RE: PH Carpool: Vauxhall VX220

[VonSenger]

thewheelman said:

That's a real shame, having never owned a catc/d vehicle, I'm wondering how that affects insurance? As if it's only the clam that's been replaced, I don't see it as dangerous to drive etc.

Mines cat d, needed a new rear clam and minor side seal repair. the problem is the wait for a new clam. That's why insurance comps write them off. 6 months is a long time to pay for a courtesy car. vauxhall make them to order but in batches. mine was on the road a week and £1000 after i purchased it from a salvage yard chassis damage is a different matter! Being bonded aly its not an easy fix, beware!

[Sir_Dave]

MCBrowncoat said:

A skyline a rangey and a VX by 20...How awfully nice...

I'm not going to be a cynic and say there might be a well off parent involved...I'm just not going to do it...

You can buy a Range Rover for 500 quid, & a sheddy Skyline GTS for a couple of grand no doubt. At 21 i had a Z3M. Working hard & a top up from my student loan. Its not like we are talking £50k cars here, a VX220 is from 5 grand upwards these days lol.

But, to be quite frank, who cares?

VX's look to be great value tbh, especially when compared to an Elise!!

[300bhp/ton]

thewheelman said:

kambites said:

thewheelman said:

It seems many 220s listed for sale are cat c or cat d.

The bottom of the market is down at the price where needing a new clam writes them off.

That's a real shame, having never owned a catc/d vehicle, I'm wondering how that affects insurance? As if it's only the clam that's been replaced, I don't see it as dangerous to drive etc.

In terms of affecting insurance, well you'd need to get a quote and see.

As for the vehicle itself, well sadly Cat C/D confuses so many people it's unreal. In most cases it's a vehicle that has been declared damaged and repairable. However how many cars do you get that are damaged and then not declared and repaired through the insurance? In a different league to a VX, but someone drove into my Jeep last year and dented a small panel behind the rear wheel. This was enough to make it Cat D, although if you'd driven into something yourself you'd never have claimed, it really was such a small amount of damage.

Best bet if considering a Cat D is try and find out exactly what happened to it, how it was fixed and then inspect it. There are some dodgy repariers out there, but there are also some good ones, so you could snag a complete bargain.

[LewisR]

Lordbenny said:

Welshbeef said:

Is it the turbo model or the 134bhp model?

It's an N/A....The better version. You can tell by it not having side 'scoops' behind the door and, normally, by not having the lip spoilers although this one has turbo spoilers retro fitted by the look of it.

Why is the N/A the better version?

[JFReturns]

LewisR said:

Why is the N/A the better version?

It's not, there is just a lot of banter between tubby and NA owners.

Some might say the NA is the purer drive and better for circuit work as it is lighter and has a linear power delivery (i.e. no lag).

On the other hand, the NA could be described as 'slow' by tubby owners

[kambites]

LewisR said:

Lordbenny said:

Welshbeef said:

Is it the turbo model or the 134bhp model?

It's an N/A....The better version. You can tell by it not having side 'scoops' behind the door and, normally, by not having the lip spoilers although this one has turbo spoilers retro fitted by the look of it.

Why is the N/A the better version?

I certainly felt that it was when I drove both. To my mind, the turbocharged engine just doesn't suit the character of the car - all the other controls are so fine and precise that the poor throttle response feels really out of place.

I think the turbo is also set up a little softer, although so few are on their original suspension that it's a bit irrelevant.

Edited by kambites on Monday 11th June 11:59

[300bhp/ton]

LewisR said:

Why is the N/A the better version?

Better is subjective. But I think the n/a 2.2 is circa 60kg lighter and this likely affects weight distrubution and centre of gravity too. So handling is likely to be different between them to a certain expent.

I also suspect some won't like the turbo power delivery or throttle control compared to n/a.

[BBS-LM]

Bob_Defly said:

Too nice to use in bad weather?!? What do you mean?

I used my Exige daily for 2 years, rain, snow, whatever the weather.

I really don't get why people say that, the car was designed to use in all weather, just bloody use it.

[Lione1 Richie]

I never really gelled with my VX, not entirely sure why - just one of the mystery's of the universe.

Considering how cheap they are compared to a similar aged S2 Elise they do seem something of a bargain! Just make sure you disconnect the ABS, what a load of old tosh that system was!

