Soldato
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gt_junkie said:
try saying that to all Ford Probe owners
Sensible V6 for less than 2k?
- Thread starter broona
- Start date
try saying that to all Ford Probe owners
gt_junkie said:I'd recommend the mazda 323f 2.0l V6. 147bhp, only 1150kg and a low center of mavity.
Designed by Porsche and tested on the Nurbergring.
I only have the 1.8 four pot (nearly 170k miles) but it handles wornderfully and is fairly brisk. Plus it's a Mazda so should never go wrong!
gt
Test drove one the other night, lovely to drive, nice and solid, but very flat, even once I got it up around 5/6000rpm, it never felt at all fast, but did pick up nicely in 4th at 10mph!
Am going to try and find a Vectra V6 and Mondeo V6 local to take out for a spin, and possibly a Civic 1.8 Vti too (mate's got one but as he's now had it for a year, it drives like a bag of nails!!!).
<3 200 BRM's. They're really quite nice (for a Rover ). Seriously, I was actually considering one of these when I thought my old Astra was going to be written off. You'll either love or hate that red interior though.
). Seriously, I was actually considering one of these when I thought my old Astra was going to be written off. You'll either love or hate that red interior though.One's a straight 6, and the other's a 4 cylinder, but I'm going to have a look at the 2 cars on the bottom of this page this morning anyway, as they're on my doorstep - http://dealerservices.autotrader.co.uk/77460/budden_stock.htm 
broona said:One's a straight 6, and the other's a 4 cylinder, but I'm going to have a look at the 2 cars on the bottom of this page this morning anyway, as they're on my doorstep - http://dealerservices.autotrader.co.uk/77460/budden_stock.htm
Drove them both this morning, and much prefer the BMW. Even though it's 4 years older, and has done double the miles, it's the much nicer and tighter of the 2 to drive, and the power delivery's better too.
My heart's saying BMW, but my head's saying Vectra, ideally need to drive a Mondeo V6 and Vectra V6 to compare them too, hopefully they're more exciting than the 2.2 Vectra, same as the ZX V6, just felt a bit flat!
Soldato
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Avoid the vectra like it has AIDS. They are chain driven and Vauxhall devised a very fragile way to lube the chain and it can block very very very easily, causing engine death - read up on them.
The BMW is nicer anyway
www.honestjohn.co.uk said:
The BMW is nicer anyway
Kitchster_uk said:
Thanks for that, will have a read up on that site.
BMW is far nicer, just I'm going back in years over what I'm driving now, and paying at least a grand extra for the privilege, not quite sure that's what I want to do!
Still really need to test drive the ST24, see if that's any good.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
[TW]Fox said:
"All the problems" .. and you list one. Nice.
Personally, not in my experience, but hey, each to their own. I like em, and cant afford anything amazingly better or as quick. =] Just recommending from my own experience.
Nomisf said:
I prefer the looks of the SRI/GSI over the CDX I'm afraid, can't beat a nice subtle bodykit (SRI) or a not so subtle (GSI)!
Still need to try out the V6 version in any form though, after not being particularly impressed by the performance of the 2.2 16v, and I'm comparing that to a 90bhp diesel!
Mitsubishi Galant V6 Estates are plentiful, cheap and come with a great autobox if that's your thing. And you might even get a '96 P plate VR4 Legnum for 2K these days if you haggle REALLY hard, but you'd need to be certain of warming it up before running it, otherwise they tend to eat their turbos, and with a 2 mile commute I have to be honest and say get a bicycle for work. 
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You seem quite interested in the Vectra. Well ignore what others are saying and go test drive one! I own a facelift GSi which is the same 2.5 v6 found in the other models, but with higher lift cams found in the 3.0 omega. This along with a couple of other bits put the power up to 195bhp supposedly. Either way it is definately quicker than a normal v6. There were only ever around 4000 produced so they are a little rare, but you can always find them for sale (hopefully not a bad thing). You got to admire the look of them. They look miles ahead of the equivelent ford for the time and with the GSi bumper they stand out from the crowd.
As has been pointed out, the handling department is woeful especially on the non-sport models. The SRi's have stiffer suspension and the GSi is slightly lower than the other models. However i have replaced my entire suspension setup for aftermarket koni fully adjustable suspension components. The handling has improved no end. If anyone is not convinced at that, then search you tube for vectra challenge, or challenger. These were the race spec vectras which were made, they feature the same suspension as i have. You tell me a vectra can't handle; from the videos they appear to handle very well and having driven mine for the past year i have had plenty of time to push it and it exceeds my expectations every time.
Okay poor build quality, i don't think is true at all. To insist a mondeo is any better is arguable. What you have to remember it, it is a cheap car so your not going to get BMW or Mercedes (questionable!) build quality. However in my opinion they do better than you would expect. The interior solid built. Everything screwed down properly and few rattles! Mine only makes a squeek on one section of the dashboard and thats when i put the heater on. My old vectra did actually rattle a bit more, especially the dashboard. They do that over time and can be cured with a can of silicone spray. All the plastics are thick and sturdy which is far from the truth for ford owners. In face it is very durable, you would be hard pushed to scratch it. Even by today's standards when its all polished up the interior still looks modern. With a GSi you also have the nice recaro seats which are very comfy and hold well. It will also have matching doorcards and rear seats. Plus silver dash trim and a cool gear knob and steering wheel which do feel sporty.
The engine quality i would say is fairly good. These v6's were in production for around 8-9 years with the newer version being very similar. Mine has never developed a fault and on the whole they are pretty reliable. As long as you service them at the right times and use good oil and have the cambelt/ tensioners and water pump replaced at 40k it will last forever. They are also well known for holding on to their power well through old age. The engine looks like an animal when viewed in the bay of a vectra. It's amazing how they managed to make it fit! The best thing about the engine is the way it sounds. It really does cut above the rest in this department. Drive one to find out!
Go find yourself a GSi and give it a test drive. I bet you will be impressed with it!
There are also plenty of tuning options for this car and if you have a spare grand you can swap the 3.0 block from an omega engine which is supposed to put the power up to around 240bhp. I plan to do this myself once i have a new place to hold the doner engine for a while. a lot of people are buying superchargers for them recently. There are a fair few around producing well over 300bhp and they also respond well to nitrous!
Go look at one, look around the car, inspect the built quality. Try pulling things and making them rattle, it will be a lot harder than you expect!
As has been pointed out, the handling department is woeful especially on the non-sport models. The SRi's have stiffer suspension and the GSi is slightly lower than the other models. However i have replaced my entire suspension setup for aftermarket koni fully adjustable suspension components. The handling has improved no end. If anyone is not convinced at that, then search you tube for vectra challenge, or challenger. These were the race spec vectras which were made, they feature the same suspension as i have. You tell me a vectra can't handle; from the videos they appear to handle very well and having driven mine for the past year i have had plenty of time to push it and it exceeds my expectations every time.
Okay poor build quality, i don't think is true at all. To insist a mondeo is any better is arguable. What you have to remember it, it is a cheap car so your not going to get BMW or Mercedes (questionable!) build quality. However in my opinion they do better than you would expect. The interior solid built. Everything screwed down properly and few rattles! Mine only makes a squeek on one section of the dashboard and thats when i put the heater on. My old vectra did actually rattle a bit more, especially the dashboard. They do that over time and can be cured with a can of silicone spray. All the plastics are thick and sturdy which is far from the truth for ford owners. In face it is very durable, you would be hard pushed to scratch it. Even by today's standards when its all polished up the interior still looks modern. With a GSi you also have the nice recaro seats which are very comfy and hold well. It will also have matching doorcards and rear seats. Plus silver dash trim and a cool gear knob and steering wheel which do feel sporty.
The engine quality i would say is fairly good. These v6's were in production for around 8-9 years with the newer version being very similar. Mine has never developed a fault and on the whole they are pretty reliable. As long as you service them at the right times and use good oil and have the cambelt/ tensioners and water pump replaced at 40k it will last forever. They are also well known for holding on to their power well through old age. The engine looks like an animal when viewed in the bay of a vectra. It's amazing how they managed to make it fit! The best thing about the engine is the way it sounds. It really does cut above the rest in this department. Drive one to find out!
Go find yourself a GSi and give it a test drive. I bet you will be impressed with it!
There are also plenty of tuning options for this car and if you have a spare grand you can swap the 3.0 block from an omega engine which is supposed to put the power up to around 240bhp. I plan to do this myself once i have a new place to hold the doner engine for a while. a lot of people are buying superchargers for them recently. There are a fair few around producing well over 300bhp and they also respond well to nitrous!
Go look at one, look around the car, inspect the built quality. Try pulling things and making them rattle, it will be a lot harder than you expect!