What To Do With 3k?

[Longboarder]

Hmmm. £500 quid on a number plate or £500 quid in the engine bay. Hard one. Or you can get a nice body kit with a front splitter and an big ally wing and still have cash left over for some racing decals. James, I'm shocked. Did we teach you nothing? Just shows how a University can take a promising young petrol head and ruin him!!!!!!

 

Nigel

[Guest Jonny Norn Iron]

TVR S Series - very decent nick @ 4.5k or one needing a bit of love and care @3k. Classic insurance and off you go!

 

Jonny

[Guest docter fox]

If I spent 500 quid on the engine of a production car it would cost me an extra 500 to insure at my age!

 

Don't worry Nigel, there won't be any body kits and not an alloy wing in sight, I promise! lol I can only afford to run on car and have nowhere to keep the second but you know I'll be back in a kitcar as soon as I can, I made an earlier start than most!

 

There is so many cars I like the look of but it has to be 02 plate or newer... lol think this is the parents way of making me get something newer and more reliable but the reg plate I'm looking at is JP02 FOX and my initials are J.P.Fox so it would be pretty damn good...

 

The MGTF is still looking the best option that I have found, new shape mr2's are a bit too expensive, any ideas?

[Guest allenr03]

I'd go MX5 or MR2 everytime.

 

If you got and extra £1.5k every 3 hours you could have an S2000 before you know it - that's a great car!

[Mat-Moo]

Send it to me so I can go on holiday?

[Guest alan rowe]

Doc -- don't listen to them -- you go for the MGF -- great value for money

 

The K series engine is in reality well respected, Lotus used it for a long time as did Cateram

 

The HGF issue does happen but is not the end of the world if it does -- more likely to be on older engines

 

It's important that the car has been treated well rather than just low mileage, coolant level is very important as well as warming the engine before giving it some stick

 

If you can, go for a VVC rather than the 120bhp version as it's so much better to drive

 

My Elise is the VVC (155bhp @7200) and my other half has a MGZR160 (160bhp@7500) --- both are brilliant to drive

 

Since I got the Lotus, I've learnt a lot about the Rover K series (mainly from the Lotus owners chat site) -- anything you want to ask just give me a shout

 

Alan

[harvs]

I had an early MGF and absolutely loved it! If you go for the TF, then you're getting a very nice car for a reasonable price which should be much less prone to HGF than the earlier models. I've been in MX5s, but do prefer the engine being in the middle - much more fun throwing it around the corners!

 

Anyway, good luck with whatever you go for...

[Swan Jnr]

sat in the cab of an AA truck once we spotted two mgf's broken down at the side of the road within 30 miles.

AA man reckoned that they were quite a common car on his call log, due to head gasket failure brought on he claimed by the location of the engine. It was designed to go at the front with all the airflow that this entails and in the MGF location didnt stay cool enough and this placed extra stress on the head gasket.

 

drove one a while back and they were good fun though, and they are really good value second hand. other than HGF no other horror strror i recall reading about.

[agent_zed]

on the subject of MGF's i was reading a concept car book which showed a 1985 MG concept which to me seemed to be the forerunner to the mgf only 30 years ago. My book shows the car in x-ray so you can see the underlying parts and it looks so similar. or maybe iam nuts

 

http://www.lotusespritturbo.com/MG_EX-E.htm

 

As for what car i'd buy with 4.5k hmmm a datsun 280z although thats more 1972 not 2002. oooh An FTO mitsubishi could be interesting....not sure if they make them in 2002 though.

[Guest fozzy2007]

save up for another couple of hours and you could have this. you would rule the road and no one would dare pass you on a track day so you would win all the time. perfect! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CVRT-Sultan-FV105-Co...1QQcmdZViewItem lol i would love one of these though.

[Guest allenr03]

You could get a really nice Alfa Spider for £4.5k, 98/99 though. Nice cars. All petrol heads should own an Alfa at some stage in their life!

[Longboarder]

On the other hand sex and drugs and rock & roll could be an option.

 

I think this owning an Alfa before you can be a true petrol head is a rumour put about by Clarkson before he could afford a Ferrari but then I would cos I've never had an Alfa. (Alpha = collection of parts looking for somewhere to have an electrical breakdown)

 

Nigel

[Snapperpaul]

Only one car for me on that budget..... (And if your not worried about looks)

 

Pug 205 1.9 GTi

 

Best fun i have had in a long time was the booted version, the 309 1.9 GTI

 

as for Alfa's the closest i git was a 1.3. Alfasud when the car of the day was a 1600 Mk 2 Cortina, the Alfasud out cornered and with its 4 wheel disc brakes had a stopping distance 2/3rds of the Ford.

Unfortunately it disapeared in a pile of rust, even the manifolds rusted away.

[Guest allenr03]

On the other hand sex and drugs and rock & roll could be an option.

 

I think this owning an Alfa before you can be a true petrol head is a rumour put about by Clarkson before he could afford a Ferrari but then I would cos I've never had an Alfa. (Alpha = collection of parts looking for somewhere to have an electrical breakdown)

 

Nigel

 

But they look fantastic, have great engines and Clarkson is right!! I'm hankering after a 159Ti at the moment, it stunning!!

 

The sex/drugs/rock n roll option sounds good (if rich is around that'll just be sex & rock n roll)

[Joel]

You'll look so good in an Alfa that the sex, drugs & rock roll should follow

 

...though possibly on the hard shoulder where you've conked out