A few of you have kindly asked for news and photos of the 'new' QPV so here goes....
It is a nice upgrade all round from VX09FLD, that good and faithful servant.
The 4.7 definitely feels a bit more powerful than the 4.2, but not unmanageable for an old codger like me. It is also louder, but that is partly to do with the Sports Cat (whatever they are). I will have to get into using the paddles, which is new for me.
The handling definitely feels more wallowy in Normal and stiffer in Sport than the 4.2, neither of which is really a good thing, especially on Gloucestershire's terrible roads. I suppose this is a mixture of Skyhook and Pirelli Pzeros, so I think I will have to play around with tyres and pressures as discussed elsewhere. Current plan is to just put some new Eagles or Michelins on the back and see how that is.
The colour is very nice. Mostly it seems like a nice navy blue but it has sparkles and a purple undertone. I feel some pressure to keep it clean and shiny, but we shall see. I think I need to look into paintwork treatments (ceramic coating?) and would be interested in recommendations for treatments and people to do the work in the Gloucestershire / Bristol area. I'm not much of a detailer myself, so it would be nice to make it as low maintenance as possible.
The interior is great - woody and light as wanted, very similar to the old car but with very dark blue in most areas that used to be black, but also with some lighter areas, like the pillars. Plus a sunroof. The interior condition is pretty good (and certainly an improvement) but I will have to think about sticky buttons, leather and some PVC that is starting to want to peel off. Again, recommendations for interior fettlers very welcome. The steering wheel is un-unnervingly blue and I will be considering a woody replacement. (I have cunning plan...) Definitely Bentley aesthetics, but not so flash or plutocratty.
Also on the list of things to do are: the audio upgrade (when it is ready), red callipers, and a GT S grille (and a Big Easy grill, of course). And a dash cam.
And on the 'maybe' list is:
- Louder exhaust
- Louder indicator clickers
- Branded puddle lights
- GT S wheels
- Custom floor mats
- Tyre pressure monitoring (if there is a reliable system out there)
- Cryptic but cute registration
By the way, the deal was rather complicated, but all good in the end. It was @conero who drew my attention to the car as he was working on it for a forum member, who was thinking of selling. Matt recommended the car, and so that has to be better than
dodgy-dealer-plus-inspection, I hope. So I bought it privately off the forum member (very nice guy who has looked after it well - I will let him identify himself if he wants to), but also paying Matt a couple of quid for the work that was in progress and a finder's fee. I probably should have got
@rockits to negotiate a better deal for me!
As mentioned, We Buy Any Car bought the 4.2 for just a shade under the £9,000 that was really my base 'get rid' price, although I would have been happier with £9,500, and was hoping for £10,000 and dreaming of £11,000. It will be interesting to see if/when it turns up next. I swapped the cars 'same-day' on my Admiral policy after about four phone calls and a lot of hanging on, for about £30 extra between now and the July renewal.
Photos:
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