non turbo models under £3000

looking for a fast 4 door saloon car for under £3000 non turbo models

any ideas??

looking at the cavalier gsi ford xr4i primera gt rover 800si etc

BHP/0-60 toys etc

I'd go for the Primera. I was looking into something similar myself last year and the nissan came out on top. It's lighter than the rest, handles better and is quicker off the line. However... a decent old primera GT is very hard to come by.

The cav GSi is a lot better than most people give them credit for..i owned a couple of cavaliers before i got the T4, checkout www.migweb.co.uk for more info..

have you thought about a BMW 325is or 525i both available under £3000

[Edited by Mike_T4 - 10/30/2002 3:27:02 PM]

If you want to go up a size, a Senator 3.0 24V is big & mighty quick, all the toys you'll ever need.

They come pretty cheap, and build quality is reckoned to be Audi / BMW standards.

HAHAHHAHA Yeah funny!!

Primeras are noisy b4stards (timing chain etc)

I had a Rover 827 (Honda Legend lump in it) the thing flew, and cost me pennies!!! (except the fuel)

Be cautious of 5yr old sporty numbers, as most of thees have been well caned!!. take your time and look for a garaged, low milage tidy one, preferably with a wrinkly owner!!!

good luck!!

BB;)

i'm just looking for a 2.0 engine car as that seems a good size plenty of power and mpg are normally prity good...
good for motorway and town use
so a 2.0 non turbo saloon car with all the toys and decent get up and go

Something small sir? Pug 205 1.9GTI on a j-kplate, or Clio/19 16v maybe.

you cant get a primera GT in 1991. The GT does handle very well tho very nice seats big boot and not much goes wrong with them :)

I used to have a Rover 220 Coupe until last year when I got the WRX. It was a good looking car, quite nippy excellant mpg. You can pick up a good one for under 3k.

THE vauxhall 20XE engine is fantastic, revs and revs, gives good mpg too.

need 4 doors fammily man and all that...
looks like it is between the cav gsi and the primera gt
any more info

Saab 9000 2.3T

Insurance not awful, loads of them for £3k - you'd get a 1995 for that.

bros

Shame you don't want a turbo.
Best Q car of the lot, Gallant VR4

I had a Cav GSI that hard been worked on by Regal and it was an awesome car!!!, loved it. RIP G141 BBL :(

E30 325i sport. No Question.

325i or similar, or a Vauxhall Carlton GSI 24v
You may be able to get a 535i for sensible money too, although not the quickest thing around, a sport will have a diff.

Peugeot 405 Mi16?

325i as long as 20mpg is ok

Carlton GSI.

Rover 220 GTi/GSi.

Or even the turbo version, Awesome cars on the motorway.

Si

How about the Renault 19 Chamade 16V? It's got 4 doors, a good revy 1.8 16v engine with 137 bhp and handles better than most sporty cars of that era. There are lot's of performance upgrades available for this car as well.

Double post...

[Edited by scoobysnacks - 10/31/2002 8:55:38 AM]

Performance car did a test of about 10 saloons in about 1991/1992.

I think they decided that the top ones were the :-
Primera 2.0 ZX/GT
Audi 80 Sport
Cavalier 2.0GSI
Peugeot 405 Mi-16

All of those are good cars in their own right - and all 2 litres or under without a turbo which you specified.
If you can afford a bigger engine, definitely consider the E30 325i and the Carlton Gsi 24v.
You should be able to find something Ok for £2k or less.

As a couple of others have said, a Carlton GSi

Go for a nice late 24V manual one with 10-spoke alloys (then you don't have to live with the crappy digital dash and it'll do very high 20's mpg on a cruise (and it has cruise), and low to mid 20's around town. It'll also go sideways when you want it to because it's RWD. The half leather is v. nice in the late ones as well (can you tell I used to have one?), and there is acres of space for the family. The only negative is that air-con is like rocking horse doo-doo on them. Upside is that £3k is as much as you'd have to spend to get a very very nice one. They're German build quality, and the Lotus Carlton is just a GSi that has been modded (Lotus used to get finished cars and strip them (!)).

just over 200 BHP, forget the 0-60 but between 7 and 8 IIRC.

Cavalier GSi's rot around the back suspension or boot floor don't they?

Fen

[Edited by RB5#295 - 10/30/2002 9:50:46 PM]

A Lotus Carlton is not quite the same. It was just cheaper to disassemble the complete cars and modify them, than to build from Scratch. Im pretty sure that almost every component is different in some way. Awesome cars.

Totally agree re: the Lotus; although the 1.8 GL would have been even cheaper to pull apart if they didn't keep in a fair few GSi bits.

Fen

You'd have to drive like a tool to only get 20mpg from a 325i :eek: you should be able to ave late-20's and get over 30 on a run.

Another recommendation for a 405 Mi16. Get a late model with leather and all the bits. Excellent chassis and engine (good tuning potential at a later date).

Yeah you can drive in the slow lane with the allegros and princesses!!!
hahahahah

what about an escort 1.8 ghia (dont laugh!!) go and try one!!

a) well cheap to run.
b) resale quite good
c) easy to sell
d) can be serviced by a kid
e) there isn't an e

BB;)

405 mi16.