I need a car. Any ideas!!

anewman

A Skoda Felicia 1.3 would fit the bill in all but age, as the last ones were made in 2000. They are usually reliable, cheap to buy, good MPG, 5 doors. Probably among the most roomiest 1.3's around.

Why get a loan when you can get a good reliable car for under £1000 very easily.

For example

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/CARS_popup.jsp?nU=0&make=SKODA&model=FELICIA&min_pr=&max_pr=1000&modelexact=1&photo=1&hassearched=Y&start=3&distance=38&adcategory=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200731106258458

Parts for these Skoda's are relatively cheap. There's even a guy on ebay who specialises in Skoda parts so if you know what you want you can buy there and ask garage to sort it.

ixwood

Quite often these days, cars are built with the same engine and electonically controlled/limited. These can be easily changed by garages/tuners. i.e. you could buy a 90bhp car and get it remapped to 110 or 120bhp.

It apparently improves the mpg if anything and makes it more responsive generally.

Presumably you should really tell your insyrance company, but I can't see how they'd ever find out myself. For all I know, my car could have been remapped before I got it anyway.

I'm no expert, but I don't think it'd be an extra strain on the engine as you're freeing up extra existing power.

anewman

As I understand the re-mapping thing, all it involves is flashing the ECU with new firmware. The ECU controls the regulation of fuel injection and a whole host of other things like ignition timing. The ECU makes the best compromise between performance, fuel economy, and exhaust emissions.

I could be wrong but AFAIK re-mapping just makes the ECU pump more fuel into the engine giving a bit of a performance boost. Garages may claim you'll get better MPG but I doubt there's any difference. Ready to be proven wrong of course

In the Skoda engines, for earlier cars there was a 136 and 135 engine. Both were identical 1.3l petrol engines, appart from some sort of difference with the valves that meant the 136 had more compression and hence higher BHP. The difference was definitely mechanical, and not computer controlled.

You could also increase BHP by having a broken exhaust as the lambda sensor would read more oxygen and pump more fuel into the engine to compensate.

Re-maps are probably more often taken up by boy racers who want the highest BHP number possible.

Throbbe

anewman wrote: »

I could be wrong but AFAIK re-mapping just makes the ECU pump more fuel into the engine giving a bit of a performance boost. Garages may claim you'll get better MPG but I doubt there's any difference. Ready to be proven wrong of course

Results will be unspectacular on normally aspirated cars anyway. I saw a 20bhp increase from 150 when I had my old car done*, and a slight increase in emissions (still well below the fail rate) which would support the view that they just add more fuel.

Turbos (including diesels) can show spectacular results as usually boost is increased as well.


* The people who did the work were actually suprised it was much more than 10-15bhp and suggested it was down to errors in the before/after rolling road readings. How's that for honesty?

theboylard

I have a Skoda 1.8 vRS, rated at 180 bhp. For about 2 hrs work and and £460, I can have it remapped and get an extra 40-45 nags! This is because it uses the same engine as the older Audi TT, with the mapping restricting it.

Not that I'm a boy racer

HannaB

Just like to say thanks for all the replies.

Not really sure I'll try the mapping. I'm only after a run around to take me to and from work/shops/taxi-ing inlaws to the Garden Centre, with the occasional trip up the M1 to see the family.

I'm off to my first car auction next week in Blackbushe (with empty pockets so I'm not tempted). Just to see how they tick. I don;t know, I'm new to all this. I just went straight to Renault last time. lol!

tomstickland

Throbbe wrote: »

Results will be unspectacular on normally aspirated cars anyway. I saw a 20bhp increase from 150 when I had my old car done*, and a slight increase in emissions (still well below the fail rate) which would support the view that they just add more fuel.

Turbos (including diesels) can show spectacular results as usually boost is increased as well.


* The people who did the work were actually suprised it was much more than 10-15bhp and suggested it was down to errors in the before/after rolling road readings. How's that for honesty?

You are quite correct about turbo gains versus normally aspirated.
However 150 to 170BHP is not plausible from ECU changes. The only variables they can change are ignition timing and fuel injection pulse length. Even at fuelling for maximum power you will not gain 10% unless the original engine was so far from optimum it was a joke. Then again, most rolling roads have no real absolute calibration and know that owner ego massaging is the most important task.

jimbo_the_jetset

HannaB wrote: »

I'm off to my first car auction next week in Blackbushe (with empty pockets so I'm not tempted). Just to see how they tick. I don;t know, I'm new to all this. I just went straight to Renault last time. lol!

When you go ask about the buyers premium and any other charges which will be added to the cost of the car at the fall of the hammer.

flossy_splodge

I have just bought a little run about for my daughter. Needed something reliable, low cost to maintain or repair, low insurance costs etc. I talked to a mechanic who does all my own vehicles work and is a one man band and he found it for me, got it MOT'd so it starts with a full year and warranties the state of the car generally for me. It was a FANTASTIC price for what it is and its condition and although she is under 25, we've just sorted her insurance for under HALF of her renewal quote (using Quidco of course:T ). He has now found a replacement for my father's old jalopy which has also now given uop the ghost and I trust him implicitly. He is looking for a replacement for me too. He is based in Northamptonshire so if you'd like details PM me and I'm certain he'll help and you can buy with assurance of what you're getting for your money. Good luck anyway.:j