Introduction
Some car..! I'm really impressed with it to be honest.. I've had it four months or so now, and I've already had much more fun in it than I had in the 3 years of mazda 3 mps ownership before it.
There's not much grip, (although I'm sure it'll grip a lot harder in the summer), and there's not much go(!), but it's entertaining! I'd love another 25bhp and another 500rpm to find it, but all in all it's a fun little thing..
I'm also just about over the problems it had when I bought it. I've never known a car to be so picky about its tyres and alignment - I think the wear on the rear tyres (which I swapped on to the front) was so weird that it made the car horrendously unstable..!! Now that they've had 4k miles to straighten them out it all seems much happier, and it's back to the same planted car I test drove.
The ride quality is awful in town, although better than my mazda.. I'd love to sort that out, but I suspect with the limited suspension travel it's as good as it's going to get! I've read about the Koni's , but the bounciness doesn't bother me, it's more the lack of compliance over broken roads.. But it's a cheap car, and I didn't expect the world of it! 50 profile tyres might help a little, but I like the look of the 45s, so I'll probably not bother.
No mega plans for it.. Put my traditional dodgy sticker on the back (I think it makes it look one of those dodgy 106/civic etc.. style specials that used to do the rounds in the early 90s!!), and I might consider an exhaust change - I think a little more exhaust would suit the chunky rear end, and a little more noise might be nice.. But apart from that, nothing mechanical! My car only has the the two(?) speakers - presumably coaxial - which I think sound surprisingly great.. But with the tweeters being down at my feet, it sounds like all the sound comes from your left.. So perhaps a couple of tweeters and the accompanying gubbins.. No need for much more.
Anyways, only have a couple of photos, but I'll hopefully keep adding to this post! No intention of selling it - best decision I've ever made!
There's not much grip, (although I'm sure it'll grip a lot harder in the summer), and there's not much go(!), but it's entertaining! I'd love another 25bhp and another 500rpm to find it, but all in all it's a fun little thing..
I'm also just about over the problems it had when I bought it. I've never known a car to be so picky about its tyres and alignment - I think the wear on the rear tyres (which I swapped on to the front) was so weird that it made the car horrendously unstable..!! Now that they've had 4k miles to straighten them out it all seems much happier, and it's back to the same planted car I test drove.
The ride quality is awful in town, although better than my mazda.. I'd love to sort that out, but I suspect with the limited suspension travel it's as good as it's going to get! I've read about the Koni's , but the bounciness doesn't bother me, it's more the lack of compliance over broken roads.. But it's a cheap car, and I didn't expect the world of it! 50 profile tyres might help a little, but I like the look of the 45s, so I'll probably not bother.
No mega plans for it.. Put my traditional dodgy sticker on the back (I think it makes it look one of those dodgy 106/civic etc.. style specials that used to do the rounds in the early 90s!!), and I might consider an exhaust change - I think a little more exhaust would suit the chunky rear end, and a little more noise might be nice.. But apart from that, nothing mechanical! My car only has the the two(?) speakers - presumably coaxial - which I think sound surprisingly great.. But with the tweeters being down at my feet, it sounds like all the sound comes from your left.. So perhaps a couple of tweeters and the accompanying gubbins.. No need for much more.
Anyways, only have a couple of photos, but I'll hopefully keep adding to this post! No intention of selling it - best decision I've ever made!
