Hello from a chick with a Legnum

L

Leggynum

Wrench Pro
Points
23
Location
Hertfordshire England
Car
Legnum VR4 2.5 TT
So I eventually have got into this forum but sadly to late as I am selling the Legnum :( Had it 6 yrs and had great fun but I really do have to grow up now and get something sensible and diesel!! :( Buy hey, I can look as you lot blat past me on the motorway.
 
Hi there and may I wish you a warm welcome to TorqueCars, it is a pleasure to meet you.

There are some pretty rapid Diesels around, faster and more economical so there is no reason you have to compromise.

Golf GTTdi is a good one - remap it to 190bhp and you'll still get mid to high 50's mpg! The newer BMW 125d is also an impressive diesel engine.

Do you do a lot of miles then?
Feel free to get involved in our other threads, all opinions are welcome and as they say "the more the merrier"!
 
Leggynum, I went from quick, interesting cars - Clio 172, ZS180, etc, to a sensible diesel Bora, and although I've had it remapped so it'll shift a fair bit, I miss having an interesting car, and as soon as I've saved a few pennies I'll be getting shut of the Bora and going back to something I actually look forward to driving.

The Vr4's a cracker of a car, 4wd as well, I think you'll regret it if you flog it. And besides, sensible is overrated, I'm 40 and probably I'll be about 44, 45 when I chop in the Bora, but hopefully I'll be swapping it for something like an S-type R 4.2V8, and my insurance will be like 200 quid a year or something.
 
I know I know. I do love the car but I don't really get to drive it as it should be driven. I have horses so I constantly do short journeys to the yard and back which is rubbish for my fuel consumption and just to expensive to justify and i'm driving through the lanes dodging pot holes and I also need to throw a dog and a child in it. Yes it has the room but not what I need. I have fun up and down the M1 and M6 once a month but thats the only time I get to put my foot down now.
I'm looking for a little soft roader like a Honda CRV new shape or that kind of thing. Something good for the dogs, the lanes and the weather!

But do not worry! I still have a Honda NSX to play with when the OH is away and I can nick the keys :):):)
 
Leggynum said:
I know I know. I do love the car but I don't really get to drive it as it should be driven. I have horses so I constantly do short journeys to the yard and back which is rubbish for my fuel consumption and just to expensive to justify and i'm driving through the lanes dodging pot holes and I also need to throw a dog and a child in it. Yes it has the room but not what I need. I have fun up and down the M1 and M6 once a month but thats the only time I get to put my foot down now.
I'm looking for a little soft roader like a Honda CRV new shape or that kind of thing. Something good for the dogs, the lanes and the weather!

But do not worry! I still have a Honda NSX to play with when the OH is away and I can nick the keys :):):)
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Nah, soft roaders are awful, they don't do anything well, they're crap offroad and onroad.

What about a Legacy Outback with the 3.0 engine?
 
Shoot me down but I dont like the shape and there is something about Scooby's that don't float my boat. :embarrest:
3.0L really? I might as well keep the Legnum :amuse:
 
welcome To TC.
why selling the legnum? people from inside never grow ;)
in that case, i would suggest you to get a small car for everyday use, something with 1.0 engine, and get a weekend ride, something with power, hope the insurance, wont cause troubles with having 2 cars.
kind regards
 
I've just googled them, they are niiiiiice! I could see myself in one of them big time. I could take on a few tractors in that bad boy :lol:

charger69 - I have a 'weekend' car if I want it. I don't need two cars and a 1L? I still need to actually get there before dark lol.

So I have so far realised I don't want a 1L or a 3L so i'll go somewhere in the middle. Has to be diesel because....er....thats what i've decided... and still has to be something that looks good ;)

But can someone buy the 'stealth' off me first please....
 
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If you're going to keep the car for a million years I'd be inclined to rethink the mandatory diesel engine. Euro IV and Euro V emissions standards require some pretty prescriptive servicing and it's not until warranty-over-time that some of the potential costs appear. Similarly, the dual mass flywheels get a serious battering with a diesel engine's high flywheel torque. 6 cylinder engines are much better though in this respect.

Happy shopping,

bye4now
 
The Legnum is the longest I have ever owned a car. It's a womans perogitive to like a change right?

I know what your saying, but i'm looking short term (couple of years)rather than long term and that goes back to my pocket and I don't want another one that has a drink problem.
 
