My First Car!!!

[Matt0812]

http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii227/Birdy0812...
http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii227/Birdy0812...
http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii227/Birdy0812...
http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii227/Birdy0812...
First of all, apologies for the photo quality, they were taken on my phone. I picked it up last Wednesday and is currently in the garage until i pass my test because i can't justify insurance cost for how long i'd be able to go out before my test.
It revs to 7000rpm! In a Rover! And, also, it isn't a Corsa/Saxo/whatever with a stupid sound system and million inch alloys on it, which I'm pleased about
I would appreciate any comments about it (I love it personally) but i also wondered whether any of you knew what needs to be fitted to make it up to the more powerful 16v version? Whatcar.com says mines 83hp and i'm curious about upping it to the 103ps as i've heard it's quite simple.
Thanks,
Matt

[ChristianZS]

Tidy car.. Its your first car! Just leave it alone and run the damn thing!

[Demure]

As Christian said, don't bother waisting money (the lack of power will temp you to) on silly K&N or whatever upgrades.

83PS? think yourself lucky, my first car only had* 63PS. Keep it well maintained and enjoy the miles!


* - Might be a bit lower since I thrashed it

[flattotheboards]

Looks quite tidy, especially for a first car, i wouldnt spend any money on upgrades except a cd if it doesnt have one, the rest of your money should go towards running it.

[ChristianZS]

Also if it is a K-Series and its not got the revised head I wouldnt take it to 7000rpm too often! You dont want to be forking out for a new head when the gasket goes pop!

my first car was a renault clio 1.4 with a different coloured bonnet and more rust than metal! Just keep the car tidy and clean. If you are wanting to do something slightly performance related leave the engine alone and get some good rubber, brakes, and maybe some uprated suspension bushes.

[greenBo**ox]

my mate just got one of these, its the 84ps one aswell just need the different throttle body off the 103ps one, plus a new throttle cable. The only difference is the 84ps one has a restricted throttle body, i think you can cut it aswell to let it open fully.... not sure how accurate that is though.

[Platinum]

Nice car. (Just needs a new Rover badge for the grill. )

If you do the mod to the throttle body you will need to tell your insurance company. Just leave it standard.

Let it warm up for a good while before you rev it (I wouldn't go to 7000rpm ), else it'll not last long.

ETA: KEEP AN EYE ON THE COOLANT.

Edited by Platinum on Monday 3rd March 22:09

[ironictwist]

flattotheboards said:

Looks quite tidy, especially for a first car, i wouldnt spend any money on upgrades except a cd if it doesnt have one, the rest of your money should go towards running it.

Ditto that! Still got my 1st car from when i passed 2 years ago, totally standard. Havent changed a thing, still love it for what it is and how it arrived to me.

[Baffled Spoon]

Looks great, but as everyone on here has said, stay well away from mods. Cost me £2500 to insure my modded group 4 civic at the age of 20!(compared to £900 for a group 8 focus)

[_Lee_]

Platinum said:

Nice car. (Just needs a new Rover badge for the grill. )

If you do the mod to the throttle body you will need to tell your insurance company. Just leave it standard.

Let it warm up for a good while before you rev it (I wouldn't go to 7000rpm ), else it'll not last long.

ETA: KEEP AN EYE ON THE COOLANT.

Edited by Platinum on Monday 3rd March 22:09

Ahem to that.

Unless you can afford the repairs, stay away from 7000rpm. It is a almost certainty it will go pop if driven hard, is my experience of them.

Just enjoy it and get some experience and then move on up once your insurance gets cheaper. My first car was a 1ltr fiesta that was fairly terrible to drive, I would have loved something like that!

[hardcorehobbit]

An insurance company wanted an extra £400 off me to insure a 1.3l Skoda Favorit Estate (My mums old car) because the trim level included a gold pinstripe down the side...

The Flairline...

I now insure a 1.6 306 for the same as Spoons group 8 car. Mines group 4, or 5, I forget.



Crucially... Leave your car's engine alone.

[AndyBe]

Tidy first car.

Like everyone else has said - concentrate on keeping it tidy.

[Matt0812]

Thanks for all your advice guys. I'll just invest my money in some decent cleaing stuff and stay away from that red line(most of the time anyway)!! Thanks again,
Matt

[car.chic]

Nice car looks tidy, in a proper British colour too

[RobJShe]

Nice one Matt. Sold many of these during my Motor trade career and had a few as "demos" too. Loved the red GTi I had though