Hello people,

Long time no speak

I am looking for a decent Mk1 Sporting to replace my 5 door 55sx. I had a brief spell of wanting a Mk2 Golf GTi however cheap insurance does not exist and they are expensive to find a decent one.

How much better is the Sporting going to be than my 55sx? Parkers 0-60 time quotes 19.4 secs for the 5 door (ouch)

Insurance isn't a problem either as I have some NCB now. I just want a nice tidy little 16v Sporting to razz around in before getting something big and proper like a Subaru........ when its affordable!

Anything major to look out for and is it worth getting over my 55sx?

Cheers guys.

the 1.2 is a 16v avoid the 1.6 sporting.

it will have over 30 bhp more than your 55

I know to avoid the 1.6, sorry i didnt specify 1.2 in my previous post!

How much better is the handling/brakes and general acceleration?

lots better, pas, (i think)abs bigger brakes, lower by 20mm, anti roll bar,

there nice! inside you get an electric sunroof, which i love yer pas is great, yes they have abs unless the box under the bonnet with ABS FUSE means it doesnt have it lol! yer stiffened 'sports' suspension, over all its just alot nicer! remote locking too.

they do 0-60 in 10 seconds flat.

Thanks for the replies chaps.

I'm hoping it will be a load better than my 55sx, can't imagine it won't be! The 1.2 16v sounds like a lot of fun. I want to get an induction kit on it too for a bit of performance and roar factor

Anything in particular to look out for?

I've got 2x 1.2. 16v's
If you are gonna get one, you mention getting an induction kit for it.
Take advice on which one to get, as I wasted £90 on a K&N kit. My engine hated it, used 4x fuel, got flat spots and bhp fell....nice noise though

And yes, they are lot's of fun

hahahah

I will try and get the best I can, i'm excited now as I love my punto at the minute just want something faster but which isn't going to cost a huge amount o run.

If you love your 55 you are gonna be besotted with a sporting

How much have you got to spend?

I picked up my broom yellow one for £2k, she is mint, with 23k on the clock...sorry she's not for sale

I used to have a 55SX as well and have now changed to a sporting 1.2 16v.
When i was so used to the pace of the 55sx and test drove the sporting, it felt like i was really driving a true sports car!
Believe me..you'll enjoy the change!

Sportings are good fun, get some decent wheels as well...

I went from a cinq sporting to a Mk1 16v Sporting and the difference was massive. Being able to rev up to 6k in every gear with it still pulling gives u massive adrenaline rushes. I'd imagine the ride would be a lot better than then 55 aswell.

My advice is just to get one matey, u wont regret it

Thanks for all the comments guys!!

Sounds ace, I am looking forward to getting one now

Is there anything major to look out for with the engines, I understand regular oil changes and timing belt is a must to look for?

Check for the usual stuff, rear radius arms, shocks etc, also check the air intake pipe they tend to perish.

Regular oil changes/top-ups are important as they get through it as the tappetts are presurized. miss*virmin's elx nearly run dry, as the light will not come on until the engine is about to blow.

So listen when idle for any sound resembling a london taxi. As her elx will still make a noise from time to time now, even though it has enough oil.

Thanks.

What are the head gaskets like, i read they are more reliable than the 1.6 8 valve which seems hard to believe at first?

I think only the HG's we're a problem on the 1.2 8v engines

HG's are absolutly fine on the 1242 16v. never even heard of one going before.

its the top engine of the time so fiat invested some time into it

I personally think it's a fantastic car, I agree with everyone else for the money you get a lot of car, and it looks pretty sweet. As has been said the engine, although not massively fast, is amazing! I've had mine for almost a year and it still puts a smile on my face revving it to 6k! Having said that mine's been terribly unreliable (some of the probs not the car's fault) i've had the timing done, head gasket, new gearbox, wiper motor as well as things constantly breaking ie indicators, blower motor etc. However even after spending a fortune i've stil stuck with it so it must be a good car!

8v's rev to 6500rpm, and mine often gets that far
16v's rev to 7200rpm AFAIK, and you really need to make FULL use of them to appreciate it


as long as your in 2nd gear or higher, revving it that hard isn't going to hurt it.
and its fully warmed up of course

beau_4076 said:

there nice! inside you get an electric sunroof, which i love yer pas is great, yes they have abs unless the box under the bonnet with ABS FUSE means it doesnt have it lol! yer stiffened 'sports' suspension, over all its just alot nicer! remote locking too.

they do 0-60 in 10 seconds flat.

Click to expand...

they don't have abs unless it was specified as an optional extra when the car was first brought.

All sportings say ABS on a fuse box under the bonnet, but i assure you they do not have ABS as standard.