort. It was good to know that not all modern cars are dull to drive.

[charlesr]

[MENTION=9465]Brad[/MENTION] tell me about the GT86. Having looked at Integras, we think we are going to put that on hold for a few months and get either a new WRX STi or a BRZ. I think we know what we are going to get with the WRX STi (we are used the turbos and 4wd and total lack of sophistication and harsh suspension).

So how does the GT86 stack up now that you've had it for a while? Have you done any motorway journeys (2+ hours)? What are the seats like? Is it fast enough? (Lucy is used to driving cars that do 0-60 in 6 seconds, so 7.8 might feel quite slow to her, but she likes the lightweight handling concept). Have you had the back end step out yet? etc.

Also has anyone noticed how ridiculously fast the new Civic Type R is? 167mph.....

[Brad]

[MENTION=25]charlesr[/MENTION] Suspension is pretty stiff. I've done several 3 hour motorway drives, all very comfortable. Not many gadgets to speak of but it does have cruise control.

Seats are good, with great side support. I even take my daughter and her friend to school some mornings and I only have to move my seat forward an inch to give them room in the back. I'm 6ft though so that won't apply to you, no one behind your seat I should think! It's a really low driving position so you kinda have to fall into the driving seat when you have someone else parked close to you.

I don't have much to compare it to on the speed front. If getting away quick from the lights is a priority then that might be an issue as some of the turbo diesel rep cars will beat you. You have to push it to get the best from it. 4,500rpm up.

Handling is kinda like go kart. In the dry, on stock tyres, the back end will step out if you want it to quite easily but it never gets out of control, even with the safety off. The safety stuff, stability etc. Kicks in pretty early and aggressively in default mode and you'll want it on in the wet because the stock tyres aren't happy in the rain and the back end can come away quite easily. Any hard acceleration out of a bend or roundabout, even in 3rd, and you'll have to correct If you don't want it to behave this way then different tyres will make a huge difference in grip, the primacys are not very grippy at all.

The brakes are pretty good.

Tyre wear has been very even and they hold pressure (every other car I've had has had issues in this department ).

Problems:
I've done 14k in mine now. Had the rear lights re-sealed as they let water in. This is a common problem and well known.
The stereo will occasionally crash an ipod that's hooked up to it.
The rear speakers are a complete joke.

Specifically for you, most subaru dealers don't know the car well and will also charge a fortune for servicing. Take it to a Toyota garage instead, unless you already have a subaru dealer you know can handle it.

I average 33mpg. That's from a mixture of commuting to work, a40 steady 60mph and tanking it a bit round the country lanes.

It likes decent fuel. Super unleaded only; it'll make noises if you put normal unleaded in. I only ever put shell nitro+ in (gives you more mpg so it pays itself back really).

Overall I'm still in love with it.

Would you buy new? I think brz and 86 both come with a 5 year warranty. Long term, if you want more power then there is a new ever expanding aftermarket of super and turbo chargers now, along with the appropriate other bits you'd need.

[charlesr]

Ok cheers. We are going to drive a BRZ tomorrow and look at a WRX STi (customer car - sold so can't drive it, but no need really).

Guessing we will get the WRX due to practicality (two word you probably don't see in the same sentence very often).

[Brad]

New wrx?

[charlesr]

Yeah. Was going to buy an Integra but really need to have a more reliable vehicle at the moment.