Tommy the Cuore has arrived at his new home ( my wife named him, Tommy Tomato as he is bright red ).
Didnt break down, that was a good start, whenever I buy a sub £1k car I start off with the expectation I have made a huge mistake and go from there, thankfully the list of identified issues is short and easy to fix.
Problems are limited to the front tyres needing balancing, the tracking is slightly off, the pattern exhaust doesnt match up well with the hangers on the car so it knocks on the rear subframe and the air intake attached to the airfilter was loose. I also picked up a stone chip and windscreen crack on the way home so it will need a new screen at some point. I note from the MOT advisories that the rear brake pipes will need doing at some point too.
I have already got to fixing the issues and with some manipulation the exhaust now sits better so it doesnt knock anymore. It isnt perfect but it will do for the time being. Some cable ties sorted the air intake which seems to be missing the bit it mounts into, hence it was loose.
Other than that it goes extremely well, Cecil, its first owner, seems to have taken good care of it, the tyres are all good, the trim is undamaged although the rear seat rattles a bit ( wrapping a bit of rubber around the rear seat catch will fix that ). The engine is leak free, there were no worrying noises on the way back and the engine is very peppy, no doubt driving the 60 miles home was the longest journey it had done in a while. I have now filled it up with some Tesco Momentum, seems to run smoother on the expensive stuff. It heats up quickly but never ventures over half way on the temp gauge even in traffic.
It has no PAS but it lightens up as soon as the car moves, the lack of a heavy engine up front means you hardly notice and around town the steering is lighter than some assisted cars ive owned. It is extremely basic, no central locking, manual windows, just a cassette player ( I have the CD player from my Charade to go in, knew I kept it for a reason ).
The brakes are sharp, the clutch is sharp and the throttle is responsive so it feels very 'alive' and you need a bit of finesse to drive it smoothly. I got it up to 70 which is at around 3200 rpm so it isnt under any great strain at that speed. The unassisted steering has completely different feel to a PAS setup at most speeds, you can really feel what the tyres are doing very well indeed and there is no self-centering, it is also a fairly quick rack so back roads are much more fun than the Elantra ever was.
The ride is a bit choppy, I wonder if better tyres would improve that as they did on the Ignis. The seats were comfortable for the ride home, I didnt have any aches when I got out, they are softer than they look.
Overall I am pleased with it, I could have done without the windscreen issue but the crack isnt spreading anymore so I might wait before sorting it. Now it just needs a valet which is what I am going to do right now, it is fairly clean but not at my standards and I am taking it to work this afternoon so it needs to be on form by then.
:-)
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I'd be a little concerned at the steering not self-centering. I understand the castor angle's responsible for that.
Hopefully someone more technical will explain. NC?
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>> the steering not self-centering. I understand the castor angle's responsible for that.
It's very common for a semi-neglected small jalopy to have the front tracking out. A proper garage can centre and adjust everything. Obviously all the suspension joints, bushes and so on have to be within design parameters. A proper garage will even centre the steering wheel spokes to finish the job. It shouldn't cost the earth apart from any parts needed.
If the car won't track straight after that it's got a twisted chassis or monocoque!
I think that Cuore sounds pretty good. Fingers crossed but well done Stu. Shrewd.
Oh and by the way: self-centring isn't always complete or comfortable, car models vary a lot and some very good small cars are slightly spoiled by having wayward steering under some circumstances. Long-term drivers either adapt or crash or get scared and change cars.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Thu 15 May 14 at 14:48
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>>> steering not self-centering
I've had that on a 60s Viva where it was due to massive toe out... felt very weird. So if Stu already has reason to suspect the tracking is out he could be OK once it's done.
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>>>self-centring isn't always complete or comfortable, car models vary a lot
That's very true. Mrs F's C3 has very strong self centering which driving daughter finds odd compared with Fiestas/Clios etc. On the other hand my C5 estate had a very noticeable lack of self centering almost needing the steering wheel to be wound back after tight slow turns.
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I'm betting is that you will be looking for something else in three months. :-)
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I had a Marina where the steering wouldn't self centre. Odd at first, but you get used to it.
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The car tracks almost straight, it just needs a tweak, I will check the tyre pressures before I have it checked. I wonder if I am just so used to over-assisted PAS that the totally different steering feel is a bit alien atm. I dont mind it though, it is a similar feel to a narrow wheel Rover Mini although somewhat lighter.
I have noticed that although I am driving the same roads and at the same speeds, I am now back to the all to common 'little car syndrome' where people in big and/or fast cars try extremely hard to pass you no matter how fast you go.
My dad likes it, he said there is something to be said for mechanical simplicity, far less to go wrong.
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Check condition and roundness of front tyres - low mileage jobs can have tyres that aren't even circular causing all kinds of steering effects and vibration.
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Good point re the tyres, hadnt thought of that. The vibration is only at 55 mph and 72 mph though, I wonder if it would manifest that way if the tyres were mishapen?
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The vibration at 55mph is a warning to slow down - you are going too fast. The second is imminent destruction if you don't back off :)
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>> Check condition and roundness of front tyres - low mileage jobs can have tyres that
>> aren't even circular causing all kinds of steering effects and vibration.
Doesn't need low mileage.
Circa May 2010, Xantia's fronts were worn to near limit. Good quote from Local F1 franchise nd as recommended new tyres were put on rear and rears shifted to front.
I'd not got as far as roundabout by tyre depot exit before car felt odd. At 40+ or on rural bends it was frightening - like worn shocks. Seems rears were worn asymmetrically in either tread circumference, tyre radius or both. On checking one actually rolled oddly when wheel removed and closely examined.
Second pair of new tyres in place of those moved to front sorted issue.
The really scary thing was that, with old tyres at front, Mrs B thought there was there was nothing wrong.
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>>On checking one actually rolled oddly when wheel removed and closely examined.
Dunlop (or SP)was it? I won't touch'em with a barge pole nowadays.
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When driving this new to me BMW home the other weekend it had the strangest feel as if the rear end was self steering. Lane one lorry ruts and even crossing a white line would throw it off course alarmingly.
All down to a mixture of makes and underinflation wear patterns. Totally cured with a nice set of Dunlops!!
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I always thought the Cuore looked a decent little car, even if it does have a bit of a "granny's runabout" image if you'll forgive me saying so. Nicely proportioned, good all-round vision and Daihatsu did have a good reputation for reliability.
Quite rare though, I'd imagine; what's parts availability like?
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>>Quite rare though, I'd imagine; what's parts availability like? <<
You can still get everything, there are about 1500 still on the road. Most of the mechanicals is off the shelf Daihatsu, even the interior is common to other models ( and a number of Peroduas too, as are the oily bits ). Service bits are easy and I have a Daihatsu specialist nearby. The only bits that wouldnt be easy would be Cuore specific body parts like headlights.
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Daihatsu Cuore - The new acquisition - bathtub tom
