Do i really want a NOVA

[daveRT]

I know its hard to believe but i am seriousley considering selling up and getting a nova. I know you must think why would anybody want to change a clio for a nova but thanks to my generous insurance company who said

"Yea, any mods you want, you can double the engine size if you really want to" Im thinking about getting a 2.0 16V nova, maybe even one with a turbod Calibra engine in about 250BHP. Theirs no shortage of converted cars but the troubles going to be finding one thats not resprayed in mint green or some other awful colour.

Im not a fan of novas but what are my other options considering im only looking at spending 2500 and need to have something with a coversion ??

205 MI16, what else ??

 

[KeyserSoze]

please dont get a Nova!!

There are other, better options to go for.

the 205 sounds a lot better, thing is can you find one?

 

[Dyewitness]

poor lad, dont worry i am sure its just a phase you are going through

 

[Simon172]

only problem with getting a nova is that youl get laughed at by pretty much everyone, including sorted-Orion owners: http://www.sorted-orions.co.ukwww.sorted-orions.co.uk (yes it does exist!!)

 

[bouncy tigger]

please put this down to a passing phase and dont do it!!!!
i know everyone has the right to make their own choices but.

think long and hard about this one

 

[Mikey16vClio]

I personally hate all Vauxhalls expect: (and this is specific)

Black or re-sprayed Corsa with,

Astra headlights,

lowered with alloys and an all important;

2lt turbo engine conversion! WOW!

Ive seen 1 shift but was standard looking, so if some1 put a gun to my head making me buy a Vauxhall it be that. Maybe a little more than ur budget but then i would never consider a Nova!

 

[aaronc]

205 every time.

I used ot have a nova once though in 1998 for a yr and the acr served me well.

 

[ClioJohn]

sure get a nova, i always like a good laugh

 

[rt172]

Yup, gotta be a 205. There are Turbo Technics 205s (and others Im sure) out there. Dont get a Nova!

 

[damo16v]

http://erc.qmuc.ac.uk/cliosport/file.php?image=1052948676__NOVA3.jpghttp://erc.qmuc.ac.uk/cliosport/file.php?image=1052948676__NOVA3.jpg

if your young and want cheap fun wots wrong wiv a nova?dont like 205s

 

[daveRT]

Its just the 250BHP turbo engine thak keeps making me think that id be able to shrug off the laughs and insults that i would constantly recieve, I know the 205 is the better option but they are rare, any body got any other ideas on decent conversions ??

 

[Mikey16vClio]

Same 2lt turbo engine will drop in a Corsa!

 

[damo16v]

my personal favourite is

http://erc.qmuc.ac.uk/cliosport/file.php?image=1052949605__MITP20.jpghttp://erc.qmuc.ac.uk/cliosport/file.php?image=1052949605__MITP20.jpg

very very quick if you can get traction!!

 

[16V_Matt]

yea seen 2.0 16v 2.0turbo novas

but sorry just cant get past the Nova! (i used to own one as a first car and it was a bag of sh*t)

 

[SupraConcept]

my 1st car was a nova and it was crap! altho on sunday nite i had a race with a modded nova with 15s and it must have had a 2ltr of sumink cos it sh**ed on me!!! however i caught him up on the corners and wen braking and ive got standard disks. i dont think a nova has a look in when it comes to clio vs nova for handling!

 

[007]

Do what you want m8 as its gonna be your car. I do reckon the same engine in a Corsa is a better idea! Cheap cars with lots of power are more of a laugh than most on here would admit.

I can see the appeal - lets face it you may think you look cool in your new Clio but the bloke in the Evo will look at you like you do at the bloke in the Nova. Never driven or even been in a Nova but I dont think they are bad cars just got a rep for the drivers they attracted.

But its all about fun in the end - my Willie may annialate B-roads, but is it more fun than my last overpowered rusty old MK3 fiesta? On the bends Yes - in the straights No

The Willie has got Power Steering and im getting old so it wins by default

 

[007]

BTW as this is a Renault site why not a R5 GT Turbo? youll get a cheap one of those and it goes round corners too!

 

[daveRT]

I have been looking out for corsas but theirs hardly any on the market and their quite expensive, I like the GTT but i need something with a conversion to suit my insurance.

 

[Essex_Lad]

av a look on http://www.corsasport.co.ukwww.corsasport.co.uk they normally have quite a few for sale!

 

[bobin]

Nova you will get laughed at but if you can get traction then you will be the one having the last laugh just do me a favour and get the engine out of a cav not a calibra as there aint many about any more

 

[Ben H]

If youve got £2.500 to spend, why not go for a 16v, 205 GTi or GT Turbo?? Buying a engine conversion car may seem like fun, but anything over a certain power output is going to make a Nova/Corsa chassis (made of twigs and loo roll) die very quickly.

As most people will agree, its much better to get a car that handles well and has merely average power, than an overpowered car in a rollox chassis.

 

[jonnyboy]

novas are brilliant. Ive been in a 2.0 non turbo and believe me they are amazingly quick, far quicker than a 172 and the handling is brilliant. If you can afford the insurance a pre modded nova is one of the best VFM cars you could possibly buy. Just make sure that the conversion was done by someone like courtney turbos and youll be alright.

 

[Ben H]

Well my mates Nova 2.0 (red top 150bhp) is quick, but I wouldnt say its going to give a 172 or 16v a complete panning. And as for handling, yes it has grip, courtesy of coilovers and bigger wheels - but I wouldnt confuse that with handling. By his own admission, its not a car for beating up the B-road opposition. Its too twitchy - no balance; too much weight up front; will break away too easily.

