Project Car / Motorbike thread. Let's see 'em.

[MasterOfReality]

Personally, I wouldn't buy a new Golf GTI. I prefer older Golfs (Mk1-Mk4) which I can vouch for as being quite reliable (and cheap to fix when they do break), but I can't say the same for the newer Golfs, except that what's been in the news lately about VW is a bit disconcerting. If you were going for a new VW, I would look carefully at what factory its coming out of before deciding. Having said that, I do think that VW unfairly bears the brunt of the whole "euro is expensive to fix" thing seeing as any new car that you can't really work on yourself is going to be expensive to fix. That's just the way it works these days.

Weren't most of the issues with the DSG though?

There are a few independant mechanics that do euro/VW in Brisbane, although my closest one in Kenmore charges an arm and a leg for a service.

I've not had experience with the new Megane Hot hatches, but have owned 2 Renaults when I lived in the UK.

Clio - got it from new, drove it for 3 years, had a few little issues, overall not bad, but it was very basic.
Megane - was the dealer demo, drove it for 3 years, literally within weeks of its warranty expiring (3 yrs, I'd done around 80,000km), the following failed:
Aircon
Electric drivers window
CD Player
Middle brake light fell off the back window (Renault attempted to repair it twice and then told me just to take it off!)
Central locking
ABS Brakes

They (Renault's) are very popular in Europe for the same reason Hyundai are here (lots of car for you $), however they aren't built to last - more, they seem to be built to survive the warranty period. This was confirmed by a few mechanic friends.
Also - consider that these cars are built and designed for European driving - ie the majority of people only drive cars for upto 5 years and then swap them in for new ones (new car prices are very cheap!), average mileage is much lower than Aus, the roads are less stressful on suspension, and they don't have to cope with the heat / dust etc we get over here.

Add to that higher servicing costs, and the expense of any 'spares' having to be imported ... I would steer clear of a Megane over here (different story if you were in the UK and wanted one to keep for 2-3 years).

Just my experience, hope it helps!

p.s. The Ford Focus is regularly cited at the best in class in the European car magazines/tv shows.

Thanks. Too bad the Renaults are not at Hyandai prices though!

Was watching more on youtube about the Focus ST - don't know if I can get over that terrible dashboard. Its almost as ugly as the Civic Type R.

I'm currently eyeballing Focus XR5s (budget's a fair whack smaller than yours), personally I prefer the look of the last XR5 (LV) to the new model; do you think I can find one with a sunroof though?

As for Meganes, they look sweet, but try sitting in one and looking out the back. The Astra GTC I had in Germany was a shocker for vision, but the Megane is possibly even worse; wouldn't top my list for practicality, that's for sure.

There is a 2008 model in lairy orange with a sunroof on carsales if that isn't too old for you?

I'm yet to sit in any of these cars - the dealer I rang up on Friday to book a test drive for a WRX never got back to me to confirm.

 

[wombat]

Yeah I've seen the orange one. It's pretty exxy for an LT I reckon, I'd really prefer the facelifted one. That and no leather; the leather interior looks so much better than the cloth and I think its probably a more desirable option than the sunroof for me. Very few people seemed to check both boxes apparently.

Edit: I've also been warned about that paint too, apparently it's a 3 or 4 layer job, and an absolute bitch to repair.

 

[MasterOfReality]

Yeah I've seen the orange one. It's pretty exxy for an LT I reckon, I'd really prefer the facelifted one. That and no leather; the leather interior looks so much better than the cloth and I think its probably a more desirable option than the sunroof for me. Very few people seemed to check both boxes apparently.

Edit: I've also been warned about that paint too, apparently it's a 3 or 4 layer job, and an absolute bitch to repair.

I actually prefer the interior of the LV over the new ST. There is too much going on in the new ST with all the weird angles and blocky shapes. I reckon its something that won't age very well.

 

[Elbo]

Weren't most of the issues with the DSG though?

There are a few independant mechanics that do euro/VW in Brisbane, although my closest one in Kenmore charges an arm and a leg for a service.

Yeah, I think that was the only issue, I'm not sure how it affected other cars in the VAG.
Servicing is going to be quite expensive, but they are fun to drive. If you're a VW enthusiast or happy to lease and trade-in every 2 years I'd say go and test-drive a GTI.

 

[brisneyland]

Yeah, I think that was the only issue,

Not really - my car has a worldwide recall on it's injectors - world wide except Australia cause VWA are cunts.

It's a diesel though. There's been less issues with the petrol models, but there are still a few little gremlins. There's so much electronic shit in them that something is bound to go wrong eventually.

VWA sales have taken a massive hit lately and it serves the bastards right.

 

[MasterOfReality]

Yeah, I think that was the only issue, I'm not sure how it affected other cars in the VAG.
Servicing is going to be quite expensive, but they are fun to drive. If you're a VW enthusiast or happy to lease and trade-in every 2 years I'd say go and test-drive a GTI.

Nah I usually keep cars for 5+ years or until they get too expensive to repair.

The Barina has been my wife's car for the past 10 years.

I did drive a GTI years ago when the Mk V ones first came out and had a ball.

Man, common sense tells me to get a Corolla hatch and get something like 200,000km of trouble free ownership but I really detest 4 pots that you have to get out and push uphills, hence why I'm looking at turbos. I used to drive a V8 as a daily so the last 3-4 years of 4 pot driving is taking its toll haha.

 

[wombat]

I'm similar in a way, all I really need is a little hatch that will get me a to b and can take a bike or two on the roof or something. Then I drove a mate's gti and giggled like a school girl.

I figure if I'm gonna spend too much on something I don't need I may as well do it while I'm youngish and relatively free from commitments.

