Buying my first VR4

[Kiwi123]

I've always thought that the legnum looks very sharp and am now keen to buy a VR4 because of the 4wd and the performance but woud love to get some advice on why I'm getting into!! Firstly fuel consumption - I hear it's pretty horrible and that you must run 97 but what can I expect in l/100km? Secondly, what should I be looking for? What are the known faults? What is the VR4 like to live with? I have about an hour commute each day and want the 4wd for skiing to mount ruapehu...should I be considering a VR4 or something else? Would value anyone's informed opinion please :-) cheers, Dave

[Subaru ETA]

Fuel consumption is directly proportional to how you use your right foot....

These questions have been covered many times - if you use search you will find the answers to your questions

[Ryan]

You have to watch them like a hawk if they look half decent.

[low_vr4]

I personally wouldn't recommend one. Even driving like a nana they still drink the gas. They are quick when you turn the boost up but aren't really quick. Getting work done on them is expensive, aftermarket parts are also rare and expensive. They have issues with the rear diffs as they are weak. If i was you id go for the STR model as finding legnum vr4's that have been looked after and not thrashed is getting harder and harder.

[WOODY72]

:furious4::furious4:/hammer/hammer:annoyed::annoyed::thumbsdow

[ex-derv]

If you're doing an hour commute be prepared to spend a lot of money on fuel - you'll find it a lot of fun but it involves a lot of standing at fuel pumps and getting your wallet out. I don't know what your fuel prices are like but over here people either don't drive them much, drive them a lot and spend a fortune on fuel or convert them to LPG.
As for driving it in the snow, you don't get stuck like other people but they're a handful still. In the UK where there's a few days of snowy and icy roads a year - maybe a few weeks in a bad year, it's handy to have but if you're after something for regular snowy trips and long drives maybe not the ideal thing to have. I get some kind of garage bill most months for bits and pieces - usually small but regular, then the odd big service or expensive part. But then, it holds my kids and all their crap, a sub in the back and my huge cricket bag, it looks cool, not many people even know what it is never mind own one and although you won't out drag any genuinely fast cars it will give any hot hatch a run for its money and beat most of them.

[ex-derv]

:furious4::furious4:/hammer/hammer:annoyed::annoyed::thumbsdow

lol if a picture tells a thousand words, you've just written an essay!

[jayp]

I've had 2 of these cars in the last year, I've blown an auto box and a bottom end so far, but I put that down to poor maint previous to my ownership. I use mine as a daily driver and used to do an 45mile round trip to work used to fill up once a week. I went from a brand new 335i tourer because it honestly bored me because you felt so detached from the road to one if these. And I wouldn't go back. Yes parts can be expensive but if you don't mind wielding a spanner then pretty much everything can be done on your driveway with help of the members write ups. As for snow If you have winter tyres on then it's fantastic, we had about 3 ft here in Germany last year and whilst my neighbours were stuck in their suv's I never had a problem, only occasionally with ground clearance but back then my car was very low.

Sent from my HTC Desire S

[WOODY72]

Cheers Tim. The whole point is having fun, out cornering, out braking, out accelerating with a great big grin on my face that nobody else can see, cos they're miles back. :):):p:p/Nuuu/Nuuu

[Subaru ETA]

I personally wouldn't recommend one. Even driving like a nana they still drink the gas. They are quick when you turn the boost up but aren't really quick. Getting work done on them is expensive, aftermarket parts are also rare and expensive. They have issues with the rear diffs as they are weak. If i was you id go for the STR model as finding legnum vr4's that have been looked after and not thrashed is getting harder and harder.

When you purchased a twin turbo v6 did you think it was going to be economical? I mean really?

Who said the rear diffs are weak? You will find the ones that have failed are usually on modified cars. But I mean really, if you are buying a car that is 12+ years old that is a "performance" car you would be an idiot to expect nothing to break. That said, when I owned my vr4 the only thing that really went wrong was the gearbox input shaft bearing

[Ryan]

I'm onto my third VR-4 now. Just echoing what others have said, they are really thirsty especially when pushed hard but AWD, twin-turbo and usually auto, does not an economical car make! :)

I have found them to be perfectly reliable when maintained properly. The AYC rear differential is pretty interesting in cornering and has its uses but I actually quite like the fact that my current car has no AYC and no traction control so the outcomes of spirited driving are a little more predictable.

They can be made to go quite quickly and right now is a good time to get one because, thanks to the effort of several people on this forum and overseas, the ECU's can now be flashed and the ROM's modified etc. The parallel turbo setup is pretty reliable and far less complicated than say... a Subaru's.

You'd be hard pressed to find a similar spec car with the same power for the same money.

[low_vr4]

When you purchased a twin turbo v6 did you think it was going to be economical? I mean really?

Who said the rear diffs are weak? You will find the ones that have failed are usually on modified cars. But I mean really, if you are buying a car that is 12+ years old that is a "performance" car you would be an idiot to expect nothing to break. That said, when I owned my vr4 the only thing that really went wrong was the gearbox input shaft bearing

Of course i knew it wasn't going to be economical, i have 3 close friends who had them before me and before mine was written off i'd happily spend 80-100 on petrol a week and not even flinch cause i loved driving it. I'm only going by what i read on the forums and what vr4's these days haven't been modified. But there are options out there for quicker cars around the same price.

