scoobyboy1

iTrader: (16)

My wife has a Corsa 1,3 CDTi and it drives very nice, It has half leathers, piano black interior inlays, alloy wheels, 6 speed gearbox etc so its well spec car think it has just under 100bhp but the turbo seems to kick in quite strong, and enough to overtake slow traffic, or enter a motorway from a slip road(which is important to me)

I found myself yesterday when going out which car should I use, and I ended up jumping in the wifes Corsa 1.3 diesel The reason why I wanted the VXR was that the wifes car drives so nice, and I thought if there standard car drives like this, then what must the VXR be like!!!

Im 33 years old and I think ive gone old, I just want something comfortable now, id even consider a nice new BMW estate next time

MOTORS S GT

iTrader: (2)

After regretfully selling my JDM Hatch, due to not using it much, & dealing with customer Subaru's on a daily basis, I lost the desire to own one, but replaced it with a VW 1.2 Polo as a customer loan car, then it was replaced with a 2014 1.4SE Corsa, it is terrible on fuel, no urgency whatever you do with the throttle, unless you cane it from go, but does have heated everything, auto wiper/lights etc, hence I opted for these on the VXR, its been faultless for 2 years, so when the VXR deals were posted on here I took some interest, ending with the lease of one.


I took the VXR out yesterday on a B road I know very well, & test all the cars I have on, it was a greasy surface as it was a drying salted road, but was quite impressed with the VXR, a quick look at the speedo & it was travelling at Impreza speeds, not quite as planted out of corners, but did carry good speed, no real traction issues as long as you did not just floor it, it did require some right foot modulation to get the best from it, even when it did step out of line, more right foot sorted it out, so on first impressions it does feel pretty good out the box, not done any fuel consumption figures, but its not looking horrendous, & should get better with miles, I am currently using Tesco 99.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I know what you mean, tbh the mrs 1.0L Viva is probably enough for me too, it's a nice enough place to be with the half leather and sexy leather steering wheel with cruise control, blue tooth for the phone and stereo controls, I've not driven it much twice I think, but it seems to pick up well enough around town and cruises at 80mph without any fuss, was pretty comfortable and soaks up the bumps without issue. One thing that also impressed me was the room inside for such a small car, ok the boot isn't very big but that's not really an issue as there's only her and my lad in it most of the time.

I'm just shy of 50 and used to like my mercs for cruising about in when I was about your age, must be something to do with hitting 30, but I have been fancying a little go cart for quite a while now, I used to love my XR2's back in the day and these new cars seem to have way more power and ride a lot better too, I was really impressed with the fiesta rental I had a couple of months back which is what started the ball rolling again, well that and the Petrol MG sounding more like a diesel and the heaters not working, wonder what that could be.

An0n0m0us

Hahaha not had the head gasket done yet then?! I loved my MG ZR and I was prepared for most of the 'features' having had a 214si prior as a run around. The heater switch/dial is easily fixed, there is a guy on the Rover/MG forum that sells the replacement bits and doesn't cost much and a fairly simple fix behind the glove box.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

It had had the HG done when we bought it, but just not a very good job, I tidied things up a bit and kept it going for the 9 months she had it, but this was was just a bit of a wrong un, I think I would have been better just getting another Rover 25 off some old codger like the last one, these MG's seem to be owned by the more boy racer type, heater was blowing cold and the temp gauge kept rising, (think it got properly cooked when it went) rather than spend a load of money on it thought it better just to hand it over for scrapage, 9 months motoring for 600 quid ain't that bad, some you win some you lose and all that, the other Rover was a stonker so that kind of makes up for the MG being a bit of a lemon.

An0n0m0us

My 214 I will always say is the best value for motoring i've ever had. Bought for £700 with the headgasket done and I used and abused it commuting into London for years with minimal servicing and it just went on and on. They get such a bad reputation but I loved mine purely based on running costs.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Yeah they do have a bad rep for the HG but the reality is they are a stonking little engine in the 1.4 guise, the good one was on a W plate averaged around 40mpg and you could ring the knackers off it in 3rd up to just shy of a ton, which actually made for a cracking b road car once it was moving, just keep your right foot planted and steer don't think I've had quite so much fun in a car with only 103bhp, the fact it only cost £800 gives a hell of a lot of freedom too.

Having it out here on the twisty mountain roads for a year is a big part of what made me want another little go cart type car, just so much fun chucking something like that around without a care in the world, it has a lot to be said for it, I could even be tempted back into one if I could find another in the same sort of condition, sadly rust and cooking them seems to have got the better of most of them.

My scoobs getting on a bit now and I've had it quite a few years so I think it's time for a change, but whatever I go for needs to be reliable and cheap to run, looking at the deals available now it just makes sense to go for a bit of fixed cost motoring.

