SMiFFAD Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Tax is £195, they arnt affected by the new tax laws as they are all pre 01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supralove Posted December 5, 2008 Author Share Posted December 5, 2008 5K will get you quite a nice TT. i bought mine for 5.5 2 years ago and although it needed a couple of things doing (cam belt, crank pully, service) its served me well since - considering its 15 odd years old is pretty impressive Insurance - i too was quoted the same for a TT and NA - which is why i went for a TT depends on who you talk to, the likes of elephant/admiral are fine if your cars standard (or nearly) As for the age/power thing - depends what your like. i went from a long wheel based landrover (0-60 in 17 seconds) to my first 200sx (0-60 in about 6!). The only thing you'll notice is you learn to respect it very quickly. i don't see why a leap to a TT would be any worse. Just learn how it reacts, they are quite predictable cars. Just make sure you buy one that's been looked after, and change the oil regularly, and you'll be fine! I would definately be taking my time learning the car before trying anything remotely stupid e.g. giving it some beans coming out of a roundabout or whatever. about the whole looked-after thing how would I know, its seems there are almost none with full service history on autotrader anywhere near my budget, also if its been imported how would I find out its history when it was back in japan, this is what concerns me slightly. what sort of mileage should I be looking at by the way, I was looking at under 80k but if these cars are a bulletproof as some say then can I be looking at maybe under 100k so widen my searches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonT Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 I would definately be taking my time learning the car before trying anything remotely stupid e.g. giving it some beans coming out of a roundabout or whatever. what sort of mileage should I be looking at by the way, I was looking at under 80k but if these cars are a bulletproof as some say then can I be looking at maybe under 100k so widen my searches? You wouldnt come out of the otherside of the roudabout if you gave it some beans you would probably be facing the other way! I bought a J Spec TT with 97,000 full service history and its great like people have said as long as you find one that has been serviced regularly which depending on how much you drive it i think is every 6,000 miles ish but someone correct me if im wrong? All i would say is look out for Valve Stem Seals going if your buying a higher mileage TT as they are expensive to replace! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supralove Posted December 5, 2008 Author Share Posted December 5, 2008 lol ok fair enough. how much did you pay for your car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaz1 Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 when i got my lad a supra at 18 i got him a n/a manual, at 20 i would recommend that too, tt auto,s are great cars, but if you are a novice to turbo rear wheel drives then it could easily catch you out when second turbo comes online, the n/a manual gives you more control, it is a far better looking car than what most people at your age will drive. you have all your life ahead of you to get bigger power from a car, and a good n/a is usualy bulletproof;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supralove Posted December 5, 2008 Author Share Posted December 5, 2008 well my last car was turbo-charged and RWD, fair enough it wasn't over 300bhp but I've had enough scares now in that to of learnt the basics of how they react in certain situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgyRog Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 (edited) Don't right off the N/A so easily. You will find on the bendy bits you can get the power down in the N/A because you don't have to worry about the turbo kick especially at this time of year:blink: and an N/A is still more than capable of some sideways fun;) All thou I will get slammed by the TT boys now:rolleyes: The N/A's are quick enough in most cases and as already said in a few years you can either drop a TT engine in or buy a TT. You will get a very good N/A for your budget, with some change, but will not have much choice in the TT sector Edited December 6, 2008 by DodgyRog (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havard Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Welcome to the club!! Unfortunately it sounds like you are willing to commit financial suicide. These cars are expensive to run if things go wrong. I personally would wait a while and get a bit more cash together, you need a buffer for those times when the car bites you on the arse. H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burble Burble Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Don't right off the N/A so easily. You will find on the bendy bits you can get the power down in the N/A because you don't have to worry about the turbo kick especially at this time of year:blink: and an N/A is still more than capable of some sideways fun;) All thou I will get slammed by the TT boys now:rolleyes: The N/A's are quick enough in most cases and as already said in a few years you can either drop a TT engine in or buy a TT. You will get a very good N/A for your budget, with some change, but will not have much choice in the TT sector I agree, go the n/a route, you're still getting a 3 lt car with rear wheel drive and they can be modded to your hearts content. also, check the for sale on here and get to meets to see the real mcCoy. and above all else, have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_d Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 I think to just go for the car you really want, it