Conference terri::cars_uk

    
    I'm considering changing my Astra SR 1.6 D reg,for a G reg Nova Swing
    1.2L.My Astra has 60,000 on the clock,the Nova has 15,000 (with full
    service history).
    
    Pro's
    The Nova is much newer and has less milage.
    It's got 5 speed and a good dashboard (Nova SR style)
    Insurance will de slightly lower(I've lost my NCB and i'm dreading my
    re-newal for my Astra)
    The Astra is quicker,and handles better.
    
    Against.
    As I drive on the motorway every day,but it has 60k
    on the clock.The last Nova I drove was my old 1983 Y reg 1.2L ,not very
    impressive.
    
    Question
    Are the newer Nova's any better?
    Do they sit at 80mph on the motorway(should it be quieter than my old
    one).
    Is it worth it?
    
    Obviously I have my opinion,but what do you think?
    
    Andy.

    Personally, I don't like the dash... but I remember reading in some car
    rag a while ago that the Nova as an excellent reputation for
    reliability. So if you plan on keepin it a while I recon it'll be a
    very good choice.
    
    PC 

Two big negatives - It's noisy at speed and room (head, leg and luggage) is 
much more limited than in the Astra.

Re: .15

If you can afford it, go for the 1.4 or 1.6 Nova instead.   They complain less 
about constant higher speeds.

The 1.4 Nova is comparable to a 1.6 Astra in performance terms.   The Noise
reduction is better on the bigger Novas, although the headroom is still the
same. 


The Nova injection engine is miles better, more responsive, quieter, more
reliable, more economical etc etc, than the carburated versions of all sizes. 

    -ves are: 

    brick aerodynamics; noisey & (I would hazard) fuelly, at 80+mph,
    looks; look at it !, &
    re-sale value; value _could_ fall as the [totally] new model is out shortly

    +ves are:

    cheap parts &
    proven reliability; the reason why so many were sold probably
    
    Mike.

    Does anyone know if there was a separate model name for the notchback
    version, like Astra/Belmont?
    
    Richard (who hates Novas)
    

    Crappycar/Reallycrappycar ?

Re: .19

>    -ves are: 

>    brick aerodynamics; noisey & (I would hazard) fuelly, at 80+mph,
>    looks; look at it !, &
>    re-sale value; value _could_ fall as the [totally] new model is out shortly


I don't know what Nova's you've driven, but none of the one's I've driven have 
been as you describe....looks are a personal thing anyway...

My Nova is quiet up to 115 mph...no noisier than at 50...it does a constant 
average of 38mpg regardless of how it's driven, and is most economical at 
80-95mph cruising.

resale value is always good, and new models don't seem to affect the resale of 
previous models that much.


It is a narrow, short car, and as such has the major positive of being 
wonderfully easy to find parking places for :-)


Basically if you like the   escort,sierra,astra, etc pear type shapes, you
won't like the Nova shape...but then Mr Atkins likes Minis :-) 

    
    Hello, Car Fleet ?

    
    RE.21
    
    	My,how constructive!!!!
    
    RE.22
    
    	>>Mr Atkins likes minis
    
    	???Since when???????????
    
    Andy.

    
>    RE.22
>    
>    	>>Mr Atkins likes minis
>    
>    	???Since when???????????
    

Mistake on my part......you (unless there's another ATKINS) have noted about 
them enough, and never said you *didn't* like them :-)

.22
> My Nova is quiet up to 115 mph...no noisier than at 50...it does a constant 
			 ^^^
    
    Freefall speed perhaps ?
    
    

> > My Nova is quiet up to 115 mph...no noisier than at 50...it does a constant 
			 ^^^
    
>    Freefall speed perhaps ?
    
nope, dual carriageway speed....    

> > > My Nova is quiet up to 115 mph...no noisier than at 50...it does a constant 
			 ^^^
    
> >   Freefall speed perhaps ?
    
>    nope, dual carriageway speed....    

Nah,  ridiculously optimistic speedometer reading!

> Nah,  ridiculously optimistic speedometer reading!

You don't know Nova's at all do you....

The Nova GSi has a top speed of 117 and can reach that easily, the old SRi has 
a top speed of around 110.

Your big-car bias has blinded you to the potential of small light car + largish 
engine.

    You small car + largish engined cars are blinded by the performance and
    to the suicidal potential of 115 MPH on a dual carriageway!!!!
    
    Richard

� ... potential of small light car + largish engine.
    