Another mate has just stuck in a 2.2 Honda Prelude engine into his Rover 216 Coupe. With a few tweeks, including a £2,500 ECU, it flies in a straight line and genuinely revs to 10,000 rpm. But it cannot handle again. Lots of grip, but tail happy etc...you get the idea!!

 

[SoLow]

just the rust side of things that puts me off. if the car aint been completely rebuilt/sprayed and treated its gonna rust to bits. then again a fwe valvers Ive seen lately aint exactly perfect.

2ltr Turbo si the one to go for but traction is a nightmare and they don not handle with the heavey engine up front

 

[RobFenn]

AHHH! Another mug obsessed with power! For the record the 1.6gti is better than the 1.9gti 205

-Rob

 

[noel-pilot]

NOVA please no!!!! Personal choice but there must be other alternatives...

...............£2500 .....Mercedes sell a very nice mountain bike for that price, handles better than most novas too!!!

hehehe

Good luck whatever you choose

 

[Ben H]

Quote: Originally posted by RobFenn on 15 May 2003


For the record the 1.6gti is better than the 1.9gti 205

Was that said in a "this is the voice of Oracle, earthling - the fountain of ALL knowledge" kind of way??!

 

[Lanky_mos]

Out of interest DaveRT how old r u?

nd i dont really get what the insurance company mean? explain somebody please! its almost as if they dont mind u droppin a nice 2.0 16v in, but surely this would rocket ur insurance......?

 

[timrud]

If I was going to get a Nova, itd have to be a 2.0l Turbo. Absolute animals if tuned, a real fight just to keep it in a straight line, and an easy scooby killer!

Find a company called RJ Automotives website, and their blue nove (around the 270bhp mark) is one of the nicest cars Ive seen.....

And I HATE Novas LOL

Tim

 

[Lanky_mos]

god im bored, hes got me thinking about buying a nova and dropping a nice 2.0ltr 16v in it, its just insurance really, how do u do it...???????

 

[Turkish]

get an old school bubble arch escort drop a big block chevy engine in it and fit coilovers

 

[jonnyboy]

Quote: Originally posted by Ben H on 15 May 2003
Well my mates Nova 2.0 (red top 150bhp) is quick, but I wouldnt say its going to give a 172 or 16v a complete panning. 


I wouldnt race one. Unless its a real old bag of sh*t a nova with a pucker engine conversion would just totally trash a 172. I remember when I went in the non turbo one, the same weekend I drove an impretza turbo and was amazed how evenly matched they were. Also there are a lot of novas about (especially the courtney turbo ones) that are fitted with a limited slip diff and even traction control, a top end properly converted nova is just gonna be so much faster than a 172 on paper or the road. As for the grip/ handling again it depends completely on the components used and how well balanced the car is.

I guess the only way you could really prove this one is by setting up a race...any volanteers?

 

[maff]

I heard the other day of someone putting a 2.5litre vectra engine in a nova, bet it goes! But if it was anything like my dads vectra, then itll need repairing quite often! If you want a fast car do it properly, against people who do it properly thats all i can say. seen a lot of smash ups the last few days!

 

[Ben H]

Im just going on what my mate has - a 2.0 16v red top in a Nova GSi.

Its not really moded (just filter and exhaust), so its about 170+bhp per ton (??). Certainly no LSD etc!! Just coilovers, 17s etc.

Anyway, it will get ahead of my tuned Valver (mainly given the torque advantage of the red top), but not by much, maybe three cars length by the ton - and it really has trouble if roundabouts or bends enter the equation. Id say that this particular example wouldnt pan a 172.

And as a package its just a street racer and 1/4 miler. I would rather buy a standard 205 GTi etc and tune it later. Each to their own!

 

[Rasclart]

I used to have a Nova GTE on Twin 40s, Cammed, gas flowed etc!!

Was really good at the time and it did fly and sound nice. But is a Bloody Nova and I drove a GSi the other day and thought YUCK

How could I ever drive a Nova!! But was Ok at the time!! But the valver wins in all respects!!

DONT DO IT!!!

Insurance will be absolutely mad as well!

 

[billabong]

DONT GET A NOVA!!!!!!!!!!!! They are sh*te to drive, sh*te to look at, they rot away (a lot more than Clios of a similar age) and most people look at Nova drivers and think what t**sers!!!

 

[IanH]

As an active member of both the PNG and Clio Sport, and with a fair bit of Nova experience, perhaps the following may be of use.

Even when new, Novas werent known for their handling balance, and had a fairly hard ride - Vauxhalls idea of a sporting hatch. But they are honest, cheap tuneable fun (especially nowadays).

If you are considering dropping a big lump in, a chassis strengthening kit is a must - 2 litres will pull the front end apart (Ive seen it!) after a few months of interesting driving, and a turbo lump will only magnify the problem.

Yes they do have difficulty in going round corners, but thats because theres an extra 49kg hanging out front when converted to 2 litre power. They can be tamed with a few choice suspension mods. however, although I wouldnt go as far to say as they would be converted to 16v/Williams/172 etc.. levels.

Good fun in a straight line though - Friend has a standard looking GSI with 16" alloys, lowered suspension, LSD and bog standard 204bhp Calibra Turbo engine with 5 speed box (6 speed going in shortly) - runs 13.8 sec quarters all day long @ 105mph, and is his everyday car.

Although Ive recently bought a new 172 (which is fantastic), I wouldnt dream of selling my Nova as its had too much money thrown at it and you never get it back. Still gives me a huge buzz every time I drive it which isnt very often now unfortunately.

Hope this helps.

Ian H.

P.S - Quickest 1/4 mile I know of was 13.1 sec back in 1998ish. Gives you something to aim for!