NEED ADVICE ON BUYING VALVER

[Corsa SRi]

Right people, touch wood, i should be looking at selling my corsa tonight! im after a valver, now i have around 1700 available for the valver, what kind of condition car am i looking at for that price???

i dont really want one with high mileage but realise that with my limited budget this might be a problem! whats the average mileage for the valvers?

also which phase of valver is the best one(this could start an argument!!! whoops!!!)

Thanx in advance for all your help guys and gals!

 

[Mikey16vClio]

I think ud be lucky to get any good Valver for under 2k but the phase 2 is a little more refined however there isnt much difference.

White 16vs seem to go for less looking at Auto trader recently. Check all the buying guides and use ur comman sense, but it will be slim pickings at that money really.

 

[Daz]

I did a search for Valvers on AutoTrader, and there were a few under £1700, mainly Phase 1s tho!

Phase 1/2.. dunno, they both have different things - side strips, I prefer Phase2, but you can put them on the Phase1 anyway!

Personal choice, but for £1700, Id guess itd probably be a Phase1.. around K reg.

 

[Rasclart]

Hi ya mate

At that price you may get one that is a not A1 but look hard. check for rust on rear quarters. Accident Damage. You are best of having a look on the for sale board here. As most valvers on here are looked after and are maintained. Maybe Increase the Budget to around £2000 gives lot more scope, as you can knock people down!

I expect milage will be around 80-90K maybe bit more. But as long as they have been looked after shouldnt have any probs. Look for massive folders full of receipts. MAKE sure a Cambelt has been changed recently. Shuld be done around 67K ish

Usually valvers around 80-90 have had loads replaced on them so that is a good thing.

I prefer the Phase 1 but the differences are only cosmetic. And Interiors are slightly different.

 

[Rasclart]

And be preapred if you cant afford to maintain them properly they will get there own back in the form of large bills!!

 

[Mikey16vClio]

True

 

[Corsa SRi]

How do u mean mate, what large bills should i be lookin at as i travel to manchester every weekend from preston and at least once a month travel a round trip of 300 miles to hull and back, is a valver a bad choice??? 2k may not be feasable yet, depends on the sale of my corsa!

 

[Rasclart]

Well they are very Maintenance Intensive. If bits go wrong and you leave them they usually take other stuff out with it!!

Or if they are not serviced etc. Also a easy job on another car is a f**king pain in the ass on a Valver. They are great cars but be warned!

 

[tom-in-notts]

for under 2k I think you might be a bit shy. Unless you intend spending time / money working on it. Considered a good RT or RSI? Not quite in the same performance league but you could pick up a cracking example for 2k . . .

 

[Ben H]

Yeah, you can get a Valver for under £2k but they will tend to be fairly scruffy at that sort of price. Even if you could stretch to £2.5k then it would put you in the bidding for Valvers advertised at £3k. Most people that bought 16vs that cheap on here have bought them as trackday cars/restoration projects.

Thing is, youre buying a proper hot hatch and a hot hatch can costs lots more to repair than the basic car (in this case the Mk1 Clio, which isnt the cheapest small car to repair/maintain anyway). Biggest bills are transmission, engine and rear arch related - budget on over £500 for each of them unless youre lucky. Thats why a lot of people sell them.

Go find that guide I wrote for you in one of the last posts you made - thatll help if you go to look at any.

 

[Baz]

Valvers are costly to own but at the end of the day if you get a good one and look after it these costs are minimal, youll be lucky to find anything A! for under £2300, amke sure you check the rear arches for rust and bubbling! Thats expensive to solve!

 

[Rajk]

i have a buyers guide from revs magazine send me an email and i will send it to you! To be honest IF i were you buy a shabby one for about £600 and restore it with the cash you have left, but be warned the Gearboxes are generally POO, along with the steering coloumns, but dont get me wrong the valver is the best car i have owned but be prepared to shell out for stuff or spending alot of time in the garage working on it yourself!

 

[Corsa SRi]

cheers people, all your tips and bits of help have been taken into careful consideration and appriciated.

Yours, a soon to be proud owner of a valver!

 

[SteveJJH]

OK, i agree with the general feel here that youre not gonna get a good one for £1700 unless youre very very lucky. Things to look out for are:

Rusty crap on the water expansion tank - could be engine wear, Big dead zone in the straight ahead position on the steering - worn rack. Bubbles above the rear arches - rust. Gear stick moves around alot - gear box or mounts?

Dont be too worried about noises coming from the power steering, mine did that for over a year with no probs.