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Car shopping - hooray!BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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Sept 16, 2004 20:47:09 GMT
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The next best thing to shopping for cars, as you guys know, is shopping for cars for someone else! This is a bit of a challenge though! My brother is off to Uni this weekend, and his Escort project isn't gonna be finished in time. So he's gonna buy a very cheap banger to blast around in whilst there, and return to the Escort on weekends to finish it. Here are the criteria: Preferably something different Budget: about £2-300  Preferably fast Preferably retro (although probably gonna be mid/late-80's) Must have some tax and test Car shouldn't be too nice - don't want it turning into another project! Will be "disposed of" after the Escort is done in a couple of months. Not too difficult, eh?  We're going to look at a Mazda 626 GTi with 4 wheel steering tomorrow  , and probably some other dogs too . I'll let you know what we find! |
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Sept 16, 2004 23:01:34 GMT
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How about a Nissan Sunny ZX coupe? FWD, but they look like fun!
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Sept 16, 2004 23:13:02 GMT
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Sept 16, 2004 23:32:49 GMT
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How about a Nissan Sunny ZX coupe? FWD, but they look like fun! A better choice is the hatchback as they come with an LSD as standard and are brilliant fun to drive. The engine is a very revvy 1809cc DOHC 16V that puts out 129bhp. That gives 0-60 in 8.1 and 130mph as standard. I've done a trackday in one before and it was very agile on a track and suprisingly fast. Well equiped too with electric everything and PAS plus discs all round. They really are the forgotten hot hatch of the 80's. The hardest thing is finding one. This is my girlfriends 60K mile Sunny ZX....  I think the coupes are more quirkylooking though and you almost never see them any more. Designed entirely with a ruler;D They seem to be more rust prone than the hatchbacks unfortunately. Coupes come as a 1.6 or 1.8 but it's still the same engine as the hatch, the CA twin cam (same as a 200SX minus the turbo). Here's my ZX coupe which is getting converted to turbo power with a 200SX engine and LSD gearbox (rather slow progress lately though  )  The good news is that both varients can be had pretty cheap. Just watch out for rust and water leaks from the hoses behind the engine. There is a coupe on eBay at the moment for £50. The cambelt has gone but I have a feeling it doesn't do damage like the seller thinks. Even if the engine is knackered I have one spare ;D There is a club and forum for them and other 80's Nissan ZX's at www.zxoc.co.uk. |
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Last Edit: Sept 16, 2004 23:34:07 GMT by Ratdat
1962 Datsun Bluebird Estate - 1971 Datsun 510 SSS - 1976 Datsun 710 SSS - 1981 Dodge van - 1985 Nissan Cherry Europe GTi - 1988 Nissan Prairie - 1990 Hyundai Pony Pickup - 1992 Mazda MX5
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Sept 16, 2004 23:59:03 GMT
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how about an old volvo, nice and cheap to buy, parts are easy to get hold of, built like a tank..... and oh theres also the fact that I'm selling my 240 as I'm off to uni |
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Sept 17, 2004 17:11:55 GMT
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If the Volvo option doesn't do it for him, then a late 80s BMW would be quite cheap and interesting wouldn't it? Plus it would be reasonably reliable. But a Volvo 740 saloon would do it for me.
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"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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Sept 17, 2004 17:29:10 GMT
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How about a Triumph 2000 Mk 2? just don't get one with bl**dy Stromberg carbs!
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Sept 17, 2004 17:41:43 GMT
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The strombergs are Ok, but I can tell you all from experience that they are buggers to set up on any car with more than one of them. Good carbs though.
