wuvvum

Left this morning, hopefully he'll make it back OK and we'll be kept up to date with the progress.
 
It's not gonna be scrapped.

Atos are the people who conduct interviews to see if people who are on the sick should be allowed to stay on.  Unfortunately there's a number of issues with them; amongst other things, the interviews often seem to be carried out by completely unqualified staff who wouldn't know a disability if it jumped up and bit them in the bollocks, and also they [allegedly] get a substantial bonus from the DWP for each person they sign off the sick, so the interviews are unlikely to be entirely objective as they'll be looking for excuses.
 
Like so many initiatives this government has had over the last few years, the basic premise is fine (getting benefit cheats / fat scroungers off the dole and into work), but the execution is lamentable.

Non-Turbo Dizzer AX makes a sub 10:00 Ring lap. The driver is mad, but it is a great bit of footage.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBFjHjm0O5M

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Think we may have found a home for this now, and it'll be staying in the AS family if so.
 
SMILEYFACE

Reading a thread on a Saab forum where someone bought a car and the engine detonated three months later - the amount of dodgy 'legal' advice given out by users is staggering and would probably get you more into trouble that the garage. What is it with forum users and giving advice on subjects they know nothing about?

FFS will someone buy this?!!!

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Yep, it's a proper T5, and as far as I've been able to tell so far it's pretty darn rapid.
 
I'm not sure what to do with the 406 yet.  Having bought the Volvo I'm now skint until I can sell something (either the Saab or the Mazda), so if the filter doesn't cure the Pug then I'll either bridge it straight away or shove it somewhere until I decide what to do with it.  The annoying thing is that apart from the running problems it fits my requirements for a daily to a tee.

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Yep, it's a proper T5, and as far as I've been able to tell so far it's pretty darn rapid.
 
I'm not sure what to do with the 406 yet.  Having bought the Volvo I'm now skint until I can sell something (either the Saab or the Mazda), so if the filter doesn't cure the Pug then I'll either bridge it straight away or shove it somewhere until I decide what to do with it.  The annoying thing is that apart from the running problems it fits my requirements for a daily to a tee.

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Classic cars and a lady person.  That's what everyone wants right?  I got this idea last night as I was about to go to bed and had to draw it today to get it out of my head, going to have fun colouring this one.  Sorry for the shittiness of the scan.
 

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Well I'm safely back from Ipswich.  I can confirm that the Ipswich to Felixstowe "train" is utterly shite.
 
As previously mentioned, the purpose of my trip was to pick up my new turbocharged Swede, following a number of recent discussions about such things on these hallowed pages.
 
So here it is, on a petrol station forecourt as tradition demands (although it's by the airline rather than a pump - the tyres were looking a bit low when I picked it up).
 

 
It's a 2001 S60 T5.  It's actually not what I was really looking for - I was after either an 850 T5 or an S40 T4, but this cropped up at what looked like a decent price, so I had a punt and won it.
 
It's in pretty good nick for its age as far as I can see (haven't seen it in daylight yet...).  It's done 170K but the service book is fully stamped, and it seems in good health (touch wood).  I'd not driven a "modern" Volvo before (an S80 T6 has been on my want list for a while, but they rarely come up cheap), but I wasn't disappointed - it's still very much a Volvo in the 850 idiom, with a slow clunky gearchange and meaty-feeling but quite low-geared steering.  The ride is a bit odd - it's firm over bumps and doesn't roll much, but it does pitch a bit on bumpy surfaces.  I think it's probably quite a nose-heavy beast.
 
It pulls well too.  The road conditions at the moment aren't ideal for unleashing an overpowered FWD beast, but I did get the chance to nail it in 3rd on one of the dual carriageway stretches of the A140, and I can confirm that it picks up speed quite impressively once the turbo spools up.  There is a fair bit of lag though - but then I'm used to Saab turbos so that wasn't a surprise.  One thing I was slightly disappointed about is that the 5-cylinder warble is rather more muted than in an 850.
 
It's got all the gadgets I could want too - leather seats (manual rather than electric, but I prefer that), climate, cruise, trip computer and a decent stereo.  I think it'll make a brilliant long-distance car - it's quite high-geared (70mph in 5th is about 2,000rpm) so that should keep the fuel consumption down on a long run, but it has more than enough power to piss off Audi drivers on the motorway if need be.  Tax is fugging expensive though - same as the RX8 in fact.
 
Oh, and I also did a spottage, on the walk between Derby Road station and the seller's house.  Excuse the crap picture - my phone isn't the best at night shots.
 

Teh Interwebz says it's a 1.8 Kettle.  Nice looking motor - colour suits it.  I almost bought a dizzler one of these a few months back, but then found that the Tuning Box of Doom wouldn't work on the later L-series, so bought the Laguna estate instead.  Not the best decision I've ever made.

Teh Interwebz says it's a 1.8 Kettle.  Nice looking motor - colour suits it.  I almost bought a dizzler one of these a few months back, but then found that the Tuning Box of Doom wouldn't work on the later L-series, so bought the Laguna estate instead.  Not the best decision I've ever made.

Teh Interwebz says it's a 1.8 Kettle.  Nice looking motor - colour suits it.  I almost bought a dizzler one of these a few months back, but then found that the Tuning Box of Doom wouldn't work on the later L-series, so bought the Laguna estate instead.  Not the best decision I've ever made.