The Croctavia, Outofthi5world's Octy track car

[petrolbloke]

Do a my text check I'm sure that tells you

No need to - putting the reg into AutoTrader shows the cat C/D write off status.

[Outofthi5world]

It's like you're willing me to keep it... Honestly though, as much as I love it I'm going to be 21 in a months time so the cost of insuring a VRS will be lower than it is now and a VRS has 70 BHP more, better brakes and will probably not look like it's been rolled down Everest, I'll be keeping the Croc until I buy another car but I won't be doing anything to it.

PS: Thanks for the Cat info 

[petrolbloke]

Octy VRS mk1 wouldn't be high up my list for a dedicated budget track car - quite heavy and would need a half decent set of coilovers (£££) to make it handle better on track. There are other cars in the same price range which are lighter, better on track out of the box and have less to go wrong (i.e. normally aspirated rather than turbo).

[TrevorB33]

It's a shame I don't have a potential track car for sale

[Outofthi5world]

It's a shame I don't have a potential track car for sale

Yeah I know.

But no, I can't afford yours unfortunately Trevor. If I could afford to have your car as a track toy then I would never have got the Croc in the first place Looking for something under a grand definitely.

[Outofthi5world]

Got a ****ty letter from the Government saying I need to SORN it or face a big fine yesterday, just SORNed it now. set of ***** What is the point in that? So now I'd have to tax it for the month, insure it for the day then SORN it again after. It's looking more and more like a trip to the yard for the Croc.

  :'(

[niceyellow vrs]

Cars have to be either insured or sorn'd. Them's the rules so what's the problem?

[Outofthi5world]

Cars have to be either insured or sorn'd. Them's the rules so what's the problem?

The problem is there's no logic to it whatsoever, if you don't want to waste money insuring it for the full year then you'd have to tax it before taking it out ach time, for the month. So say you had two trackdays at different points in the month you'd have to tax it and insure it for the first one then SORN it again afterwards then tax and insure it again and SORN it again after that. you'd be paying for two months tax and ****ing about for nothing. Anyway, I haven't got the time nor the patience to be arguing with people on here any more.

[niceyellow vrs]

The problem is there's no logic to it whatsoever, if you don't want to waste money insuring it for the full year then you'd have to tax it before taking it out ach time, for the month. So say you had two trackdays at different points in the month you'd have to tax it and insure it for the first one then SORN it again afterwards then tax and insure it again and SORN it again after that. you'd be paying for two months tax and kitten about for nothing. Anyway, I haven't got the time nor the patience to be arguing with people on here any more.

 

I'm not arguing, just asking a question. Still can't see a problem though. My competition car costs £300 to insure and £145 to tax for the year. It spends a lot of time parked on the drive but for less than £500 a year, that's fine because whenever I do want to do an event with it, it's ready to go with no mucking about each time.

 

If you begrudge following the rules  so much have you considered a hobby cheaper than cars? Knitting perhaps?

[Outofthi5world]

I'm not arguing, just asking a question. Still can't see a problem though. My competition car costs £300 to insure and £145 to tax for the year. It spends a lot of time parked on the drive but for less than £500 a year, that's fine because whenever I do want to do an event with it, it's ready to go with no mucking about each time.

 

If you begrudge following the rules  so much have you considered a hobby cheaper than cars? Knitting perhaps?

That's alright for you but if your insurance costs nearly £1000 and it works out a lot cheaper to stick it on tempcover for a day or two each time then that's how it is. At least I am bothering to insure it, maybe go out at two in the morning and see how many people there are out there who beef ridge following the rules.

[niceyellow vrs]

That's alright for you but if your insurance costs nearly £1000 and it works out a lot cheaper to stick it on tempcover for a day or two each time then that's how it is. At least I am bothering to insure it, maybe go out at two in the morning and see how many people there are out there who beef ridge following the rules.

 

Fair enough, a grand is a lot of money, but then so is £300 to me when a play car is certainly not my only expense in life. I can just about afford it once I've paid the mortgage and all the bills each month. Whether people bother to insure a car or not doesn't bother me in the slightest, nor does their prefered time to go for a drive.

 

Anyway, striping back to your situation of what to do, I've taken time out from writing my thesis on the social behavioural misconceptions of the wasp to give it a fair bit of thought. I've come to smoe conclusions and the way I see it you have the following options:

 

Option 1 - Continue as you are and just get temporary insurance cover as and when you need it and pay a bit of tax, which in the grand scheme of the full cost of a track day is bugger all when you consider the entry fee, tyres, brakes, fuel and any repairs which may arise. Then, stop whinging that the Government is trying to bum you.

 

Option 2 - Insure and tax it for the year, take it out to play when you want and then stop whinging.

 

Option 3 - Buy a car trailer, although that's gonna open up more costs, especially if you haven't got B+E entitlement on your licence and you'd need a suitable tow vehicle which will need insuring and taxing so that'll be more whinging.

 

Option 4 - Get rid of the car, start collecting decorative spoons or something and stop whinging.

 

Option 5 - Just stop whinging.

 

 

Hope that helps. Much love xx

Edited 19 September, 2016 by niceyellow vrs

[pip_vrs]

Basically stop whinging

 

I suggest sack off the Fabia, sack off the Octavia and buy a Clio. Doesn't need much to make a very very good track car (it's going to be better than the Octavia will ever be even as standard).

Insure and tax it as it will be your daily.. learn to drive so you don't crash and it'll work out cheaper...

