Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

just looked on the auto trader and their dirt cheap any reson why and r the fast and tunable?

Brun

Cos it's a 3 door Cavalier

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

whats wrong with that it looks better than a cavalier doesn't it?

Franx

I keep on bumping into you on here...Good to be busy eh?!!
Thought the 16 valve 2 litre was meant to be good enough. 8 valve's a group 13 insurance, but it's a bloody nice shape. Get the V6...you know you want to !!
All quite cheap, coz they're all around L,M~ reg or older....Wouldn't let that put you off though.
Did the 205 fall through?

RS Grant

8 Valve is meant to be pretty slow...

16V is just as good as a Turbo, apparently...

The V6 is the best one to go for if the reports I have read are anything to go by...

They look nice as well!

Cheers,
Grant

Franx

The V6 is a group 18 insurance though...!.. 4x4 turbo's meant to be quite good as well. 8v isn't that slow - no slower than a 1.8 impreza anyway.

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

no franx the 205 has not fallen through just another idea iv had keeping my options open at the moment. its only 1 group up from a 1.6 gti asweel.

edited cos i hit tab and enter by accident.

[Edited by Ciaran - 5/5/2003 3:44:11 PM]

RS Grant

1.8 Imprezas are slow

LOL :P

Cheers,
Grant

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

i know that but i still recon most impreza's are to expensive for me to run cos if they go wrong it will be expensive.

MooseRacer

If you enjoy driving Ciaran, then go for the 205. Calibra are (maybe) nice to look at but boring to drive.

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

well moon racer il keep that in mind and a 205 is smaller still calibras are cheap to buy.

Defiant STI

Ask Daz WRX, he used to have a Calibra before his bugeye.

I'll point him in this direction tomorrow

vindaloo

Depends what you want the car for.

205 = A/B roads, city driving. Fun at reasonable speeds. Not so good for car hifi as engine/road will drown it out.
More of less the opposite for the Calibra.

It probably won't cost the earth to maintain either car. You can get pre-cat Calibras on H/J plate. An early 16v should have put out 158bhp (in 1991). 8v would have been around 115-130 bhp.

si325i

never had one, but had a few cavaliers 8v's sri and a 16v sri i go for the 8v loads quicker for normal driving. the 16v has to be revd like **** and it not much quicker any way imo..

Si

Big Col

but the 8v Cav SRi has the 130bhp 2 litre. The 8v Calibra has the 115bhp 2 litre.

If it's a Calibra you're getting best engine is the 150bhp C20XE. Later 16valvers (95 on) get the 136bhp ecotec X20XEV which isnt as good IMHO

hades

I don't believe that the non catted 16v ever made it into the calibra, only the astra. I knew someone with one of the very first 16v - on a G plate - which had the cat.

Had a V6 myself for a few years. Needs a superchip to get the throttle response up, but after that, very nice. Much more of a Grand Tourer than a sports car. Gears too long for low speed acceleration (110mph in third!), but a great car to go on a long journey in. Handling is safe rather than neutral, but drive round that by trying to induce oversteer knowing the car will let you get away with it. Doing that I managed to get very close to a couple of Elise's at a track day.

worley

Go for the V6! I have a Cavalier V6 manual (between Scoobies), It's been quite fun driving it around and the old girl is still going strong with 137k miles on the clock.

PS, It's also quite tunable (Ask hades)

mike_s14

I had a 16v for about 2 years, cracking car toured europe twice and the only thing to go when I had it was antiroll bars and a cv joint

go for a pre ecotec if possible, I added a janspeed full exhaust with manifold and filter and was pretty nippy

Daz WRX

As Defiant directed me this way....

I had the 16V IMHO it was a nice car to drive on motorways doing long journeys which is what I do, its not good as a running around town car, oh and 400miles out of a tank want bad but urban traffic and its 200.
If I were you I wouldnt go for the 16V ecotech as they were all recalled for a tension wheel, and I had numerous crank and cam shaft sensor faliures which result in car stalling randomly which in a FAT boy like the calibra makes it dangerous especially if on a roundabout.
The turbos were always rated well but to be honest there wasnt much in performance compared with the 16V.

I would definately advise to get the V6 which was and will always be the pick of the bunch. If you find that you want more grunt then try Regal auto sport who do major Vauxhall performance work.
Oh and look out for the rust in the skirts there is a joint which is quite suseptable (spelling) to rust.

Hope that helps a little
Cheers
Daz.

ianc

I drove a lot of miles in a cal V6, nice car, *lovely* engine, but the power is quite peaky, more of an A road machine than a country road blast.

Seemed like every set of lights there was someone that wanted to race it tho, I think if I was spending my own money I'd get a cavalier V6 - more car for the money and people will leave it alone.

IC

CavT

The comment that a 16v and a 16v Turbo, "there isn't much in it", is a little bit of a misnomer. Having had a GSi 2ooo 16v Cavalier, and then moving onto a Cavalier Turbo, I would say the difference was quite marked!

Avoid the 8v Calibra's, all show and no go, 16v Calibra's are quite well thought of (in certain circles obviously!), the V6's are nice, but the Turbo is where its at. As long as you follow the rules, theres no reason why the 'paper construction' (as others have coined it) Transfer Box won't run and run.

The comments about the Ecotec version of the 16v is spot on... avoid, horrendous!

Rich and Mini

If you have to get one, get the C20LET.

Rich

MAC76

I currently own a standard Calibra Turbo and i'll tell you what , it blew the doors off a P1 yesterday!!

scoobynutta555

blew the doors off a P1 I'm sure you did Check out the specs for the P1, the driver was either bad or not interested.

Thing to watch out on calibra/cavalier turbos are the transfer box, they tend not to last long.

killemonthecorners

just sold my n reg 16v ecotec, it was a pretty good car.
the calibra is a decent car to drive, like all cars its as fun to drive as you want it to be, its pretty chuckable round the bends but brakes fade when pushed hard.
i drove a v6 and that was loads of fun, alot quicker than my 136bhp ecotec.
the spec on calibras is pretty good too, heated leather, air con, electric everything.
great value car
sensor problems should be sorted on all cars by now, i had them done on mine when i got it and it ran great after that?

[Edited by killemonthecorners - 5/25/2003 2:10:27 PM]

MAC76

The Calibra had the legs on the straight though the scoob was catching up slightly on the corners . The scooby was really going for it!

Richie1

Doubtful.

Now if you said a Phase 3, Phase 3.5 or Phase 4 tuned version of the cally then thats beleivable.....

scoobynutta555

204 bhp against 276 bhp, i know what my moneys on shouldnt think there much difference in weight either

dhorwich

He recons the P1 also has 329bhp proved..?

Dan

MAC76

its been proved by Power Engineering , take that suckaaa!!!