I may just blacklist Ebay.

Nov 24, 2005 20 Replies

I thought Wadddafug, if we are going to get mental snow this year, I might look for something fun and cheap and RWD like a Chevette or Viva.



So I browsed to the home of un-needed s**te, tapped in "Vauxhall Viva".



The results came back with plenty to look at, but then had the cheek to suggest "Did you mean Vauxhall Nova". No I very didn't. How very dare it. What is it trying to suggest? And WTF use would that be in snow I ask you.


My mates Nova was a right laugh in the snow :) Not much weight etc, so it didn't get stuck badly, and a vicous handbrake...

I don't want to resort to the handbrake. I know how much fun any RWD car can be in the snow.

My old Estelle was the drift king as long as the road had zero grip. Anything more than a few % grip though and it stuck like s*it to a sheep. RWD with the engine and trans slung right between the rear wheels. Made for excellent traction until you wanted to play.

Shame there are less than 100 Estelle and Rapids registered on the road. Wonder what I could get a late model Lada riva for?

You really don't want one of them. They're underpowered and awful in the snow. I had 2.... my Estelle was brilliant by comparison...

Mike P

My dad had a pre-Riva Lada 1600ES (Twin headlights, vinyl & alloys - oh, the luxury!), I remember that was fun in the snow!

I don't want good or brilliant handling.

I want the tail flapping about like a numpty in something I dispose of with salt water.

You might want to look for a 1600 one then, more power = more fun :-) 1200 didn't have enough power for decent fun in the snow, and the steering is too low-geared

a rotten Crapi 2.0 with a few months ticket on is what you want for fun in the snow :-)

Mike P

Yeah but somebody would want to save it. Was looking at Cortinas and Saphs though. But I ideally wanted something smaller.

if it was going to be saveable, then a Viva, Chevette, Avenger/Sunbeam would be ideal, but very few of them seem to exist any more.

Unfortunately probably the case, but you might get an old rotten Laser 1.6 that no one wants. My old mate John went sideways then backwards more times than I remember in the snow in his old manky one

An oldgirlfriend of mine when I lived in Greece had a blue 2.0 Cortina (Crusader?) it was fantastic on those slippy Greek roads in the wet, sideways easily, dead easy to control. The sierra 2.0 I later drove seemed a bit snappy at the back end.

I hadn't seen a Viva for years until about 2 days ago. There's an old boy who comes down for his bacon butties in the morning to the van outside our office. It's a mint M reg one with 22,000 genuine miles on it!

Mike

What about a Volvo 340? They RWD, comfy, ill handling and cheap? There's one in good nick 19 miles from me for £175 on Autotrader. Can't be too far from you either as I'm just North of Bury...

Mike P

In news:Zqjhf.2724$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe7-gui.ntli.net, Mike P decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

Hmm, mine's way too tidy... but that's almost a good enough reason to fix the bloody thing.

FWD fun in the snow? You've never driven a RWD I take it?

We had one of them too - 1600ES in burnt orange with brown velour interior and black vinyl roof - LLS 556T... It drunk fuel more than a V12 Jag with the choke jammed on. Zero traction - at all.

Yes. Whats your point? Maybe i'm just a better driver than you all and i'm able to have fun in a FWD as well ;-) ?

You obviously haven't if you need to ask.

There is one in Warrington, + a couple of bog standard MK1 Escorts. All in original low mileage mint condition, all driven by old giffers in flat caps.

But they are beautiful to see in a "basic old car" kind of way.

Hmm, never thought of the 340. Worth thinking about, especially the 1.7.

--=20 Carl Robson Car PC Build starts again.

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Hmm, never thought of the 340. Worth thinking about, especially the 1.7.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned a 240, particularly a GLT. Cheap as chips, more than enough power for the snow, tail happy as standard...and heated seats...what more can you ask for??!!

Currently £155

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Or £51!!
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