which 2.0 nova 8 or 16 valve

[fastcar1cars]

hi all havent been on here since 20/11/05! lol! this is when i last owned a nova a twin weber sr and thinking of getting another!! now i am think of buying an already converted 2.0 but not sure which one and how much i should be paying!!
I have a mr2 turbo (450bhp) as my second car so this would be my daily driver so must be good on petrol (if possible) and reliable! so not sure if the 8 or 16 valve would be up for the job?
im wanting a totally standard nova but with suspension and brake modifications and some nice wheels and of course the conversion already carried out with all strengthening and strengthening plates welded in, so how much would i be looking at spending?
cheers all

[Jack]

An XE should see 35mpg with relative ease. Mind you, so can a 3.0 V6 lol

[fastcar1cars]

ok cool i would be keepin either engine totally stock bar induction kit!! should a 8 valve give better mpg's?
how reliable are either engine?
and what should i look for when goin to buy a ready done conversion? i would do my own but i have enough trouble with the mr2!!

[Adam]

Ive seen 40mpg from my xe when i drove back from portsmouth.

[fastcar1cars]

ok cheers peeps! Any more info on either?

[Nobby]

the 8v's are supposdly bomb proof but ive never had a problem with a decent xe there wont be any differnence in fuel comsumption imo. Go for a xe you will NOT be dissapointed parts are cheap good mpg and 150bhp straight out the tin what more can you want!? lol

[Eck]

Both are cracking, relatively trouble free motors. XE would be my choice though.

[BRoadGhost]

I've seen 6MPG from a certain XE

[fastcar1cars]

What should i be spending on a properly done conversion?

[Stuart]

what ever you want if its done right/to the standards you want

[fastcar1cars]

How often do these type of novas come up for sale?

[Bubba]

pretty often on ebay. just have to be carful of bodged in engines

i beat the piss out of my 2.0 8v and it wouldnt die.

[fastcar1cars]

so theres no mpg diffrence between 8v and 16v?
Can you tell by looking in an engine bay if a harry hockley strengthing kit has been used? What else should i look for when going to view one?
Im a panel beater so know all about rust and arches! Lol!
Cheers all very helpful!

[dj_wudgey]

yea id say go for a 8 valve if your wanting more reliability my mate hammerd the **** out off his 20ltr 8 valve corsa every where and i mean killed it and it would not die lol!!!

[fastcar1cars]

any more info, recomendations or experiences??
cheers

[Nova_Tek]

8v would see higher mpg than the XE. Lynz managed 51mpg IIRC on a long run to the Alps. With the 20SEH a sensor fault/eml light popping up is very rare, servicing is cheaper and they are a bit quieter than the 16v's. On the other hand you'll be down 20bhp compared to an XE.

[Jack]

Don't discount the 16v on reliability, I drove mine with no oil in it for about 2 or 3 miles and it was fine lol

I think its all much of a muchness tbh. Its all down to how well they've been looked after; whilst both will have dropped a few horses over the years, the 16v will have more to start with. However, the SEH 8v (135bhp) and XE 16v tended to be in the SRi's and etc, so will probably have been hammered a bit more than the NE 8v (115bhp) and Ecotec 16v (135?bhp)

[Nova_Tek]

SEH 8v is 130 (some say 128) the NE 8v is 115 and the Ecotec 16v is 134 (some quote 136).

Although the Ecotec has a bad reputation with all it's electronic issues, it's still a very good engine. My bro has the Eco SRi in his Cav and it goes really well. Take away the Eco's restrictions like poo manifold and inlet and you'll make back a few horses.

[Lee-Gsi]

Fastcar1cars your in the same situation as me, I've got a 300bhp wrx as my daily runner at the moment, doing 250 miles a week in it! 95% motorway.

I'm on the look out for a decent xe or possibly a C20let.

I'm shocked though how much people are asking for novas these days, I've had 3.

1.2 mk1 on a b plate, gte kit - sold for £200

1.6 Gsi on a H plate in red, had a brand new clutch, disc's & pads - sold for £600

2.0 16v gsi on a H plate in red, black cav slabs, sold for £1,000


Anything I've seen on here/pistonheads/eBay lately, the seller seems to be trying to get every penny spent on the car back!

Is this because novas are becoming rare??

I have to be honest I don't see many on the roads anymore.

My scooby owes me £8,700. I must be mad putting it up for £6500 lol

[Jack]

Partly the rarity, partly some big spec ones going for big money (so every tom dick and harry thinks their shonky XE is worth £2k+ lol), and partly because some people seem to have a bottomless pit of cash for standard Novas. So when the few sell for a high price, it seems to pull up the price of all the others.

[muzzy]

Regarding reliability, either engine will be good if it has been reasonably well looked after but then it's the same with any engine. A lot of the reliability problems come down to the conversion being done badly more than the actual engine.

[Stuart]

imho you DONT NEED the plating kit fitted, aslong as its been stitch welded up then its fine for all use bar jumping through the forrest.

[blue_peg_16v]

id go for a trusty xe there a good reliable engine and i agree with stu plating kit isnt needed