JFReturn's VX220 2.2 NA

Hi fellow PH'ers,

Hereforth will be a diary relating to the ownership of my new car - a VX220 2.2 called Vicky (yes I know, naming cars is silly, I can't help it!).

I've come from an excellent Honda S2000 (thread details here), so the VX has a lot to live up to. I've driven the VX for about sixty miles so far, and to be honest I'm blown away. You sacrifice creature comforts (such as a heater!) for a pure, undistilled drivers car - the feedback from the steering is sensational, the best I've tried. Performance is great, but the economy and running costs are reasonable and far less than the S2000 (£25 a month cheaper on insurance alone, all mods declared!).

I found the previous owner on VX220.org.uk who kindly provided plenty of information about the history, including the modifications:

- Debadged and de-Vee'd
- Team Dynamic 1.2s, Falken tyres (17" rear and 16" front)
- Powerflex front and rear engine mount inserts
- Piper catback exhaust
- Mintex discs and 1144 pads
- GAZ shocks (lowered to 120mm and 130mm, stiffest setting)
- Coolant expansion tank cover UV protection
- Upgraded lights

I haven't got many plans for the future other than to enjoy driving it. I'll try and improve the heater and give it a thorough detail. Also, I mistakenly told my insurer that it is running an induction kit, so I may as well fit one of those!

Enough waffling, here are some pics









And because I'm a PH'er, I went past my house and on to a petrol station 15 miles out of the way with the roof off



F*** me it was cold!

That's my car!

What do you think of the poly inserts on the engine mounts? People say it makes the car vibrate a lot at idle?

Let me know how you get on with induction kits as I'll also be thinking about getting one as the Milltek on mine is actually quite quiet.

May I congratulate you on your great taste in cars

Difficult to say about the inserts as it is the only VX220 I've driven, but it does not vibrate too much at idle.

The Piper exhaust is pretty loud, check the video above. I love it! I'll do some research on the induction kits, see which sound best and improve throttle response.

Gave the VX a quick clean so I could assess the paintwork, and overall the news is good. There is a fair amount of stone chips and bubbling (common VX problem) and tar spots, but no swirl marks that I can see:



The TD 1.2's are mint, with not a mark on them. So, the detailing plan is:

- Full clay bar treatment
- Autoglym SRP (cutting compound not required) then sealant and wax
- Glass treatment
- Remove crappy dealer sticker
- Remove, clean and seal all wheels
- PH smiley (as soon as the new shop gets them....)
- Clean engine bay

Other stuff to do:

- Refix the bonnet clip
- Fix the hazard light button (coloured plastic fallen out) and replace sidelight button bulb
- Fit a guard on footwell 6x9s

More pics:

Lovely car. Glad you are enjoying having the roof off. I did a 90 mile trip in mine when it was no higher than -2 outside roof off. My face hurt (particularly nose) from the cold for abotu 3 days.
Keep us up to date on how you get on!

I miss my old VX very much indeed.

Your car looks great, but then I am biased

The lever has come off it's mounting, I'm hoping it will just clip back in... I'm a bit annoyed with myself, as I asked the dealer to show me the front rad etc and he fobbed me off (knowing it was broken) saying it was too low for him to reach I guess I was just a little too excited and wanted to drive it away!

I've gone from doing 30k plus a year so don't mind a firmer ride.

If you want, you can have a look at how my bonnet release fits under the dash to compare and work out how it fits. I managed to semi release mine and put it back blind somehow

Sent you an email mate

Strange... Sent it through your profile... Bloody technology! My number is oh74oh3 45 99 55. Drop me a line and we can sort something out to get it sorted mate

So today I got to work on the VX for a good six hours in glorious warm weather. First job was claying (washed it yesterday) and getting rid of the tar spots. Didn't pick up much crap so the paint has been looked after by previous owners:



Tar spots before:



And after:



The VX was then lightly polished using Autoglym Super Resin Polish, sealed with Poorboys EXP Sealant and given a coat of Autoglym HD wax. I'll build up a few more layers of wax but aside from the stone chips and bubbling I'm happy with the paint work now. Pics:









After all that work I had to go for a run out, roofless of course. It was a great drive, nice weather with dry roads and the little Vauxhall just came alive. I can't think of another car I would rather have been in.







So, in case you readers might not have gathered - I LOVE THIS CAR