Discussion
Did you not post this question on Accordr yesterday?
I can tell you what I know. They are for a 1997-2002 car very good. Tax for my facelift car is around the £220 mark or so. If you buy on condition then you should be ok.
Known problems are;
Syncro can go in the gear box this is limited to pre-facelift cars and a handful of facelift cars;
Head Gaskets can go and high milages circa 150k +.
Headlight leveling motor things can break;
EGR valve and EGR rails can get bunged up leading to EML being on;
Wheel corrode and tyre can deflate slowly;
Cars can rust where front sub-frames meet car behind front wheels;
Door seals can tear/rip leading to rust around door window frames;
There are loads of other things that can go wrong with them, make sure the correct fluids have been used regularly to change oil, gbox, brake and cooling systems.
Cambelt at every 70k odd miles, my water pump got changed at 144k miles no problem. Although you want all balancer belts etc changed at the same time.
They are a greatly rewarding car which is why I have kept mine for 10 years and 183k miles. It just getting a little long in the tooth now and I need something more family friendly.
I can tell you what I know. They are for a 1997-2002 car very good. Tax for my facelift car is around the £220 mark or so. If you buy on condition then you should be ok.
Known problems are;
Syncro can go in the gear box this is limited to pre-facelift cars and a handful of facelift cars;
Head Gaskets can go and high milages circa 150k +.
Headlight leveling motor things can break;
EGR valve and EGR rails can get bunged up leading to EML being on;
Wheel corrode and tyre can deflate slowly;
Cars can rust where front sub-frames meet car behind front wheels;
Door seals can tear/rip leading to rust around door window frames;
There are loads of other things that can go wrong with them, make sure the correct fluids have been used regularly to change oil, gbox, brake and cooling systems.
Cambelt at every 70k odd miles, my water pump got changed at 144k miles no problem. Although you want all balancer belts etc changed at the same time.
They are a greatly rewarding car which is why I have kept mine for 10 years and 183k miles. It just getting a little long in the tooth now and I need something more family friendly.
I have had 3 facelifts..each time I've sold, I've regretted, and then bought another
Road Tax is 260 I think....so not the full fat.
As per previous posters comments...
find I get 30mpg during weekly commute, and front tyres last 5000 miles if I am lucky (Bridgestone)..Conti Sport Contact 5 going to surpass that..and been great in the wet..much better than the Yoko's and Falkens I've had on other ATR's.
Road Tax is 260 I think....so not the full fat.
As per previous posters comments...
find I get 30mpg during weekly commute, and front tyres last 5000 miles if I am lucky (Bridgestone)..Conti Sport Contact 5 going to surpass that..and been great in the wet..much better than the Yoko's and Falkens I've had on other ATR's.
Over the 10 years I have had mine I have lost count of the number of tyres I have bought. It isn't as frequent as when I first got the car they then lasted 5-7.5k on the front and up to 20-30k on the back. I now get about 10-15k miles out of the front tyres.
Always used RE010until they were discontinued, then used Goodyear S3 (I think), now using Bridgestone RE050.
163k miles average for me is 29-30mpg. Saying that last week I managed 33mpg.
I have been replacing mine for the last 5 years. When ever I went or considered selling it haven't been able to.
I exoect that I will end up keeping it as there is no point p/x ing it against something else. I think spending 2.5-3k on a blowover, new front doors, rear bumper, alloy refurd and suspension overhaul will give it another 100k life span.
Great great cars.
Always used RE010until they were discontinued, then used Goodyear S3 (I think), now using Bridgestone RE050.
163k miles average for me is 29-30mpg. Saying that last week I managed 33mpg.
I have been replacing mine for the last 5 years. When ever I went or considered selling it haven't been able to.
I exoect that I will end up keeping it as there is no point p/x ing it against something else. I think spending 2.5-3k on a blowover, new front doors, rear bumper, alloy refurd and suspension overhaul will give it another 100k life span.
Great great cars.
MissChief said:
Thanks chaps. I'm looking at Cupra's and Octavia VRS's at the moment as well.
Eugh, Golf clones.Like the poster above, I could see me just keeping mine running for as long as I can, and I've only had mine 6 months. Really great cars and an absolute bargain at current prices!
Dear MC,
get one bought
I had one from new in 1999 for 10 years.
VTEC yo - check
Best handling FWD car - check
Fast & red - check
Comfy front seats - check
Appetite for front tyres - check
Poor 5th gear synchro - check, can you double de-clutch?
Faults were:
No A/C fitted. Order cockup. Rectified immediately.
The cambelt tensioner failing before the belt change was due. No damage, just a whirring noise until 'twas fixed.
Rear RH window winder failed, fortunately with the window up!
regards,
Jet
get one bought
I had one from new in 1999 for 10 years.
VTEC yo - check
Best handling FWD car - check
Fast & red - check
Comfy front seats - check
Appetite for front tyres - check
Poor 5th gear synchro - check, can you double de-clutch?
Faults were:
No A/C fitted. Order cockup. Rectified immediately.
The cambelt tensioner failing before the belt change was due. No damage, just a whirring noise until 'twas fixed.
Rear RH window winder failed, fortunately with the window up!
regards,
Jet
Headgaskets do seem to be a more common issue now, I've just had to have mine done, mine is a pre-facelift W on 128k.
Since early this year I was on the lookout for something a bit newer and more refined, but having looked at many E46 325i and 330i, I just couldn't find anything I was willing to change for.
Then the HG went, so I'm keeping it for the forseable.
They're great cars, they handle well, are quick enough to have some fun, the boot is massive, front Recaros are comfy but limit room in the back.
Since early this year I was on the lookout for something a bit newer and more refined, but having looked at many E46 325i and 330i, I just couldn't find anything I was willing to change for.
Then the HG went, so I'm keeping it for the forseable.
They're great cars, they handle well, are quick enough to have some fun, the boot is massive, front Recaros are comfy but limit room in the back.
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