Thinking of buying a car

[Gundog]

OK, so I'm thinking of buying myself a car, a Renault 5 GT Turbo. I drove a regular 5, and found it to be a pleasurable experience overall. The regular R5 does handle well, but it's a weak car.

 

Did anyone drive a R5GT, and if so tell me its ups and downs. If not, just share your opinion. And no, I don't have a license. Licenses are for pussies .

 

Specs:

 

Turbocharged 1400ccm, 115 HP, FWD, 4 seater coupe

 

[Starion]

A problem with the R5 GT Turbos, as my dad found out when he had his are hot start problems. Easily fixed, but a pain in the arse when they're not.

 

Also look out for general abuse, as most of these have had the balls thrashed off them day in and day out. Finding a genuinely looked after one will be hard if you're on a budget.

 

And I know I'm not gonna be the first to ask this, how will you afford a R5 turbo at 17? I'm more or less the same age as you and I'll barely be able to afford the Fiat Cinq I mentioned in the other topic when I buy my car.

[Gundog]

I've been saving up for a car since the first time I've ever driven one, which was roughly 3 years ago. I have a bit of money saved up, and my dad has agreed to help me here and there IF I pay him back.

 

That's what he told me. He said that if I manage not to fail this year in school, he'll loan me the money, since I flunked out last year. Worked all summer like an arse, while my lads were having laughs, and still, I didn't get a penny out of it, so I never got the chance of restoring my grandfather's beloved moped.

 

Basically, yeah, my dad will be my loan if I pay him back during summer, if not, he sells it and keeps the money. Harsh deal if you ask me.

 

And yes, my father finds it great that his son is driving without a license, a registration plate, and often, under the influence of something (even though then I never go past like, 12mph). Better than being on the PC he says... He's a piece of work.

[chris]

There is no way you will afford to run that at 17, the insurance will cost a bomb due to your age and the fact that the GT Turbo's are reknowned for being hot hatches, Your looking at sh*tty MPG because if you do manage to afford the insurance the petrol is what will break the bank etc.

 

TL;DR if you insure and run one of these at 17 whilst at school i will eat my own pubes.

[stinomontana]

 

There is no way you will afford to run that at 17, the insurance will cost a bomb due to your age and the fact that the GT Turbo's are reknowned for being hot hatches, Your looking at sh*tty MPG because if you do manage to afford the insurance the petrol is what will break the bank etc.

 

TL;DR if you insure and run one of these at 17 whilst at school i will eat my own pubes.

yeah its really expensive to insure (spelling error?) a car like that at your age

even in my country (and im 21) we pay sh*tloads of insurance and roadtax for cars like this,

though maybe you can put the car on your dads name if he wants it

(and if he dint have many accidents)

that will save you lots of money

 

i pay 500€ on insurance alone each year wich seems like alot

but it would of been doubble that amount if the car wasnt insured on my dads name

 

though i think that your insurance wont be that high as its only a 1.4

Edited March 15, 2010 by stinomontana

[dog_day_sunrise]

 

though i think that your insurance wont be that high as its only a 1.4

The GT Turbo is Insurance Group 14. I think you will struggle to even find an insurer that won't just laugh in your face. To put it into perspective, that's the same group as the 1.4 Twincharged VW Scirocco and the 9-3 2.0 turbo estate- as well as the BMW 318i, 320d M-sport and 120i- none of which I can imagine any new driver being able to even get quoted on.

 

A mate of mine bought a R5 GT in pretty ropey condition for a couple of hundred quid when I was still at uni, with the intent of a load of us road-tripping it down to Newquay in our respective motors to hit the surf. I was still running my Polo 16v at this point, it was stripped, coiled and caged with Corrado speedlines and Polo GTi rear brakes and this ropey old Renault left me for dust on the straights. It was absurdly fast in the way that only small, light French 1980's hatchbacks can be, and an utter hoot to drive. Surprisingly comfortable too, I've got some pictures of it 5-down, scraping its rear over the speed humps on the way to Fistral, with 2 surf-board-come-spoilers bungee corded to the roof.

 

However, most of them have been ragged to death and many have been crashed at some point in their lives. Many have had the boost cranked way up on them- an easy way of producing more power, but the engines were hardly built to last and many suffered pretty catastrophic piston or conrod failures when the started pushing above around 150bhp.

 

If you can find one in good nick, devoid of rot and with no damage, that's running standard everything- and you can get insured on it- I'd say go for it. However, as a new driver your likely to come a cropper in your first year or two and personally I'd rather not crash something so delicate and old.

