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Thread: Potential Legnum VR-4 Purchase

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    Potential Legnum VR-4 Purchase

    Hi all, hope you can help...

    I'm coming to the end of the term on my company car (Saab 9-3 Sportwagon) and am thinking of going private to keep the tax down... I'm quite taken with the idea of a Legnum, but have a few questions which I hope you can answer to set my mind at rest...

    1. I'm thinking of a facelift car (i.e. late '98 onwards, but no later than March 2001 for obvious reasons. Will £6k get me something decent (needs to be as "stock" as possible but MUST have the Recaro/Momo option as I have a bad back!!

    2. I don't drive particularly hard and most of my mileage is motorway - is 26/27 mpg reasonable if I stay off the turbos? (used to get this from my '96 GTS-t Skyline...)

    3. I'm budgeting £100 / mo to cover servicing/tyres etc, based on annual mileage of around 18k - is this reasonable?

    4. I'm 37, live in Nottingham, IT advisor, and have 3 pts - is around £750/yr for insurance reasonable?

    I know this is a lot to ask - but I hope you can help as I'm trying to find as many reasons as possible why there's no reason NOT to buy one!!

    Chris St Clair

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    Hi And Welcome..

    It's yes to all o the above

    Excepting the Recaro/Momo seats.. Think some models came with recaro's ? But it's still possible to retro fit Recaro's.. As other members have done, i thingkmostly from EVO's ..

    Cheers

    WODJ

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    Hi and welcome to CVR4! Insurance should nearly be half that, im 31 live in Nottingham and shell out £380 a year which includes my other half as a named driver.

    Good luck in your hunt!

    Mike
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    All sounds right so far with what others have said - try Admiral for a quote. 34 and in London I was offered £ 500 a year for a VR4, before I ended up with a V6-24v version (same but without the twin-turbos) and than was £80 less.

    Welcome along, by the way!

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    Quote Originally Posted by UKPonchoMan
    Hi all, hope you can help...

    I'm coming to the end of the term on my company car (Saab 9-3 Sportwagon) and am thinking of going private to keep the tax down... I'm quite taken with the idea of a Legnum, but have a few questions which I hope you can answer to set my mind at rest...

    1. I'm thinking of a facelift car (i.e. late '98 onwards, but no later than March 2001 for obvious reasons. Will £6k get me something decent (needs to be as "stock" as possible but MUST have the Recaro/Momo option as I have a bad back!!

    The standard seats are quite comfy ive driven about 8 hours in them without a hint of back ache

    2. I don't drive particularly hard and most of my mileage is motorway - is 26/27 mpg reasonable if I stay off the turbos? (used to get this from my '96 GTS-t Skyline...)
    i drove 260miles the other day 95% motorway, and averaged 20.5 mpg, its a 1.6ton constant 4wd car, its heavy, and drinks fuel, oh and must run on Vpower/high octane

    3. I'm budgeting £100 / mo to cover servicing/tyres etc, based on annual mileage of around 18k - is this reasonable?
    service every 4kmiles, oil, filter, ayc fluid/rear diff, gearbox. plus tyres at about 50 quid a corner for budget tyres, not really. alot of the servicing you can do yourself, the rear diff poses the biggest problem, but look to pay at least 100 quid on parts alone to service using qaulity oils(amsoil, club discount if your full paid up member, this discount alone pays for the membership, well worth it)

    4. I'm 37, live in Nottingham, IT advisor, and have 3 pts - is around £750/yr for insurance reasonable?

    I know this is a lot to ask - but I hope you can help as I'm trying to find as many reasons as possible why there's no reason NOT to buy one!!

    Chris St Clair
    Apart from what i said above you would be a fool not to buy one. name another car with all the features of a VR4 for the same price, same age and the low mileage you get with them.
    the only other thing to do, would be to upgrade your brakes, possibly first thing, even if you arent going to be pushing it hard.

    oh and the biggest point of owning a VR4, you get to come here, possibly the friendliest club on the net, theres no fighting, no keyboard warriors(unless you dont clean your car, then issues can arise ) but you couldnt ask for a friendlier, knowledgeable place on teh internetz

    if your close to anyone most of us are more than welcome to take you out for a spin in one, or have a look over them, or even come out and look at a car for you
    .

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    Excellent - thanks guys! I straddle two fences in that I'm also active in the American car scene as my "second" car is a 1998 Pontiac Trans Am, but I've also had a Skyline and an Australian HSV GTS...

    As far as I can tell (I have the UK Recaro brochure and the Japanese brochure for late '98), the Recaro/Momo option was available as an "add-on" to the standard Type-S - same seat fabric though.

    What kind of fuel consumption are you guys getting? And how often are services required - if it's every 4,500 miles I'd need 3 or 4 per year. Tyres don't worry me as my HSV gave me 21,000+ and that was a much heavier car!

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    I would say you won't be disappointed with a Legnum from your questions. The only thing I would say is to be a bit careful with speed to get the fuel consumption you want. If you are a right lane driver, then expect 22-25 mpg tops on the motorway. If you are a left lanedriver you should be able to meet your target and maybe a bit more. I work 18 miles from home, and the commute takes 45 minutes. I use almost exactly a gallon each way. On the motorway I do significantly better, but as I am a right lane driver, I still don't get the numbers you are talking about!!

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    Nick Mann's Avatar

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    Servicing is not a huge problem, just don't use a dealer! There are a few of us on here that will service your car for a lower cost, using better oils and a better understanding of the car.

    Most services are an engine oil and rear diff oil change only, so not overly exensive.

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    Hi and !

    It sounds like you've already got an idea of what you let yourself in for with a VR-4!