Edited 20 September, 2016 by pip_vrs

[abo]

Yeah I know.

But no, I can't afford yours unfortunately Trevor. If I could afford to have your car as a track toy then I would never have got the Croc in the first place Looking for something under a grand definitely.

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201608036465909?search-target=usedcars&make=mazda&model=mx-5&searchcontext=default&radius=1500&page=2&postcode=s92bu&sort=default&onesearchad=used&logcode=p&adPos=2

[pip_vrs]

I really don't think RWD is the way forward for Dave

[Outofthi5world]

Just because you couldn't handle it Phill... I've drifted scraper tractors and telehandlers at work it'd be fine

[Outofthi5world]

So... I'm not quite so sure about whether or not I can let the Croc go to be quite honest, I'm having second thoughts. It's plucky, I like it. It will sit on the drive through winter until I make a decision about its fate but until then I've added another poll to see what people think.

[abo]

So... I'm not quite so sure about whether or not I can let the Croc go to be quite honest, I'm having second thoughts. It's plucky, I like it. It will sit on the drive through winter until I make a decision about its fate but until then I've added another poll to see what people think.

Personally I think you should keep it over the winter, save some cash up in the meantime and see how you feel in the spring. You don't need it to be fast to be fun, just so that it'll carry as much speed as you dare through the corners, that's where the fun is. Use said saved cash on coilovers, RARB, polybush kit and anything else the suspension needs to freshen it up. Uprated brakes next. Then look at upping the power later, as and when the budget allows.

 

If you decide to get rid then do like I suggested before and get a MX-5 or something, if you're thinking of a vRS you'll end up changing stuff straight away and I can't see the point; you might as well modify what you've got. Unless you're looking at a Fabia vRS.

 

So basically, save up whatever cash you can over the next 2-3 months and *then* make a decision. At least you'll be doing so with some cash in your pocket.

[Outofthi5world]

Right, so as I was cleaning the Montes' carpet and seats and I had about half a tank of water left in the cleaner I thought I'd use it up on the Croctys seats. They were so dirty they were actually waterproof!

Before:

 

And after:

 

So anyone that comes in with me now is not allowed to s*** themselves. OK?

 

Plan now is to get the Croc to a garage and get that break caliper fitted and race fluid bled in, then insure it ASAP and start using it on the road, then book something for it.

[pip_vrs]

Look decent then seats now

[Outofthi5world]

Look decent then seats now

Best bit of the car now I have to admit they were shockingly bad.

[mac11irl]

Best bit of the car now I have to admit they were shockingly bad.

Ive seen worse, but thats a massive improvement :thumbup:

Much effort, and what soap product did you use?

[Outofthi5world]

Ive seen worse, but thats a massive improvement :thumbup:

Much effort, and what soap product did you use?

Vax Ultra +

[Outofthi5world]

Update time, and with photos this time as well.

After Friday morning didn't go to plan I ditched the days plans and after swapping wheels front to back on the Fabia and washing it I got the Croc started and parked the Fabia on the side of the road, took the Croc off its bricks, shifted it to the middle of the drive and gave it a good wash. Now it might be the middle of December and it may have been about half 1 in the afternoon but that wasn't going to stop me from doing this, This is happening and it's happening now no matter what happens. So, of with what is left of the drivers side door cards, off with drivers door mirror, lower the windows and remove window seals and rear quarter window. Bumper strips removed and rear bumper removed, bit of masking tape to make a stripe and ready to start.:

 

 

If you haven't guessed by now it's getting painted, and yes, it'll be the fastest chalk-board around. :D

I got a base coat on, which nearly dried but it was starting to get dark so I threw a second coat on top and hoped for the best (ear quarter window placed back in and windows moved up in case of rain). Woke up this morning to go to work and the dew had settled on the car, kept the paint wet and made it run a little, but not too bad. However when I got home at dinner time I found it like this:

 

 

The rear bumper was fine, I put that in the greenhouse to dry.

But, no problem, what was left of the paint on the top half of the car made a good base coat for the new paint to stick to and another 2 layers made it look alright and with the windows wound up without the seals in, engine on and heater on fully to warm the panels up from the inside the paint dried quickly and I managed to get that side of the car painted and re-assembled 5 minutes before I had to set off back to work:

 

 

 

 

 

And no, I didn't forget the door shuts:

 

So that's bonnet, rear bumper and right side done. Exactly half the car, only half left then it's sticker time and log book time.

Edited 17 December, 2016 by Outofthi5world

[Outofthi5world]

Right, so, it's Christmas eve and what a better way to spend it than painting a spoiler and putting sticlers on the Croctavia! Anyway, Chalkie is done now and moved back over to the side of the drive so we can fit all three cars on the drive again like before. (Did i also mention that after 2 and a half months of ownership my dad has traded in his Mk ll Octy VRS... And bought his old car back, yep, that's right, he's back in his Monte again!) So, it's all black and it has some stickers on it now, I also re-routed the drivers door loom back to where it should be so the trim piece isn't held to the sill with duct tape and at risk of jamming my foot on the throttle on right hand corners like it was before. But the important part,you've seen the start of the painting, now here's the finished thing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I may swap out the window seal for the one that was on the old door as this one has a few spray marks that are more noticeable now the car is black.

 

 

 

 

And last but not least:

[Outofthi5world]

Update: Snetterton track-day booked for Febuary 20th. Got to get that caliper fitted now...