24 replies to this topic

[Warren]

Hi guys, Currently drive a renaultsport 182 and have always loved the vx. Am thinking of getting a vx or an elise - my mate has an s1 elise and it has cost him a fair bit in running costs. Just wondered what the average costs are for a decent model. Will look to spend no more than about £12k. Im sure i can get a nice example for that money.........? I want red with black wheels (best combination IMO) Thanks in advance, Woza.

[wrighty]

hello fella..sold my 182 and got myself a vxt, the running cost are about the same mate (service, fuel consumption etc, etc). The only big difference is the price of the car. I've also got a VXR which seems to cost more than the 182. You won't regret buying a VX220 if you do decide to go ahead...they're in a class of their own!

[p4cks]

TBH the running costs are no different to any other car (I've found anyway) but when you get the modification bug then the £'s really add up

I'm spending shed loads on my NA (which I am currently selling >here<) and still loving it to this day. I don't think I'll stop modding the engine until I run out of cash

PS Welcome.

Edited by p4cks, 06 January 2008 - 02:48 PM.

[ian07799]

Hi warren I have just bought a vx a couple of months ago, the running costs arnt that bad, im 21 so obviously the insurance is quite expensive for me i pay about 100 a month for that. as for fuel etc it hasn't been too bad depending on how you drive. just had to replace header tank which only cost me £22 plus half hour to fit it, which was a surprise. thought it would be at least 50 but remember it is a vauxhall at the end of the day, so engine parts etc don't seem to be that expensive, as for the car itself its amazing, i never thought i would enjoy driving so much, especially when its a nice day and the misses isnt in the car to moan how you are driving lol. 12k should easily get you a decent one. i had to drive 200 miles for mine but it was worth the drive back. anyway good luck in findin on if decide to get one, Ian07799

[Warren]

thanks for your quick responses guys! will keep looking i guess! Can someone enlighten me and let me know what N/A stands for? Its obviously not 'not applicable'!!

[p4cks]

Naturally aspirated, as opposed to Turbo charged.

[convict]

thought it would be at least 50 but remember it is a vauxhall at the end of the day, so engine parts etc don't seem to be that expensive

Engine parts possibly along with some consumables, but I wouldn't go banking on this for everything. Some parts are specific to the VX (or at least the elise and the vx); which means prices can be extremely high (eg. £425 for a wiper motor assembly, approx £1k for a clam) and waits for parts can be loooooonnnng.

It is, as James Gray always says, a specialist sports car and you should budget as such. For me, in the four years I've owned mine, I've only had two big bills (radiator and engine mounts) but some people have had far worse luck

[theotherjonnymac]

Tyres will be dearer (about £120 a corner) and suspect will last less time than on a Clio but for the extra performance a small price to pay IMO

[robfenn]

Sold my 172 for one. General running costs are the same, petrol, insurance etc. Tyres are rarer and so more expensive but the fronts last ages.

[slindborg]

I use my N/A as a commuter car daily. Does pretty much 40 to the gallon (with no effort) and will do more if you drive like a girl lol Infact there arent many cars that offer so much fun with such cheap running costs. Its an astra/vetra mashup at the end of the day so parts are cheap for the drive train, servicing is cheap as you can DIY (its not a fcuking supercar), you can run cheap ass fuel through it etc.

[wil_scotland]

They are rather bullet proof. Things to ask about are: brake pads (want Mintex 1144s), engine mounts (if the car has done over 25k), header tank (easy fix, but they do go), tyres (around 110 per corner), Turbo seals (stop the car leaking) and obviously no cracks in the body work as this can be very expensive to put correct. Happy buying. Wil

[Simply the Best]

Hi warren

im 21 so obviously the insurance is quite expensive for me i pay about 100 a month for that

Ian07799

Ian ... WHO ARE YOU INSURED WITH??? TELL ME NOW!!!

I'm 25, a copper (so I get it a bit cheaper anyway), no accidents previously but my first policy of my own(I've had one now though so I can't imagine what astronomical quote I will get) and I'm forking out 190 a month!!! How did you do that??? NA or tubby??? I couldn't get past that price so appologies if you have said

Seriously, 190 a month was the cheapest I could get.