Or maybe another Rover 25

An0n0m0us

I always fancied the 180bhp rover 200 bet that's great fun in something so light. Like you say the 1.4 engine is astonishing in the 214 when I first got it I thought it had been modded

I still like the MG ZR with the proper mg wheels and full factory bodykit and would have another one if the HG had already been done, again wouldn't mind the 180 in that either as I only had the 1.4 model when I had mine.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I always fancied the 180 too but apparently they're much more complicated, the diesels do quite well after a remap and still have good mpg, but I gather they handle a little differently due to the weight of the engine and you also run into other issues like clutch and gearbox problems.

Truth of it seems to be that the 1.4 is the pick of the bunch.

On a side note a mate of mine knows a mechanic that has a stripped out 25 tracked prepped with around 200bhp, not sure what engine it has in it but apparently it takes no prisoners.

An0n0m0us

he must be on the MG-Rover forum as they do like their modding on there.

http://forums.mg-rover.org/mg-zr-rov...treetwise-101/

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I'm on there as well.

An0n0m0us

lol I used to be but mostly as a lurker to find fixes to all the common issues but did like looking at modding posts and the for sale section.

An0n0m0us

Well after 2 years I was adamant I was going to buy it at auction after it went back to the leasing company but at the last minute i've bought this instead with only 9k miles on it:



It's got so much more kit on it and the Corsa having checked the app only did 33mpg over it's current life time of 11k miles and for me that's poor for a little run around so swung me to go for the ST-3. Oh and seems to have much more reliable tuning potential than the VXR.

It's going in for it's Mountune stage 1 on Monday

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Oooh nice one, as mentioned above, I loved the one I hired best part of 2yrs ago... doesn't time fly.

I never went the lease route in the end, just don't really need a new car, and it would probably get battered out here... Also I really wanted a car registered out here so I went retro with a MK1 Golf 1.6td... had a look at a couple of Rover 214's and even an MG... the 214's were shot and the MG was £3k so no way that was happening.

Tell me more about the fezzy I used to love XR2's.

An0n0m0us

Cheers Ditchy yeah 2 years has flown by! Well after tomorrow it will have 212bhp and torque increased to 320nm to give better mid range power.

It is just the modern XR2 and as I never had one of those I thought instead of keeping the VXR try the ST-3 as its better on fuel and much cheaper to tax at £135. It's fully loaded with tech that the VXR doesn't have and assuming i'm right on what it will go for at auction including fees plust the service and 2 new tyres i would have put on it the new one has only cost me an extra £600 over the VXR.

The Ford can go to a stage 3 and 265bhp if you spend £4.5k for the privilege and that's with Fords own tuning so done safely. I'm sure 3rd party tuners probably take it higher but I wouldn't risk it.

In comparison the VXR could only safely be taken to 225bhp with a stage one anything after that risks the gearbox on them.

I only got it Friday and not had the chance to drive it yet only done about 40 miles so far so looking forward to a proper run out in it.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I seriously considered getting a Fiesta ST to replace the Golf although a LSD would be the mandatory first mod.

In the end I got cold feet and instead blew over a grand on suspension and brakes for the Golf and maxed out the credit card in the process...oops

An0n0m0us

I didn't know LSD's could be retrospectively fitted I bet they aren't cheap?!

Lol modding vs change of car is always a tough one I went for the Ford also because I can get away with it better than the VXR in my mid 40s, in the VXR all I got was looks from 20 somethings as if to say what's that old duffer doing in that.

hedgecutter

iTrader: (5)

i used to cut the hedges for 15 years on that house in the background. It's on the Exbury Road isn't it?

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

https://www.mountunestore.com/produc...b-differential

Plus paying someone brave enough to strip the gearbox down to fit it

Fabioso

Good choice! I've driven a Mountuned ST3 for nearly a year and a half and it really is one of the best handling fwd hatches I have ever had the pleasure to own. It was standard for the first 1000 miles as there was a delay on the delivery of the mountune kit. The MP215 kit really unleashes the top end of the car and when I drive it off boost I can see over 40 mpg. Inside it feels a bit plasticky and cheap but considering the kit you get on an ST3 and at that price point, it is absolutely epic!

5 months left on the PCP and I am seriously thinking of keeping it as a run around (although that wasn't my original intention) it's just that good a driver's car.

I don't think I have seen a bad review of the FiST bar some fat old journos moaning about the harsh ride and the fact they can't fit in the very excellent Recaros

An0n0m0us

Lol well spotted yes it is indeed! Unfortunately it isn't my house.

Yes I bet the labour will be more than the LSD

I can definitely see why they say the VXR feels poor on steering feedback and the ST is so good, the difference in feedback is night and day. However the ride in the VXR is far less harsh. The interior's quality is far superior in the VXR and the Recaros unbeatable but the ST has lots more tech and I like the illuminated door sills. The exhaust has a better sound to it on the VXR but the ST is a much nicer shape to look at externally. But the fantastic steering feedback in the ST I think is the overall winning factor between the 2 cars in standard form.

