Suitable for daily usage
Discussion
Forgive my wedge ignorance but am seriously looking into Wedge ownership, but as I already have a Westfield in the garage I would want the wedge for daily driving. Is this pie in the sky or is it a feasable option. I have been doing my research on buying a wedge for approx £5000, convert to LPG for approx £2000 and enjoy reasonable economy with fantastic looks and sounds. Another option was to buy a £1000 diesel as back up, this would still give me a £8000 transport solution with little or no depreciation. Or do I get my head out the clouds and trade the 3 year old Astra diesel in for a newer more sterile diesel!! All comments appreciated
I have used my Wedge for periods as a daily driver - I would say that looking at the troubles I have had with the car these are not out of the ordinary for many other cars. And they are now done - viz new starter, clutch master and slave cylinder replaced, brakes sorted.
Others on here have also said they use their cars daily, going to work etc..
My car is for sale, but I am unlikely to sell for the sort of money you are suggesting. Hopefully, with some help and guidance from a few of the really knowledgeable guys on here (they really are experts!) you will find a car that suits the bill.
Good hunting!
JJ
Others on here have also said they use their cars daily, going to work etc..
My car is for sale, but I am unlikely to sell for the sort of money you are suggesting. Hopefully, with some help and guidance from a few of the really knowledgeable guys on here (they really are experts!) you will find a car that suits the bill.
Good hunting!
JJ
I've not heard that the tax concession is going (got a few mates that run "big" cars on gas and would have had them ranting and raving down the pub by now). The grant was only on new cars to be converted (which would have negated any manufacturers warranty so was just another goverment scam!!).
There seems to be a few tidy 350i's around for the £5k mark, what is a guide price for a good condition wedge?
There seems to be a few tidy 350i's around for the £5k mark, what is a guide price for a good condition wedge?
My own personal guide price would be :
350i £3500 ~ £5500 (average to very good)
390se £4500 ~ £6500 (average to very good)
400se £6000 ~ £9000 (average to very good)
There are always odd exceptions to this - I know of one of the
best 400SE's around that sold at the weekend for far more than
this but the previous owner spared no expence - so the new owner
will not need to spend out.
350i £3500 ~ £5500 (average to very good)
390se £4500 ~ £6500 (average to very good)
400se £6000 ~ £9000 (average to very good)
There are always odd exceptions to this - I know of one of the
best 400SE's around that sold at the weekend for far more than
this but the previous owner spared no expence - so the new owner
will not need to spend out.
I'm sure that LPG conversions can be suitable for a Landy/Rangie/Disco but a sports car???? If you're worried about fuel costs, I would say don't buy a sports car of any sort. As for using them daily, well they certainly need to be used regularly. We ran a 350 for 7 yrs. as our only car, although didn't need it for work/station. You do need access to another vehicle as some jobs will mean dismantling parts to ascertain exactly which variant you have when talking to your parts supplier, and almost all jobs will take much longer to complete than you think.
7.
7.
LPG because of its higher ocatane rating can actually provide more "power" than regular or super unleaded. The reason that LPG has a reputation for less power is that most conversions use petrol to start the engine and then change over to lpg. The change over to lpg does not change the ignition advance on most conversions so the fuel is not used to its best advantage but if you use a aftermarket ECU mapped suitably you would get more power from the engine.
I've used my 350i FHC for the past 12 months as my daily driver covering 200 miles a week. Used it in the rain, snow sleet etc and it coped alright, ok maybe not so good in the snow 
Mine has a larger radiator so was fine in traffic on the way to work too.
It's been fine, I think the more you use them the better they are. I've had to change a couple of little things ( clutch master cylinder and steering UJ ) but I think that was due to lack of use before I bought it.
Cheers
Alisdair
Mine has a larger radiator so was fine in traffic on the way to work too.
It's been fine, I think the more you use them the better they are. I've had to change a couple of little things ( clutch master cylinder and steering UJ ) but I think that was due to lack of use before I bought it.
Cheers
Alisdair
16vwestie said:
LPG because of its higher ocatane rating can actually provide more "power" than regular or super unleaded. The reason that LPG has a reputation for less power is that most conversions use petrol to start the engine and then change over to lpg. The change over to lpg does not change the ignition advance on most conversions so the fuel is not used to its best advantage but if you use a aftermarket ECU mapped suitably you would get more power from the engine.
I thought the calorific value of LPG was around 10% less than petrol........
Depends on how hardy you are. I've had over 12 years of driving a 350 and now the SEAC everyday.
Today was the first frost of the year and believe me it ain't fun. Scraping ice off all the windows INSIDE is a right pain, especially as it ices up again within 500yds from the house
The heater does not get warm enough to melt butter untill about 10 miles and even then you have to sit on one hand at a time!!! True in my old age i have just bought a heated seat cover and this helps a bit. Also i've bought a pre-heater that should do the trick when I get around to fitting it.
Reliability on the SEAC has been excellent but then again I cut my teeth on a 350i and know what it's like when things go T
ts up.
My advise..................................
DO IT the other 9 months of the year more than make up for it
Today was the first frost of the year and believe me it ain't fun. Scraping ice off all the windows INSIDE is a right pain, especially as it ices up again within 500yds from the house
The heater does not get warm enough to melt butter untill about 10 miles and even then you have to sit on one hand at a time!!! True in my old age i have just bought a heated seat cover and this helps a bit. Also i've bought a pre-heater that should do the trick when I get around to fitting it.
Reliability on the SEAC has been excellent but then again I cut my teeth on a 350i and know what it's like when things go T
ts up. My advise..................................