Leggynum said:
I've just googled them, they are niiiiiice! I could see myself in one of them big time. I could take on a few tractors in that bad boy :lol:

charger69 - I have a 'weekend' car if I want it. I don't need two cars and a 1L? I still need to actually get there before dark lol.

So I have so far realised I don't want a 1L or a 3L so i'll go somewhere in the middle. Has to be diesel because....er....thats what i've decided... and still has to be something that looks good ;)

But can someone buy the 'stealth' off me first please....
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well that's all ok. what do you think of bmw or mercedes diesel?
 
Having an NSX on standby would allow me to quite happily drive anything offered really! :D

What about a Passat Estate? The 1.8T is a lovely engine, a good mix of power and economy. Will you be towing a horse box or anything?
 
waynne said:
Having an NSX on standby would allow me to quite happily drive anything offered really! :D

What about a Passat Estate? The 1.8T is a lovely engine, a good mix of power and economy. Will you be towing a horse box or anything?
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I beg to differ on that - the couple of Passat 1.8T models I've driven felt underpowered.

The 1.9 TDi PD is a much more muscular motor. 2.5 V6 TDi even better and much smoother than the 4 cylinder PDs.
 
I was thinking it is lovely from a potential power point of view a remap will add another 50bhp or so! I guess the diesel units are a better proposition thinking about it. They are quite big cars so really benefit from the Torque.

The Chassis is nice and they do handle well, I must admit i've not driven a 1.8T though :(
 
waynne said:
I was thinking it is lovely from a potential power point of view a remap will add another 50bhp or so! I guess the diesel units are a better proposition thinking about it. They are quite big cars so really benefit from the Torque.

The Chassis is nice and they do handle well, I must admit i've not driven a 1.8T though :(
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They are quite heavy. The 20 valve 2.3 V5 petrol unit is nice as well but that can drink a bit under provocation.

The 1.9 TDi PDs are a good compromise and tune well - my only reservation is cambelt change interval which at one time was a ridiculously low 18,000 miles !!!!
 
What about a Passat Estate? The 1.8T is a lovely engine, a good mix of power and economy. Will you be towing a horse box or anything?[/QUOTE]

Actually you make a good point which I should really think about. I have a horse box but if for any reason that is off the road or I sell it or there are any emergencys then I should really have something that I can tow a horse trailer with. Will normally be one horse but if for any reason I take a friend then the gross towing weight of the horses + trailer would be about 2100kg so if i'm right that takes out something like a Mitsubishi Outlander I think as max towing weight on that is 2000kg?
 
Leggynum said:
What about a Passat Estate? The 1.8T is a lovely engine, a good mix of power and economy. Will you be towing a horse box or anything?
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Actually you make a good point which I should really think about. I have a horse box but if for any reason that is off the road or I sell it or there are any emergencys then I should really have something that I can tow a horse trailer with. Will normally be one horse but if for any reason I take a friend then the gross towing weight of the horses + trailer would be about 2100kg so if i'm right that takes out something like a Mitsubishi Outlander I think as max towing weight on that is 2000kg?[/QUOTE]

Find a decent late model Peugeot 406 estate with the 2.2 HDi engine and you'll have a brilliant towing car. I dragged a 23 foor caravan around with a saloon model and it was effortless; so much sweeter and smoother than the more usual 2.0 HDi.

Will check the max towing weights and report back if that's any help.
 
I will definitely have a think about them but i'm sure the towing weight of them is only about 1200kg ish. I don't want to appear rude but I googled some pictures and I don't think I can really see myself driving one though to be honest, they seem a bit 'old'. :)
 
The do look a bit old I agree, but then again the Passat is hardly in its first flush of youth.

I think they're a better drive than the VW though - the ride and handling defy the looks, especially on the higher spec models which have firmer damping. The replacement 407 is more striking to look at though.

Subaru has launched a 4 cylinder diesel recently. Have not driven one but they're very capable cars as well by all accounts.

At the moment there's masses of choice in the premium used market and prices are very keen as a result of the domestic economy being shot to ribbons.

Peugeot says 1500kg max braked trailer weight with nose load of 80kg. You must be shifting some large horses though :) Passat Est is 1600kg max (2007 year model)
 
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Don't like Vauxhalls personally but that's not to say it's not a good contender.

If you really need to move 2000+ kg trailers then 4x4 is probably the sensible option apart from a heavyweight 535d or 320CDi.

Given you're towing animals I assume you have to do some gentle off road stuff so the ground clearance and 4wd will be very very beneficial.
 
