Lancia Beta Volumex
Discussion
GC8 said:
MarshPhantom said:
GC8 said:
Why do so many PH members "want to throw a few thousand at one" but cant because they "don't have a garage"? Stop posting such waffle and rubbish!
I'm not sure why you feel the need to act like such a d
head.Breadvan72 said:
Fair dos, I hate smileys.
V6 156s: Fabulous cars, really, aren't they? I recently gave mine the first really close visual attention that it has received in several years of rough treatment. It seems pretty fine all over, with no sign of rusting. Thanks for the tip re the possible water ingress. I will check. The Momo seats and door cards are almost like new, after 81,000 miles.
The car cost me some money last year as the alternator failed, and I had to do the usual front suspension bushes, as you do, and I replaced some vile Wong Bong Ditchfinders that my brother had put on the car when he borrowed it for a year, fitting some spiffy Michelins instead. This year I hope the car will cost me nowt ish, bar fuel, tax, and insurance.
V6 156s: Fabulous cars, really, aren't they? I recently gave mine the first really close visual attention that it has received in several years of rough treatment. It seems pretty fine all over, with no sign of rusting. Thanks for the tip re the possible water ingress. I will check. The Momo seats and door cards are almost like new, after 81,000 miles.
The car cost me some money last year as the alternator failed, and I had to do the usual front suspension bushes, as you do, and I replaced some vile Wong Bong Ditchfinders that my brother had put on the car when he borrowed it for a year, fitting some spiffy Michelins instead. This year I hope the car will cost me nowt ish, bar fuel, tax, and insurance.
It's at that stage where a lot are getting scrapped because of their low value. bonus is that used parts are cheap and plentiful, and there will come a point people will realise their classic status. Maybe. I think mines a bit long in the tooth to ever make it to classic status, but I'd love to see 200k as a target to strive for.
I didn't wish to scare you, but if you are keeping the car long term, its worth keeping an eye out for leaks. they can happen, usually due to blockages and are easily fixed, but then can make a mess of the floor if they go unnoticed.
Because all of the 'thinking of throwing a few grand at one of these' forum bullst really winds me up. PH is full of it.
Its just talk - if you wanted one youd either own one or youd have bought one. The notion that you cant buy a £4,000 car because you don't have a £40 a month garage is ridiculous.
Read through the whole thread and see how many instances there are of it, and then check out the Spyder thread too. The same crap is evident on all Porsche 924 and 944 threads as well.
t really winds me up. PH is full of it. Its just talk - if you wanted one youd either own one or youd have bought one. The notion that you cant buy a £4,000 car because you don't have a £40 a month garage is ridiculous.
Read through the whole thread and see how many instances there are of it, and then check out the Spyder thread too. The same crap is evident on all Porsche 924 and 944 threads as well.
GC8 said:
Because all of the 'thinking of throwing a few grand at one of these' forum bullst really winds me up. PH is full of it.
Its just talk - if you wanted one youd either own one or youd have bought one. The notion that you cant buy a £4,000 car because you don't have a £40 a month garage is ridiculous.
Read through the whole thread and see how many instances there are of it, and then check out the Spyder thread too. The same crap is evident on all Porsche 924 and 944 threads as well.
Medication time again?t really winds me up. PH is full of it. Its just talk - if you wanted one youd either own one or youd have bought one. The notion that you cant buy a £4,000 car because you don't have a £40 a month garage is ridiculous.
Read through the whole thread and see how many instances there are of it, and then check out the Spyder thread too. The same crap is evident on all Porsche 924 and 944 threads as well.
You sound a bit ridiculous.
Staying with the Alfa 156 for a while, the Sportwagon is at least a distant relative of the Lancia HPE. Unlike the HPE, the 156 has rear doors, but these are of course artfully hidden, and the basic idea of a small and sporty estate car with bags of driver appeal is still there.
