23 replies to this topic

[nicollow]

Hi all, I am in the market for a VX220. Ive been a long time fan of Lotus (my dad bought one when I was 10, what was I going to do!!) over the years and have driven a few Elise. Ive heard a few horror stories about the K-series engines and prefer the look and tuning possibilities of the VX. However, I cant decide whether to save the pennies and get the turbo or get the NA a bit sooner. Also, are there any things I should look out for when buying one? Many thanks, hopefully I will able to jump out of my diesel SEAT (which is great I should say but due to job relocation is no longer needed) into something a bit more fun...

[wrightster]

both cars are great, drive them both and see which you prefer its all down to personal preference

[Shep]

Depends on your budget really. I think if you were considering/comparing a K series engineed Elise then the NA will be more comparable and will certainly be more affordable.

[Adam W]

if you can afford, get the turbo loads of info in terms of buyers guides that can be found on the forum the useful thread sticky at the top of this page is a great help

[nicollow]

if you can afford, get the turbo

loads of info in terms of buyers guides that can be found on the forum

the useful thread sticky at the top of this page is a great help

Thanks, I hadnt noticed the buyers guide....

[Adam W]

no worries, if you have any other questions let me know as ive recently just brought my turbo so have been through most of the things youll be wanting to think about. best thing to do is go out in both cars with current owners, not salesman pressure then and a honest view. where you based?

[nicollow]

no worries, if you have any other questions let me know as ive recently just brought my turbo so have been through most of the things youll be wanting to think about.

best thing to do is go out in both cars with current owners, not salesman pressure then and a honest view. where you based?

Im working in Aberdeen at the moment but am moving back to Edinburgh in a couple of weeks. Without the journey between the two every weekend, I dont need anything thats as frugal as a diesel. Bring on the go-kart!

[LazyDonkey]

Welcome. Two things to do. 1. PM Caleebra who lives in Aberdeen and has owned a 2.2 VX for longer than most of the board have been alive He has a mullet but other than that he's a top bloke and a decent driver. Or failing that give me a shout when you get to Edin and I'll take you out in mine. 2. Don't listen to anyone who says "buy the turbo cos it's better" unless they've actually driven both for a descent amount of time and can spell / post on a forum without using text speak. If you do a search you'll see there are lots of posts for and against the huge hunk of iron that comes free with a turbo. So endeth the lesson !

Edited by LazyDonkey, 11 October 2007 - 04:10 PM.

[nicollow]

Welcome.

Two things to do.

1. PM Caleebra who lives in Aberdeen and has owned a 2.2 VX for longer than most of the board have been alive He has a mullet but other than that he's a top bloke and a decent driver. Or failing that give me a shout when you get to Edin and I'll take you out in mine.

2. Don't listen to anyone who says "buy the turbo cos it's better" unless they've actually driven both for a descent amount of time and can spell / post on a forum without using text speak. If you do a search you'll see there are lots of posts for and against the huge hunk of iron that comes free with a turbo.

So endeth the lesson !

Thanks mate, thats mighty good of you. Dont suppose that Caleebra has a Blue NA does he? I saw one on the way to work the other day. It might be next spring by the time I get the pennies together. Cheers

[Jimmo]

My only regret about VX ownership was not going that extra 1K at the time to get the Turbo (as the situation was at the time) I test drove both and went with the NA. NA: £15K - 8000 miles Turbo: £16K - 17,000 Miles It really came down to two things for me. Money and more money The insurance was too expensive and i was already overstretching myself to buy the NA in the first place. At the end of the day I wanted a VX220 and i got one. This site is choca block with the old can of worms question NA or VXT. If you've got a spare couple of weeks you could read them all but you won't have to read that far to get the jist of the pros and cons. My advice is if you are likely to have the financial means and can wait, buy the Tubby. If your are impatient like me and have to have one of these amazing cars, the NA is for you. There both excellent in ways that conventional cars are not. Happy hunting

[theotherjonnymac]

Have owned both. Turbo for me. But it is more thirsty, dearer to insure and much quicker

[Adam W]

the only reason i would get an NA over a turbo is if i couldnt afford a turbo? i love the way na owners just try and justify it was anything other than a financial decision by slating the turbo's handling bla bla bla but, whichever one you buy , youll love it. amazing cars for the money

[denno]

Have owned the both and would have to say the turbo.Faster and easier to tune and if the softer handling bothers you then buy nitrons for it!

