Going to view a couple of VX220's and...

PsychomIKE

PsychomIKE

PsychomIKE

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20 Oct 2005
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My budget stretches to the very bottom of non-written off VX220's and I've got two lined up to view. One is a very stock car on the original bushings, shocks and timing chain and the other has had Exige S1 shocks and springs put on, 16" front wheels (Oz legras), new chain at Courtneys but is pretty tatty.

What are people's thoughts on putting the Exige suspension on? Is it for bragging rights or offer genuine improvement?

The first seller says that the timing chain is meant for the engine lifetime but is that correct?

Anything else I should look out for? I've looked up buyers guides and what not but there's also a wealth of knowledge here :)

:cool:

Forgot to say - both are pushing 100k miles
 
Is it really worth scraping the bottom of the barrel high mileage examples? Surely if you can only just afford one you'll be in trouble when something goes wrong.
 
If budget only reaches the very bottom of ANYTHING, then you're probably best avoiding. You won't be getting great examples, and if you don't have the money to invest to fix emergent problems, you're in trouble.

That's even before the debate on other car options in similar price brackets begins!
 
Buying right at the bottom of the market is fine but normally only if you'll be doing the work yourself to bring it up to scratch or maintain it. Otherwise it can get very costly very quickly if you keep having to pay someone else to do suspension, brakes etc etc
 
That's fair enough comment guys, but I'm not too concerned about possible extra costs. My budget is cash, I don't have any loans or CC debt (apart from mortgage) and I've a secure job that lets me put a little aside each month.

Feel free to suggest other cars but there's not many that seem to scratch my itch.

I've been running mk1 MR2's for over 10 years now and my current one has 175bhp and Koni suspension etc. Don't like the mk2's at all, too boat like, and the mk3's (Roadsters - which I've driven a lot) are great little chassis ruined by power steering and a terrible engine and no boot what so ever.

I've tried mk1 MX5's before and was so dissapointed in that. Recently driven 2 MX5 2.5's Sport, with LSD and 6 speed box, and, whilst they felt nicely balanced in some sweeping turns we drove, were also a massive dissapointment. Pootling around town they feel like most other cars, where as my MR2 always feels like a go kart, no matter what.

I love the feeling of RWD but also think it needs to be mid-engined.

Edit: Unfortunately don't have ramp access anymore but I believe there's really very little that goes wrong with these cars and parts are cheap (unless its a damaged clam).
 
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sovietspybob said:
Buying right at the bottom of the market is fine but normally only if you'll be doing the work yourself to bring it up to scratch or maintain it. Otherwise it can get very costly very quickly if you keep having to pay someone else to do suspension, brakes etc etc
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This.

Youre buying a performance car. Whats the point if its not making the power and doesnt handle?

Youll end up putting the money in to sort the suspension at the very least, but in reality that applies to most old cars as very few people bother to replace worn suspension bits
 
Matt82 said:
This.

Youre buying a performance car. Whats the point if its not making the power and doesnt handle?

Youll end up putting the money in to sort the suspension at the very least, but in reality that applies to most old cars as very few people bother to replace worn suspension bits
Click to expand...

Erm, what?

The 2nd car has had Exige s1 springs and dampers fitted, all new poly bushed susp and new ball joints (forgot to state that earlier) and new bushings for the engine/gearbox (which seems to be a weak point on VX220's).

The first has had all new ball joints at the front put on for the last MOT.

Also, it's a drivers car (said without actually have driven one yet) but the engine itself is out of a run-of-the-mill rep wagon. It's not a highly tuned, stressed power house :confused:
 
PsychomIKE said:
What are people's thoughts on putting the Exige suspension on? Is it for bragging rights or offer genuine improvement?
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The Exige suspension is of different spec. Slightly stiffer and the dampening is stiffer. It is at the top of my list for replacing the stock suspension. Although I don't think I've heard of S1 Exige suspension being put on them, only S2. Vauxhall parts are dirt cheap on these, anything unique to the VX is usually a little expensive.