sounds like you got a bit of experience with RWD so i shouldnt be to worried. I came from high powered FWD straight to an TT RWD 6spd you just need to respect the car. It will catch you out a few times but its being ready for it lol I find the main cost is the fuel. When you first get it you almost think theres something wrong with it, but thats how they are. I wouldnt say servicing was anymore then other cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supralove Posted December 7, 2008 Author Share Posted December 7, 2008 Ok thanks for all the replies so far, ok so I understand that blowing all my cash on a 15 or so year old car is a bit of a risk, I imagine if say something like the turbo's went it would cost quite a bit. So the n/a route is a possilbility as I can supposededly get one with a wad of cash to spare. I can't seem to find a good source with all the facts and figures I really want. So given that its around 100bhp less I imagine the 0-60 takes a pounding, I also expect the MPG improves somewhat, I realise its still a 3ltr but with no turbos constantly spooling this should help. and would simple things mod wise improve performance much? induction/cold air feed/exhaust etc so that I could gain a little more performance? and would I be able to buy a good manual or is auto the way forward with the n/a's? cheers again guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave17 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 You can definately run these things quite cheaply if the mileage is low, having said that, i also work for a supermarket full time as a manager and i struggle, some weeks its a choice between social life or the car lol. Put it this way, i dont do huge mileage at all, but i still have to fill it up almost every week, and thats about £180 in fuel a month :S It's very cheap to run now that its garaged for the winter! 0-60 isnt really affected that much, i think its something like a second less for the NA, MPG wise there's not much in it, but if you go TT and you have a heavy foot you can actually watch the fuel gauge drop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branners Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 The bottom has fallen out of the market for big power big engine cars, so £5k could get you a reasonable twin turbo. Problem is it could also get you a shed that will take all your money. Be very sure to check everything over, there's a buyers guide on the forum somewhere which should help. If you have been used to the Smart Roadster then the twin turbo would be the better bet. Admiral are okay as an insurance company, but our club insurer can usually match their quote and they have more experience with these cars than the Admiral call centre. How much is your Smart Roadster going for? regards JB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 The bottom has fallen out of the market for big power big engine cars, so £5k could get you a reasonable twin turbo. Problem is it could also get you a shed that will take all your money. .....indeed caution needed at the lower end of the TT market This looks quite a clean one......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supraspeed Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 yeah be careful what you buy. i ended up getting a converted n/a single turbo supe still with the n/a gearbox in and now i'm in a massive mess. do loads of research Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supralove Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 yeah one thing I genuinely is cannot afford is a shed of a turbo, My roadster suddenly got loads of problems at once and I could not afford to get it all fixed, I have my good friends at a garage selling it on my behalf and they're gonna do the work then take it out of what I get back when it sells, I bought it for 5.7k and its up for 6k so I imagine I'll end up with about 5k for it at the worst. so if the n/a is only roughly a second slower than the turbo then thats plenty quick enough for me, I was thinking maybe 7-8 seconds for some reason. so I'm going to go have some test drives to make sure that I love these as much as I think I do then the search will proplerly begin. I'm assuming the toys etc of the n/a's are the same as the turbos? can I still get things like climate control, cruise etc? as this credit crunch is obviously affecting big engined cars should I be waiting for nearer end of january or feb for values to fall even more or do we think they are as low as they are going to get? I'm not in a massive rush as I can use my dads 1996 1.2 clio till I buy a car so if I can save some wedge by waiting then I shall do that. what happened with your single supraspeed has it done a runner with the contents of your wallet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave17 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 His gearbox ate itself in a big way! Too much power for the 5 speed box, the getrag 6 speed box which is desireable is alot stronger. The other bits like climate control came as standard, you either get electrically folding mirrors or heated, not sure about cruise control. If you can try and get a 6 speed box, but thats probably pushing it for your budget. Have you considered an auto? The auto boxes are very good in the Supe's and don't in my opinion detract from the fun at all. I certainly prefer having an auto since i do a fair amount of traffic jams! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supralove Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 yeah everyone keeps telling me how an auto would be, I will probably end up with an auto unless a very good manual comes up in my budget, as the auto has only 4 gears, what revs does the car sit at doing 70 and 80 mph? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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