MY NEW CAR!

[Rich Dale]

Well I've gone and done it.....got a new car that is....and it's not a Nova!

Read the storey if you want, or just jump to the pic and spec. at the bottom!

I was getting pissed off with my GTE.....it needed way too much work doing to the bodywork and the engine was pissing oil, plus the gearbox was whining a bit, especially in third, so I decided to look for another car.
I was going to leave it for a few months though so I could save up a little and tidy the GTE up a bit to sell, but that all went to pot on Saturday.

I'd gone looking for a new car for my Sister with her and my Dad, when I spotted this gorgeous Cav SRi 130 saloon in white!
I've always loved MKII Cav SRi's, and especially the 130 (a bloke on my road had one brand new back in 88 and I wanted it!).
What's more, this one was for sale! He only wanted ?575 for it too :)

Anyway, he was looking for a smaller car with cheaper insurance and fuel costs, so when I told him I'd got a nova GTE, he said he wanted to come and have a look and we might be able to do a deal.
Well, Sunday he came and had a test drive and loved it......he's a mechanic so wasn't bothered about the oil leak etc....so a deal was struck.....straight swap! Remember my GTE only cost me ?495 inc the 15" alloys and I'd only added the zorst and a few other small bits since then, so a straight swap was actually in my favour, especially when you see the truly amazing condition that this cav is in.....is bloody amazing for the age...in fact, you could believe that is was only 5 years old at most!
It's got an "interesting" past too......company car (owned by a Contract hire company when new), then privately owned, then a Taxi for 3 years (in which time it clocked up 57K lol) then owned by two different Vauxhall mechanics at local dealerships!
Needless to say, it's been maintained regardless of cost and it's got a shed load of receipts and service history with it, inc all but the two first MOT's It's got the hand books and dealer-stamped service book too.
The actual mileage is 162K which is very hard to believe.....I was shocked when I found out......you could swear it'd only done the 62K it reads on the clock!

Anyway, here's a pic (I've got a few more but the weather's been crap so the pics are not that great) and the spec:

http://www.novabug.co.uk/FeatureCars/SRi130-0.jpg

1988 (E-plate) Cav SRi-130 Saloon
Totally standard except for the 15" alloys in the pic (ANYONE KNOW WHAT THEY COME OFF???? They're Vaux wheels but I can't remember ever seeing them on anything?), stainless back-box with flat-oval up-swept tailpipe (sounds gorgeous) and MKIII Cav SRi-spec brakes including rear-disk conversion and ATE front callipers :)
Oh, and the custom front-grill of course and blue-decals/stripes.

It handles like a dream, even with standard suspension but I don't get chucked about on pot-holes like in the Nova, so I may be temped to leave it standard!

Here's a close-up of one of the alloys......anyone know what Vaux they come off???

http://www.novabug.co.uk/FeatureCars/SRi130-alloy.jpg

Don't worry though.....I'll probably have another Nova again in the future.....it's just that I can't afford a Valver yet!
I'll probably keep this Cav for several years to come, and have a Nova as a second car, or visa versa.

Oh....and insurance? It's gone up by ?10.50.......?10.50!!!! I was worried it was gonna go up ?100 or more!
Total increase was ?40.50 but ?30 of that is bloody admin charges :x

[Doc]

Looks well mate, I think you got a good deal. Its a classic 80's racer car and looks like near bog standard apart from the few select mods you have mentioned. The mileage is high, but I wouldnt be worried as we both know vauxhall engines run forever if regularly serviced and looked after. Also the fact that he was honest with the milage indicates what you bought is what you get, and its unlikely you'll find any nasty surprises a couple of weeks into owning it.
You'll have to take on a few nova boys in a designated private racing area obviously, to see how she fares!
Also debadge your new ride and you can embarass a few inexperienced boy racers who mistake your car for a bog standard 14 yr old cav/belmont. Have fun :wink:

[Harpo_8]

i put those wheels on my red nova they look well sweet you need to get a key from vauxhall (it'll prob cost!!) -- i think they come off the newer cav SRI

[Rich Dale]

It is nice...I love it :)

Cheers Doc.....I'm not worried about the mileage really......there's so many new parts on it I doubt there's much of the original mechanical bits left! The engine is sweet too and I've got a whole spare inlet manifold, throttle body, injectors/rail etc etc which was thrown into the deal, which is handy should I need any of the expensive bits!
As for debadging......it's been done but then re-done. The original badges have gone but replaced with nice blue SRi130 badges and an Irmscher badge to match.....looks too nice to remove. Oh, and I've been having fun already ;) lol
The performance is "effortless".....the power just flows....oh, I found out earlier today when I was just checking a few things, that it's got a K&N panel filter fitted :) I thought I'd better check the filter just in case, and there it was!

