Picked up my S!!!
Discussion
I picked her up yesterday! First drive home was in the dark, on slimy just-rained-on roads, with a dodgy speedo. Taking it very easy to learn the car.
Despite this, it was amazing! Not hugely quick, but oh, the noise and steering feel! It is a crude and raw experience though - a long drive brings that home. Crashy suspension, darty steering with plenty of kickback on London's crummy roads, appalling visibility (terrible mirrors, but a new rear screen should help). It keeps you on your toes, and you don't relax for a minute. You chaps that commute in them daily - hats off. I could never do it (at least, not anywhere vaguely urban).
Did I mention the noise? Absolutely. All is forgotten when you open the taps - I never knew a six cylinder engine could sound this good. Menacing, truculent and downright mean. Had my first moment in Clapham last night, with a group of blokes and girls coming out of a restaurant clocked the car, and yelled at me to give it some welly off the lights. Naturally, I obliged.
Roll on summer. I know there will be jobs to do, and the odd breakdown, and teething troubles. I know that, given post New-Year-breakup-with-girlfriend financial situation, I may not even be able to own her for that long. So bring on a sunny spring, and a long, hot summer. Please.
First impressions? Loving this car, and it appears others do too.
>>> Edited by Harry Flashman on Thursday 6th January 09:29
Despite this, it was amazing! Not hugely quick, but oh, the noise and steering feel! It is a crude and raw experience though - a long drive brings that home. Crashy suspension, darty steering with plenty of kickback on London's crummy roads, appalling visibility (terrible mirrors, but a new rear screen should help). It keeps you on your toes, and you don't relax for a minute. You chaps that commute in them daily - hats off. I could never do it (at least, not anywhere vaguely urban).
Did I mention the noise? Absolutely. All is forgotten when you open the taps - I never knew a six cylinder engine could sound this good. Menacing, truculent and downright mean. Had my first moment in Clapham last night, with a group of blokes and girls coming out of a restaurant clocked the car, and yelled at me to give it some welly off the lights. Naturally, I obliged.
Roll on summer. I know there will be jobs to do, and the odd breakdown, and teething troubles. I know that, given post New-Year-breakup-with-girlfriend financial situation, I may not even be able to own her for that long. So bring on a sunny spring, and a long, hot summer. Please.
First impressions? Loving this car, and it appears others do too.
>>> Edited by Harry Flashman on Thursday 6th January 09:29
Harry Flashman said:
I picked her up yesterday! First drive home was in the dark, on slimy just-rained-on roads, with a dodgy speedo. Taking it very easy to learn the car.
Despite this, it was amazing! Not hugely quick, but oh, the noise and steering feel! It is a crude and raw experience though - a long drive brings that home. Crashy suspension, darty steering with plenty of kickback on London's crummy roads, appalling visibility (terrible mirrors, but a new rear screen should help). It keeps you on your toes, and you don't relax for a minute. You chaps that commute in them daily - hats off. I could never do it (at least, not anywhere vaguely urban).
Did I mention the noise? Absolutely. All is forgotten when you open the taps - I never knew a six cylinder engine could sound this good. Menacing, truculent and downright mean. Had my first moment in Clapham last night, with a group of blokes and girls coming out of a restaurant clocked the car, and yelled at me to give it some welly off the lights. Naturally, I obliged.
Roll on summer. I know there will be jobs to do, and the odd breakdown, and teething troubles. I know that, given post New-Year-breakup-with-girlfriend financial situation, I may not even be able to own her for that long. So bring on a sunny spring, and a long, hot summer. Please.
First impressions? Loving this car, and it appears others do too.
>>> Edited by Harry Flashman on Thursday 6th January 09:29
Good to hear you got it back OK Harry - As I said last night it wouldn't be right if you picked it up in the dry!
Must confess to almost a tinge of sadness as I saw you pull away....
Hope you get as much pleasure out of her as I did!
All the best,
Tim (Previous Owner)
Cheers chaps - really looking forward to ownership, and hopefully I will be able to contribute, rather than just ask questions.
Tim - thanks for everything. I can imagine the twinge as I took the car away. Poor old Charlotte (friend who drove me down to pick it up) said that noise was deafening following me on acceleration, even with her windows up. Peugeots - poor noise insulation, I reckon.
