robertmatto

Hi all
I currently have a bugeye gx Y reg and i am looking to convert it to turbo been looking around for donar car and come across a few classics locally and in price range but would the engine, running gear and wiring match up???
i would also much appreachiate tips and advice on the conversion and exactly what it needed to carry it out.
Many thanks
Rob

bigsinky

cheaper just to buy a turbo car. its been done before on the forum. just do a search. its just not cost effective as you would have to swap everything. why would you want to convert a NA car to a turbo anyway?

robertmatto

Yeah I have heard that everything needs changing hence the reason for the donar car. The reason I want to convert the NA is because its cheaper way to insure it as a standard turbo would cost me around 4 grand yet the converted NA with mods decleared would only be around 1 and a half.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

That sounds backwards way on mate: usually, a modded N/A car would cost MORE to insure: most insurers don't like mods.

Mrchips

iTrader: (7)

As long as you do insure properly. As some people do it just to save money.

You could just wait til insurance goes down.

bigsinky

that old chestnut. if you are under 25 no one will touch you with a gx "declared" as "turbo". it will cost you more than £4k to do the conversion properly. you would have to strip out everything from the NA car bar the interior and swap everything from the turbo. it's just not cost effective.a turbo car can be had from £2k now.

CREWJ

Not another guy planning fraud.....

What's wrong with the youth of today?

So if you actually want to convert it to a turbo you will need to swap everything minus the shell. That's suspension, brakes wiring loom, engine, gearbox, shafts, diffs. You then have to go through the trouble of re-registering it as a turbo. Then you have to find an insurer that will touch you.

Milkybadger

Its not cheaper to insure........ I think your not going to declare your modifications.

If you WERE to declare it all, it would be an insane premium.

Just buy a turbo straight out, im insuring my UK WRX for £1200 My own fully comp policy, thats with my parents as named drivers on my policy, and if me mother didnt have 3 points it would have only been £1000!!!! and im 22, 3 years NC

£1000 for a scooby all legit insured and still earn your no claims? bargain, 90% of younger drivers are paying £2500 to insure a clio.

Morale of the story is (for me anyway) aesthetics such as spoiler, wheels, suspension, brakes, bodywork, exhaust all declared adds like £200 to the premium, the moment i say engine swap or something it hits £5000 lol!

(im being slightly hipocritical cus im going to mess with the power on my scooby and not tell anybody, so itl be legal and declared to the untrained eye :P)

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Hmmmmmmmmm, until you hit someone/something and yours gets looked at by an engineer....and yes, he WILL spot any mods. They KNOW Scoobs are a modder's dream, so know what to look for and where.

THEN you are uninsured.

So.........plod arrives and you are done for 6pts and a nice fine, and you STILL have to find out how to pay for any damage you caused.

Declare ALL mods, don't muck about, you KNOW it makes sense.

CREWJ

Milkybadger

The dudes right,

Well they inspect your car, whip that ECU out, and insurers will do anything to get out of paying out.

So lets assume they find something... BANG 9pts for no insurance, lets assume you also have no CAT.. 3pts already your license is gone. let alone any speeding/dangerous driving that caused the accident.

Also if you hurt somebody and your car isnt road legal or insured... you go to prison. And theres no rope for your soap where your going. :P

But at the end of the day... i am going to end up telling the insurance everything, its the only way to do it.


PS* its not cheaper to insure a conversion than it is to buy standard if you declare it ALL
PSS* CrewJ i live like 3 miles from Daventry!

robertmatto

Thanks for all the advice guys
So if I do look to buy a turbo where is the best place to find insurance I'm 20 and got 3 years no claims
Thanks

Milkybadger

Well im 22 and got 3 years........... Admiral and elephant.co.uk gave me the best quotes, they are both the same company though, elephant is just a brokers run by admiral.... might i add, admiral are tosspots but i can cope with that.

PROBLEM IS YOUR NOT OVER 21!

CREWJ

Well no specialists will touch you until you are 25.

Being under 21 you will probably struggle to get anything below £2000.

bigsinky

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahaha you'd sooner get a scotch man to spend a pound. be prepared to get anally raped for your premium, if and it's a BIG if someone will even touch you

Milkybadger

Wait till your 21, prices cut really nice, and put your parents/wife on the policy too as named drivers or something.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

As above, give it another year mate, then make sure you have your dad, mum etc on the policy too as a named driver.

Milkybadger

Ive dreamt of an impreza since i was 6 years old, Then last November my insurance looked reasonable on one but i didnt have the money to buy the car,... after some saving up i was ready.. but the insurance prices had whacked right up over the winter.... then 3 months later they had come down and been all sexy and nice again, i bought my scooby and insured it,

So: Crap prices now, might not be so crap in 3 months time.... or equally they could get worse. it was changing by as much as £300-£400 every 2-4 weeks for me.

But insurers watch what quotes you run... so initially they show nice quotes.. then when you come back and run the same quote again a month later they are a little higher, (they assume youve now gone out and bought the car and theyve got you by your dangly bits and try to net another couple £100 from you)

I had my subaru on the drive for 2 weeks before i insured it and i watched it go down (this is obviously amplified for a younger driver whoes paying over £1k for their insurance a adult would barely see a change i expect)

Maybe im just talking complete poo..... but basically in 3 weeks time, the prices could be different.

Daz89

i have my insurance with asda, they normally do a low price for younger drivers i think ecar are meant to be good as well

Milkybadger

Yes there are a good few more companies moving into the market of inuring younger drivers, ..... maybe not on imprezas though.

I was with premium choice when I had my ZR's and Octavia VRS, then admirial and elephant became marginally cheaper for the subaru,

But premium choice insist you send in 6 pictures of the car, fron back engine bay sides etc etc ... cus their IDIOTS! personally i took pictures of a mates with my number plates bluetacked on lol!

Daz89

i found asda and ecar to be very reasonable on the impreza also!

Milkybadger

Jesus! im genuinely surprised at that!, im looking forward to november and the magical 4 YNCB ,

dukeoffenland

i had my first uk turbo at 21, my dad was a insurance broker now owns 2 brokers and a financial advisors, If i didnt get it insured properly he would take my keys off me,

after alot of shopping and haggling i got my policy for about 1300 (this was 6 years ago!)

i done my mods and was honest the only thing they wouldnt do is replace them if stolen which i just bit the bullet and agreed,