The 156 has potential to become a classic because of its styling (which stands out from the incredibly boring Audis, BMWs, VWs and Saabs of the same era), and because in V6 form it has the last proper Busso engine (along with the GTV of the same era, which has already started to go up in value).
At present, you can buy any 156 except a GTA for buttons. I will aim to do about 2000 miles a year on mine, and see how it goes.
Later Alfas are Vauxhalls, alas, alas, and now Fiat seems determined to kill Alfa with its dithery chop and change strategising. Big cars, small cars, FWD, RWD, none of the above? Concept and super sporty car projects aside, at present they have two OK but not great hatchbacks on offer, and have told the market that there is no future in those. No saloon, no spider, no coupe, no race car. What a sad ending, or so it seems, to a great marque.
The 156 has potential to become a classic because of its styling (which stands out from the incredibly boring Audis, BMWs, VWs and Saabs of the same era), and because in V6 form it has the last proper Busso engine (along with the GTV of the same era, which has already started to go up in value).
At present, you can buy any 156 except a GTA for buttons. I will aim to do about 2000 miles a year on mine, and see how it goes.
Later Alfas are Vauxhalls, alas, alas, and now Fiat seems determined to kill Alfa with its dithery chop and change strategising. Big cars, small cars, FWD, RWD, none of the above? Concept and super sporty car projects aside, at present they have two OK but not great hatchbacks on offer, and have told the market that there is no future in those. No saloon, no spider, no coupe, no race car. What a sad ending, or so it seems, to a great marque.
Back in Lancialand for a moment, I have been further exploring the differences between the normal 2000 twin cam, which is very free revving and sounds great, and the blown version, which is slower to pick up, but keeps on going all the way, and feels like hyper drive at the redline. It sounds a bit harsh (the car magazine critics at the time said so). It pulls like a train.
I almost got the back out today, owing to a skill shortage on an uphill left hander in the wet. Skill and courage were both lacking and, yes dear reader, I lifted off. Note to self: re-learn 80s FWD skills. Grip and cornering wise, the HPE has good Pirellis on it, but they are 175/70s (the spec for the HPE ie), instead of 185/65s as they should be on a Volumex. That extra centimetre and slightly shorter sidewall could come in handy, perhaps, although not if I carry on being rubbish at driving, but I will have to wait until the tyres are knackered before changing them, as they are not cheap.
I almost got the back out today, owing to a skill shortage on an uphill left hander in the wet. Skill and courage were both lacking and, yes dear reader, I lifted off. Note to self: re-learn 80s FWD skills. Grip and cornering wise, the HPE has good Pirellis on it, but they are 175/70s (the spec for the HPE ie), instead of 185/65s as they should be on a Volumex. That extra centimetre and slightly shorter sidewall could come in handy, perhaps, although not if I carry on being rubbish at driving, but I will have to wait until the tyres are knackered before changing them, as they are not cheap.
Breadvan72 said:
Can the standard rim take a 195? If so, I may look into that in due course. I like thin tyres and deplore fatty rubber, the bane of modern cars, but the HPE could, looks wise, take a mildly more beefy tyre.
195 is a nominal width as opposed to a measurement, so I can only say that in 1988 a 195/65/14 P6 looked like a perfect fit.185/60/14s were far more common and a good deal cheaper as a result, but their rolling radius was just too small, I think.
185/165 or 195/65 sound fine. 165/85/14s are still available from Pirelli and other decent tyre makers. I haven't checked the other size. I don't like very low profile tyres as they look awful and make your teeth fall out. I also hate big gaps between tyres and wheel arches except on Landies. I love the fact that the Lancia has 14 inch wheels. That's a proper size. 97 inch wheels are now standard on every base spec shopping car. Yuck.
In 1983, 185/65/14 was considered low profile, but nowadays it looks pleasingly tall, although not quite old Jaaaaaaaaaaaag tall.
In 1983, 185/65/14 was considered low profile, but nowadays it looks pleasingly tall, although not quite old Jaaaaaaaaaaaag tall.
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