DO IT the other 9 months of the year more than make up for itFirstly and generally I would echo the general sentiment in that yes do it.
Either go for the best maintained example for the money or buy lower and have the money ready to put into it.
There is no reason why any wedge cannot be reliable although I reckon the V6 and 350i stand the best chance simply due to the basically standard state of engine tune and the comparable power characteristics leading to reduced component wear and less chance of stuffing it into a lightpole.
Personally I wouldn't like to have to use mine all the time as the small niggles become daily commuting irritants whereas on a sunny day run they are part of the character. However wedges, like most machinery, prefer regular use so it's lucky 360 days a year are sunny days here
Either go for the best maintained example for the money or buy lower and have the money ready to put into it.
There is no reason why any wedge cannot be reliable although I reckon the V6 and 350i stand the best chance simply due to the basically standard state of engine tune and the comparable power characteristics leading to reduced component wear and less chance of stuffing it into a lightpole.
Personally I wouldn't like to have to use mine all the time as the small niggles become daily commuting irritants whereas on a sunny day run they are part of the character. However wedges, like most machinery, prefer regular use so it's lucky 360 days a year are sunny days here
This will be the 3rd winter I've used my 280 as a daily driver doing a commute of just over 30 miles. As long as it's not broken then it's fine. The winter can be a pain because it steams up badly and the demisters don't really do much so I drive everywhere with the window wide open. It means a hat and gloves are essential for the early morning commute, but if it means I can see where I'm going, it's a small price to pay.
Using a wedge for everyday use? Are you mad? 
There are many insane users of this website who do just that, but they are well and truly barking
The £2k on an LPG conversion would be pretty much lost when you came to sell the wedge as most of us use them purely for fun, maybe covering just 2-3k miles a year, so the extra fuel cost is negligible.
I would spend the £5k on the wedge (very little depreciation) and spend about £2.5k on a VW Golf TDI with high mileage. That gets you a very reliable golf with 130k miles which will never go wrong (my work colleagues S reg has done 240k miles and NEVER missed a beat) and can't depreciate a great deal more. As long as it has been serviced, you'll be fine.
As for running costs, weekend and summer use of the wedge won't cost a fortune on fuel and the golf is ultra-fugal anyway.
Insurance? The golf is very reasonable, if you have a decent NCB, I found privilege ridiculously cheep (£450 on a 225bhp TT, I'm under 30 on a Birmingham postcode!!!) and insure the wedge on a classic, limited mileage policy (Mines with footman James, limited at 3000 miles, NO NCB at just £134)
As for the extra £500, you could give it to me
or keep it to one side for wedge repairs...
As for Wedge ownership experience, just do it - you won't look back
L33
There are many insane users of this website who do just that, but they are well and truly barking
The £2k on an LPG conversion would be pretty much lost when you came to sell the wedge as most of us use them purely for fun, maybe covering just 2-3k miles a year, so the extra fuel cost is negligible.
I would spend the £5k on the wedge (very little depreciation) and spend about £2.5k on a VW Golf TDI with high mileage. That gets you a very reliable golf with 130k miles which will never go wrong (my work colleagues S reg has done 240k miles and NEVER missed a beat) and can't depreciate a great deal more. As long as it has been serviced, you'll be fine.
As for running costs, weekend and summer use of the wedge won't cost a fortune on fuel and the golf is ultra-fugal anyway.
Insurance? The golf is very reasonable, if you have a decent NCB, I found privilege ridiculously cheep (£450 on a 225bhp TT, I'm under 30 on a Birmingham postcode!!!) and insure the wedge on a classic, limited mileage policy (Mines with footman James, limited at 3000 miles, NO NCB at just £134)
As for the extra £500, you could give it to me
or keep it to one side for wedge repairs...
As for Wedge ownership experience, just do it - you won't look back
L33
I used to use my 350 as my only car for the first four years. 7k5 mile limited policy from Classic Line (used every one of them), regular oil and UJ changes, kept in the garage with a timed fan heater inside, came on half an hour before I use it. Probably contributed to the veneer curling up and cracking off!
Only problem was lack of fresh air vents meaning the windscreen never de-misted. Just relied on keeping it dry enough not to mist up.
Wouldn't want to do it if the car was to be kept outside though.
Top tip would be to repair the plastic membrane behind the door cards in order to stop the cold blast of air coming out of the door handle onto your right knee. O yeah and stick a brand new super heavy duty battery in regardless of how good you think the original one is.
Leo
Only problem was lack of fresh air vents meaning the windscreen never de-misted. Just relied on keeping it dry enough not to mist up.
Wouldn't want to do it if the car was to be kept outside though.
Top tip would be to repair the plastic membrane behind the door cards in order to stop the cold blast of air coming out of the door handle onto your right knee. O yeah and stick a brand new super heavy duty battery in regardless of how good you think the original one is.
Leo
firefox1712 said:
I wouldn't recommend the LPG conversion. The tax concession is being reduced or cut completely soon I believe (has it gone already?) and you no longer get a grant towards conversion costs.
Pollution reduction is mimimal too!
You never did get a grant for conversion on cars over 18 months old. The tax break on the fuel continues until mid 2007 I believe, so if you were using the car regularly over the next 18 months, the conversion would pay for itself if you are doing average mileage. The pollution reduction is massive, particularly if you up the compression and advance the timing to take advantage of the 104 yes, I said 104 octane rating of the fuel. It keep your engine oil a lot cleaner too, so less wear on the internals.
I'm planning to convert mine, although the kit I was originally going to use is going on my Rangie instead, as a sequential system makes more sense alongside the turbo that will go on the TiV.
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