    I have no doubts that the Nova GSi is fairly quick (not what I call fast).
    
    I do have serious doubts that it is as quiet when driving at 50 mph
    as it is when at three-figure speeds.
    
    I think that's a false claim.
    
    Or it is very noisy at 50 mph...
    
    
    Also, Jane, shouldn't you be able to spot wind-ups by now and treat
    them for what they are ?  You've had plenty of practice at it, but
    it still seems that you cannot resist entering yet another short note
    to continue the argument(s) !   :-)
    
    J.R.

    I'm sure it's entirely safe, but 117mph in a Nova?
    
    I suspect that the combination of a small, light car and a largish
    engine is potentially the key to a door I don't want to open....
    
    Richard
    
    

>    to the suicidal potential of 115 MPH on a dual carriageway!!!!
    
almost dead straight, virtually empty, and daylight...nothing suicidal about 
that at all...


And Rutter, GSYHUADBB...



car, engine, suspension, brakes, handling are all up to the job,  115mph feels
fine....better in the Nova than in the Golf and Renault...

    Hi,
    
    Well, reading all these comments on the car I thought I would give my
    views as I drive a Nova GTE.
    
    1 - I agree, it's not the best looking car around, but I like it for 
        the price I paid 2 years ago.
    
    2 - Nope...although it's quite sturdy and it feels safe to drive, I
        wouldn't want to be in a crash at 115mph. But then again, I
        wouldn't want to be in any car that crashed whilst doing 115+mph!!!
    
    3 - Yes, the Nova is capable of 115+ mph...I've done it and that was at
        about 6000rpm.
    
    4 - Yes it's relatively noisey at 115mph but not enough to need your
        stereo at full blast or with the need to shout to the passenger.
    
    So, it's got its good points and its bad points...but at the end of 
    the day, doesn't every car???
    
    Mike
    

OK (in my experience) cars noiser than a Nova at 100mph+

Golf (can't remember, not a GTi though)
Fiesta XR2
Escort 
Astra (old type)
Astra 1.6
Rover 216
Metro
Renault 5
Peugeot 205
Citroen AX
Mini (it's noiser over 60 so it must be if it could make 100 :-))


A Nova at those speeds definitely couldn't be classed as quiet, that would be 
something more like a Mercedes, but it's definitely not "noisy"...

For the money, and as long as you are under 5'8", a comfortable, practical 
little car.



now for the definition of "noisy":

The requirement to raise your voice speaking to a passenger.
		to have to turn the noise system up (radio/cassette/cd etc)
		not being able to hear clearly if someone talks to you
		etcetera.

    
    RE-15
    
    I've decided to get the Nova.I took a look at it the other day,and was
    quite happy with it.I would keep my Astra but being the baby in
    amongst you old's,the insurance is a nightmare.
    
    	So bye bye Astra   :-(
    
    
    	Andy.
    
    P.S. I was at college yesterday,and missed out on all the fun!! 

Who you calling old!!!

    Yeah; 22 & counting s'il vous plait !

Can anybody shed any light on this "problem" :


I have a '91 SR - the facelift model, with 24.5k on the clock.
The problem seems to be in the amount of oil it consumes - volume of fluid 
consumed similar to a Scotsman on a Saturday night !  Ok, well not quite, but it
is probably going through about a litre (I think) ,every 3-4 weeks.  There is no 
drip from the car, but I have noticed a  fair amount of gunk on the cylinder head.
I have tightened the top bolts ( most moved nearly a full turn) but other than 
that I am lost.

Anyone had any similar problems, and if so, how did you remedy them ??

Another quickie :  is the car prone to requiring frequent tuning , cos it seems 
to be taking a long time to reach top end ??  -  I just changed the plugs, but
noticed a lot of small cracks on the HT leads. Could this have any bearing ???

How many miles do you do ?

I think the manual says about 1litre per thousand miles. 

Mark, that manual must be about right, cos I probably do close to 600 -700 
miles a WEEK !   Travel from Glasgow to Ayr every day (circa 80 miles roundtrip)
then there is all the other journays on top of that.

it does still seem quite a lot of liquid over a relatively short distance.


Anyone know what the *real* top-end is on the SR ??  My speedo shows about 112
but I dont quite think so !


Another point, any SR/SRI drivers in the Vauxhall SR owners club thingy ??
If so, how much is it, what do you get from it etc etc ??




