• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

New car!

Status
Not open for further replies.
F

FusionRail

Member
Joined
3 Sep 2007
Messages
960
Location
Shackerstone
Just been given this as a present, and will become a project of mine when I come back from Portsmouth in June. (Its planned not to be as big a failure as the alumicart was) As I'm bored I thought id post it on here.

Its an 03 plate Mk4 Astra Activ, 8V 1.6l turbo. Pretty nippy and is reliable. Did have a nice exhaust but it kinda got hacksawed off leaving the normal pipe behind!

Things to do:
The money I've saved from not buying an 1.7Dti Astravan will start me off on the following:

Remove mud flaps
New rims
Spoiler
Irmscher grill and styling
New radio/Sound system
Straight through exhaust
GPS
Light mods
Tinted windows
TPWS box on the dash
Air Horns under the bonnet
Engine mods
Interior Styling
Possible respray - anyone suggest a colour?

And get insured on it.. (covered by my two bonuses in June)

Attached is a picture of it on holiday last year, in a dusty lay-by near Dove Dale in Derbyshire.
 

Attachments

  • Astra.JPG
    Astra.JPG
    384.9 KB · Views: 83
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

16CSVT2700

16CSVT2700

Established Member
Joined
4 Sep 2005
Messages
1,837
Location
Gdansk
Only things I'd do is add a subtle spoiler, change the rims and give it a bloody good clean.
 
F

FusionRail

Member
Joined
3 Sep 2007
Messages
960
Location
Shackerstone
16CSVT2700 said:
Only things I'd do is add a subtle spoiler, change the rims and give it a bloody good clean.
Click to expand...

Yep they are my main things to do, just the other bits I listed were things to do over time, its normally clean and polished its just it get stupidly dirty on holiday as the track down to the cottage near Longnor it dusty as hell.

Tom, I got a quote for £2500 on it, or if my dad insures it and I'm a named driver its like £1300.

I can get insured on a Vauxhall Vivaro 2.5l DTi for the same amount, but thats CV insurance.
 
David

David

Established Member
Joined
9 Jul 2005
Messages
5,103
Location
Scunthorpe
I bet the insurance is pretty steep already (young driver with little or no no-claims bonus). Get that lot done to it, and the insurance will rocket.
 
90019

90019

Established Member
Joined
29 May 2008
Messages
6,825
Location
Featherstone, West Yorkshire
FusionRail said:
Straight through exhaust
Click to expand...

You do realise that's illegal, right?
And that you can, and will be stopped by the police for it, and fined if it's too loud.
Oh, also, it'll fail it's MOT with a straight through exhaust.


Btw, have you calculated the insurance with the modifications?
18 years old, 1.6 turbo, modified, £1300?
Are you having a laugh?
 
G

Guinness

Established Member
Joined
13 Jun 2005
Messages
3,736
I've been considering an Astra, Saxos are too small and cramped. How much was yours?
 
C

Craig

Established Member
Joined
15 Jun 2005
Messages
3,958
Location
Newcastle
Astra's are reasonably cheap to insure, they're mostly only group 4/5. Saying that, mine (1.4 16V LS) cost me over a grand to insure when I was 23 :roll:
 
Zamracene749

Zamracene749

Member
Joined
11 Dec 2005
Messages
818
Location
East Durham
Looks like a nice little car as it stands.

Drilling holes in the bodywork, sticking on bits of chavvy body kit and messing on with the exhaust and engine will reduce it's value to scrap.

Because it will be virtually uninsurable.

Try to get a few quotes giving the insurers the mod list you posted on here before starting any work.

Sorry to be a party pooper but seen this so many times with kids and cars and big dreams. Don't believe all the crap you see in modded car mags- to get even close to a worthwhile car cost tens of thousands, money that would in most cases be better spent on a more modern car in the first place.

If you want a sporty motor, better off spending your money on something built that way thats cheaper to insure and good fun to drive-try pistonheads or retro rides for some ideas.

PS notice that you missed out the important bits- uprated brakes and suspension!

IF you do stick by your ideas, enjoy it but don't expect to be quickest away from the lights........

PS like the colour as is- some nicer alloys or blasting those ones to a shiny finish would set it off a treat. Plus a mean ice system won't push up your premiums much but is great fun when driving:)


FusionRail said:
Yep they are my main things to do, just the other bits I listed were things to do over time, its normally clean and polished its just it get stupidly dirty on holiday as the track down to the cottage near Longnor it dusty as hell.

Tom, I got a quote for £2500 on it, or if my dad insures it and I'm a named driver its like £1300.

I can get insured on a Vauxhall Vivaro 2.5l DTi for the same amount, but thats CV insurance.
Click to expand...
 
F

FusionRail

Member
Joined
3 Sep 2007
Messages
960
Location
Shackerstone
90019 said:
You do realise that's illegal, right?
And that you can, and will be stopped by the police for it, and fined if it's too loud.
Oh, also, it'll fail it's MOT with a straight through exhaust.


