Not been on here for awhile.

[Siamblue]

HI Guys, i was on here a few years back as i wanted a VR4 at the time, i ended up going for a V70R AWD auto, nice car but full of problems and economy was crippling me, I am still into my Volvo estates at the moment i have a V70R fwd manual 98, best car i have owned by a mile,
A few weeks back a kind gentleman didn't give way to me from the right on a roundabout at Bluewater, so now my insurers have decided my car is a total loss all for a bumper, headlight and indicator, so looks like i will be buying back the R from the insurance company and breaking her for spares,
I owe my wife ££££s on the R over the years so i might be able too squeeze £2k-£2.5k for another fast estate, i don't really want to go backwards with the Volvo as i have the best of the bunch from the Volvo's made in the 1990's, so a 850/V70 T5 is out of the question, hence why i am looking at a Leggy/Galant estate, plus which is a downside i always modify my cars, Is it best to get a Galant VR4 so i don't have to pay import insurance? as at the moment i am paying £450 fc for my V70R Ilford Essex,
Now is it best to get a tip tronic? as manuals will be out of my price range, are they any good? i can't handle another auto, plus the other trouble i have with my last auto i cooked the box, as the Volvo's don't have a additional cooler for the gearbox,
What is the max power from a VR4 without breaking the bank. As in the Volvo's remap/decat and 3" exhaust gives another 50 fly bhp for under £500,
Sorry for all of the questions but i am a complete novice on the VR4's so i will be doing a lot of reading and searching,

regards Gary

[Atik]

Sorry to hear about the V70R being written off.

£2-2.5k is plenty enough budget to pick up a decent VR4. It'll be tricky to find a manual in that range as they do tend to command a higher price. The autos are very capable and provided they are well looked after, will last a long while. There are many around that have over 150k and are still going. Adding an auto transmission cooler will help the longevity of the box.
Insurance-wise, they are listed as group 20, but generally command a much lower premium than other similar Jap-estate group 20 cars (Legacy, Stagea etc).
You can comfortable reach 300bhp or thereabout with some decent mods, but if you want BIG power, the VR4 can get very difficult and that will mean big money.

There is a lot of info round here, so have a thorough read of stuff and work out if its the car for you.
The autos will average anywhere between 17-22mpg depending on driving conditions/styles, and manuals tend to be 25+mpg.

[Ghost_2008]

The auto's are great, it is almost a manual without a clutch........ there dosent seem to be a single common failure for them, mine recently went but it was all sorted for £770 by Eurospec in Guilford........ fantastic work and brilliant customer service..........

All round these cars are excellent at everything they do, big comfy cars, loads of boot space, capable of 150mph, AWD, AYC etc etc....... there's not much that can out pull them or out handle them.......... Face lift Auto's are slightly more powerful from the factory, 280 rather than the 260 of the pre face lift....... there are cosmetic differences (I personally prefer the pre face lift...)......

Have a look around coz there are a few different models:

All are either Pre face lift (PFL) or Face lift (FL)

PFL came as Type V and Type S, I think that the type S has AYC and Traction control......

Also there was the COTY (Car of the year) model, which had the top spec...... Black leather etc.....

There was also the cold spec which has heated window wipers and wing mirrors etc........

Then there's the Super which was a top spec model with additional body kits.......

The car in your other thread looks like a super, not sure it was a super to start with but iot was a CVR4 up until about a year ago....... Happy hunting

[pitslayer]

The auto's are great, it is almost a manual without a clutch........ there dosent seem to be a single common failure for them, mine recently went but it was all sorted for £770 by Eurospec in Guilford........ fantastic work and brilliant customer service..........

All round these cars are excellent at everything they do, big comfy cars, loads of boot space, capable of 150mph, AWD, AYC etc etc....... there's not much that can out pull them or out handle them.......... Face lift Auto's are slightly more powerful from the factory, 280 rather than the 260 of the pre face lift....... there are cosmetic differences (I personally prefer the pre face lift...)......

Have a look around coz there are a few different models:

All are either Pre face lift (PFL) or Face lift (FL)

PFL came as Type V and Type S, I think that the type S has AYC and Traction control......

Also there was the COTY (Car of the year) model, which had the top spec...... Black leather etc.....

There was also the cold spec which has heated window wipers and wing mirrors etc........

Then there's the Super which was a top spec model with additional body kits.......

The car in your other thread looks like a super, not sure it was a super to start with but iot was a CVR4 up until about a year ago....... Happy hunting

PFL only came as a VR4 ie had all the gubbins on it regardless of manual or auto, where as the facelift came in the Type V which is the poverty spec and the Type S which is the top spec

COTY model was black leather, wood interior, chrome gear plate, pfl alloys but polished with black and came in pearlescent white.

The Super VR4 wasn't the top spec model per se, it was a run out limited edition model which came with
Recaro interior
Red carpets
Red steering wheel
Red gear knob
Red handbrake
SVR4 carpet mats
Purple hi vis dash
Chrome gear plate
Splitters on the front
Deeper side skirts
Splitters on the rear bumper
Massive spoiler
Colour coded headlights
Extra body work is black
Came in Red or Silver only


Gearboxes, well the TC seal is the downfall of the tipbox but that can happen on any car, the only real problem you will get with the tip box is that if you get one with the wrong oil in it, they can die prematurely.

HTH

[elnevio]

Close, PFLs came as either VR-4, or VR-4 Type-S. All VR-4s were manual, all VR-4 Type-Ss were auto. All got AYC.

Facelifts came as either VR-4 Type-V or VR-4 Type-S, and were a lot more complicated on what came with what. Some without AYC, some without High-Vis dash, etc.

[TAR]

I'll see your PFL and raise you 1 COTY!

[elnevio]

I'll see your PFL and raise you 1 COTY!

It's still a Type-S though, just with Galaxy White paint, black leather interior, polished alloys and special badging!

[bradc]

why do you all not just look for my thread?