Enjoy

[Blanchie]

thewheelman said:

It seems many 220s listed for sale are cat c or cat d.

Thats because they're mid engined RWD no traction control and when it gets damp they need talent and careful throttle control.

Awesome cars!!

Had a Black 2.2 from new, loved it to bits, best driving position ever and a real joy to own.
Even took it for 3 weeks round Spain and Portugal, the small fuel tank did get to me after a while but not before the backside went numb!!
It's great no one really knows what it is and its been called a Lambo by a proud Spainish boy who had his picture taken with it

Enjoy it!!

Edited by Blanchie on Monday 11th June 12:49

[jl34]

Awesome cars, i've got a Turbo and cant find anything to better it for the money (or even a lot more money). Those people that go on about lag should try a well tuned stage 2 car, the power is pretty linear and very easy to control as the torque comes in nice a smooth but low down. The thrust when it gets going makes an N/a look pretty tame, let alone elises!

[stevenandalex]

I really miss mine - enjoy it and never sell it. You wil really enjoy it more with the sc.

[rabidh]

I bought a VX220 NA with my first year's salary (My kit car just wasn't usable as a DD, and I couldn't afford an Elise), and absolutely fell in love. It's sensible enough to be a daily driver if it needs to be, it's basic enough that everything can be fixed/changed/tweaked yourself, and it provides a feeling of driving involvement that I've never felt in anything else.

I've had mine 7 years now, and really can't see a day when I'll be fed up with it.

[mazdaman1980]

This was an ok story until i read that he had only driven it down the M4 and back. What a joke!! How can you have any story to tell when you havent taken the car anywhere.

As for looks, they are ok but i still prefer the curvier looks of the Lotus.

[Herman Toothrot]

Loved my 2.2, did need some mods mind - mainly a 4 channel Exige and ECU, bigger front discs. Baffled high volume fuel tank as well - less than half a tank full on the stock tank and I'd get fuel starvation in long high speed corners on track.

I think it was the best compromise for a do it all car in the Elise group - went in k series cars, Toyota, Honda, turbo, 2.2 supercharged. For a more weekend dedicated car 2.2 supercharged is hard to beat.

Mine had a Tullet manifold, exhaust, light weight Exiges spec wheels, alloy bells, tank, rad etc. if the moron who drove into it writing it off hadn't done so I'd definately have had it supercharged, more torque, less weigt and the same power as an Exige Cup 260..

[LewisR]

I almost really like these sort of cars but there were numerous occasions where just a Vectra or something would be quicker becasue that driver could see over central barriers and pile on through onto the roundabout whereas in the Elise (& MX5) I had, you'd have to slow for the roundabout and slowly edge onto it peering round the end of the central reservation. I'm sure if you did track days and the like they would come into their own but for everyday driving, they're not for me. Oh, and I almost got reversed onto by a Discovery once until I leant on the horn. They're so low, many drivers don't aknowledge them!

[kambites]

LewisR said:

I almost really like these sort of cars but there were numerous occasions where just a Vectra or something would be quicker ...

Now this is certainly true, but I can't imagine why anyone would think it matters?

People not noticing you can be a problem, but you do learn to anticipate it and it becomes less of a problem.

[405dogvan]

thewheelman said:

That's a real shame, having never owned a catc/d vehicle, I'm wondering how that affects insurance? As if it's only the clam that's been replaced, I don't see it as dangerous to drive etc.

It doesn't usually affect insurance - just resale value (put another way, it can make a car totally unsaleable).

Some insurers are wary of cars with a Cat history but that's really only because they've being spiteful. The Cat system is there to keep their profits intact, you see, not for any reason of safety or 'keeping dangerous cars off the road'.

If a car is genuinely 'beyond repair' it won't get back on the road via the higher Categories anyway - 'C' and 'D' mean nothing in themselves and in no way indicate the level of damage involved...

[Mike Gill]

You had a Skyline at the age of 20?! How on earth did you afford that!?

[anything fast]

Mate.. do NOT supercharge it!

Trade in in for the Turbo model.. you can easily tweak the Turbo lump and have the pace to scare a 911! That will be so much easier and cheaper in the long run.

I have driven a standard Turbo and off the mark it left an e36 M3 trailing in a woosh of Turbo boost.

Great fun rollerskate