[Oggie]

I personally wouldn't recommend one. Even driving like a nana they still drink the gas. They are quick when you turn the boost up but aren't really quick. Getting work done on them is expensive, aftermarket parts are also rare and expensive. They have issues with the rear diffs as they are weak. If i was you id go for the STR model as finding legnum vr4's that have been looked after and not thrashed is getting harder and harder.

i can drive from poirirua to masterton and back on around 20 litres of gas.. thats pretty darn good imo but some serious nana driving tho.

[Oggie]

Of course i knew it wasn't going to be economical, i have 3 close friends who had them before me and before mine was written off i'd happily spend 80-100 on petrol a week and not even flinch cause i loved driving it. I'm only going by what i read on the forums and what vr4's these days haven't been modified. But there are options out there for quicker cars around the same price.

i will priolly go rx8 if i replace my car. btw sorry to hear ya car got written off.

[Subaru ETA]

i will priolly go rx8 if i replace my car. btw sorry to hear ya car got written off.

Why? Lol

[Oggie]

something about the rx8 that does it for me.. i know its not turbo'd etc. but that can be fixed with a transplant. :)

[jayp]

You can also buy a hos bolt on turbo for the rotary engine! Couple if mates have rx8's and there only down side is the fuel consumption and oil as well. Pluss reconditioning the rotor is stupidly expensive!

Sent from my HTC Desire S

[Oggie]

You can also buy a hos bolt on turbo for the rotary engine! Couple if mates have rx8's and there only down side is the fuel consumption and oil as well. Pluss reconditioning the rotor is stupidly expensive!

Sent from my HTC Desire S

WHEN i get an rx. iw ill be lookign at learnign how to recondition/rebuild the twin rotor. the best thing about rotors is the lack of moving parts. only 3 :)

[low_vr4]

iv got my eyes on a nice evo 6, would love to find an unmodified rs

[Subaru ETA]

WHEN i get an rx. iw ill be lookign at learnign how to recondition/rebuild the twin rotor. the best thing about rotors is the lack of moving parts. only 3 :)

If you do get one you would want to get the series 2. They changed the oil injection system so the don't flood as easy and they have more power.

I fitted a mazdaspeed supercharger to one when I worked at Mazda and it made a massive difference. However the porting on a renisis isn't really designed for boost and I don't know how long it lasted for lol

[Millsey]

I have recently bought one and so not racked up many miles yet (only 600 or so) but have averaged 25mpg so far.

Partly driving like an old Granny and partly like my arse was on fire.

On a motorway run of 220 miles going steady (70-80 mph) it returned just over 27 mpg (perhaps it was downhill..lol!)

Hope that helps.

[Kiwi123]

Thanks for all the comments...maybe not the vehicle for me then!

[wintertidenz]

A twin turbo V6 is never going to be cheap to run - especially when 98 octane is at the price it currently is.

I can get 450-500 out of a tank with town and some motorway driving - open road I could get possibly 600 if I was nice to it (so about 10l/100km).

[SEAN-NZ]

when i got mine, the trip back to tauranga from wellington, i got around 10kml, with some fairly spirited driving, including kaimais, and desert road, and another road when i missed a turn off, doesnt seem as bad as i thought it would be around town, with around 6-8kml, depending on how i drive it

[Kitten]

I used to use mine as a daily. Then I met my partner and started my new job 40 mins away and complained about gas consumption. So I got a cheap little run about and the Legnum is now a show/sound off car which only gets driven once in a blue moon. They are thirsty, but I would never sell it, I absolutely love driving it, and my partner who used to hate Mitsis and love Hondas, recently sold his Honda and brought a super of his own. I have never had any issues with it, it's done 260k kms. We are currently building a new motor and have a manual conversion going to put in, but this is only to upgrade not because we're having any issues, we had to replace the inner CVs when we lowered it but that's about it. Be aware that cambelt and water pump being replaced can cost quite a bit to get done.

[kNuTz]

A twin turbo V6 is never going to be cheap to run - especially when 98 octane is at the price it currently is.

I can get 450-500 out of a tank with town and some motorway driving - open road I could get possibly 600 if I was nice to it (so about 10l/100km).

I'm lucky to get 350km, this is just local cruising though...managed to get 440km from Wellington to Auckland last year.

[CANDEE]

I'm lucky to get 350km, this is just local cruising though...managed to get 440km from Wellington to Auckland last year.
You soooo need a 7202 in there Ray...

I can get 400+ with city driving and ive even got to Taupo on 1/2 a tank before.... Ive never done a really good run on it but 500+ shouldnt be hard... You might just using your pssht valve too much.. :P

[Ryan]

Most I've managed in an auto is 560km before running out of fuel! That was 80% open road and 20% city driving... I was 1km away from my house too, was so pissed off... Thursday morning 0100, in a dip - no chance of getting out hahahaah.

With my manual (and Link Plus ECU) I've so far managed 466km and put in 58.2L (close!) but that was with some extremely spirited driving...

[kNuTz]

You soooo need a 7202 in there Ray...

You might just using your pssht valve too much.. :P

Yea I know I need to get an 7202/3...anyone got one for me? ;)
Would this actually help my mpg?

Hahah but I love my pssht valve! lol... :D

[CANDEE]

Umm i cant remember my before and after with my Leggie - I had BradC's fl ecu in mine.. All I know is the galant gets waaaay more than the leggie used to... Might just be power based though... lol

pssht valves are bad for fuel economy, just like the limiter(oooops).. :p

[kNuTz]

True didn't think about Galant vs Legnum (weight)...lol the pssht valve wasn't on for that Auckland trip that I got 440km.
Have another run in August to Auckland but this time with the wife, two babies and half the house! lol