Nothing to do with that monster sports exhaust 
Tim - thanks for everything. I can imagine the twinge as I took the car away. Poor old Charlotte (friend who drove me down to pick it up) said that noise was deafening following me on acceleration, even with her windows up. Peugeots - poor noise insulation, I reckon.
Nothing to do with that monster sports exhaust 
M@H said:
Picked my S up in horrid weather… think M@H did as well… almost a tradiation..
Yep, drove both home in the rain
Ditto. It was peeing down when I picked up mine. Once I'd handed over the dosh, jumped in, stalled twice, then gave it too much to avoid the third stall & spun the wheels down the street and nearly lost it turning out onto the main road. Most embarrassing
That scare probably saved me from something a bit more serious later on - need to be careful in the wet !
Harry Flashman said:It took loads of concentration at first, but my V8S was afterall my first ever car. I very soon relaxed into things, driving alone, and driving the S. If I was any more relaxed at the wheel I'd soil me trousers, you'll soon settle into it (the s, that is)
you don't relax for a minute.
a group of blokes and girls coming out of a restaurant clocked the car, and yelled at me to give it some welly off the lights. Naturally, I obliged.
In the rain you should be taking it easy, keeping an eye out for female hitch hikers to take into town
as for the looks, you'll get thousands of them 
Roll on that hot summer, the days are getting longer already, and take it VERY easy in the wet. I stopped kicking the pedal in the rain long ago, after far too many mishaps, all on straights at that!I must be the only chap to have picked up an S in the dry. Driving home, roof down, pedal on the floor and grinning like a complete idiot!!! Brilliant.
As for the wet, it's hazardous to say the least, bit annoying not being able to blast boy racers or others off the line in the wet when it's easy to in the dry
As for the wet, it's hazardous to say the least, bit annoying not being able to blast boy racers or others off the line in the wet when it's easy to in the dry
Odd - my V6 is a bit of a handful, and I think of myself as a reasonable driver. Back end seems very skittish in the wet, I thought it was down to weight (or lack of it). Going to try different tyres next time they're replaced - wider track, lower profile too. Any recommendations, seems like it's consistently wet in the UK so better get a tyre that's designed for wet use? Other than that it's going to be P-Zero rosso's
To be fair, my S2 wasn't skittish at all on greasy roads, despite Pirelli P6000s on the back. I was just taking it easy because I always take it easy with a new car, before I have learned its limits and quirks. I though an S2 in the wet could end up being very quirky indeed...
She behaved impeccably, although of course I wasn't really testing her...
She behaved impeccably, although of course I wasn't really testing her...
wonderland said:
I must be the only chap to have picked up an S in the dry. Driving home, roof down, pedal on the floor and grinning like a complete idiot!!! Brilliant.
As for the wet, it's hazardous to say the least, bit annoying not being able to blast boy racers or others off the line in the wet when it's easy to in the dry
I had a dry run too in glorious sunshine 3 years ago next June. It was a great 1st run of approx 200 miles, superb intro to my S.
BTW, I had Pirelli P6000 tyres and found them not so good, actually worse than my budget directional radials currently fitted.
I haven't had enough time on them to say that they are bad (although their reputation precedes them), although a direct comparison with the Yokos on my old MG was unfavourable. The MG had twice as much power as the S and was about the same weight (but a bit smaller). The Yokos allowed one to get a real sense of where grip at the back end was. I got no sense of that communication from the P6000s in the wet. Of course, the suspension setups on the two cars are utterly different too, so not a fair test...
I picked mine up in the dark and drove it back straight through the middle of London. Terrified me no end 
Having said that, it wasn't the lack of grip just the bloody traffic and suicidal moped riders! Needed
I've only had the car since September, but so far I've managed to drive it in most conditions. I've got Bridgestones on and even in the ice found any loss of grip to be fairly progressive. Have no plans to change them (even without any real comparison!).
Driving it just gets better and better and the grin bigger and bigger...
Toby
Having said that, it wasn't the lack of grip just the bloody traffic and suicidal moped riders! Needed
I've only had the car since September, but so far I've managed to drive it in most conditions. I've got Bridgestones on and even in the ice found any loss of grip to be fairly progressive. Have no plans to change them (even without any real comparison!).
Driving it just gets better and better and the grin bigger and bigger...
Toby
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