Post
by V6 Man » 28 Jun 2008 03:38 pm
It seems to me that you've reached the point where 300's no longer fit the bill as a Daily Driver as they are (to you) too slow, noisy, unrefined and thirsty when compared to more modern designs.
To my mind your options are;
1, convert that 364 of yours to be none of the above.
2, get rid of it and get something more modern as a DD if you only want one car.
3, keep it as a second car, mod the living daylights out of it and buy a newer DD.
The trouble is that ideal car would look like an ALfa, handle like a Lotus, have a ride like a Citroen DS or CX, be as economical as a small French diesel, be as fast as a Lambo, as luxurious as a Bentley, as safe as a Volvo, as reliable as a Honda and as cheap to insure as a 2CV.
As we all know no such car exists so whatever you get as a DD will have to compromise something in order to fullfill the other requirements. As you found the 940 is too bargelike, the T4 not enough fun and costly on fuel, the Skoda too slow, the 340 1.4 too slow and thirsty and some Pug 405 thing just generally too crap!
At least the 360's sills don't have to be repaired to look good as they'll be covered by the bodykit, all they need is to have the rust cut out and be patched. The only real problem with the 360's bodywork is the wheelarches which, along with the respray will cost a fair bit, BUT what would another car, plus the tax, insurance and MOT costs be?
How about keep the Skoda for the time being while you make the 360 sound again whilst making it a more modern car. Turn it into what it would be now if Volvo still made it. Shave the gutters, smooth the body joins, add insulation under the carpets and on the bulkhead, add a decent stereo, ad cruise control, fit a flush panel to the underside to smooth the airflow, uprate the brakes and suspension and as a final gesture drop a B230F in there and run it on MS&S. With a 531 head and good cam you'll make 150 ish bhp on MS (you could even B234F itand go for 170bhp), but with a decent state of tune for economy you'll get 40+mpg. Look at what Andys 360 is like with the 2.0 - it's a far superior car on MS than it ever was on LE-Jet. It also has new suspension and now goes and handles like a more modern car. Do all that with a 2.3 lump and it'll be comfy, quite quick, refined, handle well and be fun. After all, the above changes are exactly what Volvo did to turn the 740 shell into the S90, and what a far superior car the S90 is compared to the early 700's (and even the 940's).
Terms and conditions apply. This post may go down as well as up. Regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Hard hats to be worn. No reversing without a banksman. No admittance to unauthorized persons. Stop that. Put that down. Leave that alone.
Unless I go a tweaked 940 route, but again - that would cost to get one to do what I want.