 

It would make a great track car if you had a second vehicle for daily use though. Cage it up, beef up the suspension and fit some better brakes (and maybe an LSD) and it would give much more expensive motors a run for their money.

[stretch.]

Buy a corrado man. 1 insurance group higher and a f*cking good drive, this thing is honestly on par with my focus.

[dog_day_sunrise]

Buy a corrado man. 1 insurance group higher and a f*cking good drive, this thing is honestly on par with my focus.

Valver, g60 or vr6? I always found the vr a bit nose heavy but the s_pots are awesome handling.even compared to modern hot hatches

[Black-hawk]

Buy an old Cherokee. They're bulletproof.

[stretch.]

I bought a valver it's nice, not mint, but has potential

 

had the heater matrix done under warranty too

[Illousion]

Buy an old Cherokee. They're bulletproof.

Yeah they're good cars. I'm with this man.

[dog_day_sunrise]

I bought a valver it's nice, not mint, but has potential

 

had the heater matrix done under warranty too

Good! That'll save you some time/money/skin/blood.

 

The 16v motor's great for tweaking- not as good as the VR/G60 but still great. There are people making 230+bhp out of them N/A with throttle bodies and solid lifters, and others make well up of 400bhp with turbo kits. Bahn Brenner do a Lysholm charger kit for them too which basically turns them into a 16v G60- it's not cheap but I've been at Santa Pod with a Golf Mk3 that had that kit and nothing else, and it was pulling roughly similar times to my S4.

 

Set of V-Maxx coilovers, some nice wheels, a meaty exhaust, aero wipers and do matey-matey's headlight fix (its on their website somewhere, www.matey-matey.com) and I think it'll keep you satisfied for a while. They're reasonably brisk and pretty light.

 

 

Buy an old Cherokee. They're bulletproof.

 

I can't begin to tell you what's wrong with that post. But I'll try anyway. How about...

 

Too rare (over here anyway)

Too expensive (probably)

Too large

Too expensive to insure

Too expensive on fuel

Too complicated

Too expensive to tax

Completely undesirable

[chris]

Yeah there is no way he could get a cherokee, i was considering one with an LPG conersion but after doing the maths it would have cost a damn fortune to run.

 

I'm actually working towards getting myself a Vectra 2.0 in SRI trim, its insurance group 12 which im slightly worried about but i have my 1 years NCB coming up pretty soon which given i dont crash will be accelerated to 5 years bonus NCB which should take it down a bit further, nearly done with college aswell which means i can get myself on a decent wage and get rid of my sh*tty escort

[Gundog]

Maybe I could get the ownership signed to my dad. I mean, I'd buy the car like that since all my friends have these, Uno Turbos, Corsas or 205 GTi's, beefed up Yugo's... and I just wanted a car to match, like a gang of sort . I wouldn't really consider insuring it until I really NEEDED a daily driver. I live in a country place, so, cops are not a problem, and I drive safely and responsibly, unlike my mates who rally their every turn.

 

I even know a guy who has one, he bought it from my friend's cousin, and it's near mint, just a few rusty spots here and there.

 

But to shorten this, I wouldn't really want to go apesh*t on the car, I'd rather use it as a project car for me and my dad to bond (He's a 1st Engineer on an Arabian cargo ship, and we don't see each other very often, and this is one of his teenagehood's dream cars).

I'd probably strip it down, sand the rust, pop the dents and give it a fresh coat of white, since I have class, I wouldn't pimp it up and give it a 10 foot spoiler, just clean the engine in and out, replace busted parts and maybe I'd get some second-hand disk brakes and new tyres, and maybe those classic white rally O.Z.'s and that's it.

 

If not the Turbo, I'd get a 1.7 GTE, what about that?

[dog_day_sunrise]

Maybe I could get the ownership signed to my dad. I mean, I'd buy the car like that since all my friends have these, Uno Turbos, Corsas or 205 GTi's, beefed up Yugo's... and I just wanted a car to match, like a gang of sort . I wouldn't really consider insuring it until I really NEEDED a daily driver. I live in a country place, so, cops are not a problem, and I drive safely and responsibly, unlike my mates who rally their every turn.

 

I even know a guy who has one, he bought it from my friend's cousin, and it's near mint, just a few rusty spots here and there.

