Post 555887 by hothatch on 2012-12-22 00:01:34
Hi there, I am now the very proud owner of a 03 S60r Geartronic!!! Excuses to 'pop out to the shops' are flowing thick and fast! I can't believe it's taken me this long to buy myself a 'proper' car after running around in small mostly french hatchbacks for the best part of 20 odd years. I guess turning 40 has put a new perspective on things and rather than living for one or two trackdays a year in a highly modified Peugeot with superb handling and blistering speed I want some comfort and luxury in my life rather than pedal to the metal adrenaline. I've also had to put up with my older brother going on about how good Volvos are for over 6 years since he got a 02 S80 Lux 2.4. Earache doesn't come close to describing the nagging I got about driving 'chuppid little cars'. It's nice to drive something that doesn't turn heads all the time but can still do the business when it needs to. I had been mulling over the purchase of an S60r for a long time but got distracted for the last 6 months by the E60 BMW 530d. I like to research the cars I buy and the E60 ticked every box except 4wd. With Mrs Hothach driving an Mercedes SLK that is useless on the icy roads we sometimes get in London we needed a car that could replace my very expensive to run Peugeot and the V8 Landrover Discovery that was bought to transport the Peugeot to trackdays (I've only managed to do the old Snetterton and Brands Hatch in the last couple of years!). If we had bought an automatic Discovery I probably wouldn't be writing this now as I am starting to get left knee trouble with the constant stop start traffic I have to deal with on the way to work. The wife doesn't like driving a manual after 3 years with an automatic. She point blank refused to drive the Peugeot and would only use the Landrover if her car was stranded on the drive due to ice. The Peugeot was finally sold last week and with a wad of cash burning a hole in my pocket I finally decided to take the plunge and get the R! It's Sapphire Black with a Gobi(?) leather interior and just over 104k on the clock. It has a couple of scratches that need to be sorted but apart from that it's pretty much straight and true. The interior is spotless but I think black floor mats are needed badly. I am pretty useful with the spanners after spending the last 4 years modifying the Peugeot so will crack on with whatever needs to be done in terms of servicing and other routine maintenance. The only thing I am a bit wary about is the amount of 'electronic nannying' that the car has as standard. Any tips form wiser heads about diagnostics would be warmly welcomed. I know my way around an engine bay and am not afraid to do bigger jobs with the help of an FAQ. Is there a way to retrofit parking distance control? Also how do you reset the headlight wiper arms? I'm sure I'll be asking more questions soon... I think that's quite enough for a first post really. I'm just glad to be here! A very happy J