Greig's MKV R32

[antihero3000]

Spec on collection (04/10/13)

Feb '07 build 3dr MKV R32
Deep Blue Pearl
34,791 km's
DSG
Sat Nav
Sunroof
Probably some other things

Current spec

Sold 24/01/14.

[antihero3000]

Hi All,

Probably about time I introduced myself properly on here >D

I've been into all things Euro since 2004:

1) '86 Golf cl - Cherry red with gold stickers, steel wheels and a tweed interior
2) '00 Polo s - Pretty boring
3) '93 Golf gl - 20k km's in 13 years, LOTS of rust
4) '95 Corrado VR6 - loved everything but the reliability
5) '04 Polo TDI - awesome little daily
6) '88 Golf GTI - head gasket went on the way home

After a while I got a tired of broken old Volkswagens and decided to get something modern and cheap to run.

That's about time the modding bug bit hard and I ended up as a mod on minitorque.com:

7) British Racing Brown we called it. Low and loud but a Friday build:



The mk1 JCW GP - awesome car just too expensive at the time:



9) Lucky, had everything but the power:



10) 178kw @ the wheels. Absolute weapon:



Unfortunately I had to sell that one as the economy took a turn for the worse and I decided to leave Glasgow for sunny Sydney

That meant:

11) '95 Ibiza GTI - temporary run around I bought from a racist old South African lady on Gumtree
12) '11 Focus ST - Company car that got the Stage 1 JWR treatment

Eventually I got bored of Ford ownership (despite the power) and picked up:

13) A lovely JCW that some of you may have seen on EST



That was another great little car but the community for mini's is pretty tiny here and the call of RWD beckoned. This led me to putting down a deposit and waiting three months for a GT86:



Of course when it arrived the dealer changed the terms of deal drastically which meant having to find something else pronto

I considered R26 Megane's (reliability), 350Z's (image) and even a Fiesta ST (interior) now new Abbott legislation has ruled out finance for 'boat people' like me. Even if residency is just around the corner!

It was around this time I started looking into VW's again as I'd always had a soft spot for them. The endless tuning options and plentiful supply pointed to MK6 GTI's but after some ****ing around on youtube I saw this video...

And the shortlist was cut to 3dr, DBP, MKV R32's very quickly. Funny that.

I called round about a few cars and although there was one with the exact spec I wanted 10k's up the road, the seller put me off and after widening the search area, I stumbled across the one.

A lengthy chat with the seller later and I was convinced. Only 34k km's, every option bar Recaros and an older owner with OCD. Perfect.









The missus was naturally delighted that I'd put a deposit down on a car 2000 k's away that I hadn't test driven. This required a little sweet talking and so tomorrow we're on the 645am flight to Adelaide to collect my new pride and joy, heading back to Sydney via Port Fairy, the Great Ocean Road and Melbourne.

Thanks for listening to my rant. Hopefully i'll get to see a few of you at the upcoming meets. The last two months have been spend running around in the ancient Corolla I bought as a stop gap (which the missus has now inherited) so i'm expecting the '32 to feel like a rocket ship tomorrow!

Ladies and gentlemen, it's good to be home.

[VRN510]

Wow, car looks great, congrats on the purchase!
The R32's do drive very well, sure you'll enjoy it, and i'm certain that it'll be leaps and bounds faster than the 'rolla.

[mitch750]

sweet car history!

And sweet new car!!!! 3dr 32! thats so sick! and its like new!

No doubt you'll love it!

[robbie]

Great write up Greig. Congratulations on the purchase! It's good to see another "mint" Blue R32. Those rims look so fresh, not one ounch of gutter rash.

Why did they stuff you around with the purchase of the 86?

Have a safe trip back

[keizer92]

welcome to the family

[waddz]

Yeah cool Greig!! Good choice with the r32. build quality far surpasses that of the mini imo, especially interior. Got any mods planned yet ??

[grandturismo]

Welcome Greig, rant anytime mate, great decision on the R32, beautiful looking ride. I'm from Glasgow also, so shall be watching with interest

[antihero3000]

Wow, car looks great, congrats on the purchase!
The R32's do drive very well, sure you'll enjoy it, and i'm certain that it'll be leaps and bounds faster than the 'rolla.

sweet car history!