    I assume the definitely no later than a 2001 model criterion, is because of the road tax band implications? Because if it is, that's wrong! As the VR-4 didn't get type approval, there is no CO2 figure for late 2001-on cars. So a 2002 Leggie is still £185 a year at the mo. This includes the 'UK cars' which are only officially-imported (i.e. Mitsi did it instead of a different importer) cars anyway.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nick Mann
    Servicing is not a huge problem, just don't use a dealer! There are a few of us on here that will service your car for a lower cost, using better oils and a better understanding of the car.

    Most services are an engine oil and rear diff oil change only, so not overly exensive.
    In that case I guess I can do the interim services myself as I do most of the basic work on my Trans Am... I'd guess the more involved stuff needs someone who knows what they're talking about though!

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    Quote Originally Posted by elnevio
    Hi and !

    It sounds like you've already got an idea of what you let yourself in for with a VR-4!

    I assume the definitely no later than a 2001 model criterion, is because of the road tax band implications? Because if it is, that's wrong! As the VR-4 didn't get type approval, there is no CO2 figure for late 2001-on cars. So a 2002 Leggie is still £185 a year at the mo. This includes the 'UK cars' which are only officially-imported (i.e. Mitsi did it instead of a different importer) cars anyway.
    That was one of the requirements - I'd forgotten that it was never oficially type approved. The other reason is that the 2001-2002 models I've seen were in the £7-£8k range and my max will be around £6k...

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    Quote Originally Posted by UKPonchoMan
    That was one of the requirements - I'd forgotten that it was never oficially type approved. The other reason is that the 2001-2002 models I've seen were in the £7-£8k range and my max will be around £6k...
    Should find a good facelift for £6k... Go by condition/history than by a year or two newer...

    The VR-4 completely compliments the f-body as a driveway companion !!!

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    DIY is more than doable - we have a members articles area with comprehensive destructions. When you have got far enough to go for full membership, £20 a year gives you access to those articles, plus a library of assorted collected info as well as a 15% discount on Amsoil products, which most of us would recommend for the auto gearbox at least.

    Good luck in your search - if you need a companion to look with you, post up the location and time - many of us like nit-picking and could help give you bartering ammunition!

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    I will definately do that! I think I know the basic spec I'm looking for - I guess the next question is - hunt around in the UK, or get one imported?

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    You could also get a super vr-4 which is prefacelift, but all of them came with recaro's and momo wheel. All were made in 1998

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    You will only be able to get one imported that is older than 10 years

    If you do get a uk one then i suggest you look at the under side as the last 3 uk's ones i have worked on badly showed rust under there , where as direct jap ones seem to be better condition ( no salt on there roads )

    Maybe , just maybe you should consider buying a cheaper one ( hence older ) , have it for six months and if you like it then go for a much newer one . You can pick up good ones for around 2.5k if you know where to look


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    I have bought my legnum and think its excellent, a real head turner, unfortunately I need a fuel neck and front calipers Think the other half was a bit rough when fillling her up!! any suggestions would be great as I can't use the car at the minute because I can't fill her up with petrol due to the fuel pipe. Typical... thanks

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    some very nice legnim's on ebay, good years and condition. although maybe someone who knows the cars should go with you and check them out.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by WODJNO
    Hi And Welcome..

    It's yes to all o the above

    WODJ
    You sure you can get 2001 descent leggy for £6000 ?
    I would take it as an insult if someone offered me £6000 for mine...

    Or have they really went so low on prices?

    Quote Originally Posted by WODJNO
    Think some models came with recaro's
    Yes, mine and momo
    Nevman

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  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by UKPonchoMan
    I will definately do that! I think I know the basic spec I'm looking for - I guess the next question is - hunt around in the UK, or get one imported?
    Can't import pre-98 ones due to the lack of model report. All the newer ones already in the UK were imported prior to the change in SVA rules, resulting in the '10 year rule', in 2004. Unless you're Keighley, it seems!

    Have a look in the for sale forum, there might still be a few late models kicking around, as some have been up for sale in recent months. Prices have bombed a bit in the last six months, so you might be surprised what's available. Defo see if you can get a member along on a test drive though - especially one of the more knowledgeable ones (i.e. not me! ).

    Having said this, if you wait a few months, you should be able to import a fresh facelift later this year, as we are just about passing the ten-year anniversary of the introduction thereof.

    The problem with importing now though, is that the price is now much higher for imports, when compared to cars already in the UK, mostly due to the afore-mentioned price falls. However, you are pretty much guaranteed a completely rust-free example, and if it's imported through a top-end importer like Newera Imports, it will be one of the best available. You can also try the likes of Bonsai Cars, which also has listings for every car at auction in Japan in the next day or so. There are hundreds and hundreds!

    They are both somewhat different in approach. Newera are renowned as the best, and boy you pay for it. I know! So feel free to ask me any questions about the Newera experience. Davcom1 bought his through Bonsai, so I'm sure he'd extend you the same courtesy.

    Daitoku are a fairly newish company, so not much is known about them. I think one or two bods have been to see models in stock - but don't know much more than that.

    Another popular importer is Ebony & Ivory who were previously quite good, by all accounts, but recent form has apparently been quite poor.

    Finally, and I've already alluded to them above, is Keighley Trade Centre. Well, I think the range of cars is a bit pot luck - some people have reported absolute pearlers, and some, absolute dogs. Also, common advice is to treat them like private sellers and be prepared to walk away. Customer service is often negatively commented upon. They do however seem to be able to register facelift VR-4s too. There are theories on how they do this, but no-one knows for sure - but once it's registered, well, it's registered!

    Search for any of these on CVR4 and you should hopefully find threads-a-plenty about them!

    Anyway, good luck in your quest!

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