[sworks]

Yes, general consumables (petrol, servicing etc.) aren't too expensive. But be warned, as mentioned above these are specialist cars and 'when' things go wrong, it will cost! I have owned my N/A since June '05 and it has cost me literally thousands in fixing things (most notably when i had to have a new engine fitted). Generally the price of parts isn't too bad, especially when bought through Autovaux. It's the labour that costs as they are difficult to work on. For example, i recently had to have a new manifold fitted so decided to have the pre cat removed and a Piper silencer fitted. Because one of the bolts on the manifold was unmovable, it had to be drilled etc. It took a whole day (9am-7.30pm) to complete, so that's 10.5 hours labour at around £60 per/hour (but the manifold was only around £80!!). I have a whole load of other stuff replaced including dampers, throttle body, engine, manifold, engine mounts, coolant pipe (mega expensive part for what it is!), lambda sensor amongst loads of other bits. Having said that, i'm sure there are owners that have a lot less problems with their vx. If someone asked me if i would buy another, the answer would YES! Even though it has cost me a lot of money repairing the car, it's brilliant and do regret it one bit. Buy one now

[Warren]

I use my N/A as a commuter car daily. Does pretty much 40 to the gallon (with no effort) and will do more if you drive like a girl lol

Infact there arent many cars that offer so much fun with such cheap running costs.
Its an astra/vetra mashup at the end of the day so parts are cheap for the drive train, servicing is cheap as you can DIY (its not a fcuking supercar), you can run cheap ass fuel through it etc.

40mpg sounds ridiculous - what do others get out of their N/A's?

I struggle to get 31 out of my 182 - this decision is becoming clearer and clearer!!!

Woza.

[slindborg]

the N/A is an over torquey, low power, eco engine from GM that does about 35mpg in a lardy arsed vectra... If you goto the main specialists etc then you will get reamed for labour, but if you DIY/find a decent mechanic who isnt a pussy then they be very cheap to work on

[LazyDonkey]

Ive had my car 3 years and i've added 37 - 38k to take the car up to approx 50k ....not bad for an 03 plate In those 3 years i've replaced; - 1 set of front tyres (£120 each) - 2 sets of rears (£110 each) - 2 sets of pads (£50 per axle) - 1 set of discs (£50 per axle) - engine mounts (buttons but a wee bit in labour) - handbrake cable (£50 or so) Servicing from vauxhall is £120 or so every 10k / year but most people (self included) use a specialist and pay a wee bit extra to get all the "wee bits" done that make a difference. In that time I've also had a misfire which vaux fixed under warranty (not a commmon problem it seems) and i had a toe link fail (not unknown but hardly common) My car is driven every day, has been on track 7 / 8 times and had enjoyed countless B-road blasts. For the sort of car it is I can't imagine a car being any cheaper to run, however it does really benefit from being used and preventative work will save you lots in the long term. HTH

Edited by LazyDonkey, 06 January 2008 - 09:14 PM.

[Warren]

im officially on the look out - will try and drive a N/A next weekend to get a real good feel for it. Have driven my mates s1 elise and i love that - i think the vx however looks a lot more comfortable, i think i would be a bit 'poofy' and try and get one with a hard top though!! Woza.

[jules_s]

If you look around the tyres are available under £100 each no problems.

Most parts are cheap(ish) if you dont go OEM.

Whilst these cars can be picked up cheap now, they were still just under 30k new...so some of the non OEM parts WILL be expensive.....clams, screens, wheels etc

And as for labour?

Dont pay £65 a hour unless you really have to. As said before, any mechanic that is remotely familiar with the engine can do most things on a VX/VXT engine wise. If you read enough of this site you will be able to tell them how to 'do' the job too.

[ian07799]

Hi warren

im 21 so obviously the insurance is quite expensive for me i pay about 100 a month for that

Ian07799

Ian ... WHO ARE YOU INSURED WITH??? TELL ME NOW!!!

I'm 25, a copper (so I get it a bit cheaper anyway), no accidents previously but my first policy of my own(I've had one now though so I can't imagine what astronomical quote I will get) and I'm forking out 190 a month!!! How did you do that??? NA or tubby??? I couldn't get past that price so appologies if you have said

Seriously, 190 a month was the cheapest I could get.

Im with elephant, i have 3 years no claims,held my license for 4 and abit. i added my mother and father to it which reduced it alot. i did have to pay a deposit of about 300. i could have paid it all of for £1200 inc breakdown cover but oppted for monthly, plus its only a n/a, hope this helps

[convict]

a copper (so I get it a bit cheaper anyway)

Would have thought police officer was a 'high risk' profession to insurers? (shift work, tendency to drive fast at work etc. etc. etc.)

Edited by convict, 07 January 2008 - 01:11 PM.