Hi all,
Have to say I miss posting on here and figured I'd make a post on how things are going. I went with a Hyundai i20 in summer after the horrific issues with the Golf. The engine died twice and then it was drinking litres of oil and overheating. The dealership gave me the full amount back and so I went with a sensible car. Unfortunately it's not the spicy version of this car, and I went with the 1.2 petrol mk. 1. It was a bit of a bargain - 45k miles 2014 plate for £4500. I bought it from the same dealership as I got the golf from. Mainly because it's local, so any issues under warranty can be fixed close to home (in the same town). Full main dealer service history and it passed its MOT the week before I bought it.
As ever, I seem to go from an impractical car to a practical one. The reason I go back and forth is that sensible cars bore me to tears. This usually happens very quickly, as is the case with the i20 - I was already browsing Autotrader daily after 3 months of owning it. I'm getting about 50-54 mpg as my commute home is in rush hour but my commute into work is usually quieter as I head in early to beat the traffic. It has working A/C - which I haven't had on my past 3 cars. The engine is gutless, the ride is uncomfortable and a little loud with road noise. I know the reliability of these cars is decent enough, but the practicality and sensible nature of the car is testing my patience.
From previous experience with the last Puma project I'm going to save up for a good example for my next car before doing anything for performance. I'll also bear in mind that a remap will be necessary when I do things like camshafts and inlet manifolds. In hindsight it feels painfully obvious that this was required.
I find myself browsing Pumas now and then. I saw a lovely example on Canvey island. Under 50k miles for under 2k which was tempting. But I think I need to explore other cars I'd enjoy. Whilst the Laguna coupe was of interest, I feel like I need to move away from FWD cars, as it’s all I’ve driven.
So next up I think will be a 350z. This ticks many boxes - RWD, 2 seater, Japanese, coupe and a V6. I'm under no illusions it'll be a thirsty bitch. Mid-teens to mid-20's on the fuel economy. Servicing and repairs will be expensive considering the age of the car and the country of manufacture. Also, to save over £240 a year on road tax I need to get a pre-06 reg. I'd need to budget around £7500 for a car with FSH and less than 50k on the clock. It’s an impractical daily driver, but apparently the ride quality isn’t too harsh for a sports coupe. I’ll be looking at getting one with the Bose speaker upgrade which includes a factory fitted subwoofer. In a small cabin of a 2 seater car I think it’ll sound amazing. Speaking of sound the engine and exhaust note is to die for.
Modification wise I'll go down a similar route as the Puma - cams, inlet manifold, cold air induction, poly bushings and a remap.
Realistically it'll be a while before I can get one. Next month the loan I took out to attempt to fix the Puma will be paid off (15 months early). Then I can start putting money aside for the car. Since the Puma project began I reigned in my spending significantly. Added to this I quit smoking and drinking on December 1st – so I’m really starting to save a lot more money. I'll be able to save £500 a month for the car. I'll budget on my car being worth £3-3500k for P/X by the time I come to getting the 350z which means I need to save around 4k. Including overtime and any extra income from my art I should be looking at getting the car towards the end of summer or beginning of autumn.
No cash in hand mechanics this time round – the project will be done properly. Main dealership for servicing and get the car into a specialist garage to install performance parts. No corner cutting this time. It means I'll pay a lot more, but the results will be faster and bring some peace of mind for me.
Ed
