19 y/o with an S60 T5 - my car history and a belated intro..

[williredale]

Easy

[BorkFactor]

That car looks fantastic, great photos too!

I know what you mean about RWD and a naturally aspirated engine, my car may be a cheap ones but it is really growing on me - more than any other car I have owned.

One day I will scratch the T5 itch, but I think it will be in a manual 850 saloon

[S2Mike]

Not exactly a huge stretch of the brain muscle, knowing you are in Llantwit Major !!
I have one more than six reasons to know the bridge in the photo.

[Synchromesh]

Driving home from Woodstock way on Saturday night (the good way inc. B4437, B4425) and developed a bad misfire about half way home. Lots of stuttering under any load. Hadn't fixed itself yesterday so took it in to the garage earlier today. Diagnostic reader detected misfire on cylinders 1 and 2, so two coil packs now on order. Getting a set of spark plugs too for good measure.

[Stedman]

Did it pop and bang though?

[Synchromesh]

Stedman said:

Did it pop and bang though?

It didn't, fortunately or unfortunately as the case may be.

[rb5er]

S2Mike said:

I have one more than six reasons to know the bridge in the photo.

So seven reasons then?

[Synchromesh]

rb5er said:

S2Mike said:

I have one more than six reasons to know the bridge in the photo.

So seven reasons then?

This gives me the opportunity to do something I've always wanted to...

[rb5er]

Bridge over the Severn? I even googled it before hand to make sure I wasn't missing something and nothing 7 related came up.

Come on then what is it?

[Synchromesh]

rb5er said:

Come on then what is it?

rb5er said:

Bridge over the Severn

[rb5er]

I googled that as I thought it was obvious but nothing came up. What a silly billy eh?

[S2Mike]

Synchromesh said:

rb5er said:

S2Mike said:

I have one more than six reasons to know the bridge in the photo.

So seven reasons then?

This gives me the opportunity to do something I've always wanted to...

.
Yahh. . Beat me to it. Thanks though.

[Synchromesh]

Two coil packs and a set of spark plugs later and the misfiring has gone. Engine is now running as sweet as ever. Just need an opportunity to "test out" these new plugs then.


In other news, and after much deliberation (well this is PH - indecisiveness matters) I think what I need in my life is an MX-5. So the T5 will be up on AutoTrader and PH Classifieds soon...probably.

[Waugh-terfall]

I think you'll regret it, you'll miss the Turbo torque. A friend sow append his slightly ageing Leon Cupra for a mk2 Eunos RS 1.8, didn't gell at all. I don't think he even lasted 6 months, it's now been replaced by a Leon Cupra R.

[Synchromesh]

Waugh-terfall said:

I think you'll regret it, you'll miss the Turbo torque. A friend sow append his slightly ageing Leon Cupra for a mk2 Eunos RS 1.8, didn't gell at all. I don't think he even lasted 6 months, it's now been replaced by a Leon Cupra R.

Part of my reasoning to change now is that this is the half way point in my insurance term. If I don't get on with the MX-5, I'll sell it in February when my insurance runs out.

Call me old school, but although I love the mid-range punch of the T5, I miss the more linear delivery and instant response of an atmospheric engine.

[BorkFactor]

Will be interesting to see how you get on with an MX5, I have always fancied one but can't really justify a second car, and I wouldn't like a tiny 2 seater as my only car.

You sure you don't need 6 cylinders?

[petrolveins]

Synchromesh said:

Part of my reasoning to change now is that this is the half way point in my insurance term. If I don't get on with the MX-5, I'll sell it in February when my insurance runs out.

Call me old school, but although I love the mid-range punch of the T5, I miss the more linear delivery and instant response of an atmospheric engine.

Ahem... 330i

[williredale]

I know what you mean about naturally aspirated power delivery. I'm in the lucky position of having both my T5 and an MG BGT which has a 1.8 litre normal. Both are good fun but they are very different cars.

[Synchromesh]

petrolveins said:

Ahem... 330i

Only like the facelift E46 330i (like yours), and to get a good low mileage would be a little beyond my means right now, not to mention that good manual estates (my preferred choice) are hard to find. More tempting is a E36 328i touring at shed money, as I'd quite like to release some capital from the car for other purposes (namely HPC and my motorbike license before they change the system).

[Synchromesh]

I don't believe driving a car to its limits has a place on the road, and even to find a corner with the visibility to get near them is a challenge in itself. With this in mind, I felt it was about time I 'got the know' the beast and took it on track, so headed off to Castle Combe this morning to give it a blast. Trying to get it turned in into Quarry did show up its flaws (and perhaps more pertinently, my driving ability, but that's not the point), and passengering in an Accord Type-R put to rest any hope I had in the Sweede's on-track ability. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on it though. It had the flexibility to pull the whole circuit in 3rd and 4th alone (now that certainly can't be said of its VTEC stablemate), and it still sounds pretty darn tasty to my ear. In all, a fun day, but a stark reminder that where it performs so well on the road at 'six-tenths', it's charms turn into it's pitfalls when the volume is turned to 11. That or I'm a crap driver...


S60 at Castle Combe 1 by jlewisbarned, on Flickr


S60 at Castle Combe 2 by jlewisbarned, on Flickr