Car Tech Help

[Gunk]

I passed my test in a 1980 Toyota Corolla, it was a dull but really easy car to drive, they’re quite sought after now.

 

[DRM]

The 180B was a large car for the time, pretty much Ford Grandad size. I can remember the estates well, but not sure if there was a saloon.

I’d have said it was cortina sized myself, my mate had a saloon version, you had to be careful when driving it as drunks tended to leap into the road and flag you down thinking it was a taxi, then when you ordered a taxi, the first thing the driver would say is who owns the 180B, I’ll buy it off you now!

 

[fossyant]

I thought that was an urban legend, and Lexus was just a suitably unique English-sounding word made up by a committee.

I had a succession of Nissan Micras; the K10 (original boxy one) was basic but very well made. The K11 ("bowler hat" one) wasn't quite as well made but the 1.3 could spin its wheels in third gear on a wet road - it was somewhat more powerful than Nissan claimed! The K12 was pants - badly made and underpowered (more specifically, vastly overweight). I changed to Mazdas after that.

I had a K11 1.3 Super S and that was quick.

 

[rogerzilla]

I had a K11 1.3 Super S and that was quick.

I read that someone had bothered to get his dyno tested and there was about 80bhp at the wheels, so estimate 94bhp at the flywheel. It was only supposed to be a 75bhp engine. As it weighed 810kg, that was 116bhp/ton, which was really quite quick!

 

[Cavalol]

Japanese cars have been (mostly) very reliable, but I've seen enough sort of 2006 onwards Mazda diesels with knackered engines to put me off having one.

 

[Drago]

I read that someone had bothered to get his dyno tested and there was about 80bhp at the wheels, so estimate 94bhp at the flywheel. It was only supposed to be a 75bhp engine. As it weighed 810kg, that was 116bhp/ton, which was really quite quick!

Nissan only claimed 45/55 BHP for the 1.0/1.3 K11, but its reckoned by pundits that the 1.0 was closer to 60 and the 1.3 North of 75, which would have been very respectable from an early 90's 1.3. The 1.4 in the contemporary Sunny was in the region of 85, so possibly they under-claimed to prevent the risk of taking sales from the more expensive range? Who really knows?