Ghostly Goings On - over the moon

[Ghosty]

5 hours ago, loserone said:

Is that the 138 then?

135, 138, 140, something like that yes.

Junkman and I have the same issue with 405, they're an absolute pig to get in and out of for some reason. 

[Ghosty]

V50 has been MOTd and delivery has been arranged for Monday.

As promised it's had a clean pass, which apparently required two new tyres on the front. 
Now I know the traction control on these Volvos doesn't like cheap tyres, and it just strangles all the power if the wheels try to spin - you need good quality, grippy tyres on the drive wheels. So if there are some half worn branded tyres on the back, and budgets on the front, I'll be swapping them around. Let's see what we get...

[brownnova]

Do like a V50, it’s high up on the list of contenders to replace the C5 when we do. 

[junkyarddog]

18 minutes ago, brownnova said:

Do like a V50, it’s high up on the list of contenders to replace the C5 when we do. 

Yes,I'm thinking one would make a decent replacement for my mk4 Mondeo when the time comes to replace it.

God,I'm getting old,I'd never have even considered a Volvo a few years ago!!!

😂

[Ghosty]

Volvo in, surprisingly it got here under its own steam with a trade plater who then left with someone else in another Volvo, I expected a flatbed. 

It doesn't appear to have been washed or valeted (dealer has only had it a week or so) but that's a plus in my books as I'll do it myself. Little bit of paint pen to clean off the windcsreen, sticker residue from a GB sticker on the back, etc. 
First impressions are very good - it feels a lot faster and more planted than my C30, with a lovely smooth and direct gearshift. 
The driver's seat bolster has a crack in it - TADTS, it's a synthetic material, but as far as R-Design seats go it's in good nick. Nothing is broken and everything feels clean and tidy - the screen protector is still on the Parrot kit, the R-Design badge in the grille hasn't lost its decal (a lot do), load cover present, two keys, books and history. All the pads are new, oil is fairly clean, and in the last year it's had a new brake master cylinder and new wishbones and droplinks. It's certainly been well cared for.



This little display on the mirror caught my eye, I thought 'this is an R-Design not an SE' - then I realised it's a compass! 



Happy days. More to come... 

[beko1987]

You've changed man, that's posh... 

[beko1987]

24 minutes ago, Ghosty said:

Volvo in, surprisingly it got here under its own steam with a trade plater 

Its been spanked

[Noel Tidybeard]

3 hours ago, beko1987 said:

Its been spanked thoroughly road tested

EFA

Edited January 19, 2021 by Noel Tidybeard
efa some moar

[FakeConcern]

Glad it's as good as it looked in the advert.

I would love one of those mirrors with a compass in my C30...

[Ghosty]

In Civic news, the caliper is most definitely knackered. I need to keep moving it about on private* land as we've got tradesmen in at the moment, and this has revealed that the caliper is dragging like fuck, and well and truly knackered. 
Once it's MOT'd (going to have to pay for a retest unfortunately), it's off to a mate of mine in Huddersfield (same chap that's minding the Micra a few pages back) who knows the car and is over the moon with it. He offered me my money back on it which I'd be daft to refuse, and that's part of the reason I managed to get the V50. 

Part of the reason that I got the V50 is that over the last year my dad's really started to show his age, and he's hung up his spanners. 😔 I need something more modern and less tired than a 20 year old Civic to use daily, and seeing as this V50's been kept so well and they're really simple to work on as long as you have Torx keys, it seemed like a no brainer. 

Back to waiting for the post to arrive... 

[Cord Fourteener]

19 hours ago, Ghosty said:

Volvo in, surprisingly it got here under its own steam with a trade plater who then left with someone else in another Volvo, I expected a flatbed. 

It doesn't appear to have been washed or valeted (dealer has only had it a week or so) but that's a plus in my books as I'll do it myself. Little bit of paint pen to clean off the windcsreen, sticker residue from a GB sticker on the back, etc. 
First impressions are very good - it feels a lot faster and more planted than my C30, with a lovely smooth and direct gearshift. 
The driver's seat bolster has a crack in it - TADTS, it's a synthetic material, but as far as R-Design seats go it's in good nick. Nothing is broken and everything feels clean and tidy - the screen protector is still on the Parrot kit, the R-Design badge in the grille hasn't lost its decal (a lot do), load cover present, two keys, books and history. All the pads are new, oil is fairly clean, and in the last year it's had a new brake master cylinder and new wishbones and droplinks. It's certainly been well cared for.



