3K Budget, WHAT CAR SHOULD I BUY!!!
Discussion
NotAnotherTrader said:
The Saab on eBay looks great, may have to make a phone call on that
Worth a good think about anyway. They're not that quick standard though, not slow but nothing special, around 250bhp and the same in torque, it's the same engine as the Vectra VXR (Holden engine so bullet proof) but stick a decent map on there and it just transforms it into a little monster. Plenty of choices for the remap (Maptun,Hirsch, Vtuner) but the JZW tune seems the most powerful, definitely the highest torque! Plus additional maps are free, so £450 for the initial map of which you get 3 (normal/aggressive/revised) the aggressive maps just nuts. Don't want to come across like a prick but it is very quick after the remap, just bags of low down torque so you'll need decent tyres to keep it on the road. This is how they should have left the factory imo.The clutch might need upgrading though, mines slipping slightly around 4k, just a little blip then its fine but I can't add any more mods until it's sorted. That's an expensive upgrade though as you need a new DMF plus either an uprated Sachs clutch to handle a stage 3+ JZW tune (bigger Intercooler, Chinese ebay Evo ones are almost a drop in fit! 3" downpipe & remap again) which should see around 350-360 bhp & 450-460 ft/lbs....or just go for the SPEC 3+ clutch if your after big power....once mines done I'll be heading for stage 5 (415bhp & 530ft/lbs on the td04-19t but there's a 20T tune under development with a billet td04-20T which should see a bit more)
Brakes will defo need upgrading if you remap! I cooked mine within 24 hours of the ramp but it's not too expensive, I think it cost me around £450 all in and been fine. Just Mtec discs, yellow stuff R pads, HEL limes & RBF600 fluid.
Aduios crap on the 03-06 cars though, pretty tricky to upgrade but not impossible if your handy. But it is terrible. Worst I've had!
The 4 pot aero is also worth a look but the v6 is much more tunable. Your looking at a stage 5 tune on the 210bhp Aero to get to the same performance as a stage 1 v6. V6 is also very under stressed, good for around 450bhp and there's a few in the states with close to 550ft/lbs with just boot on mods....so plenty of tuning potential.
Anyway, worth a look!
griffin dai said:
Worth a good think about anyway. They're not that quick standard though, not slow but nothing special, around 250bhp and the same in torque, it's the same engine as the Vectra VXR (Holden engine so bullet proof) but stick a decent map on there and it just transforms it into a little monster. Plenty of choices for the remap (Maptun,Hirsch, Vtuner) but the JZW tune seems the most powerful, definitely the highest torque! Plus additional maps are free, so £450 for the initial map of which you get 3 (normal/aggressive/revised) the aggressive maps just nuts. Don't want to come across like a prick but it is very quick after the remap, just bags of low down torque so you'll need decent tyres to keep it on the road. This is how they should have left the factory imo.
The clutch might need upgrading though, mines slipping slightly around 4k, just a little blip then its fine but I can't add any more mods until it's sorted. That's an expensive upgrade though as you need a new DMF plus either an uprated Sachs clutch to handle a stage 3+ JZW tune (bigger Intercooler, Chinese ebay Evo ones are almost a drop in fit! 3" downpipe & remap again) which should see around 350-360 bhp & 450-460 ft/lbs....or just go for the SPEC 3+ clutch if your after big power....once mines done I'll be heading for stage 5 (415bhp & 530ft/lbs on the td04-19t but there's a 20T tune under development with a billet td04-20T which should see a bit more)
Brakes will defo need upgrading if you remap! I cooked mine within 24 hours of the ramp but it's not too expensive, I think it cost me around £450 all in and been fine. Just Mtec discs, yellow stuff R pads, HEL limes & RBF600 fluid.
Aduios crap on the 03-06 cars though, pretty tricky to upgrade but not impossible if your handy. But it is terrible. Worst I've had!
The 4 pot aero is also worth a look but the v6 is much more tunable. Your looking at a stage 5 tune on the 210bhp Aero to get to the same performance as a stage 1 v6. V6 is also very under stressed, good for around 450bhp and there's a few in the states with close to 550ft/lbs with just boot on mods....so plenty of tuning potential.
Anyway, worth a look!
How does the gearbox cope?The clutch might need upgrading though, mines slipping slightly around 4k, just a little blip then its fine but I can't add any more mods until it's sorted. That's an expensive upgrade though as you need a new DMF plus either an uprated Sachs clutch to handle a stage 3+ JZW tune (bigger Intercooler, Chinese ebay Evo ones are almost a drop in fit! 3" downpipe & remap again) which should see around 350-360 bhp & 450-460 ft/lbs....or just go for the SPEC 3+ clutch if your after big power....once mines done I'll be heading for stage 5 (415bhp & 530ft/lbs on the td04-19t but there's a 20T tune under development with a billet td04-20T which should see a bit more)
Brakes will defo need upgrading if you remap! I cooked mine within 24 hours of the ramp but it's not too expensive, I think it cost me around £450 all in and been fine. Just Mtec discs, yellow stuff R pads, HEL limes & RBF600 fluid.
Aduios crap on the 03-06 cars though, pretty tricky to upgrade but not impossible if your handy. But it is terrible. Worst I've had!
The 4 pot aero is also worth a look but the v6 is much more tunable. Your looking at a stage 5 tune on the 210bhp Aero to get to the same performance as a stage 1 v6. V6 is also very under stressed, good for around 450bhp and there's a few in the states with close to 550ft/lbs with just boot on mods....so plenty of tuning potential.
Anyway, worth a look!
MikeyMike said:
Hmmm....if you're after a hot hatch then there are plenty of options, but I don't really see how any of those mentioned tick the boxes for rarity or being particularly exciting to look at. I realise that latter point is a case of personal taste, but short of a Clio V6, or a mk1 Focus RS I really cannot think of a modern hatch that stands out aesthetically.
Alfa 147 GTA maybe, but God knows how many are left.corvus said:
How does the gearbox cope?
Fine 
But.....given the chance again I'd go for the Auto. No uprated clutch to fork out on (could be up to £1,200 all in especially if I go for the SPEC stage 3+) plus the stage 5 autos in the states sound like animals! Usually Saab autos aren't that tuneable compared to the manuals but seem fine on the v6.
Also the 6 speed on these is notorious for being a bit notchy so things like the gearbox turret needs either replacing or just taken off and fixed with a £25 repair kit. The bush inside breaks so gets replaced with a stainless sleeve and it sorts it, hour job (on my to do list!) I drove a mates RS4 the other month, silky smooth gearbox, jumped back in mine and felt like a tractor
The 5 speed is a better box but sadly not available on the v6 (never seen one anyway) but comes on the 210 Aero.
The 4 pots still a cracking engine though, pretty easy to get close to 300bhp with just a downpipe & £100 remap so another to consider. Plenty around now with a few tasty mods already fitted. Should get a nice one for £3k....
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