I’ve started populating the Cars page, all 45 cars that i have owned…. both detail and photos of each. Will be a long job to do all of them. But for now, its time for sleep.
Month: January 2016
And here we are, current.
So after the Golf I decided i still wanted something fun to drive, but cheap. Scouring Trademe i came across Alton, high KM but has a mechanical warranty, and was forsale by its only NZ owner since import. I went and took a look and what i saw, i enjoyed.
Its a 2006 Suzuki Swift Sport, in Champion Yellow. Its manual, has the M16A 1.6L engine, Recaro interior, and HID headlights.
It also had some mods, aftermarket 17″ wheels, it was lowered and had an intake and exhaust. What a later found was the suspension, intake and exhaust were all Suzuki Sport Racing gear, and the wheels are Direzza RSC. Pretty top end stuff for a Swift.
It makes some really addictive noises from the intake and exhaust, and loves to rev. The little M16A engine is a heck of an upgrade over the standard ones, with high compression, high lift cams and variable valve timing. Cheap on gas, and fun to rev. The gearbox is a mixed bag, great feel, solid but easy shifts and from 2nd onwards its close ratio…. the weird thing is that first is too long, and the gap from 1st to 2nd is too big so the engine falls out of its power band and bogs down even when changed at redline. It also doesnt have any sort of LSD, so can be a bit messy in the wet.
So after that damn fiasco with the Integra i decided to be more sensible and get another German car, because im really a fanboy for German cars.
Had a look around, test drove some more cars, just the usual, and then stumbled on this MK5 Golf GTI. Took it for a drive, and wow, much like the R32 Golf it instantly left an impression on me. Not quite as good as the R32, but the combo of the turbo power and the DSG trans is a lot of fun to drive.
044 – VW Golf GTI
So silly.
After selling the Skyline I was hanging out for something fun and exciting to drive. I decided something simple, like an Integra Type R would do it. So I went on the trademes and had a look around.
What i found, is what i should’ve ran far far away from. A DC2 Integra Type R, with a turbo. Now, this isnt my first rodeo, i have had a turbo ITR before and it was a great car. Drove like a normal ITR but it was stupid fast and made choo choo noises.
This one on trademe, well, it had moderate KM, a stack of receipts, and a lovely Milano Pink paint job. I decided to contact the owner as it was within my spending range, and sure enough the owner convinced me the car was in good shape, drove well, didnt use or leak anything and only smoked “a little at high RPM”.
I should’ve ran, but instead I was silly. I paid the man, booked the truck, and organised for delivery, all without seeing it myself.
Its been a while, over a year since my last post here. Kinda just lost motivation and inspiration on what to post here. No one really reads it anyway so im just rambling to myself.
Regardless, apparently this is meant to be a good outlet for everything that is floating around in my brain.
Its 2016 now, and time for a quick update. Since selling the M3, ive had a few more cars. Immediately after the M3 I purchased a 2006 Nissan Skyline 350GT in the V36 chassis.
I chose the Skyline because whilst a Turners one day poking around i came across one and it really appealed to me. Nice looks, lovely interior, and a 311HP V6 engine. They are all auto, and in the case of the one at turners it was a Type S (Sport) model, in pearl white.
To drive one of these things is interesting. Huge power on tap and will spin the rears if you arent paying attention, and the auto is actually quite a nice unit, very responsive in auto or manual modes. In manual it even rev matches on downshift, blipping the throttle. Sadly all that power is kinda lost on a chassis that is mushy and suspension that is woefully soft.
I didnt buy the one at Turners, the salesman was a bit unfriendly so i decided to buy one privately. I ended up with a blue Type SP, combining both the performance model and luxury model. Full tan leather, heated seats, paddle shift, adaptive headlights, and more aggressive bodykit.
It was a great car, and a great cruiser, but it really lacked the fun factor and was dull to drive.
I sold that, and moved on.
042 – Nissan Skyline 350GT
Lush