[pfw]

2. Don't listen to anyone who says "buy the turbo cos it's better" unless they've actually driven both for a descent amount of time and can spell / post on a forum without using text speak. If you do a search you'll see there are lots of posts for and against the huge hunk of iron that comes free with a turbo.

Above be wisdom. The turbo isn't better or worse. It's different. (I have owned both). You need to drive both as much as possible to decide which is right for you. Lots of people have strong views each way. It also depends on what you're going to be using the car for.

If I had to choose the biggest difference between turbo and NA I'd say throttle response. Don't care what anyone says, there is a big difference with the turbo because, well, it's got a turbo. The other standard for/against points are:

- Turbo is faster. It is, in a straight line.
- NA is faster. It probably is, round corners, in standard trim
- Turbo is heavier and more tail happy. It is, but whether you will notice on the road is arguable and not everyone dislikes the weight distribution.
- Turbo has loads more torque. It does, and is a stunning overtaking car. But some people like thrashing engines and the NA is quite torquey anyway
- Turbo is easier to tune. Probably true, but options are out there for the NA (did I mention throttle bodies ) and a tubby may require suspension tweaks for the track before an NA
- Turbo wheels are harder to clean
- Turbos need belt changes, NAs don't. Apart from the ones with the chain recall.


You get the idea...

And then there's the VXR. And of course you can supercharge an NA.

Edited by pfw, 11 October 2007 - 09:16 PM.

[pfw]

And one other thing I forgot to say. In over 3 years of VX ownership, neither car has ever failed to start on me first time, even after being left for over two weeks. Neither has ever broken down (touches wood). Was having a chat to a lotus owner today about head gasket failure, trying not to ram this point home too smugly. Yes, it's a Vauxhall, but I don't care, and it's not broken.

[caleebra]

I have got a blue 2.2 aye, but it's been hiding up at my folks' in Speyside for a couple of weeks... will be going off the road for winter during November sometime and I'll be driving my Swift Will have it back through in Aberdeen next week if you want to come have a nosey, trackday at Cockhill on the Friday

[Richy]

Hmmm which VX [scratches chin]

I'd look for one with two seats, maybe a stereo to play 'say.. some new era French or Belgian trance [i dunno what you like], an engine would be good too... blah ...blah ...blah...same old crap ...blah ...blah... blah.

Turbo or NA - both can work well in the right hands. Best advice is 'errrr, to take the advice from the ones who give advice on trying them both.

EDIT - Caleebra has a mullet - we want proof

Edited by R1CHY, 11 October 2007 - 10:50 PM.

[danVXT]

[nicollow]

Many thanks for all your advice. I recon I might have to plump for a well loved NA in the spring time and wait a year for a mint Tubs to come along. I have a 1000cc motorbike for when I want to get really stupid. I used my old 650 through winter a couple of years back too, so am fully prepared for some back to basics motoring (who needs electric seats anyway!!!), and at least the VX has got a windscreen. Ive had a string of shitty French cars in my time, and with broken final drive ratios, broken driveshafts, broken ECUs and a string of other annoyances, I want something that works more often than not. I had an old 86 Lotus Excel which which was massive fun an surprisingly reliable. I was even thinking of getting another one of those, though I recon it would suffer using it every. I might give Caleebra a wee shout next week to have a nosy at his NA... My folks are away this weekend, so I can go and have a gentle run in my pops' 911. Nice

[JG]

what you really want is a corsa 1.5d HTH