4wd is essential as the lanes are just nasty in the winter. That was one bonus of the Legnum :) Ground clearance not so much of an issue I don't think as the worst it would go across would be a slightly bumpy field but never true 'off roading'. Oh I don't know, i'm getting to fussy now.
 
Leggynum said:
4wd is essential as the lanes are just nasty in the winter. That was one bonus of the Legnum :) Ground clearance not so much of an issue I don't think as the worst it would go across would be a slightly bumpy field but never true 'off roading'. Oh I don't know, i'm getting to fussy now.
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I wouldn't rush at 4wd in the interests of handling on bad road surfaces alone.

It doesn't really make that much difference apart from off the line traction or applying heavy loads of throttle halfway through a bend. It does little to stabilise steady state cornering and nothing to stabilise braking at all.

A high sided 4wd will fail grip wise long before a standard car simply on account of its high centre of mass. Most makers of standard cars now use traction control and stability management as a cheaper (and arguably inferior) alternative to full time 4wd to deal with poor traction and lateral grip in poor conditions.

There is another point here though. If you really do struggle with bad roads in the winter (likewise, we do so here as well, it's the middle of nowhere) then fitting M+S (mud and snow) tyres to ANY car during the winter months will make an unbelieveable difference. Take 'em off after the winter 'cos they're noisy on dry tarmac and wear out bloody quickly as well.

This is turning into an interesting discussion so keep going.

Rgds,

P.
 
Interesting HDi fun, very interesting. On the twisty turny lanes there is a definite difference in a 4wd grip wise I have found. On a straight road then I would agree with you. I stonked through the snow and ice this year in a Nissan Nivera ( which is useless unless you have the back end loaded) and pulled many people out of the ditch at the bottom of the hill and rescued a friend who I saw sliding backwards round a corner and back half way down the hill in their BMW Estate. How I did this? 4WD.
Good idea about the M&S tyres but realistically I am never going to do that, I know I won't :)
 
Last winter we were stuck with a little old (ancient) Seat Ibiza 1.9D. Proper D as well - noisy and slow. I won't go into the reasons why here other than to say that I had a very bad crash in Summer 2009 and didn't drive much at all for some months. There was no need to replace the car that was written off, one car was adequate for us.

It really acquitted itself brilliantly on deep snow and ice, as a simple and basic fwd car. In fairness I have had well over 20 years and over 700,000 miles to practise in bad conditions (and good ones as well) and it can be done, even on the standard Michelin summer tyres fitted to it - oops Paul is a hypocrite :-( . Of course a 4wd vehicle would be better but to get the very best from it you'd really need the winter tyres.

If you're really after something like a BMW X5, for example, then buy one by all means, regardless of your needs. We all have choices and it would be a good one and a pleasant place in which to be whilst driving. You don't really need to drive them at all, just adopt the role of a controlling passenger who happens to be in the driver's seat.

But you won't necessarily find it better than a well set up 2wd car on tarmac, regardless of the conditions.

We're in Nth Bucks, not so far from you and it's a bit windswept and overgrown all year. In winter we're well off the map as far as gritting goes.

My concern is the 2000+ kg you need to tow on occasions. It's never good to pull a trailer (even a braked one) whose weight is greater than that of the tow-car itself, regardless of the type of vehicle. You can wind up with 'tail wagging dog type problems'.

So possibly on sheer mass alone a true 4wd off-roader would be a good compromise. Let's be fair, much as I've pushed aside the problems with high centre of gravity etc. the current LRD is very very capable on road. Toyota's Landcruiser likewise.

Over and out,

Rgds,

HDi (Paul).
 
Don't often say this so don't tell anyone but......you're right :)

I have to be realistic and I love the look of the X5, to me they look lush but am I going to want to throw the dog in it and all my dirty boots etc...probably not. A good old Disco would probably do me just fine. I have heard they are a bit unreliable though, not sure how true this is.

Thank you everyone for all your help
 
Leggynum said:
Don't often say this so don't tell anyone but......you're right :)

I have to be realistic and I love the look of the X5, to me they look lush but am I going to want to throw the dog in it and all my dirty boots etc...probably not. A good old Disco would probably do me just fine. I have heard they are a bit unreliable though, not sure how true this is.

Thank you everyone for all your help
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sounds like you need a land rover defender. ;)
the username of yours looks to me like leggings ;) no offense.
 
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