Cheers,
       Warren

I know it seems a lot. Most of the Vauxhalls are quoted as using quite a bit 
of oil.

Strangely, if they're are ever rebored/ring replaced, then the problem stops. 
Whether this means their build tolerances are over large, or they know 
something about the engine that I don't, is anybody's guess.

	Yes, my wife's Cavalier SRi drinks oil at about that rate.  This
	has always surprised me, specially since the Marlin with its Ford
	lump uses very little oil.

	Dave

Well. it seems the best solution is to carry a 25 litre oil drum in the 
back seat (it probably wouldn't fit into the boot!)

Glug glug

Warren

My last three cars and my current car were/are all Vauxhalls, none of them
used more than a litre between services and that's approx. the difference
between the minimum and maximum marks on the dipstick.

Dave.

Re .45,

Dave , were your Vauxhalls in the *performance* class ??  I also had a Cav diesel 
and it used little oil between services.
Could it be any greater an engine pressure or something ?

Only a thought.


Warren

re.46:

What does performance class mean?

They were;

Cavalier 1300L Saloon	- driven until 74K miles
Astra GTE 1.8i Hatch    -  "  "    "   56K miles
Cavalier SRi 2.0i Hatch -  "  "    "   34K miles
Cavalier CDi 2.0i Hatch -  "  "    "   36K miles

Dave.

Sorry, what I meant was SR, SRI, GTE GSI etc.

Being fairly new to the SR I just found it surprising that I was going through
so much oil compared to other cars I have owned.

ie   Cavalier 1.6DL
     Alfasud  1.5SC
     Rover 213S

None of these were exactly *performance* cars. (With the possible exception of 
the Alfa, but it always needed oil as it had a leak as well as a dodgy breather 
hose, which caused oil to spew from the dipstick - eventually solved)

I just thought that some of the sportier cars in the range may for some reason
or another use more oil than others in the range.
It appears from the responses that the answer to my original question was Yes,
it is normal for the car to use a fair amount of oil.

Sorry for the confusion over *performance*


Warren 

I have had the Nova GTEi and now a Nova GSi

The only additional oil ever needed with either of them was a � litre top up 
before the GTE had it's first service.   Neither has required extra oil between 
services, since then.

RE: .-1 

>> The only additional oil ever needed with either of them was a � litre top up 
>>before the GTE had it's first service.   Neither has required extra oil between 
>>services, since then.

presumably, except when you are "burning off" other cars!

;-)

Mark.

> presumably, except when you are "burning off" other cars!

what a remarkably stupid comment....you should never over stress a new engine.

Well, whatever you lot think and whatever miraculous experiences you have 
had, Vauxhall are under the impression that cars built more than a couple of 
years ago use 1l oil per 1k miles.

    Re last.
    
    	I agree with the last remark. I had two 1300L Astras (5 door) as my
    first couple of company cars. The MK1 was bought with 20K on the clock
    and was sold at 70K. The MK2 was brand new up until it died abruptly
    due to a broken engine mount at 60K.
    	The MK1 always drank oil. In the end it was always 1 litre per
    1000 miles.
    	The MK2 started off ok, but after 30k it started to drink oil as
    well, eventually reaching the same rate.
    	It should be said that these cars were well used/abused doing lots
    of high speed (85mph) for long milages. Also I never filled tha car
    with the same oil. When I filled up with petrol, I bought 500ml and
    poured it in, irrespective of who made the oil. Using hindsight, I'm sure 
    this did not help matters.
    	Since I have had a variety of cars which have included two MK2 Astra
    CD 1.8i's. One handed in with 60K and the other I still have with 45k on
    the clock. Neither of these cars drink the same quantity of oil. I use
    the same oil as the garage (GTX) but I don't do the same type of
    milages. Some times I have to add oil inbetween services and some times
    I haven't.
    	Chris
    

Another question to get you all talking...

Anyone put a big  bore exhaust on the Nova SR ??
If so, was it worth the money ?
Did you notice any increase in performance ?
How much was it ?
What make was it/ would you recommend ?

I am thinking of a back box (not complete system) and would appreciate any
comments.


Warren_lets_hope_the_Chancellor_doesnt_increase_the_cost_of_Castrol!!

