Hey, first post, so apologies if this is in the wrong section....
Anyway, I currently have a 1300 escort (J plate, horrid HCS engine
)... And I'm just so depressed that I might kill myself if I don't get a proper car soon. I've looked at my budget and the options, and I'm 99% sure I'll go for a Mk3 GTi ('95 ish or so)..... So the only remaining question is whether I get an 8v or 16v.
On paper it's obvious: 115 Vs 150Bhp, more torque...
But then there's the insurance, the slight fuel economy difference, and the abundance of the 8 valvers compared to the 16s... Plus the fact that the 16V is so much more sought after, which artificially inflates the price (ok, not by THAT much, but still).
It all makes me think that I'd be more likely to get a good condition example of an 8v than a 16v one (more to choose from), plus it would cost less (obviously a 16v will cost more, but the number of 8v ones around should mean getting a really good deal is much easier), and it seems more of the 16V ones are modified (not that I have anything against modded cars, but I would rather do it myself!).
PLUS, anything (including something powered by rubber bands) will seem like a rocketship after driving the 'scort.
I've basically decided that it'll come down to one thing: How the 8v measures up against my old 1.8Ghia Si Orion (16V). it was a J plate, with 130Bhp (@4750 or so), and ~120 lbft torque at 4500RPM. It got t-boned to death unfortunately, which is why I've ended up with the crappy 1300, since it was cheap and available at the time. If it's more-or-less the same or a bit quicker, then I'll be happy with it. If it's not as quick, then I'll say sod it and get a 16V.
Now, 130 Vs 115 HP, and 120 Vs 122 Torque... Seems close, but I suspect (having driven the orion) that the 2L VW engine has a much flatter torque/power curve, so will actually be noticeably quicker. you could really notice the orion pick up suddenly after 4000RPM, and there wasn't THAT much low-end power really. So I'm fairly sure the 8v will be ok for me for now.
I've spent much of the day looking for torque/power graphs of the two so I can compare, but haven't had much luck, so if anyone has a link to some I'd be grateful! I don't so much need the graph for the orion, since I had one and know that it would definitely not be that flat. (most of the 1800 Ghia Orions were 105Bhp - it was just a few for a couple of years - J and K plate IIRC - that were tuned to 130)...
Anyway, any thoughts?
(That turned out a little longer than I was expecting, so thanks for reading
)