Out of interest, what is your budget and where abouts in the country are you?
 
Remember that if your budget is, say, about £4k, you should be looking at cars around the £4.5k mark. Always aim higher and try to bargain. You've nothing to lose and potential less pain to gain.
 
Trifid said:
The Exige suspension is of different spec. Slightly stiffer and the dampening is stiffer. It is at the top of my list for replacing the stock suspension. Although I don't think I've heard of S1 Exige suspension being put on them, only S2. Vauxhall parts are dirt cheap on these, anything unique to the VX is usually a little expensive.


Out of interest, what is your budget and where abouts in the country are you?
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It might be S2, I'm not certain. It also has the Lotus Elise S2 ABS unit fitted.

I'm in south Bristol and budget is 6k.
 
I feared that might be your budget. 6k doesn't get you much with the VX but 7k can get you a nice car, is there no flexibility in the budget? I'd probably be looking at £7k for my 2003 50k mile non-cat car if I was to sell it.
 
I didn't know they'd come down that much, i'll be looking for a track car project probably in a years time so one of those could be in with a shout, i'll be looking at the bottom of the market as i'll be doing all the work and it'll only be abused anyway!
 
placeholder said:
If you have no loans, CC debt and a secure job why not hang on for a couple of months until you can get a a better example?
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This.

I've been overly hasty in the past and while i enjoyed the outcome of each project, both cost me more than they should in either the cost to get it to scratch or the initial price. Be patient, save a bit more and buy the right car first time.
 
PsychomIKE said:
It might be S2, I'm not certain. It also has the Lotus Elise S2 ABS unit fitted.

I'm in south Bristol and budget is 6k.
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Hmm, why would they fit the S2 ABS unit?
For starters ABS is standard on the VX but only an option on the S2 from about 2006 IIRC.
 
PsychomIKE said:
Edit: Unfortunately don't have ramp access anymore but I believe there's really very little that goes wrong with these cars and parts are cheap (unless its a damaged clam).
Click to expand...

Whilst parts may be cheap, access to the car isn't easy and so the labour charges pile up instead. Plenty of simple jobs either require a mechanic with arms like Tooms from the X-Files or the clams have to be removed.

PsychomIKE said:
Erm, what?

The 2nd car has had Exige s1 springs and dampers fitted, all new poly bushed susp and new ball joints (forgot to state that earlier) and new bushings for the engine/gearbox (which seems to be a weak point on VX220's).

The first has had all new ball joints at the front put on for the last MOT.

Also, it's a drivers car (said without actually have driven one yet) but the engine itself is out of a run-of-the-mill rep wagon. It's not a highly tuned, stressed power house :confused:
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I would be surprised if the suspension is from an S1 as Lotus discontinued these parts years ago.

I would be very worried about the first car, if it really has done 100K on the original suspension. An Elise will only normally do around 40K before it all needs replacing.
 
Alibaba99 said:
Whilst parts may be cheap, access to the car isn't easy and so the labour charges pile up instead. Plenty of simple jobs either require a mechanic with arms like Tooms from the X-Files or the clams have to be removed.

I would be surprised if the suspension is from an S1 as Lotus discontinued these parts years ago.

I would be very worried about the first car, if it really has done 100K on the original suspension. An Elise will only normally do around 40K before it all needs replacing.
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Thanks Alibaba99. This is the sort of feedback I was hoping for :)

I've had it confirmed that it's S2 Exige suspension fitted, not S1.

I drove the first car today. Owner seemed open and knowledgeable about the car. I asked about the engine mounts and he said he would check to see if they have been replaced. I'll ask him to also chase up about the suspension too. When you say it all needs replacing, are you talking only about the bushings or is there more to it?

The car certainly had a direct and raw feel to it but nothing too different to my MR2 in terms of steering and ride. I enjoyed it a lot. Getting in and out was quite a palavour though, even though we had the roof off! :p

Hopefully going to check out the 2nd this coming weekend.
 
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