This little display on the mirror caught my eye, I thought 'this is an R-Design not an SE' - then I realised it's a compass! 



Happy days. More to come... 

That's lovely!

[Matty]

On 1/14/2021 at 3:30 AM, Ghosty said:

 

 

Nice of them to get a swede in to do the voiceover. Proper attention to detail that

[Niffleman]

Ours has also got the compass display in the rear view mirror. I am not sure I would have ticked that box as a cost option, which I guess it was.  Nevertheless, the Volvo looks great.  Well bought.

[ProgRocker]

Nice buy @Ghosty. Very upmarket! 

[Ghosty]

DEALER, Y U NO CLEAN?

[FakeConcern]

Well that wasn't in the video!

[Ghosty]

18 minutes ago, FakeConcern said:

Well that wasn't in the video!

that was from 2018, it probably wasn't there then.
It's been there at least six weeks though, based on the BCA contents bag I found in the driver's door.

[FakeConcern]

Well lucky that you like cleaning cars anyway and we can look forward to some before and after pics!

Having said that, I've never bought a car as filthy as that and have never let mine get anywhere near as bad even when I had small kids.

[Ghosty]

I messaged the dealer on WhatsApp where all my correspondence with him is. He's read it and not replied. 

[Ghosty]

Ah, dealer's replied now. He's not happy with it either, apparently it's supposed to have been cleaned and they've half arsed it. He offered a valet (which it doesn't need now), I said I've basically already done it and he offered £45 cash in lieu. I'll take that. 

 

[Isaac Hunt]

I was expecting to read the dealer told you to FRO, but cashback, that is very reasonable of him.  

His name isn’t Daley then.

[Ghosty]

Caliper came. 

 

Caliper on.

 

 

The handbrake had seized, and the piston was badly dragging. Refurb caliper was £30 and a piece of piss to fit, job jobbed. MOT on Tuesday.

[captain_70s]

On 1/27/2021 at 4:10 PM, Ghosty said:

DEALER, Y U NO CLEAN?

I see the PO had kids.

Impressed at the cash back, customer service from a dealer after you've paid up? Who'd have thunk it?!

[leafsprung]

I loved my V50 (a D5) but it was a bit too modern for me. You're right about the tyres, only Michelin Cross Climates coped with the D5s torque. It chewed through wishbone bushes and front tyres though (could be more the D5s than the 2.0) and was just starting to show clutch issues when I sold it. If the clutch action starts to feel notchy or sticky, then it could require new hydraulics which I was told by my indy Volvo garage was an engine out job on mine. Ultimately the clutch pedal can stick down. One of the best looking small estates of the period and very comfortable. The only thing I found annoying was the underwhelmingly un-Volvo like small boot!

[Ghosty]

We have MOT. Off with the Aerodeck to the People's Republic next, then the V50 is on the road.

[Ghosty]

Civic is now elsewhere (my mate's K10 is out of shot as well). 

It slid down the driveway a bit after that picture was taken. 

[Ghosty]

<tempting fate> Volvo is running spot on. Thread is probably going to go quiet for a while unless I find a very cheap 205 or something. </tempting fate> 

 

[sloth]

cousin has a v40 2.0 r design. very fast capable thing it is. i like v50s. hmmm. 

[Ghosty]

V50 just works.  The shitey Chinese tyres are starting to show their shiteness, braking is poor and they don't grip fantastically. I'll replace them soon. 

Our neighbours regularly lend us their pressure washer, so I was sent off to pick one of our own up for us.  

Turns out it had a snowfoam attachment, so I had a go at washing it:
 

 

 

It comes up rather well. 
Stuck some alloy wheel cleaner on it too: 


which made them a lot better but I think they need another pass. 



Cracked boost hose will need attention soon. 

Other jobs to do include cleaning the seats, claybarring and sorting out some condensation in one of the headlights. 

[Ghosty]

I've seen a lucky Marketplace find nearby that screams 'profit' at me. Popular, not known to go wrong, low miles, needs very little for an MOT (CV boot, driver's seat insecure, and a V62), and I reckon there's a good £3-400 in flipping it if I shine it up a bit. I messaged the seller who'd only just posted it, asked to view it tomorrow morning, and he marked the listing as 'pending' which takes it off Marketplace while keeping contact with the seller.
Going down with dad in the Volvo, Machine Mart is on the way there, which I'll be dropping into to buy a tow pole.

It's the smallest car I've ever bought.

Any guesses?