Maybe Buying My First Svx
 

I might be buying my first svx here pretty soon

i have a few questions that i havnt really been able to answer after reading for months on these boards. by the way the network is awesome.


ok the car i am looking at is a red 94 with 63k miles on it.
i dont know exactly which model it is but it has the FWD tranny and cloth seats.


first question is to see if it is possible to convert it to a 5 speed transmission and AWD system. If it requires alot of extra work compared to doing the 5speed on a awd car.

second is what is the insurance like for some of you guys. i am 20 years old and i would be making payments on the car. what am i looking at each month. im hoping its not too much.


thanks guys and im hoping i can be an actual part of the network soon

Re: Maybe Buying My First Svx
 

Can you convert it to AWD and 5 speed? Probably, but if the car you ultimately want is AWD, pass on this FWD L model. Too much work, too much money, and too much hassle to convert.

As far as insurance goes, check with your insurance agent. Insurance costs vary by state, by region within the state, by drivers record, by age, by marital status, etc. I'm not sure a dollar figure given to you by someone here would be a useful number for you to base your budget upon.

Todd

No, a dollar figure definitely can't be given, but I will tell you that when I bought my SVX at 22, I was in for a rude awakening insurance-wise.

I recommend asking your insurance carrier, then getting quotes from other companies. They'll probably give you a lower price because they want your business. Your current carrier has little incentive to give you a low price - they already have you. :)

And I agree with Todd concerning the conversion. At first blush, it seems like such an easy thing (just add the back half of the drivetrain). But you'll soo find that there are hundreds of little details and you'll be working on it forever...

This is very true... I am 21 and my insurance payments are set at $243/4 months out of 6, with the last two months off... Better than they were when I bought it though!!! I was 18 when I bought it... I couldn't afford the insurance so I just put it in storage and paid the loan off, bought a Jeep and drove that around while the SVX was in storage... Then 2 years later I took it outta storage... Now look at it... It's doing great!!! And I haven't even broken 90k miles yet!! Hehehe :D:D:D

Insurance
 

I was 22 when I bought mine ('94 LS, fwd). It is the first car I've ever purchased. I was able to shop around, but my rates were about $1400/year. I lived in an apartment (no garage), small town, didn't drive much at all.

I'm now 27, and my rates have dropped to about $900/yr. No wrecks, no speeding tickets (couple close calls :D ), keep the car garaged when it is home, daily commute is about 45 miles round trip. All these tidbits get factored into your rate, in case you were not aware.

Not having AWD doesn't seem like such a big problem to me, even in the snow. The problem is all the other idiots you have to share the roads with :rolleyes:

Good luck with your search!

So you've had your SVX for 5 years??/ That's pretty cool...

thanks for all the info guys

well the car im looking at is only 4k. im thinkin doing a conversion is down the road like a year. ill be researching it more and see if it is that difficult or even possible.

1400 a year for insurance would be great.
i was thinking like 150 a month for me. maybe highballing it maybe not.

do the fwd models lack anything engine or suspesion wise. or are they pretty much the same car.

WELL congrats on looking into your 1st SVX, I'm the car biz so i do understanda lil on insurance the older you go the cheaper it will be ...i recomend $1000 deductable and carrying full coverage (its kinda of collect car so you want to be paid if its totaled). I just got my 1st SVX (L-fwd) and i abosluty love it...if your gonna autocross it ect yeah the AWD is better but it comes at a price of weight the car is already pretty heavy...if you don't REALLY need the AWD then pass the 1st time around the transmission from what i hear last alil longer and require less maint in the 2wd models....and i'm not sure what the percentage of build was for the AWD's...there might be more 2 wd's availbe to choose from ..have you checked on ebay yet i saw some decent prices for AWD's and 2wd's (there was three last week (feb9th04) when i was on there. ...and AWD's are gonna be a lil more on high on the insurance so if you go with an AWD try and get a 92/93. From what i understand they don't have the speed governers in them from the factory, they put those in from 94 and on...(from what i heard on here). and research the tranny problems (they have a heat problem and tend to blow out early if not Taken care of such as oil changes..and remeber to add the trans oil cooler if it doesn't have one already... The people who sell these don't know what they have 9 out ten times...try and find one (clean) from some older guy that got his new ..but doesn't know the collector value of it.. and if anything i said is wrong i'm sorry i'm just repeteing what i've heard. good luck in getting your 1st one..i've had mine for 2 weeks now its the best car i've driven for that price range ($6000 or less) and has a great safety and realible reputaion..and i've sold many new cars including VETTES..the performence and handling you get out of the SVX is just breathtaking....also this insurance info i gave you is out of experince I'll trade ya drving records blind...my record is taller than i am (6-1 -lol-) so its gonna depend on your record for sure $1400 a year sounds good to me for a clean driver over 21 and driving since you where 16...now if you anything like me (young and feel the need for speed) your prob gonna be looking at something around $1800-2100 per year depending on your area and what carrier you go with..best advice is SHOP! SHOP SHOP get qoutes from everyone! and good luck finding your new baby...i have the 2wd-L and i love it just fine i might like the AWD better but this is your 1st SVDX maybe start cheap and pick up an AWD for your second one..they are a love affair whatch out you get hooked !