 

But to shorten this, I wouldn't really want to go apesh*t on the car, I'd rather use it as a project car for me and my dad to bond (He's a 1st Engineer on an Arabian cargo ship, and we don't see each other very often, and this is one of his teenagehood's dream cars).

I'd probably strip it down, sand the rust, pop the dents and give it a fresh coat of white, since I have class, I wouldn't pimp it up and give it a 10 foot spoiler, just clean the engine in and out, replace busted parts and maybe I'd get some second-hand disk brakes and new tyres, and maybe those classic white rally O.Z.'s and that's it.

 

If not the Turbo, I'd get a 1.7 GTE, what about that?

Sorry, your in the UK and 17? Unless your friends are all in their mid 20's I struggle to believe that they can afford to run 205 GTi's. I was looking at one when I was about 19 and even with 2 years NCB it was still bloody expensive- and that was well over 6 years ago!

 

Whether cops are a "problem" or not is irrelavent, if you get caught driving without insurance these days it's game over- particularly if your under 21. Insurers just won't touch you until your in your mid 20's, and even then it will be astronomical. Nowadays you don't even need to be driving irresponsibly, just one glimpse of an ANPR camera and your license is gone for a year.

 

I think your aiming far too "high" as it were. Cheap, joyless first cars are a way of life- though I personally advocate rear wheel drive as being something incredibly important for young drivers interested in cars, I don't suggest owning one unless you want to end up in a tree, backwards, one day when its raining and your not paying attention.

 

If I wanted a fun little French hot hatch, I'd get an AX GT. No bad rep like R5 turbos, very few boy racer-ed ones, and very cleap. Insurance isn't even too bad. Sure, you won't keep up with mister 205 but it doesn't matter anyway really, seen as they all drive like nutters and you don't.

[Gundog]

Well, I really thank you for advice, I think I may get it if the guy doesn't sell it until summer, but as I said, just a project to bond me and my dad, since he busted the sh*t out of the engine (Careless drunk, the guy).

 

I'm not worried with insurance of any kind, 'cause I intend to drive it... well, illegally, yeah, nobody's fond of that, but that's the cheapest way to do these things, plus I live in a low-traffic, no-cop area. I've been riding a motorbike like that for at least 2 years.

 

DDS, you seem to be an expert on these things, what do you think is a good first car, altogether. You know, cheap, reliable and doesn't bark but bite?

[stretch.]

Is there a point asking if you intend to use it illegally is there?

 

Buy a mini, you'll have loads of fun!

[Gundog]

Is there a point asking if you intend to use it illegally is there?

 

Buy a mini, you'll have loads of fun!

I've been considering one actually, but after scoping one out, I found out that Mini's aren't roomy, and I need a roomy coupe. What if I get an ordinary R5?

[Starion]

Mini's aren't roomy

Wait, what?

 

My friend's got a Mini, they are roomy inside.

[Lurch]

Old minis are roomy. Roomier than most cars I've been in. And that's saying something considering there's only a handful of people on this forum bigger than me.

[dog_day_sunrise]

Is there a point asking if you intend to use it illegally is there?

 

Buy a mini, you'll have loads of fun!

I've been considering one actually, but after scoping one out, I found out that Mini's aren't roomy, and I need a roomy coupe. What if I get an ordinary R5?

Its also worth pointing out none of the above vehicles are coupes. They're hatchbacks.

 

If you want a cheap, fun, first car, get a fiesta. They're a good drive, even if they're gutless. I learned and first owned a vw polo 16v 100bhp, which was great fun and reliable too, though not hugely comfy. The brakes are sh*te too.

 

However I cannot in any way condone driving without insurance, its people who do just that who caiuse premiums to be so high. I don't feel its such an issue with bikes because the only person liable to be hurt is the rider but as far as I'm concerned if you drive without insurance you deserve to crash or be arrested.

[chris]

To add to what DogDay said, you also get your car crushed for driving without insurance, if you spend the quality time with your dad fixing it up you wouldn't want to watch it get turned into a metal cube would you?.

 

Besides i know you said you drive slowly in comparison to how your mates drive but with that much power on tap in a car that my nan could probably benchpress you will at some point put your footdown and then chances are you will have an accident. I crashed my first car and regret it like mad, I owned a nice MK4 Golf 1.6, learned to drive in it with my dad, did my actual driving test in it etc and then that one day it was raining hard and i was going to a nearby town with my cousin down some country roads, misjudged how sharp a turn was, braked, steering locked up, car regained traction but began to fishtail untill we were flung into a field on its side. That car got crushed and even now looking back i regret it like f*ck. My point is that no matter how confident you are about driving, how you drive is all down to experience and even then you can still f*ck up, imagine if you did get it and did the same thing as i but you got knocked unconscious, eventually the police will find out about it and you will get the book thrown at you, not worth it what so ever man.