I'm looking forward to seeing how it feels after the Mountune is done tomorrow.

As for the quoted mpg figures for the car i'm surprised they haven't been done for false advertising they are that far out. I know they are under lab conditions etc but i'm struggling to get anything more than 40mpg in 6th doing 45mph when the quoted figures are 58mpg on a run and combined it's supposed to do 48.9mpg. There is no way on earth the car is going to get anywhere near those figures if the dash computer is to be believed no matter how like miss daisy you drive. So i'm going to be dissapointed thinking it was going to be noticeably better on fuel than the VXR. I've only done B roads though so far so perhaps a long run on A roads will be a better comparison.

Oh and I think I need to get back to the gym if i'm to fit comfortably in the ST's Recaros as they are rather tight on my ribs to say the least

scoobyboy1

iTrader: (16)

I was thinking the otherday I wonder if you had bought your VXR, it was down to you and this thread that I had mine on that ridiculously cheap lease deal, and tbh its been a great little car in the 2 years!! I wonder how MOTORS S GT is getting on with his VXR???

How does the VXR and ST compare in performance?? Ive never had chance to compare my VXR against one(only time I come across a ST I had the kids in the car so)

Ive got another year left until my VXR goes back, I kind of regret having it over the 3 years as im itching for a new car, still not sure what I would get next, I would love another German hot hatch(S3, Golf R, A45 etc) but with the amount getting stolen/car jacked near me its putting me off owning another one, tempted to go back to a Subaru/Evo as there not as desirable for the car thiefs!!!

An0n0m0us

I'm pleased you and Motors got one on a good deal too it was too good to miss out on

I had every intention of buying it I loved driving it the 2 years I had it but I wanted to check on prices and what else was about for similar money to make sure I was doing the right thing. It took me days of pondering to choose between the VXR and ST, the fact I had the VXR from new was a huge thing for me but I couldn't get over it costing me more than the ST to run and for a run around/2nd car cost of ownership had to be key and that ultimately swung it in the end. I'm going to the auction Tuesday to watch mine sell so I know how much it goes for just because I have to know lol

As for perfomance in a straight line in standard form the VXR is quicker as it's 202bhp vs 180bhp in the ST but thats why i'm putting the Mountune on it as it puts it up to 212bhp.

I was never offered 3 years on my lease but the only thing that bothered me (as it turns out incorrectly so) was the extra ppm for going over the mileage limit. I thought it was 7.9ppm but I found out that was for over 10k over your limit and i've only been charged 3.5ppm +vat so could have used it more than I did, teach me not to bother reading the paperwork fully

MOTORS S GT

iTrader: (2)

Mine goes back first week in Jan 18, & counting the days off, its got more rattles & groans as the miles go on, especially the drivers door card, had it off a couple of times & cured it, then starts elsewhere, give up now, Vauxhall dealers not interested, fuel consumption on long runs is 33 / 34, local running about 29, not much difference to my JDM Hatch, tyre pressure monitoring system still plays up, just pricing up weather to get a damage alloy refurbished & respray the front bumper or take the hit when it goes back, good job it was a relatively cheap lease, if I had paid full whack for it I would be very f-----d off.


Handling wise its the electric power steering that lets it down, no feedback at all, the daughter has a Focus ST3 & that's miles ahead in feedback, so I can see where your coming from with the Fiesta.


I am currently looking at leasing a Skoda Karoq 1.5TSI some good deals on them at present, certainly won't be another Vauxhall.

An0n0m0us

I think I was lucky with my VXR I never had any of the problems mentioned on the forums or any rattles etc, the only thing that p!ssed me off was the tyre pressure monitoring but once I had the software upgrade done it worked fine after that.

Had the Mountune done today and now very pleased with the car

An0n0m0us

Well my VXR sold at auction today for £9.5k, what a steal at that price.

scoobyboy1

iTrader: (16)

Yeah agree with MOTORS S GT if I had paid full whack for the car it would have been gone ages ago, as much as I like the car I just dont love it.

I do get the odd creak from the drivers side door card and the mpg is not that great for a small 1.6 hot hatch, probably why you dont see many of the new shape Corsa VXR's on the road and the reason why Vauxhall where pretty much begging to take up the cheap lease deals on these cars as I dont think there as popular like the previous model and they needed to shift them.

Like I said I regret having it over the 3 years as my circumstances changed at the beginning of the year with another child, so we end up taking the wifes car everywhere and the VXR doesn't get used as its too small to fit anything in the car, and those lovely seats just dont push forward enough to get the baby car seat into the back.

MOTORS S GT

iTrader: (2)

My VXR went back a few weeks ago, did not get charged for any of the damage on it, scuffed alloy & bumper, so that worked out well, its currently at Evans Halshaw Bedford for £12560.00, don't know what the auction price was, as it went to BCA Bedford, so the buyers did not travel far, waiting for my Spec C Hatch on its way from Japan.