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"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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Sept 17, 2004 17:48:07 GMT
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The strombergs are Ok, but I can tell you all from experience that they are buggers to set up on any car with more than one of them. Good carbs though. Good for nothin... Had to take mine off again, one flooded for no apparent reason.. Off,stripped ,on again 45 minutes, work stank of petrol for hours aaah the joys of old cars. |
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Sept 17, 2004 17:52:51 GMT
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Really? Mine are never that bad. It's the engine they're attatched to! ;D ;D
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"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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Sept 17, 2004 18:20:49 GMT
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I used to work on Triumphs for a living and I can honestly say.. I do not like Strombergs  They are pretty poor carbs. Triumph 2000's on the other hand are rather nice if not a little rust prone in some rather structural areas. Very nice to drive. I'd have a Mk1 given the choise as I prefer the way they look. |
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1962 Datsun Bluebird Estate - 1971 Datsun 510 SSS - 1976 Datsun 710 SSS - 1981 Dodge van - 1985 Nissan Cherry Europe GTi - 1988 Nissan Prairie - 1990 Hyundai Pony Pickup - 1992 Mazda MX5
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Sept 17, 2004 18:41:59 GMT
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I'll take your word for it on the Triumphs but for some reason they're ideal for Imps when they're set up, as a kind of intermediate step between the standard little solex (too small to be a good carb for a hot engine! ) and the more extreme Weber option. |
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"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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Car shopping - hooray!BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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Sept 17, 2004 19:18:02 GMT
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Some good suggestions! A Sunny ZX would have been cool but there just wasn't one about. I tried to convince him to get a Volvo 240 but he wasn't too keen  No retro metal about with t&t for the price unfortunately... there was a Standard 8 for £400 but that would DEFINITELY turn into a project ;D Anyway, we went to see what was advertised as a Peugeot 505 estate (not fast but different ) - it turned out to be a 405   .Why don't people look at the badge on the back of the f******g car?! In the end we went for a G plate BMW 316i 2 door. Metallic red, 114k miles, 3 owners... really nice drive, a couple of rust bubbles but nothing horrible! BMW service history up to 90k, lots of electrics.... £300! I'm having it off him when he gets the Escort going so I can rip the engine out of the Merc and put the V8 in!! |
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Sept 17, 2004 20:55:46 GMT
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I can rip the engine out of the Merc and put the V8 in!!  |
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Sept 17, 2004 21:14:51 GMT
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Don't think you can go far wrong with a Bimmer really. Engines a bit small but sound like you might have a cure for that anyway ;D
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1962 Datsun Bluebird Estate - 1971 Datsun 510 SSS - 1976 Datsun 710 SSS - 1981 Dodge van - 1985 Nissan Cherry Europe GTi - 1988 Nissan Prairie - 1990 Hyundai Pony Pickup - 1992 Mazda MX5
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Car shopping - hooray!BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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Sept 17, 2004 23:58:23 GMT
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Yeah it seems like a good buy - we're gonna give it a thorough going-over tomorrow to find all the niggly bits, but as long as it's not a cut-and-shut it should serve it's purpose - and it means I can SORN the Merc for a couple of months to get the engine in and not worry about transport.... It would be tempting to get hold of a six cylinder BMW lump, but we've agreed it is a work horse and NOT a project!!! Although seeing that stripped-out BMW in PPC mag has started the cogs turning! |
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Sept 18, 2004 8:48:44 GMT
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I have an 87 325i for sale with mot till march, but no tax. It is a green 4 door in really bloody good condition and 98,000 miles and 170bhp. It sooo fast! And rear wheel drive too. It needs the exhaust repairing somewhere at the front (still perfectly drivable), and the passesnger electric window doesn't work, but other than that it is a fantastic little car. £300 for a quick sale. In fact Benzboy, you could then come and get all those Merc parts too  |
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There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes
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Car shopping - hooray!BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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Sept 18, 2004 10:37:57 GMT
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Your Bimmer sounds great! We had to get a car with tax because my brother goes away tomorrow - he seems to have this ability to attract attention from PC Plod whatever he's driving, so he thought he'd better not risk it. This limited our options as there were some very cool cars about that had a ticket but no tax If I had a spare 300 I'd definitely have it off ya! |
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We're going to look at a Mazda 626 GTi with 4 wheel steering tomorrow 
, and probably some other dogs too 
. Ideal student biffabout.
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They are pretty poor carbs. Triumph 2000's on the other hand are rather nice if not a little rust prone in some rather structural areas. Very nice to drive. I'd have a Mk1 given the choise as I prefer the way they look.
No retro metal about with t&t for the price unfortunately... there was a Standard 8 for £400 but that would DEFINITELY turn into a project ;D
.Why don't people look at the badge on the back of the f******g car?!
