Vauxhall VX220s

[cered]

So I've been umming and ahhing about getting an Elise, but I don't fancy paying £10k for an old Elise, but a 2003 VX2200 for £9k doesn't seem too bad - lower MPG yes, but better engine and perhaps more refined than an elise. (more tunable should the need arise...)

 

Any experience with them? As far as I can tell the only issues are niggles - water intrusion on spark plugs, dealer fix available, radiators go - upgrade to alloy usually done anyways etc

 

My plan is to sell my Supra, use the money to buy a VX220, settle a small loan and perhaps get a cheap Ford Puma to use as a daily. My only concern is long driving with those seats but there looks to be some tidy AEM ones available. Any protips?

[Wez]

Should be fun, the turbo variant is very quick.

 

They surely cannot be as bad to work on as the Lotus Elise, a mate had an Elise S1 JPS special, fun car but having worked on it I would never buy one

[cered]

Yeah the maintenance bit i'm not looking forward too, my MX5 was a joy to work on, so much space... my friends Mk2 MR2... nightmare!

 

I wnat to get the n/a one, the turbo seems a lot of money for not much more benefit

[Pete]

I too have been looking out and noticed recently the prices seems to have gone up slightly. Of a certain age they all seem to be around £15k-20k now. Not so many of them available for sale either?

 

VX220 - I'd feel like the poor mans Elise every time I got in it.

Newer Elise with the Toyota engine would be my choice.

[cered]

Yeah the S2 elise i'd want as a preference - especially at £11k, but the Vx220 seems more 'daily' friendly and a few quid cheaper

 

Think I need to sell the Supra and try a few things - I'm still pining for another Alfa GT

[Chris Wilson]

There's an Alfa SZ appeared in the showroom of the local garage. Over £50K, can't see them having punters beating the doors down somehow....An Alfa 75 with a plastic body, the panel fit of which was utterly disgraceful. I mean, just look at the state of the things:

[cered]

Bahaha, my feeling son Alfa car designers are they want to create nice cars... But don't really have an end goal in sight "I'll make the front lights square and the bonnet round, see how it looks"

[j_jza80]

There's an Alfa SZ appeared in the showroom of the local garage. Over £50K, can't see them having punters beating the doors down somehow....An Alfa 75 with a plastic body, the panel fit of which was utterly disgraceful. I mean, just look at the state of the things:

 

'il monstro' has some redeeming features, namely that absolutely glorious engine

 

At least it's nicer than its Autech Zagato Stelvio stablemate.

[cered]

The Busso V6s were masterpieces, would love to put one into an Elise or a VX220 and make a modern Stratos...

 

Apparnetly someone put a V8 into a VX220... No idea how unless they space framed the rear half of the car

[Pete]

There's an Alfa SZ appeared in the showroom of the local garage. Over £50K, can't see them having punters beating the doors down somehow....An Alfa 75 with a plastic body, the panel fit of which was utterly disgraceful. I mean, just look at the state of the things:

 

I really like that. It reminds me of a matchbox car for some reason.

[Chris Wilson]

Looks like the driver is holding the roof on, he's obviously had Alfas before

[ianhid]

For the money that SZ is asking for I'd rather go back in time a bit and get this: http://www.alfaholics.com/cars-for-sale/road-cars/1975-alfa-romeo-gt-junior/

 

Then talk to someone like Alfaholics and see if it can be improved a little in the oomph department...

[Chris Wilson]

Or buy a Montreal if you are determined to have the headaches of a car that rots before your eyes and demands you have an intimate knowledge of every facet of its construction and a book of excuses as to why it's broken down THIS time At least the Montreal was gorgeous and if you can keep it running its V8 sounded expensive and racy.

 

IMO the Italians are good at making wine and running bunga bunga events, their cars were less impressive until very recently, when the Germans lent a hand.

[ianhid]

Oh shush, stop talking sense! I'm just a sucker for the shape for some reason.

 

I'm not sure it'd be worth sticking the V6 into a vx220, get a GTV with one already fitted instead . At least then when it breaks down other people will know what's wrong.

[Axl]

I'd rather be castrated with a rusty spoon than have another vauxhall parked on my driveway

[Annabella]

i'd rather be castrated with a rusty spoon than have another vauxhall parked on my driveway

 

[JasonR24]

I'd rather be castrated with a rusty spoon than have another vauxhall parked on my driveway

 

This. The most unreliable cars I've owned have been vauxhalls. Literally the worst make. Even the Citroen saxo I had as my first car was better than those!

[cered]

The word' is VX220s are pretty reliable, the 2.2 engine is fairly solid especially as it's in a considerably lighter car. not much to go wrong spec wise and any faults to the body is shared with the lotus and there doesn't seem to be any big dramas there. weak points are radiators, door pins and on the turbo ones white smoke.

 

would an S2 1.8 Toyota engine Elise be better? Does the Elise have the oils starve issues like on the phase 1/prefacelift of the mk7 Celica?

[ozz]

There was a pretty good forum for the Elise, I can't remember what it was called but I'm sure google will throw it up. There were a lot of members cars for sale. I've toyed with the idea of buying several times but being 6foot4 and 17 stone it just wasn't going to happen

 

If you want something a bit different and can stretch your budget there were a few Europas around last time I looked at 18k.

[Pete]

The word' is VX220s are pretty reliable, the 2.2 engine is fairly solid

That's because Lotus made them. The only thing Vauxhall is the engine, which isn't a bad power unit apparently. Although ecotech exhaust gas recycling systems can be a PITA.

[GreaseMonkey]

My preference would be the S2 Lotus Elise or Exige with the Toyota 1ZZ 1.8 VVTi or 2ZZ 1.8 VVTLi.

 

Only time, from experience, I've seen starvation on those Toyota Engines is with Standard Sump pans on Vehicles being tracked hard, in which case would advise an uprated baffled sump or Lotus Accessory Accusump set up to prevent or reduce the likelyhood of starvation. But for normal road use not really known any issues with them tbh.

 

The Z22SE Engine (as I believe the Vauxhall ECOTEC Engine range were designed by Lotus Engineering (Not Lotus Cars) as Lotus were owned/ part owned by GM/ Vauxhall), Only things I've known from experience, have been known to have Timing Chain failures, even when just starting the car up, but this can be prevented with a modified or uprated Timing Chain kit. Also EGR system Fault on them can be bypassed/ deleted with an EGR Cheater, availible online, which is hardwired into the EGR Valve Plug and an EGR Valve blanking Plate, availible from Vauxhall, but have had to remove, sleeve and refit the Post Cat O2 Sensor as after EGR Delete Mod would bring up a Cat system Effeciency fault code.

 

I remember speaking to some of the guys at the Lotus Factory years ago who referred to the VX220 as "The Lost Lotus" as Lotus Dealers were'nt keen or interested in them and Vauxhall Dealers were'nt to enamoured on repairing them either.

 

Only other thing is Brand Snobbery as it were, as with Lotus people think oooohh highly strung Exotic sports car, whereas Vauxhall sounds about as exotic as an Indesit washing machine. At the end of the day either car will perform just as well, be just as reliable as eachother, as well as pita to get hold of certain (or most) repair parts.

[fastcar]

You love Vauxhall's, seen you drolling over them constantly:p