I'm guessing you aren't that old I had the same problems with my Metros (Austin 1.0 and MG Metro) when I was at college from the owners of Nova and very old fiestas - part of life really.

I still get it to a limted extent even with my nice 2004 Alfa. The odd snide comment about how my car probably spends more time in the garage than on the road. How wrong could they be.

As for the owner of the Metro, the K series engine is pretty good but I doubt there would be a lot in it. Anyway racing should be reserved for the race track not the roads, let him race you while you turn off and go the other way

thepottleflump said:

racing should be reserved for the race track not the roads, let him race you while you turn off and go the other way

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Agreed! Dont end up being another road statistic. With regards to the nova and fiestas there is nothing wrong with owning one of them either, everyone will be a little biased towards their own particular car. All i can say is that type of behaviour is immature and childish.
I love the fact that my uno turbo is extremely rare and i hardly ever see any others about on the roads, it makes my car stand out amongst the sheeps in the crowd and makes me proud to own such a retro and cool car. as for the boxyness well its part of the unos character, like i said some people DO like the car including women, and others dont. The colour of the car can also be the deciding factor on whether or not somebody likes a car or not.

F R O $ T Y

Ok. Here's why people laugh when you say you drive an Uno:

* Uno's are slow. Really really slow. I mean, how can something with a 1 liter engine be quick, right? Slow cars are crap.
* Uno's are totally waaaay small and tiny, so they obviously have zero space inside and are totally impractical, which makes them totally crap.
* Uno's don't cost much, so they must be really really crap.
* Uno's are are only driven by old ladies and delivery boys, so they must be really crap.
* Uno's are so totally dangerous - they crumple like a paper-ball with the slightest impact, don't they? So thats, like, totally crap.
* People with massive, awesome ego's don't drive them, so they must be really really crap.
* Everyone laughs at Uno's, so like, they're obviously complete crap. We must laugh too.

Well, I beg to differ.
The truth of the matter is that people that laugh at them simply haven't driven one. They're ignorant. And, even those guys that DO laugh at them and have driven one, get them pissed and they'll eventually admit that they actually dig 'em too.

They're cheap to run - simple technology.
They're cheap to modify.
They ain't slow. I smoked a 4 liter turbocharged SUV on the freeway today - see, Uno's can fit in small gaps.....

Let 'em laugh, I say!
-Acolyte

True words! Before i got my uno i was one of the others....(blah an Uno? Ha Ha Ha) Then I drove it and it was love at first drive. I have even grown to like the shape, I think its cool and retro. I will smoke a lot of cars too! With my 1.1! Take that Uno haters!

CyberMunky said:

Before i got my uno i was one of the others....(blah an Uno? Ha Ha Ha) Then I drove it and it was love at first drive.

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Absolutely!

When I needed a car, my dad suggested I get an Uno and that he'd just seen a really good one at a car dealership nearby. Well, he had to drag me kicking and screaming to the place to go and look at it! I thought he was mad! What? Me, get an Uno?! Haha.

Well, it WAS love at first drive, and its only getting better and better!
-Acolyte

i feel exactly the same
my dad phoned me a year ago while looking for a first car
"theres an uno 5dr in the paper for £350 with 57000miles on the clock"

"errr no thanks dad i want a peugeot 205"

so my dad brings the uno home anyway and i didnt get out of the car till the next day

and i also saw an uno in a crash the other day, it was a 40mph+ crash, sure the front end was dead but the driver was fine! im savaging from bits from his car.

i wouldnt like to crash my uno at any speed! just about zero safety and the fact ive seam welded all mine up means i have no crumple zones anymore lol

Dunc

I have crashed my uno 2 years ago (car incident on the open road) but damage was twice larger on other vehicle (renault laguna).
Repair cost me 150 euro (£100). Other problems I have solved without mechanics, with help from posts of this forum and Haynes manual.
My uno is MKII 999cc fire ie, and in city is faster than other vehicles of his age, up to 1300cc (uno turbo is faster )

Spare parts are cheep... new MKII front bumper here costs £13, headlight £18 etc.

