Gti Basher (Lancia in general)

Member Name: Wildey

Product:	Lancia in general
Date:	13/07/02 (312 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast, Handling, Cheap

Disadvantages: Rust, Insurance, Brakes

Despite reading Spiros's review of the Lancia Delta HF Turbo, I decided to buy one. It was the day England beat Argentina and I was going to look at a HF Turbo at £1995- H reg with 86000miles. When I arrived at Walkers ( UK Integale Specialists ), it had gone! But, they had taken delivery of an E reg the night before. The car was filthy! Covered in dust, bird droppings etc. ! From all I had read, I expected to find a car covered in rust. Not the case, it was incredibly difficult to find any! Remarkable on a car this old, but nevertheless, true! After a good look around, I was given the keys and told about its history. Previous to that day, it had been in a barn in North Yorkshire for over a year. ( The Owner had bought 2 Integrales a while after buying this car! ) It's brake system had seized - hence a test drive was out of the question. To cut a long story short, I made an impulse buy! A bit of bartering and I got the car for £300 and towed it back to a mechanic in Bradford. After totally replacing the brake and fuel system and a few other minor bits and bobs ( tyres, bulbs etc. ). I was presented with a bill of £1300. A lot of money for an E reg car with 107000 on the clock? Not at all! This car has been worth every penny! I was used to a 1.0litre VW Polo, so a 1585cc engine and a turbo was a darn site faster. The acceleration is phenomenal, even my Max Power reading friends are terrified at leaving work at the same time as me! In case they get overtaken by the Red Brick as they've called it! The styling is very 80's and very Italian - You either love it or hate it! Personally, I love it. But I'll be looking to buy an Integrale spoiler to give it a sportier look. The steering, although not PAS is surprisingly light, parking is a bit of a bind, but on the road with the engine purring it is a joy. A proper driver's car, colleagues cannot believe the roadholding of the Delta. It sticks to the road when cornering, but it does tend to scrab
ble for grip when accelerating quickly, not a bad point but do take care when overtaking. One problem is the braking, for a car with 140bHP, the brakes are overly soft but I'm now used to them. The dash does have a sporty look to it, but the rest of the interior is very dated. Mine has Alcantara, but I'm in the market for leather seats, especially a leather Recaro front seat ( You may find Turbo's with these in - if so you are very lucky and I'll buy them off you! ). I've been incredibly lucky in finding mine in such good condition. Full Service History, wax oil treatment to prevent rusting, the original alloy spare wheel and dealers directory. Do take extreme care in buying one of these cars! If you buy the wrong one it will be a burden. But, if you bide your time and thoroughly check out the car - they are well worth it. Insurance group 14 is a bit expensive, I'm 22 and have to pay about a grand. Apparently they are high on thieves' wish lists! So I advise fitting a Cat1 or 2 alarm/imm. this will also knock down your insurance premium. Fuel consumption is not too bad either, even though I've been driving quite fast it's about 30mpg, not bad for a car with power. There are a few websites with helpful info on what to look for when buying, do take time to read these, as they will help a great deal. After a few years I hope to progress onto the Integrale, but hey are very expensive to buy, run and repair. Thanks for reading.

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