Lee.....they're really nice alloys...I bet they looked mint on your Nova!
I've got the key for the alloys so getting them off is not a prob......I probably should have written it better...what I meant to say was what model of Vauxhall do they come off lol. Later SRi you think? Um....maybe.....I can't find them in any of my newer Vaux brochures you see, so don't know what they originally came off.

Micky.....lol......good old Taxis...can't beat 'em! One mint thing is that they may have high mileage, but they're meticulously maintained...which is nice, as you'll know :)

cavbug? Maybe? Novabug will live on 'cos I'll never loose my love of Novas and as I've said, I'll no doubt get one again when I can afford a real minter :)

Anyway...here's a couple of pics taken today in decent weather:

http://www.novabug.co.uk/FeatureCars/SRi130-4.jpg
http://www.novabug.co.uk/FeatureCars/SRi130-5.jpg

And a few things I'd missed off the spec:

195-50-15 tyres (Two mint Yoko's and two cheepies which need replacing soon),
Toad Alarm/immobiliser with remote central locking and anti-highjack etc,
Oval (Corsa Style) side repeaters,
my Mountney leather wheel swapped from the Nova,
two-way JBL speakers in front doors (don't know what model...will check) and JBL 6x9 covers in the rear-shelf......covers only though...the speakers have disappeared lol I could fit some cheepo speakers under those grills, and peeps will think I've got JBLs! I'd not do that though!
There's a twin 8" sub box in the boot too, inc the subs (only cheapish Boss Sound though!) and a Phase Linear 12" sat on the floor!
He left quite a few bits in the boot.....jump lead set, a few tools, a Neon! loads of expensive speaker cable and bits and bobs!

[dave.gsi]

the wheels look like they could be the ones fitted to the cavalier cdx(??) u know the posh one.

[Rich Dale]

Hum...they are similar to the ones on the CDX but they have more squared off spokes and circular centre caps...not pentagonal like mine. Maybe they changed them at a later date to my design?

What are the wheels like on the Cav Diplomat? Anyone know off hand?

I've been wondering if they were never fitted to any model as standard...maybe they were an the options list only???

I love the driving position......adjustable steering column and height adjustable seat are nice :)
I just need elecy windows now......I'm missing them already!

[Rich Dale]

taxibug......hahahaha......Micky, you kill me :D

Is that a joint project for us then lol

Calibres are nice...very nice. There was one near me a while back...red of course as they all were (weren't they?)....not seen it for a few years now though. I'd be temped to get the kit but it's like my advice with Nova SR's.....why change it when it looks so good already......I love the black bottom half like on the Nova SR, so I won't be changing it.....would look stunning with Calibre kit though!

[jatinder]

I think the wheels look like there off a corsa not to sure or late caviler i think?

[Fester]

nicely!

[Ben (lurk75)]

The Cavalier Diplomat alloys are a fan design definately not those ones, i think you were spot on when you said that they were on the options list. I think have only seen em once before and that was on a nova. Nice to have something a bit different though.

[Phil_G]

hi

Calibra SE 1 or 2 alloys them me thinks......

That turquoise coloured 8v special edition

Cheers

Phil :D

[novatec]

It's not the special edition calibra kos I sold one at work a few months ago and they don't have the badge in the middle and the centre cap seemed bigger.
I think it could be late cav 2.5 V6 CDX?

[Ben (lurk75)]

the cav V6 are five stud if i rememeber correctly????

I take it you work for Vauxhall? well could still be the Calibra SE ones as they are always ordering wrong parts lol

[novatec]

Very good point, never thought of that. It's a used car centre not Vauxhall dealer. The centre caps on the Calibra 8V special edition I can remember didin't have the Vauxhall symbol on it, they were just blank but it could have been an option so I give up. :? lol

[Rich Dale]

So they're rare then? lol

I was told by the lad I bought it off that he thought they were off a Calibra of some kind.....maybe that special edition is the one then?