    When the first SR's came out my brother put a big bore exhurst on his
    and it did help the top end.
    Mind you something was wrong with his as it would rev past the end of
    the Tacho and cruise on the motorway at over 100 all day. (his license will
    back this up). The speedo was only used to record the mileage as all speeds
    were worked out using the rev's and the gear ratios.
    He ran a good oil and changed it every 10K and when he finally sold it
    with nearly 50K on it it sounded and went like new.
    On one of the few times I was allowed to drive it on a bright sunny day
    I pulled out of a side raod put my foot down and thought the clutch was
    sliping but when the smoke started appearing from under the wing I
    reliesed that the tyres had just let go. In the wet it was a nightmare.
    It was great fun and stright out of the garage.(mind you when we did
    check the cam one weekend it seemed to have about 50% more lift than
    standard one.!!!?
    
    
    
    

Anyone any idea where I can find out the gear ratios on the SR (1.4) ??

I would like to get an *accurate* speed indication.

I have tried the owner manual, but found nothing.


Ta

Warren

Speed (mph) per 1000rpm  manual transmission

		4th	14.7
		5th	18.5

Transmissions

Clutch Diameter	7.5in.
Gear ratios	1	3.55:1
		2	2.14:1
		3	1.43:1
		4	1.12:1
		5	0.89:1
Rev.			3.31:1
Final Drive Ratios	3.94:1

Engine size		1389cc	
Max power		72 PS (53kW) @5600rpm 
Max torque		79.7 lb.ft. (108Nm) @3000rpm
Compression ratio	9.4:1

Thats the berries Heather.

Does that mean that "theoretically", if the car was pulling 6000 revs in 5th gear
it would be travelling at 6 * 18.5 = 115 mph ??

All theoretical of course...

As in, would this be a more reliable indicator of the speed you were going,
rather than using the speedo reading ?????


Warren

I mean 111 mph , not 114.  Bad arithmetic I'm afraid.

>Thats the berries Heather.


	Methinks I never said a word.


	Heather

Re: .59

> I mean 111 mph , not 114.  Bad arithmetic I'm afraid.

Yep its top speed is theoretically approx 111mph


(and I'm not Heather :-) )

Er, sorry folks, bad case of forgetf... what was I talking about there ????


SHould have read thats the berries Jane  (correct this time or do I still not win
a watch??)

Warren

    �SHould have read thats the berries Jane 
    
    Well.......... If ::ALFORD doesn't bother to sign their name !
    
    Royston (most of us know its you though Jane :-) )

When was the last time Jane and Heather were confused for each other?

One's about 5' 2", one's about 6' 2", so that's usually a good distinguising
feature.

But of course, whithin Notes, you can't tell how tall the noter is.

That d**n non-verbal communication catches you out again.

Peter.

(all sizes approximate, by the way - I don't want to start another 
rat-hole about measurements!)

Of course I don't sign my name....that's my option !

	Look folkes,

	I am the Devon Dumpling, always have been the Devon Dumpling, and have
	always been called Heather.........

	and I'm not 6'2"


	Heather

Oh yes, and I'm not 5'2"

:-)

Anyone ever tried taking the new style dashboard apart ??

Reason...

one of the bulbs behind the heater controls blew, so I pulled it out (the bulb)
and bought a new one.  All fine and well.  Then I tried to replace the bulb ;-(
I promptly pushed the bulb holder into the depths of the dash, and I fear the 
only way to retrieve the B*&^*ything is to sstrip off part of the dash.

Any tips for doing so ??  
Can I get away with only removing part of the dash ??
Why do simple jobs always end up giving you heartache ??

Warren

Would anybody be able to hazard a guess at a reasonable price for an A or B reg
Nova 1.3 SR, in reasonable condition.  I'm looking to buy one soon, and have no
idea about a fair price.  Prices in this weeks auto trader can be as high as
1900 quid 8-(


Mark

    
    
    Not sure about an A or B but my wife just sold her F - reg for 3600.
    
    Have you tried looking in that book they sell monthly at newsagents;
    the prices in there are pretty realistic, from my experience. I think
    it's called something like Car Prices and has about A5 size pages.
    
    
    Ian 
                                             

I had a look, but they only go back to 1985 Bs...  I really want an A, seeing as
that's probably all I can afford 8-(

Mark,

Looking at that reg of car, I personally would not spend more than � 1200-1300 
on it.  You will need to obviously bear in mind, that this car aint an "ordinary" 
Nova, and will no doubt have had the ar*e kicked out it by most/all of the 
owners.

But I'm sure you'll be aware of that.

/warren

Ahhhh - just about as much as I can stretch to...

