potential new owner questions please

[bazza]

hi all, after about a year of pondering i yesterday went to Keighley Trade to have a look at some VR4's, but before i buy i'd be really greatfull if someone could answer a few things please...

a) What is the correct 0-60 times of the Saloon & Estate - both Tiptronic & Manual? I keep reading conflicting information on this (Need to know if it'l be much quicker than me Rover 620TI.. which is quick!).Also, does anyone have ingear times (30-60, 50-80 etc)?
b) The one i looked at (that was any good) was blue(legnum), when we looked in under the oil filler cap everything was sparkling gold.. like new, and the engine was really whisper quiet.. is this normal or could there still be dodgyness?
c) Is it still possible to 'lose' a VR4 on a bend? Does the AYC lights tell you before the cars going to head east or west?
d) The one i saw i was offered for £4500 without tax & with 28day warrenty. I read somewhere that mitsu offer red zebra... is this something i could buy?
e) I've heard horror stories about INVECS II failing (effectively writing off the car), how common/likely is this
f) can i skip down 2 gears with the invecs system (to select 3rd from 5th etc?)
g) I asked about the 74000kms at Keighley - they said they've 'chipped' it to show MPH on the speedo - BUT the odometer will stay at 74k and now add in mph.. is this normal? Can't it just all be reprogrammed to MPH (Inc. odometer?)
h) Is the owners manual in the members area?
i) I read reference to the dealership area - i was going to get peoples views with KTC beforehand but couldn't find the dealership section to check.
j) My 620TI returns 63miles to a tenner - town driving, standing traffic in the evening... how does this compare to the vr4?

Sorry if i've asked a lot, i want to join as a member but need to establish a few things first. An objective and honest opinion would be greatly appreciated, cause i don't want to loose reliability from my 620ti (which has never broke).

many thanks for reading
regards
barry

[Nick Mann]

Reliability is usually pretty good. Have you had a read of the buyers guide under the resources tab?

Quick answers:

a. just over 6 secs. Not much difference has been noted between tip and manual. I'm not aware of any representative in gear times.
b. If the engine sounds quiet then it has probably been looked after. You often hear a tappety noise in good engines too. Search the site for hydraulic lifters or lash adjusters.
c. Of course! The AYC lights should give you a good indication of how far you are pushing your car though.
d. Red Zebra can be bought for any car with less than 100k on the clock. It's not cheap! Check with your local dealer.
e. Not common. Gearboxes have gone, but there are many more that have had abuse and havent!
f. Only by flicking the lever twice.
g. Thats normal for most imports.
h. Not sure - but theres more information than you'll find in the owners manual! You can get manuals on e-bay.
i. General feeling is to buy with your eyes open. The cars are not always good, but the prices are. A few have said they would never buy there.
j. No chance of that! You' be doing well to get over 50.

[bazza]

sorry there was one other thing... has anyone ever bought a 'shark nose' type later front bumper and fitted it to their 1996/97 legnum/saloon? If so where from and how much fitted? I think they look much more aggressive.

thanks

[Axeboy]

re: Point G

When i bought my Galant at Keighley they told me this, it was showing 68k on the display but they claimed it was 68k Kms... so obviously a fair bit less on the miles.

I thought it was tosh.

[D.J]

I bought two casr from them in the past..never had any problems, although for a trader it's more like buying privately...as with the odometer readings I always took it that anything prior to sva/mot/registration was in kms and anything after was in mls.

If you buy from them get the belts/fluids changed(even if they claim that it's just been done).

Happy Motoring.......

Forget Fuel Consumption.....

[bernmc]

There are centres like CHarlesworths that will convert the km reading on the odometer to miles. They have to do a BIMTA check (do a search) to confirm the km's are legitimate, so it does cost a bit of extra cash - which is why Keighley won't do it .

It has to be done by someone approved to do it officially, otherwise it's known as 'clocking' and will result in a smack from pc plod.

I'll be scanning my VR4 manual at some point, and will send it to The Boss to put on in the member's area. Until then, 17.45 from fleabay.

[D.J]

keighly aren't the only importer not to verify the odometer reading though.

The majority of imports come via the auctions anyway, so the chances of a slight trimming of the kms are inevitable.

[bazza]

doods - all so helpful. many thanks

Keighley have a blue one at the moment - a cracked rear indicator appears to be the only problem with it. AYC light on right is always on, but i havent driven the car as they said they would take me out in it ...?! How the hell i'd get a feel for it i don't know.