[Gundog]

Well, you guys are probably right, as I'm still a fresh driver, I should probably wait to get more experience. I was looking at some fiestas recently, and I quite like the 1990 version. Friends said to get the RS Turbo, but I'd rather listen to you guys than those nutters.

[dog_day_sunrise]

Again, you jyst wouldn't be able to afford to insure it.

 

Another thing on the insurance front- if you hit someone else, and your uninsured, it means they loose their ncb and end up paying out through the nose for your stupidity. If that happened to me I'd be livid. Insurance is good for all.

[Pancho the great]

yup if I got hit by an un-insured driver I would flip!!!! Insurance is a c*nt to pay...but its a c*nt we ALL have too pay!

 

Wait a few years and get yourself a turbo motor. For now just get a 1.0 or 1.2 NA.

[Black-hawk]

 

CHEROKEES ARE EXPENSIVE NOOO

Found a perfect match for you. Cherokees are cheap as dirt, even in your driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road country.

 

Here, an ad on gumtree

 

Hell, £1.8k for a 1999 2.5 Diesel. DIESEL. Anyway, I'll stop telling you to buy a car that you don't want now.

 

Even though it's better than a fiesta

[dog_day_sunrise]

 

CHEROKEES ARE EXPENSIVE NOOO

Found a perfect match for you. Cherokees are cheap as dirt, even in your driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road country.

 

Here, an ad on gumtree

 

Hell, £1.8k for a 1999 2.5 Diesel. DIESEL. Anyway, I'll stop telling you to buy a car that you don't want now.

 

Even though it's better than a fiesta

It's got a 2.5l engine (I don't even want to think what the insurance would be like for a first time driver), it's done plenty of miles, but most importantly it's on Gumtree. I would never, ever buy a car from Gumtree, I'm sorry, I just wouldn't. You might as well say "here's a suitcase full of cash and a knife, do what you want to me".

 

Besides, £1800 is still a pretty big sum for a car that's most likely going to be written off at some point in the near future. I'm a strong advocate of "cheap and sh*t until you really know how to drive".

[Black-hawk]

How much would a 2.5L cost to insure? I'm not trying to troll or anything, just wondering how stuff works in the UK. Because a 2.5L engine is kinda weak and you can't really do anything stupid with it.

 

Let's say you're 20 years old, male, no previous driving infractions. How much would a car like that cost you in terms of insurance? Is it calculated based on horsepower or engine size? Also, Why is gumtree bad? I'm in the UK on an exchange program, and everyone's been telling me that gumtree is decent for used stuff. More info from locals would really be beneficial.

[stretch.]

You'll have 0 uk ncb and be driving on an international licence I presume, most 2.5l are insurance group 14+,

 

That means bend over and get shafted.

 

autotrader.co.uk and pistonheads.com are good starts.

 

I'm 19 with 2 years ncb paying 1700 for my insurance group 15 corrado worth £1k. did the same quote with a 2.5l v6 cougar worth 1400, insurance group 15 and it was £3k to insure.

[dog_day_sunrise]

How much would a 2.5L cost to insure? I'm not trying to troll or anything, just wondering how stuff works in the UK. Because a 2.5L engine is kinda weak and you can't really do anything stupid with it.

 

Let's say you're 20 years old, male, no previous driving infractions. How much would a car like that cost you in terms of insurance? Is it calculated based on horsepower or engine size? Also, Why is gumtree bad? I'm in the UK on an exchange program, and everyone's been telling me that gumtree is decent for used stuff. More info from locals would really be beneficial.

Not so long ago a guy in central London was shot and robbed by two men who he had gone to buy a car off from Gumtree. Don't think they've been caught yet. You don't even hear about that kind of thing happening with Fleabay.

 

Until your 25, you can expected to be utterly shafted for your insurance unless you've got years worth of NCB. A 20 year old driver with no NCB or previous accidents would be looking at the region of £1000 for your average 1.6L hatchback, and because much of our insurance weighting is done on engine size rather than power a 2.5 would mean, as Stretch. has said, bend over- My guess would be, for a 18 year old with no NCB or accidents and a new licence, at least twice the value of the car (£3600).