New member looking for an R26

Discussion in 'New to the Club? Why not introduce yourself?' started by Dale1uk, Jul 2, 2017.

  1. Hi all, just thought I'd do a quick hello.

    For the past 5yrs I've owned a Japanese import mk2 mx5 which was modified for track work. Other than a road trip with my fiancee to the Italian lakes the 5 was only a weekend toy that did a few trackdays a year and an annual trip over to the Nurburgring. I absolutely loved it, however the arrival of a couple of sons in the last few years had limited it's usage and last month I reluctantly sold up. In the need of something new that can be semi sensible whilst at the same time give me thrills on track and back over in Germany the R26 appears to tick all the boxes. Having owned an EP3 Civic Type R before my mx5 and not wanting another one the Megane is the only other hot hatch from that period that excites me.

    If anyone has one for sale, or knows of one, give me a shout. My requirements for one are:

    Max budget of £5.5k.
    Currently not interested in a black or silver one
    Sub 85k miles
    Decent tyres
    Cambelt and clutch not needing done anytime soon
    Known faults fixed
    No bodywork/paintwork repairs required

    I'm not in a desperate hurry, but I have the cash ready to go if the right one pops up.

    Other than that I look forward to getting involved on the forum and will no doubt be asking plenty questions as I go.

    Dale
     
  2. Hello, Dale [emoji1303]

    You shouldn't have any real problems with your budget but, as you've mentioned, not rushing in would be my advice.

    I was looking for 3-4 months and I think I ended up with a decent one.

    They occasionally pop up in places other than the obvious auto trader/eBay/pistonheads type sites, so sites like gumtree are worth keeping an eye on.

    In the meantime just keep reading threads on here and you'll be ever more confident with what you're buying.

    Good luck!

    PS.........You'll love it!
     
  3. Cheers.

    The plan was never to rush into buying one, but hate not having a toy! My fiancee is off work until Christmas on maternity leave and we have a petrol mk3 Octavia VRS estate and I have a work van so it's not exactly the end of the world, but just knowing there's not something fun in the garage is killing me! Hopefully something will pop up sooner rather than later but I'm prepared to play the waiting game if not.

    I'm hoping I'll gell with one OK, but coming from my mx5 I know it won't offer the same fun factor, it's wrong wheel drive for a start! (dons flameproof suit!)
     
  4. depends on what you mean by fun..
    it certainly wont be giving you oversteer at moderate speeds, like your mx5.

    What it will do if all is in order, is cover ground at a eye widening pace.
    A few choice mods will put it on the pace of far more expensive cars on a B road blast.

    Get used to the diff dragging you through corners when you are pushing on,and the chassis will sparkle.

    I still think to myself after 7 years of ownership,its a thrill to drive a deserted B road.
     
  5. This is what both excites me but also worrys about at the same time. My mx5 only pushed out standard power (So approximately 145bhp) but had a good few handling and chassis mods (Bilstein B14s, upgraded brakes, lightweight alloys, AD08Rs, rollbar, chassis bracing, bucket seats and so on) As a result it was an experiance and great fun regardless of what speed you were carrying. I could be out with my 2yr old son in the passenger seat or I could be hammering it round the Nurburgring, both scenarios would put a big smile on my face.

    When I had my CTR it was very capable, but in order to give me thrills I needed to be driving it at 9-10/10ths. On track this is fine, but on the road it results in constantly being at licence losing speeds which you can only get away with for so long.

    I'm fully aware the RS Meganes are extremely capable, I've been overtaken by plenty chasing down GT3s at the 'Ring! I'm excited about getting back into a hot hatch, especially one that was regarded as the best in class of that period, but if practicality wasn't required I wouldn't of sold my 5 for one.
     
    Danith likes this.
  6. This is why I love my EP and the K20 engine. So much I'd sell my R26 for a DC5. Think you'll find tho it's easier to get to licence losing speeds in the Meg! It's effortless.
     
  7. A DC5 with kpro would be great, but quite a bit over budget for me. I see you're after one, speak to Aglys Autos. I contacted them last year and they quoted me £7.5k OTR for a fresh import which was cheaper than most of the ones available over here.

    http://m.algysautos.com/?url=http://www.algysautos.com/Import_Scheme.html&utm_referrer=#2946
     
    Danith likes this.
  8. all modern hot hatchs are extremely quick these days..anything you buy will do jail time speeds at a canter.
    my mate has a dc2 turbo which he has probally thrown 10 grand at.
    never get that one at all..why throw so much money at a 17 year old car,when you can buy a far more capable modern hatch out the box which will probally be faster,safer and more comfortable point to point?
     
  9. And why turbo a brilliant na!!!! What a waste
     
  10. Its a utter track weapon..bespoke 2.3 litre accord lump,hondata,hybrid turbo,forged,kw race suspension,hi spec brakes,complete from the ground up restoration..everything is genuine honda.

    It was a case of he started it..and just got carried away as the money mounted up.
     
    Danith likes this.
  11. Some people enjoy the build as much, if not more, than the finished result.

    And if you can afford it, why not. [emoji1303]
     
    Danith likes this.
  12. Exactly. I got my meg standard and loved spending money on it rather than just getting tanked up at the weekend like I used to. Was good to feel the improvement at each stage. Spent enough on it now though.
     
  13. I'm not a massive fan of spending money on mods but I enjoy the process of bringing a car back to its best.
    I get the p*ss taken out of me for taking my cars to bits all the time. Usually just to clean something ha ha....... but I enjoy it.

    To the OP, sorry for hijacking your thread!
     
    Danith likes this.

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