MG6 1.8L, 157 BHP, 0-60 mph 8.4 secs, limited to 120mph, Insurance group 14

BMW Z3 1.9L, 140 BHP, 0-60mph 9.2 secs, max speed 127mph, insurance group 31

Does that make any sense to anyone??

Overseas built vehicle (dearer to source parts will be the biggest reason), followed by brand's perceived performance heritage (boy/girl wanabe racers or mid life crises) which pretty much ties with the maximum speed of the vehicle. ;-)

Cheers.

Oh this is grand. There are more than 50 groups. My car falls into Ferrari Insurance Group. Here I have an agreed value policy and regular liability.

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1999 Ford Escort zx2 Sport Hot Coupe

Zetec 2.0L engine w/130hp(made by Mazda), most ordinary zx2's have 100hp, the S/R model zx2 has 143hp. "Sport" is is listed on the car exterior, "hot coupe" is not.

Installed Mods: Motorcraft Platinum Sparkplugs, K&N Air Filter, Royal Purple 5w30 synthetic motor oil, Fram oil filter, Ford Cruise Control.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Installed Mods: Motorcraft Platinum Sparkplugs, K&N Air Filter, Royal Purple 5w30 synthetic motor oil, Fram oil filter, Ford Cruise Control.

Vic for heavens sake LOL!!! Sparkplugs, air filters, oil, and filter are not classed as mods :-) Cruise control was probably an optional extra when new. I don't know where you got this "hot coupe" from, the garage quote for the ball joints you posted listed your car as a Ford Escort 2L Sedan.

I agree, consumables are not Mods. Mods would be like adding a spoiler, ground effects, a turbo or N2O system, larger or smaller wheels and tires, removing extra weight, converting fuel type. A modification from original.

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Mods would be like adding a spoiler, ground effects, a turbo or N2O system, larger or smaller wheels and tires, removing extra weight, converting fuel type. A modification from original.

I would imagine these sorts of things increase insurance premiums, don't they?

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Anything which materially alters the original specification & performance needs to be reported to your insurance company.

My auto insurance policy specifically does not cover non stock items.

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Anything which materially alters the original specification & performance needs to be reported to your insurance company.

My auto insurance policy specifically does not cover non stock items.

Yeah, you can modify the heck out of your vehicle to get more horsepower and when you insure it, the insurance folks just go by the VIN number.
But...........if you get into a wreck, file a claim, and the adjuster for the insurance company finds substantial modification to the vehicle, they can cancel the lot instantly, leaving you high and dry.
Best bet is to be honest with your insurance agent. In some cases they will not notch your premiums. In other cases, such as a larger engine swap, they might notch it quite a bit.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

I don't know where you got this "hot coupe" from, the garage quote for the ball joints you posted listed your car as a Ford Escort 2L Sedan.

I can't help it that the guy put the car under sedan, My car does only have 2 doors, not 4, a sedan is 4 a door, as to Hot Coupe, that came from Ford, and is what My model is called, there is also the Cool Coupe too(a base model, doesn't even have a/c I've read), but I don't have that one, both models were made in 1998-1999, after that Ford made the zx2 Coupe until 2003, no more Hot or Cool models.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Vic is correct in that a Sedan is a 4 door, a Coupe is a 2 door, and a Cabriolet or Convertible is a coupe without a fixed roof.

This business about a hot or cool coupe appears to be Ford America's idea of Marketing. Usually regarding motor vehicles, "hot" applies to a vehicle that has an enhanced or tuned engine for higher performance as in a Hot-Rod. In this case it refers to the fitted accessories and interior trim. The Cool version has no power windows, locks or mirrors, or factory spoiler. A/C and cassette were options. The Hot version had all the above. It is sometimes difficult to tell a Cool with extras from a standard Hot. Both versions had the same 130BHP engine.

But hey, isn't is flashier to say that I drive a "hot coupe" rather than a Ford Escort 2 door. Those were the customers they were aiming at. Typical America!

Using a higher grade synthetic oil is useful if the car is driven hard, and a free-flow air filter will help to aspirate the engine. Decent OEM plugs might also last a bit longer, but none of those will enhance the performance or power, just make the engine more flexible and responsive in its power range .

