Please god someone stop me from buying one
my punto's g'box is about to implode and its suspension ain't much better, hoping to get rid before it does
seen a few on fleabay, its the met green mk2 in manchester and its MINE!! its had some welding, fresh stuff on th sill tops, and some 2yrs+ welding on the turrets, which are starting to look a bit iffy again.
Just buy it
I'm no expert on the UT's (you need AlexGS, Jai, DuncUT, LouieB, Oldskoolmk1Turbo, Biz etc. to answer in more detail. I'll answer what I can though.
just a few quick q's.
how many mpg's would I expect (worst and best) from a good std mk2.
All depends on how you drive and how standard (or not) the car is! Thrash it and I think you can go down into the low 20's. Drive it off boost and 40+mpg is not out of the question.
how tough are the g'box's on the mk2's? same as mk1?
Mk2 gearboxes are tougher than mk1's as they are based on the Tipo gearbox. Mk1 gearbox was based on the 1500 Strada box. There's also two types of mk1 gearbox - top change or bottom change. The earliest cars use the bottom change gearbox.
Surprisingly few and pretty much the same as normal engine problems. Turbo oil seals can go leading to smoking exhaust and headgaskets can go with obvious results. Oil leaks from the cam carrier and, well, I can't think of that much else.
heard about the airflow sensor (MASS) the wires in hem tend to go? easy replacement, or proverbial rocking horse poop?
Don't know. You need to speak to one of the turbo boys.
can they be relied on as a daily runner?
Yes, UT's can be surprisingly reliable but some parts are starting to get very hard to find. They will wear out if you drive them (obviously!) so you might have trouble buying some spares over the counter when wear and tear items need replacing.
what are they like on the motorway
mpg's, revs @ 80.
Depends on how heavy your right foot is
Put it this way, my mk1 45S does 3500rpm at 80mph so a turbo is not far away from that. They do well at high'ish cruising speed because being light and powerful you won't need much boost at that kind of cruising speed. I'd say no less than 35mpg and more likely into the 40's if you keep it off boost. Kick the boost in all the time and expect fuel consumption to rise rapidly.
I'm up for overhauling engines/suspension/body stabilsation. but serious body welding/gearbox overhauls/electronics aren't in my grasp.
That's the biggest problem now as UT's are old cars and not the best in terms of rust resistance. I'd say 9 out of 10 will have had welding done at some point with only those that have done miniscule mileages or been garaged most of their lives resisting rust better. You WILL have to expect rust on any UT unless you find a museum piece.
Electrical problems are surprisingly few. Most are attributed to corroded earths or tired electric windows/ central locking. The engine ECU rarely gives problems unless the wiring connectors are dodgy.
any idea what they go for now? I was hoping it would be under the £800 mark for not the tidiest runner but with a test.
Prices vary wildly. A complete buy scruffy UT without an MOT is going for around £400 - £500 now. The days of £100 parts cars are all but extinct.
Mk1's go for more than mk2's, and £750 should get you an MOT'd mk2 runner in tidy condition but needing work. A mk1 UT might have an MOT at that price but could well need a lot more work/ money spent on it. For a good conditioned tidy mk1 with long MOT expect to be paying around £1000 as mk1oldskoolturbo says. Immaculate cars can go for a lot more than that.
also any way of putting a mk1 grill/lights onto a mk2? just really like the mk1's looks but a good mk1 seems to be double the value of a good mk2!
Yes it is possible. You need the mk1 bonnet, slam panel with headlight bowls, wings, mk1 turbo bumper plus mk1 indicators and headlights. You can also fit the mk1 turbo plastic tailgate to a mk2 by relocating the hinges and fitting mk1 rear lights.
Your other option is to find a clean mk1 shell and transplant all the UT parts into it though you'll end up with a mk1 UT with an identity crisis!
However, mk2 turbo values are only likely to follow mk1's so it might be better to try and keep it standard? Don't forget that the mk1 has a totally different interior/ dashboard to the mk2 so you'd end up with a bit of a bitsa if you just changed the front end.
also is value still dropping, or are they picking up again now?
They've been picking up for the past few years and mk1 prices are starting to go through the roof... If you are going to get one now is the time as prices are only likely to continue rising. To give you an example 3 door base model (non turbo) mk1's have been going for £200+ on Ebay whereas they were going for £50 only a couple of years ago. More likely being bought by rusty turbo owners looking to re-shell
