Volvo 480 Turbo

yeah you just have to be creative with an MR2 you can get a lot of crap in them hehe.

supposed to fun little cars, handle quite well. electrics can be iffy.

Slow and dull. Must admit I did like the shape when they first came out tho :)

try here for info

I love 'em. However:

They're a bit gutless for a turbo car. They are fragile. They are FWD. They rust; particularly on the windscreen frame, around the rear arches, the leading edge of the doors, and behind the back bumper. The electronics are approaching Italian levels of evil - everything is controlled via a central computer that makes a VIC-20 look sophisticated.

Pre '92 models are... interesting. Post '92 things get better.

Interiors are fragile, particularly the dashboard and boot trims.

They are, sadly, rather humdrum to drive, but very comfortable, I think they look fantastic, they are practical, and the 2.0i is a tough little thing. Shame they never turbocharged the 2.0i really.

Not something I'd choose to drive for 'fun' though.

Richard

I'm a Volvo freak, but I wouldn't buy one that didn't have a 2 or a 7 in the model number. My mate bought a 480, turbo failed after a few days, lovely electrics when they worked. I did like the thing where if you had the front wipers on and then selected reverse, it would automatically wipe the rear window. He replaced the turbo btw, than sold it on quick smart. Made a small profit.

I liked:

Oil level displayed on fuel level when preparing to start the car. Original cars: Intermittent wipe switches to fast wipe when you floor it. Later cars: Total closure system. Door lock illumination. Ability to use foglights without having the (high, relative to driving position) headlights switched on, really cutting down on glare in fog. Also, with new side/turn units, the DRLs are actually quite bright.

Wiper + reverse isn't exactly rare, my gf's Scorpio does it, as did my old Mercedes... But did you ever notice that the front and rear wipers were synchronised...

Richard

Hmmm doesnt sound like the ideal everyday car if all the electrickery is so unreliable. Will see what condition everything is in and maybe just sell it on then. I can put the money towards bits for the proper Volvo. No 2 or 7 in the name though :)

Thats what I like about the ZX. Dont have to keep pulling the bonnet to check it.

Sounds like it had some funky stuff on it (for an old car). I can see why people moan about the electricvs - plenty to go wrong!

I would personally stick with what you have and buy something more tuneable.

Get a Golf mk2 GTi and join the club :)

I'm going to do just that if things work out for me over the next few weeks.

I wouldn't need a Passat to do 30 miles / day.

So call me old fashioned !!! LOL - Best of luck though. :-)

They're not that unreliable, to be fair. Usually it's connections and the odd relay failure.

Richard

It's a Renault, what did you expect ?

The sale of your Passat should provide you with a very clean example, I take it you will be going for a late 8v GTi? Although I know you have a perversion for the small bumper version ;)

200 and 700s are too big. The 300 is just the right size and is well balanced. Shame it didnt come with some more of the other engines, but at leats they just bolt in if I fancied some more horses

Stick with the ZX? No thanks. The 480 is free so I wont be saying no to that. The 360 will be the event car, and its very easily tuneable for not much money at all.

Pah, boring. Wrong wheels are being driven.

Quite so. Even with the cart spring rear they can be made to handle very well as the body is so stiff, and with plenty of HP and torque to overcome the weight they are very squirtable. Make sure you find a donor car with the quicker PAS rack, rather than the 3.5turn lock-to-lock non PAS car.

Just mind you dont bend the rear axle with too much sliding around! lol.

Tim..

There is a test sequence that you can get by bridging a pair of wire connectors on a diag port in the drivers footwell, flicking on one indicator, then turning the ignition on.

It runs through a series of tests including everything like the horn and indicators, then it blinks a fault code when finished to tell you what is wrong if it found anything.