I run my '90 Olds Cutlass Ciera mostly stock.
Nothing major to report. I run a more free flowing air cleaner than stock. I run the original #1 Delco spark plugs,and I have tried those others, including those tri-gap pieces of sh-t. That is all hype, and the car ran worse than ever with them. Your best bet is stock GM Delco for whatever your car should have.
Have experimented, but threw the others all in the trash. Stock gap is .060. I run them at .065.
Because I did, some years ago, ran into a thread on the GM boards that turned me on to some stock ignition coils that were a few thousand volts beyond the usual ones. I think they came from a turbocharged model that needed a bit more oomph to assure the spark would not be blown out on full boost.
The 27yo car still runs as a finely tuned beasty. My dragon, and that is why I named him Toothless, after the 'How to Train Your Dragon' series of flicks.

I also tried different brain boxes from different model years.
Have more than a few in the back seat. None made much difference, so I put the stock one back in place.
He got a new exhaust system cat back last week.
Quieter than a mouse now.
My car is my dragon, so I give him everything that he needs.
Steed worthy of all steeds.
The one that is not the most arrogant, but delivers his master to his destination.
Always.

The 2.5l GM Iron Duke was a motor for the ages. It will run until the body runs out.
It, if God is willing, may be the last car I ever own.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

$1,568.00

And I have many spares, for I am a mechanic.
I have a spare
Alternator
Starter
Water pump
ECU (several)
and just for kicks,
I need to find another donor car, or one that is capable of being another daily driver.
And, there are still some out there, just had not the cash to buy one at the time.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

The oil I use, I use for a reason, My car has about 90,000 miles on the engine, ordinary oil would output smoke thru the exhaust, and the oil that I use after I discovered the smoke doesn't do that. The air filter, is just so I don't have to replace the air filter every once in a while. I get 33 mpg out of those platinum plugs, and I have no idea what type was originally in the engine, I just know they're gone, I have run Iridium plugs in the past, I got 30mpg out of those, but then I do have cruise control installed by the local Ford dealer, but then the car was wired for that already.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

The oil I use, I use for a reason, My car has about 90,000 miles on the engine, ordinary oil would output smoke thru the exhaust, and the oil that I use after I discovered the smoke doesn't do that. The air filter, is just so I don't have to replace the air filter every once in a while. I get 33 mpg out of those platinum plugs, and I have no idea what type was originally in the engine, I just know they're gone, I have run Iridium plugs in the past, I got 30mpg out of those, but then I do have cruise control installed by the local Ford dealer, but then the car was wired for that already.

Irridium, platinum, unobtainium, triple gaps, double gaps, etc, etc, etc,.
There is a simple law of physics in place.............
Voltage plus gap equals a spark of the dynamics in place.
A properly gapped stock plug has nothing to lose over some wham bam super dooper wow, 8 dollars for a spark plug job.
Nothing at all. Nothing but snake oil.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

just replaced my car again, and the insurance company wants $1568.00 every six months

it could be a racy car

Heat range is a valuable spark plug value.
Depending on the engine's work range.
And the age of the engine.
One might rightfully default a heat range higher if the engine is consuming oil.
It could save the plugs from fouling or shorting is the problem is nigh.
And heat range can begin to get a spark plug into proper operation if the previous perameters were out of whack.
The gap is the main thing.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

This year my old 1995 Ford Falcon GLi wagon's green slip (Third Party insurance which covers death/injuries to all persons involved and is part of the yearly registration process) cost $382 and when the car's value hit $2000 (about 4yrs ago now) I dropped the $680 Comprehensive insurance for Third Party Property insurance which now costs me $11 per month for any other damage that I may do.

I got my car and motor bike learners permits at the minimum 16yrs 9mths and on my 17th birthday I passed both tests for proper licenses and then got my heavy vehicle/bus license at 21yrs (now there goes 4 decades worth of history).

Cheers.

I recently got a 1999 Chevy K1500 Suburban LS http://www.automobile-catalog.com/auta_details1.php and my insurance only went up about $30 (USD) per month from the 1988 Volvo I used to own (same insurance company).
Regarding Wiggo's comment below, I used to (years ago, in the 1980s) have a (US version) 1963 Falcon Futura wagon; that was the 1st time I ever changed out a clutch plate, pressure plate & throwout bearing. It was given to my ex and I by my brother-in-law after he got it from his stepdad; while his stepdad (my father-in-law) had it, it was in almost pristine condition for its age; by the time we got it, it looked its age: rusty, paint faded, headliner falling apart, etc.
This vehicle (my current one) is in MUCH better condition; it's got some minor issues, but fortunately nothing major that I have to deal with. I did recently change out the Idle Air Control, which had been 'throwing codes', but I guess I forgot to disconnect the battery while doing so, because it's (the engine & transmission) running a bit high on the idle on startup (starts to 2K RPM, then slowly drops down to about 800 RPM).

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