Btw, have you calculated the insurance with the modifications?
18 years old, 1.6 turbo, modified, £1300?
Are you having a laugh?
Click to expand...

No it isn't illegal, certain types. The one we were looking at from Carnoisseur (cant spell it) certainly wasn't illegal.

That as I said was with my dad insuring it and myself as a named driver. And maybe I should have put it more clearly, the mods that will push the insurance up would be later additions and not for quite a while. I'm planning on having it over 5 months. Ill recalculate the insurance in a bit for the ones I want to do first. taa for reminding me on that!

Chaz said:
I've been considering an Astra, Saxos are too small and cramped. How much was yours?
Click to expand...

Mine was free, but I'm not sure how much they are now. This one was either £3000 or £6000 (cant really remember, but im more sure it was the latter) when bought a few years ago second hand with Vauxhall employees discount by my dad. Now, they will obviously be less, have a look on Autotrader or something. you can get an Astravan for around £1500 or more.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
beermaddavep said:
Looks like a nice little car as it stands.

Drilling holes in the bodywork, sticking on bits of chavvy body kit and messing on with the exhaust and engine will reduce it's value to scrap.

Because it will be virtually uninsurable.

Try to get a few quotes giving the insurers the mod list you posted on here before starting any work.

Sorry to be a party pooper but seen this so many times with kids and cars and big dreams. Don't believe all the crap you see in modded car mags- to get even close to a worthwhile car cost tens of thousands, money that would in most cases be better spent on a more modern car in the first place.

If you want a sporty motor, better off spending your money on something built that way thats cheaper to insure and good fun to drive-try pistonheads or retro rides for some ideas.

PS notice that you missed out the important bits- uprated brakes and suspension!

IF you do stick by your ideas, enjoy it but don't expect to be quickest away from the lights........

PS like the colour as is- some nicer alloys or blasting those ones to a shiny finish would set it off a treat. Plus a mean ice system won't push up your premiums much but is great fun when driving:)
Click to expand...

Yep - I had no plans for bodykits or the like, it would just look chavvy, just new grill and de badged etc. Im thinking the exhaust may be a bit of a crap idea, it was something suggested to me by someone down here. Just a nice tip or something would do.

I do like the colour as it is to be honest :D

I think its mainly wheels, ICE and a few other little things im going to do to it. Would be nice to get out driving first!
 
90019

90019

Established Member
Joined
29 May 2008
Messages
6,825
Location
Featherstone, West Yorkshire
FusionRail said:
No it isn't illegal, certain types. The one we were looking at from Carnoisseur (cant spell it) certainly wasn't illegal.
Click to expand...

You sure you're looking at a straight through then?

If it's not got a cat, it's a straight through and is definately illegal for an '03 car.
If it's legal, it'll have a cat, and isn't a straight through.
 
C

Craig

Established Member
Joined
15 Jun 2005
Messages
3,958
Location
Newcastle
FusionRail said:
Tom, I got a quote for £2500 on it, or if my dad insures it and I'm a named driver its like £1300.
Click to expand...
Will you build up any no-claims bonus as a named driver?

FusionRail said:
Mine was free, but I'm not sure how much they are now. This one was either £3000 or £6000 (cant really remember, but im more sure it was the latter)
Click to expand...
I would hope it was the former, otherwise you've probably been ripped off.

beermaddavep said:
Oh and cheapest mod- get rid of that yellow sticker in the back window! Spoils the look from the side..
Click to expand...

Good advice! :lol:
 
F

FusionRail

Member
Joined
3 Sep 2007
Messages
960
Location
Shackerstone
beermaddavep said:
Oh and cheapest mod- get rid of that yellow sticker in the back window! Spoils the look from the side..
Click to expand...

It wasnt a sticker it was some warning sign that was in it for a week or so.

It had it since it was fitted. You can get modded 1.6l turbo Astras.

I will check later to see if I have been given the correct info on the vehicle.
 
Last edited:
D

D9521

Member
Joined
15 Oct 2007
Messages
135
Lesjordans said:
We can race then :D My 1.1 C2 against that 1.6.... I might have a chance ... or not. :oops:
Click to expand...


No but you can race it against my 1.25 Fiesta zetec-S ill still maul you :lol: it quite easily have rich's astra off the line but then he'd have me again once he got through 2nd and 3rd :P getting an induction kit for mine soon with a cherry bomber exhaust (hellfire <D) and some 15" alpine rims ive got major plans for this festa over time ;)
 
Lesjordans

Lesjordans

Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
353
Location
Glasgow
Lmao ive only ever used full pedal once and that was yesterday :o Some learner stalled at lights and i was in a hurry, so i sort of just pulled out right, a bit of vrooooooom vrooom and back in in front of them. Bad times :(
Still not bad on the insurance so I can't complain. If only they did C1's in 1.6 petrol :P
 
F

FusionRail

Member
Joined
3 Sep 2007
Messages
960
Location
Shackerstone
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top