Does anyone know why some legnums seem to have a the reflector across the entire back of the car, whereas others dont. Also some say 'legnum' in chrome and others don't? All confusing to me.

I'm a bit confused with SVA... who actually needs it? My prospective insurance co aren't interested in it, so a) Is it easy to forge? b) the car had weird firestone tyres on we couldn't identify, so does that spell trouble?

Price wise, I immediately got them down from 5k to 4.5k. how hard should i haggle?

No one on these forums seem to mention anything about the engine... this example didn't 'rock' in the bay, and was whisper quiet...

The reason i enquired about the manual was to establish what and where everything was.

cheers again...
barry

[ritch_w]

hi baz

some points for you
1. there should be a amber/red AYC check light on for 5 sec when u switch the ign on
2. the 3 green AYC bars should only light up when corneringg hard - 3 bars means your giving it some serious welly. At no point should the 1st green bar light up under normal driving conditions.
3. if the amber/red AYC check light and any of the green AYC bars are on permanently - there is a fault - and its either going to be fixed with a full AYC fluid change if your lucky or a new pump / something insanely expensive will be required.
4. dont trust keighley treat it like a private sale - get them down to 4K or less - whatever you buy the car for yo WILL need £1K for a full monty cambelt & AYC service, replace crappy jap spec tyres plus whatever else need fixed.....

try buying from a member here - you will end up with a good car that has a known history

[Axeboy]

And if you do buy, check the wheel nuts are tight...

[Nick Mann]

I think that if the car has a V5 you don't need to worry about the SVA. I am under the impression that the SVA is only required to get the car registered.

And like has been said, the AYC light to worry about is the red one on the right of the dash. If you are talking about the white one under the green bars, that should be on. The green bars should light up with the ignition and then go back out again. The red AYC light should do the same. Once driving, you should get AYC bars if you corner hard or accelerate/brake on a dodgy surface. The red AYC light should not come back on.

Good luck! Feel free to ask questions and also use the search button.

[D.J]

hi baz


4. dont trust keighley treat it like a private sale - get them down to 4K or less - whatever you buy the car for yo WILL need £1K for a full monty cambelt & AYC service, replace crappy jap spec tyres plus whatever else need fixed.....

Think I mentioned that..anyway there was one of the more respected importers caught shipping in Toyota's and rebadging as Lexus. When buying a jap import I'd of thought that anyone looking to buy an import would not go into it with rose tinted glasses etc.

[bazza]

guys i'm afraid that when i first started the car, i felt a certain movement in the trouser dept
My mate still thinks i should get a R33GTS but i think i'll wait for a saloon.

Can't say i noticed a 'red' AYC light, but the reason i enquired about the manual was that i thought it might help me identify half the switches that i couldn't understand the meaning of at the time.

I've checked the insurance anyway... better allround than my 620ti.

Wheels/tires aren't a problem 'cause the wolfrace i have on my 620ti will apparently fit (17's).

If/when someone does get round to uploading the manual, it may help people who haven't bought before, especially identifying if everything is working as it should.

I didn't know whether i should ask for the SVA or not.

cheers
bazza

ps. Haven't been here for a few days... had a right tiff with the missus over this (amongst other things)

[zedy1]

i have a nice v reg saloon with fsh for sale

[psbarham]

Wheels/tires aren't a problem 'cause the wolfrace i have on my 620ti will apparently fit (17's).

i think you may have made a bit of a boo boo there , the vr4 's pcd is 5x114mm and the rover 600 is 4x114mm which is the same as the V6 galant

[Nick Mann]

All 8g galants are 114 PCD. I think your Rover is too. I think your problem will be the number of studs - the 4WD galants have five studs. How many has your Rover got?

[bazza]

I've just checked the Rovers Wheel Studs - yes there's 4 of 'em, but the alloys i bought are Wolfrace, and they have 8 holes in them....

Any ideas?

Zedy - how much u want for your VR4?

cheers
bazza

[zedy1]

I've just checked the Rovers Wheel Studs - yes there's 4 of 'em, but the alloys i bought are Wolfrace, and they have 8 holes in them....

Any ideas?

Zedy - how much u want for your VR4?

cheers
bazza

hi bazza im looking for £7k and those wheels wont fit

[bazza]

when me moneys through in a couple of months i might have it off you.