B-Roc (north cali)

96 GSR (hers) 121k "green"
94 SVX-L 2wd (mine) 97k "blue"
94 escort 2dr LX htbk (sold after 8 years) 121k "white"

yeah thanks for the advise.

also have something you guys might think is funny

test drove the car im going to buy. it has really weak brakes right now. and there is something a bit wrong with the psteering. it get tight like no fluid or something. anyways i was driving it around and i went down a country road. hit 100 and it seemed like nothing. started to slow down for the t intersection up ahead and barely had anything brake wise. plus at the intersection it was covered with gravel. started skidding on that and hit a green telephone post and a router box. and into part of a fence. the car took it like a beast. totatly messed up the telephone boxes and bend the crap out of a 3inch metal fence post. did damage to the front bumper and the right front quarter panel. so i gotta fix that now. anyone have any prices on a bumber and quarter panel or how to fix it. oh yeah and any ideas on braking and steering.



ps damn im stupid

Glad to hear that you are OK and the car isn't damaged too badly.

Brakes - put in new pads and bleed out all the old fluid/ replace with new fluid first. Both of these could be causing a soft pedal.
Also take a look at the rotors to decide if they need replacing - you can get good brembos/ bradis on ebay pretty cheap.

Bumper - might as well contact stevebsy (on this site) and go with the upgraded bumper kit! alternatively a member part out here or action auto wreckers.

1/4 panel - maybe action auto wreckers or a member here who is parting out.

Steering - first check fluid, and then check for leakage around the reservoir - may need the O-ring fix - there is a how-to on this site for that.
Also check the return hose if fluid is low but no sign of leakage at the reservoir - this is a common item to get brittle and crack and dump all the fluid.

I'm 19 and I pay $200 a month for my insurance. On my own plan and what not. It sucks, but hey, look at the car. :)

5 years already? I hadn't really thought of it that way :rolleyes:

It has been a mostly wonderful ownership experience. Considering what the car has cost me per mile driven, I really can't complain about anything. Yes, it is expensive to get things fixed, in the rare event that something goes wrong. I have 128k on mine (bought it with 70k), and aside from the standard PM and gas costs, I haven't really had to think about it. The tranny did let go 4k miles ago, and that was expensive. $3942.75 to be exact. I check around the Indy area, and my local Subaru dealer turned out to have the best price. I thought hard about doing the 5spd, but the Suby guy wanted at least $1.5k more for the swap. I checked my Porsche guy (who also happens to do SVRA restorations - at any given time he has 2-4 70's vintage F1 cars in the shop) and he'd do the 5spd swap for about 5k, but he would have needed at least one month before he had time to work on it. Since the SVX is my daily driver, I ended up staying with the automatic...

Aside from the tranny, the only other repair was a rear wheel bearing replacement. But then, I guess that is almost a standard PM replacement too ;)

If you have a clean recors, insurance isnt too bad at all. If its only 4k, you probably dont need collision on it. I have a 94 Ls which is almost the the same as the one your looking at. Im only 16 and my insurance is about 550 every 6 months without collision on it (though I expect it to go up because I just got a ticket- its ease to do with this car). Yours should be much less because your older. The front wheel drive isnt a problem if you get snow tires, mine drives better in snow than all the other 2wd cars ive drove.

damn, i feel old. :mad: