Petrol Blue 182.
I think this is probably the best place for me to have a thread on the joys and downfalls of V6 ownership.
It's not really a project as such as it's predominantly going to remain standard.
I've always had a hankering for a Vee, for me, it's the ultimate Clio. It's always been a goal for me to either own or atleast drive!
This thread will be a way for me to hopefully show you costings, things to look out for and general updates in the time I own my V6.
A bit like Ali's thread but a nicer colour.
The background storey.
I drive a ph1 172, which I've owned for about a year at this point. Bought as a dog and restored to a somewhat better condition (but thats another storey)
After working far to many hours, I've managed to save up enough to atleast, go halfs on a house deposit with the other half.
Things eventualy go sour within the relationship after approx 5 years with her. I'm left single, and a large sum of money in the bank doing nothing.
I start to browse PH for V6's. I've made my mind up.
Ph1's are now sub 10k for minters, but a ph1 just doesn't float my boat. Unless it's the rare Illiad Blue, but I've never seen any for sale.
It needs to be a ph2, Illiad, Mars or Acid.
An acid comes up for sale, 1 owner, low miles but for 20k :dapprove: This is then followed by a much more common Illiad, reasonable money. This could be the one!
At this point I start to research the car on the V6 forum, what I'm told by people who know the car puts me off, undertray missing, curbed alloys, stone chipped bumper, missaligned bumpers etc. It just put me off.
(For anyone looking to buy a V6, sign up to V6.net what they know about the cars historys are inclredible, it's likely the V6 you'll be looking at would have passed through the club at some point)
The V6.
Nothing came up for sale over the following weeks.
A thread popped up on the V6 forum shortley after, showing two Illiad blues (one being Alis) and a Mars Red, having a bit of a picture meet. In a passing comment on the forum I posted up about how lovely the Mars was and would he sell it, jokingly.
The reply was "As they say "everything has a price", let the money talk"
Needless to say I got slightly excited. After quite a few PM's a deal was struck and the flight was booked.
It's at this point I should probably explain the car was over 550 miles away from me in Aberdeen!
Mars Red V6 225 Number #111 would be mine.
The Jouney to and from Scotland.
I arrived at Gatwick airport with my friend Shaun (Lunar Grey V6 owner) at about 5am for the 6.30am Flight on the 2nd of Febuary this year.
I ended up sleeping for about an hour, waking over Newcastle just as we started our decent to snow covered fields. s**t.
My first ever drive the V6 (known to be temperamental in the wet) was going to be in snow. I'd had a couple of restless nights about spending such a large amount on a car that I've know to have caught quite a few drivers out, the thought of driving in the snow didn't help.
We touched down about 8ish and was greated by the owner of the V6 at the terminal building who took us to his flat on the other side of town.
After going around the car checking everthing worked, test driving and it was described I headed off at about 11am. The noise of this car is incredible. The uprated exhuast system coupled with the air filter is a noise no one will ever tire of. My smile reached ear to ear.
Brimed the tank with V power stuck cruise control on and headed off.
Made it to Liverpool by sunset and filled the tank up again.
The miles racked up and fatigue set in (I was sharing the driving with Shaun also) We decided to pull off at Oxford services to have a cup of coffee.
As we pulled off the slip way and applied the brakes, the distinct feeling of a warped disc became aparent, a very jerky progressive stop.
I made it home at about 9.30pm. Shattered.
Dirty at Sterling Services, normal V6 parking of course.
First two months at home.
I knew V6 prices were crippling from Renault (I belive its about £400 for a set of front brake discs) Thank god for Apec. Set of front discs and some up rated brake pads came to £200. When fitting the brakes I discovered the rear tyres were bald on the inner edges! One even had a huge screw in and was full of tyre weld.
£250 for two rear tyres.
I've also had to buy a new reverse switch for the gerabox as the old one failed leaving me without reverse lights (£25)
30 miles down the road from Aberdeen I was clocked at 61 in a 50. £60 fine and 3 points.
Verdict.
I cant get enough of this car, I'm making excuses to go out and drive it all the time. The sheer presence of this car on the road is incredible, the amount of people who look, point and ask about it is amazing. It's like no ones ever heard or seen one before.
So far the car has cost me £475 roughly in parts, but the way this car makes me feel when I'm behind the wheel is pricelss. Everytime I walk past it on my drive I just have to smile at it.
It's a car that is happy to sit in 5th around town, the tourque on the engine is great. It's happy on a motorway aswell as the B roads. It will catch you out at some point. I had a moment a couple of weeks back where I pulled onto a roundabout and put the power down too soon, the car went to swap ends and I genuinly thought I was going off. Some how I managed to correct it and take a sigh of relief.
Future plans will be a set of Recaro Sportster seats (200 seats) and thats about it!
If you have the itch, scratch it. You wont regret it.
Ryan.
Clean V6 4 by couzens1989, on Flickr
Clean V6 3 by couzens1989, on Flickr
Clean V6 1 by couzens1989, on Flickr
PH Smiley by couzens1989, on Flickr
It's not really a project as such as it's predominantly going to remain standard.
