51 replies to this topic

[steve-m-uk]

Be interesting to see how the early mk3 with the 5 speed compares to the vx 2.2 on fuel as the later mk3s had a 6speed box so a bit of an unfair comparison. Still i guess if you are worried overly about mpg then you shouldnt buy a sports car.

[scw02102]

The VX isnt really that expensive to run

 

Compared to a fiesta 1.2 yes its gonna be more but compared to similar cars in terms of performance its very good

 

Fuel is good 30-40mpg

Service cost arent too bad either

Coil pack common problem not too expensive around £100

Rear Tyres fairly cheap for sports car

Brake pads are cheap and discs cost peanuts like £15 per side!!!!!

Expensive items

Clutch, ouch takes all day to fit so expect a big bill of the labor alone plus the price of the clutch (around £200)

Rads are around £300 for a pro alloy and its a clam off job

Front skinny tyres are a rip off at around £150 each 

[siztenboots]

compare insurance for some thing with the same performance , VX is going up in value , so the total cost of ownership versus similar , VX has a lot of strong points

[stu8v]

Vx's are cheap to run imho. Nothing is really that big or scarey. Now body damage would be a different story....

[gaffer1986]

Be interesting to see how the early mk3 with the 5 speed compares to the vx 2.2 on fuel as the later mk3s had a 6speed box so a bit of an unfair comparison. Still i guess if you are worried overly about mpg then you shouldnt buy a sports car.

If I remember correctly, 6th gear pulled similar rpm to 5th gear in the VX220. It's not about the number of gears but the ratio. My 6th gear in my Leon is 2400 rpm at 70mph and my 5th gear in my old Ibiza was 2000 rpm at 70mph.

[steve-m-uk]

Yes i remember having to swap over final drives in the 6spd box when i did the 2zz conversion as the 1zz 6spd was too long geared to keep the 2zz in lift.

[Andy_VX]

Just do it! you will NOT regret owning a VX, it's the best thing I ever did. It's very cheap to run compared to other cars! 

[denno]

  Keeping it std is the cheapest option    

^ this, it is the ever growing mods temptation that will bankrupt you, running costs are relatively cheap.

[turbo boy]

I don't think here's another car with this level of performance that you could run on a lesser budget... I once achieved 46mpg when I was at stage 1.....

[Stevie Dubyah]

I don't think here's another car with this level of performance that you could run on a lesser budget... I once achieved 46mpg when I was at stage 1.....

 

 

.... plus, they seem to be gently appreciating, so over a 3 year ownership period it's probably cheaper to run a standard NA than a Fiesta 1 litre.

[slindborg]

Loads of wet grip on suitably not old oem front tyres.

[Ali87]

If the OP is looking at MR2's I'd guess they are also looking at entry level VX's , hence the 2.2 na. Intrigued to find out why an S2000 isn't in the consideration though? It was between one of those, a VX & a Chimeara when we were looking to buy 3 years ago. The S2000 was too mainstream for us as a weekend toy and the TVRs available for our price point seemed like they could be a money pit.

I was looking at s2000s before the VX but the ones within the same budget were dogs. Did love revving the tits off the few I test drove

Edited by Ali87, 13 October 2015 - 09:14 AM.

[siztenboots]

do the really early NA still have different road tax rules?

[slindborg]

do the really early NA still have different road tax rules?

Yep, my old x reg one was in the old two band tax game. Cheapness ftw

[Rosssco]

Loads of wet grip on suitably not old oem front tyres.

 

Eagle F1's FTW!

[Harry Hornet]

..the Op has disappeared...I call Troll....

 

...willy waving thread....

[yukonphil]

..the Op has disappeared...I call Troll....

 

...willy waving thread....

 

Don't think I would class myself as that.  I've read through all the answers, all the links that people have been kind enough to post and a lot of other stuff on here and I don't think I should go for it just at this moment.  The purchase cost is absolutely no problem and insurance and fuel/consumables are not a worry but the fact that it will have to live on the street is.  One of the posts said that anything Vauxhall is cheap and anything bespoke is expensive, ie, body parts which will be most at risk from vandalism etc.  I stand by what I said in my intro though, no car I've ever been in has felt as right or as special to be in.

[mbes2]

VX / Lotus style cars are ideally weekend toys from the start meaning cost doesn't matter as much 

[Horace]

 

Just saying.........

[stu8v]

What? they cant add up...