weslangdon

Given other running costs are so low, road tax fuel and even insurance I'll just have to suck it up

You will also spend a lot of money, instead of doing that, open a separate bank account and save for the car you really want

rears always last the course but fronts don't do too well, perhaps it's the extra weight of the TDI motor

My internet protection server always marks this site as "not secure" placed next to a red warning triangle, with this in mind users might be cautious about personal stuff they upload

Anyone here put veg oil in a TDI?

How well have they lasted?

before you do anything check the battery terminals are tight

agree easy fixes on all items, this is not a scrapper

Do we need a tyre thread, I ask/suggest because in my experience, my little Lupo's/Arosa's chew their way through tyres very quickly. Front tyres rarely last a year, and that's experience across the board, I've had 3 TDI's, an Auto, two 75bhp 1.4's, a Sport a 1litre, and an SDI. Only one missing is the GTI. I'm sloppy when it comes to brands too, I usually buy the cheapest but I will always put a pair on the front. Is there any point in buying Michelin, or Conti's, is there a wear/performance advantage or is that all in the heads of tyre testers?

I had less trouble with an auto than all the various manual boxes I've had, I start by paring back as much weight as possible

Is that the original interior, it looks more recent to me, the older interiors have a very good quality fabric

No, they were all over by 1996

w124?

the one in the G-wagen is I think a 5 cylinder unit but essentially just the same or 5/6ths the same

A left hand drive Mk1 Golf GTI was always a much better car than the RHD version because the brakes worked properly, there may be similar things re the Lupo as conversions always involve compromise to a design

both are decent engines, very smooth for diesels but the 606 non turbo is a double overhead cam 24v gem

Which engine is it, there are 3, three litre diesels 603, 606 and the 606a, the latter being a turbo charged unit and very tunable

Not at all just 1350 kg and 140 mph, the saloon being a fraction quicker than the coupe, mine is on 120k and has a fsh but I expect cylinder head gasket trouble at circa 150k, rusty wings is another common problem with them but easily replaced

Is that a single wiper conversion?

I like the colour

I've got some side strakes in that colour for supermarket trolley bumps

correct, de-cat and the final silencer removed, but still very slow compared to a w124 with the same engine

I have one at the moment and have had two others in the past, I have a 3 litre petrol manual, permanent four wheel drive that gives me week in week out 19/20 mpg, which for a 2.25 ton beast isn't too bad and is proportionate to what I could get from a 1.4 litre Lupo given the Lupo's sub 1 ton weight

You should be able to buy a w460 [part time 4x4]for under £5k, [3 engines were available and 3 body styles, the only one which should breach the £5k figure are the short wheelbase soft tops] they are almost certain to need major metal work repairs to the rear corners and door, but all the panels are available; what's more difficult to fix is a tatty interior. There are a variety of experts who claim to be able to convert these to either 5 cylinder or 6 cylinder turbo diesel spec, not all though are genuine experts. A decade ago the fashion was to fit large V8 to your old w460 and on occasion to the newer w463 [permanent 4x4]. High powered engines make no sense though as the trucks can't corner and are always thirsty however economical you might think they are.

There are quite a few people converting older w460 g-wagens as you say from thirsty ge280 spec to diesel, using either the 606a or the 5 cylinder above, it looks a very tidy conversion. I've had 3 G-wagens and made the mistake of turning to lpg for a ge280, it was a disaster, I'm not sure of the future for diesel though, I think Government and public are starting to see them as a serious pollution issue.