Discussion
Afternoon all,
On Saturday my search for an R32 finally ended after seeing numerous cars that were either not as described or not as described (you get my drift).
This one also ended up being the closest one to me, which was nice.
My search for a replacement for the Z4MC started with a couple of conditions. More practical, still a bit fun, more practical. All agreed with my GF. After looking online for what seemed like an eternity I came to the conclusion that I wanted to try 4wd, but wanting it to still be fun that ruled out lots of bigger things and slimmed the options down quite a lot. Ideally if I'd had a bit more money to play with I think I might have ended up in an S3 sportback but with an absolute budget of £10k that was never going to happen.
I looked longingly at a couple of Subarus but knew I would never get the go ahead from her so decided that I needed to stay german.
S3 or R32 it was then.
I'd always wanted a MKIV R32 when I was younger, my 2nd car was a MKIV 1.4 Golf Match (3dr) and I loved it. At that time my step-mother had a MKIV V6 4Motion, which I loved too.
Most of the S3's that I saw in this price bracket were pretty leggy or from slightly less than salubrious areas which put me right off and made me point my nose at 5dr, manual MKV R32s.
I after some research I had a fairly specific spec lined up in my head.
Anything but silver, 5dr, manual, nav, MFSW, sunroof, leather and heated seats.
I saw a number of cars over the last few weeks, most were dogs, and if they weren't I felt they were overpriced. The most recent being the worst. A 'trader' in Leatherhead advertised a black one but with the added bonus of the recaro buckets, which are pretty rare. I called him, spoke about the service history, he was very open on the phone and answered all my questions. So I arranged a lift over there on Saturday morning. Long story short, it was falling to pieces, had 11 owners and most of the interior trim was hanging off, had some alpine head unit fitted (badly) and someone had replaced a lot do the knobs and buttons with odd silver aftermarket crap.
I said thanks but no thanks.
Then, sitting in the car, angry I started looking on my phone and I found it.
OK, it's silver, but everything else is spot on so I decided to make a compromise.
(Pics from the ad as I haven't had a chance to take any yet).
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/VAOzKIiw[/url
I'll be keeping this updated as and when.
On Saturday my search for an R32 finally ended after seeing numerous cars that were either not as described or not as described (you get my drift).
This one also ended up being the closest one to me, which was nice.
My search for a replacement for the Z4MC started with a couple of conditions. More practical, still a bit fun, more practical. All agreed with my GF. After looking online for what seemed like an eternity I came to the conclusion that I wanted to try 4wd, but wanting it to still be fun that ruled out lots of bigger things and slimmed the options down quite a lot. Ideally if I'd had a bit more money to play with I think I might have ended up in an S3 sportback but with an absolute budget of £10k that was never going to happen.
I looked longingly at a couple of Subarus but knew I would never get the go ahead from her so decided that I needed to stay german.
S3 or R32 it was then.
I'd always wanted a MKIV R32 when I was younger, my 2nd car was a MKIV 1.4 Golf Match (3dr) and I loved it. At that time my step-mother had a MKIV V6 4Motion, which I loved too.
Most of the S3's that I saw in this price bracket were pretty leggy or from slightly less than salubrious areas which put me right off and made me point my nose at 5dr, manual MKV R32s.
I after some research I had a fairly specific spec lined up in my head.
Anything but silver, 5dr, manual, nav, MFSW, sunroof, leather and heated seats.
I saw a number of cars over the last few weeks, most were dogs, and if they weren't I felt they were overpriced. The most recent being the worst. A 'trader' in Leatherhead advertised a black one but with the added bonus of the recaro buckets, which are pretty rare. I called him, spoke about the service history, he was very open on the phone and answered all my questions. So I arranged a lift over there on Saturday morning. Long story short, it was falling to pieces, had 11 owners and most of the interior trim was hanging off, had some alpine head unit fitted (badly) and someone had replaced a lot do the knobs and buttons with odd silver aftermarket crap.
I said thanks but no thanks.
Then, sitting in the car, angry I started looking on my phone and I found it.
OK, it's silver, but everything else is spot on so I decided to make a compromise.
(Pics from the ad as I haven't had a chance to take any yet).
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/VAOzKIiw[/urlI'll be keeping this updated as and when.
Lovely, that. Ok, the colour is a touch subdued for an R32 but perhaps this suggests a slightly more civilised history of ownership(?) which can't be a bad thing given how many of these you see advertised as Cat C and Ds! Fantastic engine, drove one with the DSG box and thought is was the absolute nuts. A very "complete" package, the R32 5 doors ticks a lot of boxes. And if it's properly original it should still have its VW bottle opener in the centre console. Just spotted the sunroof too... brilliant.
Edited by ajb85 on Monday 23 March 19:30
If you're looking to get a bit more sound out without breaking the bank or ruining the standard look, the resonator mod popularised in the U.S. is well worth doing. I had zero exhausts in Kent do mine--he replaced the resonator with a 7inch long, 4.5inch dia custom resonator. It has a lot more growl to it, but because of the valve (open as standard in first and second gear, then open in 3rd-6th over 3500rpm), it's nice and quiet to use when you're not on it. The drone at 70mph is a little louder, but driving at either 65mph or 75mph is nice and quiet. I'm in ashford, Kent if you ever want to hear it.
Hi VEA,
Sorry to read about your knock. It takes a particularly low human being to hit someone else's car and just drive off. Same thing happened to my Alfa the other week. I only drive it occasionally and it is parked outside my house in between the odd journey. Got out to go for a spin and found the front bumper missing a load of paint and cracked from where someone had reversed into it and just driven off. Look on the bright side, as a short-term fix by the ook of it a bit of polish should make it less noticeable and scuffs are easier to hide on silver cars.
I love six cylinder cars and always quite fancied an R32 as a daily. I still think they look timeless now especially with a private reg. What is it like to drive?
Sorry to read about your knock. It takes a particularly low human being to hit someone else's car and just drive off. Same thing happened to my Alfa the other week. I only drive it occasionally and it is parked outside my house in between the odd journey. Got out to go for a spin and found the front bumper missing a load of paint and cracked from where someone had reversed into it and just driven off. Look on the bright side, as a short-term fix by the ook of it a bit of polish should make it less noticeable and scuffs are easier to hide on silver cars.
I love six cylinder cars and always quite fancied an R32 as a daily. I still think they look timeless now especially with a private reg. What is it like to drive?
I love it.
OK, it's not the be all and end all when it comes to driving dynamics. The nose is heavy with that big lump up there, and it could do with a different suspension setup. But for 99% of the driving I do, it's perfect I think.
There are a few things I would like to change and am looking to get done, but nothing overly major.
OK, it's not the be all and end all when it comes to driving dynamics. The nose is heavy with that big lump up there, and it could do with a different suspension setup. But for 99% of the driving I do, it's perfect I think.
There are a few things I would like to change and am looking to get done, but nothing overly major.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff