Still on the lookout for a replacement. Fast Saloon 6k

[hurfdurf]

Last time somebody mentioned the Type-R in a MrLOL thread it went nuclear with some guy claiming it was like a BMW M3

LOL at that

Although, I did mention myself on the last page a Civic Type R, or is the idea of not going for a saloon so silly its not even worth considering? (I haven't seen why a Saloon is necessary)

 

[[TW]Fox]

Gearbox is half a days work.

4 hours is optimistic frankly but we'll go with that. My local indy BMW specialist charges £50+vat an hour. This is Devon, which is hardly the most expensive place in the world. Thats 200+vat labour so what, £240? + £235 for the gearbox + £35 shipping oh suddenly we are at over 500 quid and thats before we get to the point where really as the gearbox is out it's stupid not to chuck a clutch in, OEM clutch at £210+vat hello £750 bill from an indy with a second hand gearbox....

 

[Fr0dders]

i had to pay £40 + vat an hour for my clutch fitting.

You wont get a gearbox fitted for £80 round here, not legally anyway lol.

 

[aproctor]

Gearbox is half a days work.

The thing i like about my 5 is the simplicity, all the parts were build well, plenty of low mileage mechanics to replace them with when you have done 200k miles and 50 track days e.g. 50k mile gearbox from known good car with 1 year warranty - £150, from a forum from a known good car £0-£50.

But most cars are not like this as i am sure your aware, 1/2 a days labour is no where near £80, on a good day it might be £200 and i would imagine BMW gearboxes nay most modern gearboxes will cost more for a decent one, you have picked the cheapest one you have found.

MX-5s were pretty much the same from 1989-2000, and it wasn't cutting edge 21 years ago (it was trying to be a 21 year old car from new).


I have to say they are bloody reliable though.

 

[Fr0dders]

id have an MX5 in a shot

great little cars, but i need a car to carry the wife and kid round and go on holiday etc.. Its not even that it has a small boot and id have to compromise. My lad would be in the boot lol

 

[aproctor]

id have an MX5 in a shot

great little cars, but i need a car to carry the wife and kid round and go on holiday etc.. Its not even that it has a small boot and id have to compromise. My lad would be in the boot lol

I'm not for one second saying you should have one, just making the point to salami, the boot isn't bad, but no frills is an understatment (on mine)

No PAS
No ABS
No Central Locking
No Electric Windows
No Clock

But i love it and it's very cheap to run mechanically, £190 tax and 30mpg are the only gripes...and rattles, but i have sorted 90% of them and know what is causing the rest.

Anyway,

Why not test drive some wild cards, stuff your wouldn't consider on the face of it, but might like or maybe an older car, stuff 8-10 years old that have proved reliable etc

 

[mk1_salami]

The whole point I'm trying to make here is that you CAN do things without paying big bucks.

Anyway when did I ever say to get an MX5?

There's no way I'd be paying £750 but I guess I'm lucky I'm reasonably competent with a spanner and all my friends would help me out when it comes to this kind of stuff.

I personally have done a gearbox on an e36 M3 and it's not much different to the MX5 really (where I went through four, yes FOUR).

 

[hurfdurf]

id have an MX5 in a shot

great little cars, but i need a car to carry the wife and kid round and go on holiday etc.. Its not even that it has a small boot and id have to compromise. My lad would be in the boot lol

Then why not a Civic Type R?!

 

[[TW]Fox]

The whole point I'm trying to make here is that you CAN do things without paying bucks.

You are not doing a very good job of it though, I've already shown how your £200 second hand gearbox is actually £750ish once the job is done

 

[aproctor]

Give them a look, all under £6500, all newish.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1434256.htm - Vauxhall, 3 litre engine (2006)

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1402712.htm - Mazda, 2.3 litre engine, estate (2004)

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1363201.htm - Mazda, 2.3 litre engine (2005)

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/572526.htm - Wildcard, trade sale, £3500 (2002)

 

[aproctor]

The whole point I'm trying to make here is that you CAN do things without paying bucks.

Anyway when did I ever say to get an MX5?

I know, but you thought it.

Most newer cars you can do some stuff, but on a newer car it's not worth it as people want receipts etc.

 

[mk1_salami]

You are not doing a very good job of it though, I've already shown how your £200 second hand gearbox is actually £750ish once the job is done

No, what you've done is illustrate my point exactly. You're fixing stuff and paying top money to pro-actively fix problems that don't exist.

I'd have that gearbox delivered to my door for £250 and have it fitted for another £100 max. So why am I paying £350 for a job which is less than half what you would pay?

I already told you why, because you can save money here as I've illustrated.

 

[[TW]Fox]

No, what you've done is illustrate my point exactly. You're fixing stuff and paying top money to pro-actively fix problems that aren't there.

What?! How? Read my post again. How am I 'proactively fixing problems that aren't there'. You said you could replace a gearbox cheaply, linked to a second hand box and claimed it would be 80 labour to fix it.

I brought that back into the real world and worked out how much it would cost a normal person to replace the gearbox the cheapest way - using an indy and your second hand gearbox.

How is that fixing problems that are not there?

 

[aproctor]

Calm down ladies, lets stay on topic.

So why am I paying £350 for a job and less than half what you would pay?

Fox included the cost of a clutch, which is sensible as half the cost of a clutch replacement is getting access. What your saying can be done, but most people are not on forums and/or bothered about calling in favours from friends they may not have in "the trade".

I brought that back into the real world and worked out how much it would cost a normal person to replace the gearbox the cheapest way - using an indy and your second hand gearbox.

Your right, but why add fuel to the fire, you know what he is saying, (even if his rose tinted glasses are on).

 

[[TW]Fox]

I'd have that gearbox delivered to my door for £250 and have it fitted for another £100 max. So why am I paying £350 for a job which is less than half what you would pay?

MrLOL doesnt have 'mates in the trade'. He doesn't have a local indy which will fit a gearbox for 20 quid an hour. MrLOL is a normal member of the public who likes cars. If something goes wrong, he will take it to an independant specialist and pay about half the hourly rate he'd pay a main dealer. So about 50-60 quid an hour.

Therefore just because you could get an E46 gearbox changed for 100 quid does not mean everyone else can. And anyone who takes the gearbox out of an 8 year old 100,000 mile 3 Series and DOESNT use the opportunity to put a new clutch in is daft.

Where are you getting this idea its only 100 quid labour to change the box on an E46 from anyway? How do you even know how long it takes to change an E46 box given presumably you've never had a car like it let alone had work done on it or spent time in the community associated with the car?

This is a spec MrLOL a car thread, not a spec you a car thread.

If we were talking an MX5 or something I'd probably agree with you - they are really well engineered cars that lend themselves to lots of easy DIY jobs - or cheap non DIY jobs if you dont fancy it. But a 2002 330i Sport is not a 1994 MX5!

 

[aproctor]

Where are you getting this idea its only 100 quid labour to change the box on an E46 from anyway?

A manual box isn't a hard job in theory on almost any car, the problem is most people don't have access to ramps and the tools to do it.

If it was on a ramp most people could do it in a day and if you have access or mates you can call favours upon £100 is not unrealistic.

But that is beside the point.

 

[mk1_salami]

It's replacing the clutch which didn't need done and paying £50 an hour. Are you joking? I'd rather eat my own balls than pay a grease monkey that kind of money.

How about you go and have a word with one of the mechanics on his lunch break and ask him to do a homer? The guy borrows the ramp on the evenings and makes £100 for a nights work. I know plenty of guys that do this, and there are always people looking to make some extra cash on the side.

Your pro-active approach to car care is to be commended, and you're exactly the kind of guy I'd like to buy a car from. All I'm saying there are cheaper ways to do things if you're on a budget (Like the OP clearly is).

Consider you had a leaky shock absorber. You might consider buying a brand new OEM unit and refreshing all the bushes at the same time while you're £50 / hour mechanic is at it. The budget man might source a low mileage shocky from a breakers and just fit it. He's instantly saved £100's over you. Sure you'll have a better car, but if you're keeping it 1-2 years do you really care about extending the suspension shelf life another 10 years?

 

[mk1_salami]

Where are you getting this idea its only 100 quid labour to change the box on an E46 from anyway? How do you even know how long it takes to change an E46 box given presumably you've never had a car like it let alone had work done on it or spent time in the community associated with the car?

I don't know where you get off on your presumptuous attitude but frankly I'm fed up of it. For your info I've personally changed the gearbox on a '96 E36 M3 and I've also owned an e46. Pipe down.

Just out of interest, do you speak to people like this in real life? Maybe the lack of people offering to help you out doing 'favours' reflects it.

 

[aproctor]

How about you go and have a word with one of the mechanics on his lunch break and ask him to do a homer? The guy borrows the ramp on the evenings and makes £100 for a nights work. I know plenty of guys that do this, and there are always people looking to make some extra cash on the side.

Most people with newish cars want a stamp, and most buyer would as well.

No income tax, no VAT, no money back, no guarantee.

Consider you had a leaky shock absorber. You might consider buying a brand new OEM unit and refreshing all the bushes at the same time while you're £50 / hour mechanic is at it. The budget man might source a low mileage shocky from a breakers and just fit it. He's instantly saved £100's over you. Sure you'll have a better car, but if you're keeping it 1-2 years do you really care about extending the suspension shelf life another 10 years?

I would never buy second hand shocks unless i knew the history (forum etc) and they were very low mileage.

Your point about using a second hand shock is invalid and is a prime example of cutting corners, you replace shocks in pairs.

The difference between changing a clutch when it's out if more comparable to changing the water pump when you do the cambelt.

Changing the bushes when you do the shocks is more in line with a gearbox rebuild, a pain in the **** and a very labour intensive job.

Salami, you seem like a decent enought bloke on Nutz etc, but you are wrong in this case, you can get it done, but most can't.. go away or suggest a car.

 

[[TW]Fox]

It's replacing the clutch which didn't need done and paying £50 an hour. Are you joking? I'd rather eat my own balls than pay a grease monkey that kind of money.

You are clearly more hands on than many in this forum. I commend you for it and it works for you. But what you've got to appreciate is that a lot of people are not like that.

If there is work on my car that needs doing that my Dad wont help me with or I dont have the skills to do myself my options are strictly limited. The absolute cheapest place around is £40+vat an hour. And that took a LOT of finding. I would imagine that further up country it gets even worse - labour is not particularly expensive down here in Plymouth.

How about you go and have a word with one of the mechanics on his lunch break and ask him to do a homer? The guy borrows the ramp on the evenings and makes £100 for a nights work. I know plenty of guys that do this, and there are always people looking to make some extra cash on the side.

You might know plenty of guys doing this but I don't know of any and I doubt MrLOL does either. We are just normal punters. We can't pull off the 'mate in the trade' or 'cash in 'and' thing.

All I'm saying there are cheaper ways to do things if you're on a budget (Like the OP clearly is).

These ways rely on you having a bit of technical nouse yourself. With respect to MrLOL I think the sorta guy who buys a Vectra on credit just isn't that sorta guy.

Consider you had a leaky shock absorber. You might consider buying a brand new OEM unit and refreshing all the bushes at the same time while you're £50 / hour mechanic is at it.

Heh, relevant as I've had a leaky shork absorber and I did indeed source new OEM replacements. However I did manage half the job myself

The budget man might source a low mileage shocky from a breakers and just fit it. He's instantly saved £100's over you. Sure you'll have a better car, but if you're keeping it 1-2 years do you really care about extending the suspension shelf life another 10 years?

How many low mileage 330's are there parked in breakers? Most people rely on their cars. If it breaks, it must be fixed PDQ. Given a week or two of trawling the internet and phoning breakers you might get lucky and find a low mileage car you can have the dampers off. But how likely is this, really? In reality the car has to be on the road quick enough that this isn't an option. And 9/10 E46's in scrapyards are utterly smashed or completely ****'d. You dont tend to find many low milers in scrapyards simply because until very recently any low mileage 330 was worth a sufficient amount of money that you need to properly, and I mean properly, smash it to bits for it to be written off.

I appreciate what you are saying but I just don't feel it works on something like an E46 330i Sport. Not at all. And the oldest 318i Sport is what, a 2003/2004? They are rare on the used market let alone in breakers yards with low miles to pinch shockers off...

I don't know where you get off on your presumptuous attitude but frankly I'm fed up of it.

Oh come off it, we are arguing about cars on the internet. It's not life or death so stop being a drama queen.

For your info I've personally changed the gearbox on a '96 E36 M3 and I've also owned an e46.

So why do you persist with this silly myth that it'd only cost THE AVERAGE MAN 80 quid to do it if you've personal experience?