I CAN HAZ WANKER

[wuvvum]

Today I bought myself this.

 

 

I've been wanting to have a go at one of these for a while.  They seem to fall into two price brackets:  OK and fucked.  The interesting thing is that there seems to be no price difference between cars which are just starting to show signs of engine wear and cars which are completely knackered.  This is (touch wood) one of the former - it likes to have a few minutes to cool down before it'll start again after a long run, but other than that it seems reliable enough - it's just driven back the 180-odd miles from Reading in hideous conditions so it can't be that bad.

 

It's a bit of a funny thing to drive - apart from the high centre console and the very direct steering, it doesn't really feel like you're in a sports car.  It's quite high up - not noticeably lower than a "normal" car, it's quite spacious and the brakes are as hideously over-servoed as any modern shopping cart (or perhaps I'm just used to having to heave on shite brakes to get any response).

 

It's a 192 bhp car rather than the top-of-the-range 231, which means it get a five- rather than a six-speed gearbox.  It also means it's not all that fast - I knew about rotary engines not having much in the way of low-down pull, but you really do have to rev the knackers off this thing to get it moving.  It feels like quite a heavy car, so the power to weight ratio probably isn't any better than the Vectra's was, and torque to weight is a lot lower.  I think it's also in need of a service - it's had fresh oil recently but the plugs haven't been changed in over 30K, and it's idling a bit unevenly, so it may also be a few horses short of the full 192.

 

It's also very tail-happy and horrifically twitchy on a wet motorway.  I had a couple of unintended sideways moments - once when I hit a large bump on a wet roundabout, and once when I ran into a lake of standing water on the M4, which made my arse clench up a bit.  Fortunately the steering's quick enough to catch any such shenanigans.  I think much of the problem is down to the hideous Rockstone rear tyres, which are also almost on the wear markers - I might go on the Bay later on and see if I can find some decent part worns.

 

The interior is a festival of black and brown leather.

 

 

It's actually pretty comfy, and has all the mod cons you'd expect - including heated seats, which is nice as leather can be rather chilly in winter.  The climate control works fairly well, although it does seem to struggle a bit to demist the front screen in heavy rain.  Other than that it's all good.

 

So there it is.  It's not perfect, but it's a useable, 06-plate motor with 8 months' MoT and four-and-a-bit months' rent for around a monkey, so it can't be too bad.  The current intention is to run it until it starts playing up badly, then flog it on for near what I paid for it.  WCPGW?

 

[vulgalour]

I shall be watching this with interest, these have been on my radar for a while.  Whether or not I ever take the plunge remains to be seen, but they're one of the newer cars I really rate in the looks department and by all accounts when the Wankel isn't exploding they're a super thing to drive.

[Shep Shepherd]

Nice one!

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Well bought! I love these, I really do. 

 

Very much deserving of a modern shite title too as they seem to be utter liabilities! I'd love to take a chance on one considering they're so cheap now, but the high tax band, high fuel consumption, oil consumption, serious potential engine problems and all that put me off. 

[wuvvum]

the high tax band, high fuel consumption, oil consumption, serious potential engine problems and all that put me off. 

 

That's where the 192 is a better bet than the 231.  Tax is slightly cheaper (£280 a year) and they're not quite so thirsty.  I've worked out I got around 24mpg on the run home, which included some horrible weather, some heavy traffic and some fast-lane hooning.  So compared to a Golf TDI it probably is rather expensive to run, but I don't think it's prohibitive given that the purchase price is so low.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

...and they look sexy as hell, that's worth spending a few extra quid. 

[dollywobbler]

I do like these. The local garage did a few engine swaps on them. Didn't look too bad to be honest. Doubt there's room for a V8 though - seems a common mod on the RX-7. Brown leather is absolute win!

[Junkman]

Jayzuz is this awful. Now I want one, too!

[Albert Ross]

Was Stevie Wonder the first owner? All the colours in the World to choose from. Everyone else gets to look at grey.... inoffensive, dull grey. Yet the cabin, which you see as you drive, looks like a suitcase. It could almost be a 1994 Calibra.. Outside dull as ditchwater, inside like a clown exploded in it.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I do like these. The local garage did a few engine swaps on them. Didn't look too bad to be honest. Doubt there's room for a V8 though - seems a common mod on the RX-7. Brown leather is absolute win!

 

You can get a V8 in there. 

 

http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/1124420-mazda-rx-8-ls-1-swap.html

[Jim Bell]

That interior looks like it had its pants pulled down by West Coast Customs.

That nice little Mexican gentleman usually does similar.

 

 

Approved.

 

 

 

I also like the padded are in the middle of the seat for resting your MASSIV BALL TESICLS on.

[garethj]

Amazing what you can buy for so little money.

 

Basically, if the car isn't a TDi small hatchback with £0 road tax, it's worth fuck-all.

[Des]

That's a car that would tempt me, I like what Mazda did with the back doors and that wonderful engine is ooof! They might be troublesome but I'd keep a lookout for a Ford V4 as an option if things do go bang.

[chaseracer]

A monkey? Is that 500 quid? If so: well bought, Wuv...

[wackywacerwill]

Top bombing. Surely a candidate for a LDV XUD turdblower conversion when it does go pop.

[Cavcraft]

One of the many good things about AS is that someone else is likely to buy a car you're too scared to get yourself. Well bought Wuvvum, I'll look forward to future reports on it, hopefully it'll be great. 

[coalnotdole]

My fathers got one of these which he's had for about 6 months, same year in blue. They drive quite well for a modern car, though they are strangely big on the outside and small on the inside. I think if he chose again he'd have gone for the 231 version, ideally a special edition with a mad coloured interior...

 

It had been going pretty well with no incidents or horrifying events until this week the engine management light came on followed by a misfire on a trip back from Southampton, It limped home but in the process it lunched the cat and the exhaust.... the repair bill for all new coil packs, plugs leads and new exhaust has come in at an eye watering 4 figure sum...

[nigel bickle]

Oooh errr!

 

Braver than me tosh. I'm gonna much popcorn & await developments.

[Joey spud]

Well / bravely bought.

I am sure you are aware of this already but these things flood real easy and when they do are a night mare to get restarted.

 

I've been to loads of these that have been moved around the driveway from cold and not allowed to warm up only to flood up when the owner trys to restart them later

Even with new plugs,coils,uprated starter motor and battery the buggers won't fire up and need to be tow started.

 

I took one into a Maz dealer as it was under a used car warranty and they got it going by spinning up the engine using their MOT brake rollers with the car in 2nd gear..

 

Would buy one tommow though...

 

P.S i took a non starting 09 plated Mazda 6 TD3 into the same dealer yesterday that cranked tried to start then died with a clonk noise.

The techy didn't even lift the bonnet,just looked at the 102k on the clock and said the timing chain had stretched / jumped and it needed a new engine that once fitted was £9k.

[Spiny Norman]

Well at least you'll have no problems getting non engine spares for it, the number that are sitting in scrapyards. There was one got pulled out our car park straight to a scrappy just a couple of weeks ago. Quite something to think that as little as 7 or 8 years ago these things were being touted as credible alternatives to a Porsche Boxster or a Nissan 350Z, now they're basically free.
£500 for a running one isn't bad though, hope you get some fun out it before the inevitable happens.

[beko1987]

Deffo popcorn thread! Always loved the way these looked, but always been put off by the obvious!

 

Top buy, these are probably in their beginnings as shite, let alone future shite when the only ones left running have random engines in.

 

Would some sort of horribly reliable N/A derv fit? Bonus shite points if it has to come froma KAor similar

[purplebargeken]

Bloody fabulous, love it.

[hairnet]

insane!!!

 

for 500 tho cant go wrong

 

irish friend had one and you think petrol and tax here are £££

 

same year as that and he sold it 18 months ago for.........

 

9 grand (irish prices are insane and he was waiting 18 months for a buyer )

 

he then bought a toerag dizzle but now has skoda octavia

 

irish economy def on its arse - he runs the company

[John F]

Albert Ross, on 21 Dec 2013 - 4:23 PM, said:Albert Ross, on 21 Dec 2013 - 4:23 PM, said:

It could almost be a 1994 Calibra.. Outside dull as ditchwater, inside like a clown exploded in it.

 

 

Oh yeah, 'cos when clowns explode it looks like black leather.

[sporty-shite]

I knew these had gone cheap, but not that cheap. These have been on my radar from launch and I actually considered buying one new in 2004, but the £16k or so they cost was a bit much. 

 

I think now they're this sort of money, I might take the gamble soon. 

 

Puma, anyone? 

[r.welfare]

How do you find these megabargs, do you have some kinds of super scientific search method?

[barefoot]

I'm curious to know what they really do to the gallon. I'm guessing not very much at all.

[wuvvum]

I'm curious to know what they really do to the gallon. I'm guessing not very much at all.

 

As I say, so far mine seems to be doing about 24.  From what I hear, the higher powered cars manage rather less than that.  It seems happy enough on 95-octane pez though, which helps a bit.

[wuvvum]

How do you find these megabargs, do you have some kinds of super scientific search method?

 

Nowt scientific about it.  I'm single, so I can spend all of my free time on eBay without getting whinged at.

[Buff McHugelarge]

To put it in context:

I payed £400 for a rather ropey '96 316i Compact that drives/ wobbles and might just make it too its MOT in June, but will never pass.

I know which car I'd rather be seen getting in to!

 

Hats off to you sir, a good buy and I will watch with interest