February 2002
My mum currently has an old 216 rover that she has owned from new, however it's getting a bit outdated and I'm casting round for a replacement.
Priorities are safety and reliability and ability to do the odd long motorway slog in comfort.
I've found a 98S Saab 9.3 2.o se manual at a good price(sub £6k from a main dealer), does anyone have any experiences good or bad of this model, particularily at high (90k) mileages?
Thanks Read more
I need to buy a new car, I've got £3500 to spend.
Can anyone recommend what would be good?
I was looking to get a Renualt Laguna RT 2.0s, but
they don't seem to be rated by Honest John. What else
is there?
JP. Read more
I would be sorely tempted by Mike Wolstencrofts MB 190E but make sure that you got an Auto. If it already had LPG, I would be most careful in checking history...and mileage!
regards
Simon
Can anyone explain to me how overdrive worked / works.
I know that many 60 / 70s cars had overdrive, some on both 3rd and 4th giving in effect 6 speeds.
Indeed I can remember seeing adverts for manual Volvos from the 1990s, stating the gearboxes were 4 speeds with overdrive, as opposed to the largely ubiquitous 5 speed boxes.
So what was 'overdrive' and why do we not see it anymore?
Ta
Some cars now have 6 speed manuals. At what point does the number of gears cause more problems, do cars really need 6 speed boxes ? I know that HGVs have 8 or 16 speeds, but that?s for the heavy loads that they carry.
Thanks again.
Alex Read more
The "top" gear of a properly designed four speed transmission gave the maximum speed of the vehicle at the rpm corresponding to peak power.
Overdrive was traditionally 25% higher.
provided the rest of the gears were arranged to give an equel rev drop when changing up,and ensuring that you were not dropped into a flat spot,that was and is the only way to design gear ratios.
manufacturers have long used cranky gear ratios to cover up manifold design idlenesses.
like low second gears rather than design the synchro properly,or to give an underpowered german box some Alp climbing ability.Audi still do it.
My 405 TD has a 5th which is low even for a normal 4th.,this covers up the inept turbocharging.My Hdi110 has a huge 5th ratio,but insufficient power to drive it because every vehicle its installed in is too damned heavy.
For any vehicle the correct gear ratios are calculable,on a fag packet,we are again the victims of cynical marketing.
Just been on Autsport.com and read a article saying Jason Plato has been dropped by Vauxhall for the BTCC so he has signed for the UK's ASCAR series.His long term aim is to join the NASCAR circuit , maybe even next year.
Would be great to have a English driver in the top US racing series. Read more
Stoy in Autocar today says that 50% of new current shape Vectra drivers have no choice about the car they drive. It's merely foisted on them by their company which has done a deal. Says it all.
HJ
Will be touring with an Alamo rental car in New England this summer. Any hints/tips please? Read more
I went to Boston & Cape Cod on honeymoon in Oct. '99 and we rented a Chevvy Blazer (long story, wanted a convertible but wrong time of year and we were stuck with a single rental company because a mate of mine works for them so we didn't have to pay).
I found driving out of Boston not too bad, slightly tricky because of the low level of signage, the fact that I'd never driven a column shift automatic before and the fact that I'd never driven a massive (by UK standards) SUV before either. Once out of the city it was fine, a few roundabouts to make me feel at home.
On the way back into Boston I was supposed to drop the car off at one of the Enterprise offices in the city centre but all the roadworks associated with the big dig got me confused and I got lost. Therefore I headed to the airport, dropped it off there and got a cab back to the hotel we were staying at.
Went to Martha's vineyard, which was just weird at that time of year, sounds like we should have gone to Nantucket instead. Maybe next time.
I?ve just returned from a 300 mile journey with a friend in his 1999 Volvo V70 T5. The car was suffering from a slight vibration through the steering at motorway cruising speeds. He tells me the problem started a few weeks ago immediately after having the front discs and pads changed plus four new Pirelli zero tyres.
The main dealer initially said ?wait 1500 miles for the tyres to bed in? this came and went with no discernible change. They have now rebalanced all the tyres, again no change!
Any suggestions?? Read more
Wouldnt be exactly uncommon for the discs to be either warped,or not put on quite true,either.
Impossible?
Yeah,but it keeps happening.
Try again.............
I fancy a 2CV as a second car for larking about in, but I am worried they are not suitable for unleaded petrol, does anyone know if this is true ? I know about the corrosion on the chassis to watch for ( heavy steering etc ) but are there any other serious problems I should be on the Lookout for ?
I had one for a short while over 10 years ago, but it was relatively new then and it never gave any trouble and leaded petrol was freely availible.
any advice appreciated
Cheers
Marcus Read more
Have you considered sourcing one from France? I realise it'll have the passenger seat on the wrong side, but I'd have thought it'd give you a much wider range to choose from.
Not sure if there'd be any problems importing though.
I recall seeing a pristine Ami estate for sale in Caen for less than 5000F.
Lee.
I have a vauhall calibra n reg which has a recurring problem that my local vauxhall dealership cannot solve.
The vehicle loses power from time to time at no particular speed sometimes for a few seconds sometimes for longer. Sometimes it is so bad it will actually stall
I am sure that one day it will happen when I am pulling out or perhaps on the motorway resulting in someone ending up in my boot.
Can anyone help. Read more
There was a known fault in the early days (H reg) of the relay that switches on the fuel pump failing
When mine was replaced, just out of warranty, the dealer had a scrap bin full of failed relays.
Could be that, loss of fuel briefly
Idris Francis
Why do European countries name their towns, islands, cities etc after old Fords
Granada, Capri, Cortina, Sierra etc.
Can you think of amy more?
Or, what does BMW stand for - Brutal Money Waster?
or Ford Found On Rubbish Dump?
or MITSUBISHI Management Incessantly Tolerates Socially
Unacceptable Behavior, Ignoring
Sexual Harassment Incidents
Alex Read more
Continuing the Porno Mag theme:
Vauxhall Corsa / Astra CLUB ......
I have a vauhall calibra n reg which has a recurring problem that my local vauxhall dealership cannot solve.
The vehicle loses power from time to time at no particular speed sometimes for a few seconds sometimes for longer. Sometimes it is so bad it will actually stall
I am sure that one day it will happen when I am pulling out or perhaps on the motorway resulting in someone ending up in my boot.
Can anyone help. Read more
We had a similar problem with our Mondeo, I dont know if its the same but worth a shot.
Ours had the same symptoms as yours and was diagnosed as the distributer was failing, so was not sparking.
The result of this is raw fuel was be exhausted and the computer was trying to shut the engine down...
Sorry if its no help
Kev
Browse
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That's a fair swap!