Yes, it's another "Hello" thread.....

[Born Again]

Hi,long time reader/first time poster.
I'm here to gather as much knowledge as I can before buying a GTiR. I've wanted one of these since they were launched in the UK but life/work/family got in the way until now. I'm hoping to buy one later in the year and as this seems like a helpful and friendly community I figured this is the place to start. I'll be looking for a modified car but I'm curious as to how durable or fragile the modded cars are. I realise that modded could be anywhere from 250bhp to 500+ so what's the generally accepted best "bang for buck" setup?
Anyway, hello again and expect a few dozen naive and annoying questions from me at various points in the future.
:-D

 

[j0ff]

Welcome!
id never go as far as "helpful and friendly". You've not met stumo... You'll have to excuse his balls, he has a problem.

 

[PobodY]

stumo is helpful and friendly... it's just not in a conventional sense. - He's not the only person who will tell you what they think of you should you get on the wrong side of them; don't ask stupid questions (or questions that have been asked many times before), and you'll find you don't get smart-arse answers from anyone.

What do you want to do with the car? - That really dictates what mods are and aren't worth your money.
Personally if I was looking again, I'd look for:

• Uprated brakes already done. - I'm still running standard calipers; they've never failed to stop the car, and they don't really get punished on the road so they haven't ever cooked... but they are 20-year old calipers so they need rebuilding from time to time, and it's not always easy to get things like new slider pins for them. On a track I think they'd let me down pretty quickly.
• Wheels/tyres that clear the brakes. - To be honest you'd be lucky to find standard rims these days, but I'd take a look at the tyres that are on any car you inspect. Mine seems prone to eating the outside edge of the front tyres, so I'd pay close attention to what the tyres look like on the front of a car.
• Suspension upgrades. - I don't necessarily mean coilovers because they don't always help the ride (although if you're looking to track the car that's not really an issue), but things like anti-roll bars and strut braces; that kind of thing.
• Good quality shell. - I bought mine mainly for the colour. It needs some work to sort out the rear arches... and maybe one of the doors... and the bonnet has some stone chips in it... and I've already spent money on the underside to get it through an MOT (although no issues this year). However it's KJ7, and I like that... I know most people like black. I'm not most people.

Things that you might want, but aren't necessarily for everyone:

• FMIC. - There's nothing particularly wrong with the top mount unless you're making a lot of power, but not having it ontop of the engine does make it easier to work in the engine bay.
• Sound Deadening. - I like my car quiet, and accept that I sacrifice performance from my exhaust and weight from the car to achieve it. Others like the straight-through exhaust and the stripped-out look....
• ...actually that's a good point. - Exhaust system: I'd go for something like 3" for the turbo back with at least one big back box in it.
  If you like the front-exit or straight-through, that's fine. They do attract more attention from the constabulary.
• Flashy electronics. - Obviously if you want the whizz-bang 2000+ boost controller, then that's fine. I found the dawes-style device did almost everything that my electronic boost controller did (except all the noises and lights obviously), but it has never stopped working on me.
  I'm sure there's a limit to how long you can use something like that, but in terms of bang-for-buck it has to be right up there.
• Chipped/Daughter board ECU. - A complete replacement ECU is almost certainly better in terms of the flexibility to control the engine runs and is mapped, but a modified stock ECU is more cost effective. I'd be swayed to buy a car running something like a Nistune board.
  Similarly, I don't really trust the piggy-back systems... maybe that's just paranoia.

Is that any help?

 

[warpspeed]

:thumbup:

 

[Born Again]

In my experience, it's always best to buy from a known/trusted/respected member of a dedicated forum or owners club over a Joe Random. I already know a little about Pulsars. I know the standard brakes are less than good, that the interwarmer isn't very good at doing its job and that the gearbox is a known weak spot when you start upping the power.
Roughly speaking, what would 4 or 5k get me? I know it's a bit of a "how high is up" question, but I ask it to give me an idea of what to aim for. I'd rather hang out here for the right car than go somewhere like pistonheads.....or worse like eBay.

 

[wrc]

At the moment, values are a little on the low side - but as they get harder to get hold of the value will rise (it's starting to now).

4-5k will get you a very very good car at the moment, a top hitter.

Want it for drivability? 350bhp+

Want it to retain value? Buy standard.

Want it to decimate most things on the road? 500bhp



Simple as that really.

 

[Born Again]

^^^
Some good info in here already.
When I buy one it won't be a daily driver. That said I don't want something that's had its interior stripped for the ultimate weight save. How tough are these engines when they're modifed?

 

[red reading]

5k won't buy 500bhp, more like a good solid 350bhp. gearboxes are not that weak either (internet myth). And the engines are very strong as long as they are looked after and mapped correctley with good cooling (standard engines will handle 400bhp).

I have for sale a standard black car that needs a few small jobs doing has a genuine 60,000 miles on the clock and has never been on the road in the uk if interested........even has full black/grey leather interior and all paperwork needed.

 

[Born Again]

5k won't buy 500bhp, more like a good solid 350bhp. gearboxes are not that weak either (internet myth). And the engines are very strong as long as they are looked after and mapped correctley with good cooling (standard engines will handle 400bhp).

I have for sale a standard black car that needs a few small jobs doing has a genuine 60,000 miles on the clock and has never been on the road in the uk if interested........even has full black/grey leather interior and all paperwork needed.

It's going to be later in the year as I have to build a new garage at home first.
I definitely think this seems to be the best place to look for a good car though.

 

[skiddusmarkus]

Hi .

I definitely would not buy from ebay, the ads are mostly laughable with silly claims of power and specs that are either made up or don't match the power.

 

[AnthP]

Hi mate, I'm just down the road from you. Once you're in a position to buy, I'd happily show you and take you out in my Sunny or Pulsar just so you can compare them against others you might view. Neither of them are for sale but should give you a good indication of what you can expect. With a budget of £4k upwards, you'll get a very nice car....

 

[Born Again]

Hi mate, I'm just down the road from you. Once you're in a position to buy, I'd happily show you and take you out in my Sunny or Pulsar just so you can compare them against others you might view. Neither of them are for sale but should give you a good indication of what you can expect. With a budget of £4k upwards, you'll get a very nice car....

That's really good of you to offer,thank you.