I'd heard that Vauxhall engines weren't up to lots of punishing driving, so I'll
have to be careful.  Still, it'll probs be in better condition than the engine
in my Mini!

Still looking....

    I think that the Nova SR uses the 1.3 OHC engine, with a close ratio
    gearbox. This is the same engine as I had in my old 1.3 Astra which was
    a wee cracker! It is strong and reliable, flexible and potent (for a
    1.3). It also responds well to basic tuning mods, such as a decent air
    filter and exhaust. These give it significantly more oomph in the mid
    range, but don't really do much to the 0-60 time (which isn't too bad
    anyway)
    
    You also get good instumentation and comfy recaro seats and alloyish
    wheels.
    
    Judging by the amount of old Novas kicking around I would say it was a
    good buy!
    
    
    Dave

.73> I'd heard that Vauxhall engines weren't up to lots of punishing driving, so I'll

Who told you that? I've got a 16v Calibra which has been driven hard for 120,000 miles
and, apart from the classic Vauxhall ems quirks, it's never given me any trouble. Does'nt
even burn oil.

Clive

A friend of mine (who's in the car business!!!!) mentioned it.

I must admit that I'd never heard of a problem with them, and a lot of my
friends have had Vauxhalls that sort of age...

He must have been talking out of his .......

    RE.73
    
    I have an Astra SRi which RIOT01::SUMMERFIELD  drove hard for a great
    many miles, and its still on the road!  Well...you say the name 'Clive'
    out loud and it visibly shivers, but it still goes.  It also seems to
    go faster all by itself the nearer it gets to Barnsley...
    
    Mikef

re .77

Amazing, isn't it. Anyone would think I was a car abuser. :^)

    re-1
    
    Isn't that 'trainee' car abuser?
    
    Mikef

re .79

No, just 'inexperienced' car abuser.

Clive

I would definately agree that the engine is a reasonably good performer.

The only problem is sometimes when you are doing nearer the 80-90 mark and 
you want to overtake, it could do with a bit more oomph, but what do you 
expect from a 13/1400 ?

I am hoping that with regular maintence (and some TLC) that my SR's engine will
do 100,000 +  .

BTW, dont worry too much about leaky gaskets on the rocker cover, as they all do
that.  I even had a new Vauxhall gasket fitted and it still seeps out.
- the faces were all smooth before the cover went back on.

The close ratio box is also good.
But the brakes are crap.  I am considering the calipers and vented discs from a 
GTE Nova/Astra/Cav to help the problem.... comments welcome here thanks.

Re a couple back...


What sort of air-filter and exhaust were you referring to ??

I just wondered on the use of a Peco big Bore 2.

then I found the hole in my exhaust is in the middle section  ;-(

/warren

.73> I'd heard that Vauxhall engines weren't up to lots of punishing driving, 

.76>A friend of mine (who's in the car business!!!!) mentioned it.

He was talking about Chevettes and the old mk1 Cav's - and before anyone jumps
I know people who have driven both of the afore mentioned to over 125,000 miles,
but without reasonable care these engines generally didn't last very long.

Andy

    I can't remember the manufacturer of the air-filter, but basically it
    was a foam equivilent of the standard paper one. I think I got the name
    and address out of one of the car mags... Fast Car I think. I just
    unclipped the cover from the air filter box and popped it in. Dead
    easy.
    
    The exhaust I used was a Jetex... cost a bomb and weighed a lot more
    than the original! It didn't increase the noise too much but it did
    sound a lot better!! A deeper rumbling sort of sound... The only
    problem I had with it was that the rubber band that holds the back
    silencer on kept breaking 'cos of the extra weight!! I eventually
    "reinforced" it with a length of copper wire!!
    
    I also "fixed" the brakes, which suffer from disk warping with TAR-OX
    disks and pads... Phenomenal braking power!!!!! They would be good with
    ABS!! They dropped the pedal pressure needed to stop you by about 70%!!
    ie I had to be DEAD carefull in the wet or it would skid!!
    
    
    After all this I flogged it and got a dog , two weans and a Pug 505 GTI
    estate!!
    
    Dave

    
    The only criticism I can make about the Nova, is the cylinder head 
    gasket tends to blow around the 50,000 mile mark. This happened to me, 
    it has also happened to a few of my friends.
    
    The cylinder head gasket was the only thing to go, and the car had done 
    90,000 miles. The car was serviced regularly, every 6,000 miles.
    
    Iain...