MC Bodge

It would be cheaper to store in a crate somewhere.....

There was a single and a twin cam version of the Honda 1.6 fitted to the 216 IIRC. The 2.0 was a Rover engine.

Yup, I remember the early 214 being the quickest of the small engined cars in the early 90s. A 1.3 Escort was nowhere near! The 1.3 Astra could be quick though, if you got a good one. A mate had a 216GTI TC which had, I think, the same engine as a CRX. That was a fast car, with a redline above 7300rpm. It's wishbone suspension meant that the body rolled all over the place. We had a good laugh razzing it through Kielder Forest Scenic Drive (at 25mph, of course)

and you don't think that an Impreza would be much better than a Sierra ?

Probably a few. Most of the modified ones have probably blown-up or been crashed.....

It's just part of the natural life cycle!

Really? I reckon the Subaru Impreza would eat a Cossie for breakfast, so it can't be that far ahead! I wouldn't have one as an only car. A Sierra isn't far removed from a 1970s Cortina and even felt old-fashioned compared to the Mk3 Cavalier.

It all sounds a 'bit' unlikey to me... In the event of it being true you're either a gangster of some sort or the son of a gangster -Not many people would be prepared to shell out 6 grand for insurance, even if they had the money! In any case, I reckon it may be time to get rid of my vRS if they're now seen as Croozin' cars by semi-literate 17 year olds! :thumbdwn:

The GT looks fantastic. What I'd like to know though: How have Alfa Romeo produced such consistently unreliable (and expensively self-destructing) cars for so long? It's not a myth.

I've never driven a Cosworth, but I drove a Sierra 2.0 a few years ago. It felt like a very old car.... I'm sure a Cosworth would be fun though

It wasn#t the lack of power that was the problem. It was peaky, rough and just unpleasant to drive!

The 'throttle' (I know it's not a throttle as such) seemed to be completely random. More pedal didn't stop it bogging down when moving away or trying a hill start. It was probably a fuel pump software issue with early cars that was rectified at the first service. I once had a Mondeo TDDi pool car (possibly the engine from the older Mondeo), now that was a bucket of c'rap! Hmmm, a 2003 Ghia X TDCI 130 will still cost 525quid to insure, so not as cheap as I'd hoped.

Having faced a fair bit of difficulty in re-insuring my re-mapped Octavia vRS in Manchester and with the possibility of having to do a lot more miles, I'm considering alternatives... The novelty of having a fast car hasn't worn off so I'm wondering if it would be too much of a wrench to drive a Mondeo TDCi for example? -I like the size of the Octavia, which 'feels' like a bigger car than a Focus, even if it isn't. I drove an early one and it was a good car, -albeit with a very strange throttle response which made standing starts very tricky (other TDCis did the same thing). I know the handling is very good. What's the insurance like on a 130bhp TDCI Ghia or Zetec-S? An ST TDCI is out of budget and probably wouldn't save much in running costs anyway!

I cut away some of the door sealing foam and haven't had any water leaking issues through the doors

Well, having tried everyone I could think of, the best I could get was £761 -although the £650 accidental damage excess is a bit steep- by joining Privelige as a 'new' www customer (also saving 10% as a house insurance customer), then adding the re-map. I'll have to keep money aside for the XS in case I ever need to claim though....

It always amazes me how some people manage to get into so much debt....

Well, speaking from experience, you do tend to see more Lawyers, Accountants, Doctors, Dentists etc. driving Ferraris than you do engineers..... (-apart from mercenary contractor engineers who chase-the-rate around the world, go to Bangkok on their weeks off & never see their flash cars ) Plant operators, on the other hand, earn more money and drive Range Rovers! When it comes down to it, most jobs involve doing paperwork, in a fairly detached way, to a more or lesser extent. Doing what you're interested in is a start, but something that pays well, with minimal stress and minimal working away (if you want any sort of home, social or family life) is the Holy Grail. I know people who have a lot of money, but as someone mentioned, they don't do much other than work, and often have a number of failed marriages behind them....

yes, just pushing the arms towards the windscreen and wiggling the fixed end does actually get them off quite easily.

my CD changer keeps sticking, forcing the head unit into 'Mechanic' mode. I need to take it out for a bit of a clean -or just buy an mp3 player. Only 6 CDs? What's that all about?

Aggggghhhhhh! Greenlight won't even quote for my M## Postcode area. -apparently they've made losses in all Manchester Postcode areas. Cull all thieving scumbags

that's not an IROC! This is an IROC: The Mullet and lumberjack shirt are compulsory.

Right, right, I get the message! I should be married and living in rural Scotland to drive a modified vRs....

Stop. I don't want to know! ....oh well, I guess that a couple of hundred extra on the car insurance due to postcode is off-set by the many thousands of quid lower house prices! I only paid ~500 quid for a 2.0 Focus though. I'll try Greenlight tomorrow.