It does not have power steering but it is easies vehicle to drive in city and it is reliable on the road. The only problem is comfort on long distance travels, but I have solved that with my opel (Vauxhall) vectra

Here here i love my uno i used to have a 2ltr nova (red top throttle bodys) went the whold hog infact it handled like a hog great in a straght line but useless in the corners where as my uno rubbish in a straight line but just squeals around any bend at almost any speed in the dry! (not in the wet tho coz my tyres are rubbish in the wet)

There is only two things that annoy me about my uno

1.Radio well speakers really their poo but is should stop moaning and replace the whole thing.
2.that ping from the left rear suspension strut after a fast left hand bend!!
(i think its the brake drum cable re-releasing)

And in my book two things is great coz in the vectra astra ka focus fiesta i can think of hundreds!

oi dunc u cheeky bugger i like unos.

people laugh at mine. then again i have lost a sideskirt and it now
makes a funny sqeeling noise.

yes it does have 1 rusty door, and has done nearly 160,000 miles,
an old mk1 1 ltr f reg. but its still going stong.

a side skirt? on a 1.0L?

wi11 said:

Here here i love my uno i used to have a 2ltr nova (red top throttle bodys) went the whold hog infact it handled like a hog great in a straght line but useless in the corners where as my uno rubbish in a straight line but just squeals around any bend at almost any speed in the dry! (not in the wet tho coz my tyres are rubbish in the wet)

There is only two things that annoy me about my uno

1.Radio well speakers really their poo but is should stop moaning and replace the whole thing.
2.that ping from the left rear suspension strut after a fast left hand bend!!
(i think its the brake drum cable re-releasing)

And in my book two things is great coz in the vectra astra ka focus fiesta i can think of hundreds!

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Lol mate, plenty of REDTOPS round my way!

A mate of mines mum is the receptionist/race driver at SBD!
So i gota good contact when i do my "big" uno turbo engine (cam profiles, etc)

anyway, i let people say their opinions on unos

"Shoe-box"
"sardine can"
"they look crap"
"Why are they so square?"
"Its only a 1.4"
etc
etc


all i say is this, in an old issue of retro cars (TURBO KINGS issue)the owner of a sweet mk1 UT stated that the italian mafia used mk1 uno UT's as getaway cars..................and the police could never catch them!.................correct me if im wrong but didnt the italian police use Ferraris as police cars?

Im letting each person who slated my next UT to have ago in it in a car park a let the boost do the talking........................just to let you know that the people who are slating it have:

1.2 clio
1.2 fiesta
1.4 corsa
etc
etc

do you notice the same ****ty repetative cycle?
I really really really really cant wait to get it now!

I did say before that two thing annoy me about my uno well now its just one

I replaced the 'joke' radio and speakers in my dash woo hooo

Did it on the proper cheap tho only spent £70 on some kenwood 4" (ashamed to say) and some 'blagwellcheap' teckniks head unit

Now i have 80w to play with in two two way speakers

I know i can hear you now i would of got pioneer and fusion component cross overs one farrad power cap 10" sub and amp but well i am skint and seen as tho my volvo needs a cam belt and i only use the uno for work i couldn't justify it.

Seriously thinking about a TUB now tho mk2.

Will.

distortionrockets said:

a side skirt? on a 1.0L?

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yes i have a mk1 uno with full mk2 turbo kit on n mk2 interior.
seing as my old interior was blue n green chequred :yuck:

oh amy, where are the photos!!!!!

turboned said:

oh amy, where are the photos!!!!!

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I think theres a pic of it somewhere in Duncs Resto thread mate... That is your one right amy????

F R O $ T Y

distortionrockets said:

well its not just about the uno being old.

like this one guy told me he would thrash me in his 1.1 metro when i know that my uno would have a good go at his car. i aint gonna race unless its a straight drag.
maybe your right anyway, metros are **** thats why rover is OVER

as for the uno being boxy, i hate bubble cars such as the corsa.

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i know someone with a 1.8 in a metro thats stripped and rollcaged out.

it eats Scooby p1's its seriously quick

its still a metro

distortionrockets said:

its still a metro

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a leyland metro to boot.......

My workmates (mechanics) all drive Range Rovers, Jag E-Types, Jag XJ40s and 400HP Supras etc... one of them was making fun of my Uno Fire, and I said "At least I'm not compensating for anything". He had no reply to that hah.

I find chicks like it, they think its cute and cool. It shows I think diffrent to most guys who want a big HP, large monster of a car, often ending up with some jap import with zero class and style.

I sometimes jokingly call it my "Italian Stallion". Very tongue in cheek. heh Though I more often refer to my car as "she or her".

Most people envy its fuel economy especially with fuel price rises here in NZ.

They also envy how easy it is to park and scoot around town.