And sweet new car!!!! 3dr 32! thats so sick! and its like new!

No doubt you'll love it!

welcome to the family

Thanks guys.

Welcome Greig, rant anytime mate, great decision on the R32, beautiful looking ride. I'm from Glasgow also, so shall be watching with interest

Small world. What part are you from?

Great write up Greig. Congratulations on the purchase! It's good to see another "mint" Blue R32. Those rims look so fresh, not one ounch of gutter rash.

Why did they stuff you around with the purchase of the 86?

Have a safe trip back

I negotiated a healthy discount on the car and between placing the order and the car arriving the exchange rate tanked and the spec of the GTS went up so the dealer stood to make a small loss. They decided not to offer me finance anymore to get out of it, douchebags.

Yeah cool Greig!! Good choice with the r32. build quality far surpasses that of the mini imo, especially interior. Got any mods planned yet ??

There's a small shopping list I'm working on haha. The trip home is a good chance to bond with the car and see what upgrades are required.

Having looked at the other R32 threads on here it seems people tend to sell up after the basics are done because the next step is FI and that's where it gets expensive.

[antihero3000]

Day 1

The journey to R32 goodness started worryingly early yesterday...





The signs were good when we got to the airport though...



And we were on our way...



The current owner's wife had sent through a 'selfie' of him so we'd find him at the airport. Old people are adorable...



By 9am we were in Felixstowe and I saw my new '32 for the first time...



After a quick spin round the block I was sold and we headed to the bank to finalise the deal. Obviously I found something suitable to park next to...



Then it was time to hit the road...



Stopping off for breakfast...



A little childish humour...



And some V-Power...



Proof that even a stock R32 can warp the space/time continuum...



Le Mans style driver change/4wd test...



Not exactly a tourism hotspot down here...



I do love the road signs down though...



The Parmesan cheese capital of the south...



No dear, we can't eat in the car...



Aaaaand day one is over. 609k's later and we're in Port Fairy...



More adventuring to follow.

[grandturismo]

Cambuslang and a move to Lenzie for the majority of childhood

[robbie]

Loving the buying story and pictures so far, especially the wacky road signs. You have come to the right place for information on the R32!
Can't wait for the next update!

[antihero3000]

Cambuslang and a move to Lenzie for the majority of childhood

My ex is from Lenzie, some cracking roads down there.

Loving the buying story and pictures so far, especially the wacky road signs. You have come to the right place for information on the R32!
Can't wait for the next update!

Thanks mate.

[antihero3000]

Day 2

First things first. I may have hit a couple of bugs on the run last night...



After a good clean it was time to head to the Great Ocean Road. The journey was kept interesting following an RS Clio taking the racing line...



Stretching our legs...



Taking in the view...



Back on the road...





Plenty of civilian traffic to dispatch...



School bus zone? Really?



Glorious...



Beware the drop bears...



Back in civilisation...



Very civilised actually...



Another 400k's done. Just 900 more to go tomorrow!



Tucked in for a well earned rest...



Loving the new toy so far, all it needs is a name!

[antihero3000]

Day 3

Today started with a quick walk in the park before hitting the road again...



Immediately we ran into a problem. 'Look dear, the tram thinks it's people'...



More awesome drink drive campaigns...



Then the very stern sat nav woman (who we've nicknamed Gillian, everyone knows a Gillian) threw us into suburbia for no reason...



Back on track and some rather tasty classics appeared next to us...





It was time for some more go juice anyway so we pulled over for a look...



Could've stayed here all day...







But we had to get a 'moove' on...



Nothing much happened for a while...



So we found a submarine. Which was excellent...



And a redneck. Who wasn't...



Next up was a giant sheep...



And yet more 98 octane...



Even the hand dryers are turbocharged in Shell garages...



Finally we arrived home. 1903km's later and nursing the mother of all red bull hangovers.



As the good people at Mitsubishi say, love that car...