I've always had a hankering for a Vee, for me, it's the ultimate Clio. It's always been a goal for me to either own or atleast drive!
This thread will be a way for me to hopefully show you costings, things to look out for and general updates in the time I own my V6.
A bit like Ali's thread but a nicer colour.
The background storey.
I drive a ph1 172, which I've owned for about a year at this point. Bought as a dog and restored to a somewhat better condition (but thats another storey)
After working far to many hours, I've managed to save up enough to atleast, go halfs on a house deposit with the other half.
Things eventualy go sour within the relationship after approx 5 years with her. I'm left single, and a large sum of money in the bank doing nothing.
I start to browse PH for V6's. I've made my mind up.
Ph1's are now sub 10k for minters, but a ph1 just doesn't float my boat. Unless it's the rare Illiad Blue, but I've never seen any for sale.
It needs to be a ph2, Illiad, Mars or Acid.
An acid comes up for sale, 1 owner, low miles but for 20k :dapprove: This is then followed by a much more common Illiad, reasonable money. This could be the one!
At this point I start to research the car on the V6 forum, what I'm told by people who know the car puts me off, undertray missing, curbed alloys, stone chipped bumper, missaligned bumpers etc. It just put me off.
(For anyone looking to buy a V6, sign up to V6.net what they know about the cars historys are inclredible, it's likely the V6 you'll be looking at would have passed through the club at some point)
The V6.
Nothing came up for sale over the following weeks.
A thread popped up on the V6 forum shortley after, showing two Illiad blues (one being Alis) and a Mars Red, having a bit of a picture meet. In a passing comment on the forum I posted up about how lovely the Mars was and would he sell it, jokingly.
The reply was "As they say "everything has a price", let the money talk"
Needless to say I got slightly excited. After quite a few PM's a deal was struck and the flight was booked.
It's at this point I should probably explain the car was over 550 miles away from me in Aberdeen!
Mars Red V6 225 Number #111 would be mine.
The Jouney to and from Scotland.
I arrived at Gatwick airport with my friend Shaun (Lunar Grey V6 owner) at about 5am for the 6.30am Flight on the 2nd of Febuary this year.
I ended up sleeping for about an hour, waking over Newcastle just as we started our decent to snow covered fields. s**t.
My first ever drive the V6 (known to be temperamental in the wet) was going to be in snow. I'd had a couple of restless nights about spending such a large amount on a car that I've know to have caught quite a few drivers out, the thought of driving in the snow didn't help.
We touched down about 8ish and was greated by the owner of the V6 at the terminal building who took us to his flat on the other side of town.
After going around the car checking everthing worked, test driving and it was described I headed off at about 11am. The noise of this car is incredible. The uprated exhuast system coupled with the air filter is a noise no one will ever tire of. My smile reached ear to ear.
Brimed the tank with V power stuck cruise control on and headed off.
Made it to Liverpool by sunset and filled the tank up again.
The miles racked up and fatigue set in (I was sharing the driving with Shaun also) We decided to pull off at Oxford services to have a cup of coffee.
As we pulled off the slip way and applied the brakes, the distinct feeling of a warped disc became aparent, a very jerky progressive stop.
I made it home at about 9.30pm. Shattered.
Dirty at Sterling Services, normal V6 parking of course.
First two months at home.
I knew V6 prices were crippling from Renault (I belive its about £400 for a set of front brake discs) Thank god for Apec. Set of front discs and some up rated brake pads came to £200. When fitting the brakes I discovered the rear tyres were bald on the inner edges! One even had a huge screw in and was full of tyre weld.
£250 for two rear tyres.
I've also had to buy a new reverse switch for the gerabox as the old one failed leaving me without reverse lights (£25)
30 miles down the road from Aberdeen I was clocked at 61 in a 50. £60 fine and 3 points.
Verdict.
I cant get enough of this car, I'm making excuses to go out and drive it all the time. The sheer presence of this car on the road is incredible, the amount of people who look, point and ask about it is amazing. It's like no ones ever heard or seen one before.
So far the car has cost me £475 roughly in parts, but the way this car makes me feel when I'm behind the wheel is pricelss. Everytime I walk past it on my drive I just have to smile at it.
It's a car that is happy to sit in 5th around town, the tourque on the engine is great. It's happy on a motorway aswell as the B roads. It will catch you out at some point. I had a moment a couple of weeks back where I pulled onto a roundabout and put the power down too soon, the car went to swap ends and I genuinly thought I was going off. Some how I managed to correct it and take a sigh of relief.
Future plans will be a set of Recaro Sportster seats (200 seats) and thats about it!
If you have the itch, scratch it. You wont regret it.
Ryan.
Clean V6 4 by couzens1989, on Flickr
Clean V6 3 by couzens1989, on Flickr
Clean V6 1 by couzens1989, on Flickr
PH Smiley by couzens1989, on Flickr