 

[downhillar]

You can't go past a WRX in my opinion. My 99 wrx is a frikking champ of a car. I just keep up to date with servicing and it's never given me a single minute of trouble.

From what I've heard about costs of owning/repairing/maintaining a golf I would avoid the risk, though admittedly I have no experience with them myself.

 

[udi]

For the hot hatch buyers -
I'd take Renaults on a model-by-model basis. The older Megane was notorious for electrical issues but the newer ones seem OK, and a friend and I both have 03 RS Clios that have been reasonably trouble free, both mechanically and electronically. They (the RS versions) are a hoot to drive so if you're thinking about buying, research a particular model and take it for a flog.

Personally I wouldn't buy one new as they seem to depreciate heavily, but they know how to build cars that go fast / handle well out of the box, so if you pick a reliable model, second hand can be a winner.

 

[binner]

pate

For the hot hatch buyers -
I'd take Renaults on a model-by-model basis. The older Megane was notorious for electrical issues but the newer ones seem OK, and a friend and I both have 03 RS Clios that have been reasonably trouble free, both mechanically and electronically. They (the RS versions) are a hoot to drive so if you're thinking about buying, research a particular model and take it for a flog.

Personally I wouldn't buy one new as they seem to depreciate heavily, but they know how to build cars that go fast / handle well out of the box, so if you pick a reliable model, second hand can be a winner.

sniff the cheese....................

 

[Plow King]

Abit of a long shot. But does anyone in Melbourne have some barely rwc 18 235/225 40/45 that I could either borrow or buy off you cheaply? I just bought a set of wheels and am trying to sell the old set but cant srll them as I need something to drive around on lol.

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Tapatalk 2

 

[sawtell]

Abit of a long shot. But does anyone in Melbourne have some barely rwc 18 235/225 40/45 that I could either borrow or buy off you cheaply? I just bought a set of wheels and am trying to sell the old set but cant srll them as I need something to drive around on lol.

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Tapatalk 2

You live in Melbourne now??
Sorry cant help with the tires.

 

[Dougy]

Yeah that's the whole problem, it has none of the prerequisites for a good drift car?

Driven one? Even in stock form, with the shitty Prius tyres, they are very controllable with the tail out. Sure they need a bit more grunt but not a lot more. Even if you didn't go with forced induction squeezing another 50 out of the donk is quite easy and changes the car completely. They are really proving to be a great track car over here for both the circuit and drift guys although I haven't seen to many modded versions on the streets. Have seen lots of of them being driven by older guys reliving their younger AE86 dreams though.

 

[Venciferus]

If you think you need power to drift you're doing it wrong, the 86 has more than enough. I cope well in my Corolla which probably has less than 80kw's at the wheels.

 

[g-fish]

If you think you need power to drift you're doing it wrong, the 86 has more than enough. I cope well in my Corolla which probably has less than 80kw's at the wheels.

Tell that to to this guy: http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/11/diesel-fury-black-smoke-300td-wagon/

Twin charged diesel Mercedes drift wagon with nitrous

 

[Plow King]

You live in Melbourne now??
Sorry cant help with the tires.

Haha yeah for a couple of years now

 

[Dougy]

If you think you need power to drift you're doing it wrong, the 86 has more than enough. I cope well in my Corolla which probably has less than 80kw's at the wheels.

I imagine we're talking about a KE70 here? You're dead right drifting isn't about power at all it's about weight and balancing that weight. A Corolla with 80kws at the wheels would have more than enough considering even in full street kit it's well under a ton. A well worked 4AGE in an AE86 doesn't crack much more than 120kws and we all know how we'll they drift.
Personally I'm over the drift thing. It was interesting 10 years ago before the Yanks turned it into another soft drink commercial but now...meh.

 

[MasterOfReality]

Does anybody here have an 86? I'm trying to talk sense to the missus but she isn't seeing it. 4 door hatchback is all she sees.

I'm going to check out a 2011 MY12 WRX hatch with the Premium pack on the weekend. Its done 12-13,000km.

The dealer has since bumped the price from $37k up to $38k driveaway which I think is too much.

My mate got himself a WRX sedan (no premium pack) for $30k that was advertised for $36k with 30,000km on it.

 

[Plow King]

Does anybody here have an 86? I'm trying to talk sense to the missus but she isn't seeing it. 4 door hatchback is all she sees.

I'm going to check out a 2011 MY12 WRX hatch with the Premium pack on the weekend. Its done 12-13,000km.

The dealer has since bumped the price from $37k up to $38k driveaway which I think is too much.

My mate got himself a WRX sedan (no premium pack) for $30k that was advertised for $36k with 30,000km on it.

I have an MY03 WRX STI if it helps? I love the thing. I can recommend spending the extra and getting an sti though especially if you're going for a manual version. as for the 86. I would say you're better off waiting for an sti version of it. I would imagine 9 second 0-100 times would get old pretty quickly. i would wait a couple of years till they bring out a more aggressive v6 or turbo version.

 

[MasterOfReality]

I have an MY03 WRX STI if it helps? I love the thing. I can recommend spending the extra and getting an sti though especially if you're going for a manual version. as for the 86. I would say you're better off waiting for an sti version of it. I would imagine 9 second 0-100 times would get old pretty quickly. i would wait a couple of years till they bring out a more aggressive v6 or turbo version.

Has it been reliable?

This is essentially a replacement car for the wife's Barina - but I'm not spending cash on a slow shitbox, given its going to be our daily commute.

She wants a 4 door hatch, which is fine and the only 4 door hatch that seems to tick all the boxes is the WRX. Mazda 3 MPS could be up there but unsure. Focus ST also another contender but thats getting expensive as well. Trying to keep this under $35k. The Nissan Pulsar SSS can be bought for that price buts its bloody ugly and soft as.