'89 405s dissapointing
Douglas Sisson (douglas.a.sisson@snet.net)
Thu, 23 Jul 1998 01:09:20 -0400
On Monday I got a chance to drive an '89 405s for sale by private
owner. It looked great except for some clear-coat fade. The interior was
a nice black leather. The engine was clean, although I did notice a
small coolant leak. The seats weren't as comfortable as the ones in my
'87 505sti 2.2l and had little torso support on each side. I was forced
to go slower on turns for fear that I would slide out of the seat.
When I started off I found the response much quicker from the 1.9l
engine and the auto tranny. While I was delighted by the front-end
acceleration and around town driving, I was shocked at the lack of
mid-range power. Getting on the highway I had to floor it to get any
response from the car, and when I did I thought the engine was gonna
blow. When the car downshifted the rpms went up to about 4500, and the
engine was screaming. Anything less then flooring the gas would result
in almost no acceleration.
My lumbering '87 505 may get blown away off the line by a BMW, but they
better get a good lead or I'll blow by once I get going. And
accelerating on the highway is a breeze. Is this lack of midrange power
normal for '89 405s or was there something wrong with that car?? If
there is someone with experience in both cars I would be happy to hear
thier opinion. Well I'm not buying it, regardless. Maybe I'll go look
at that Mi16.
Doug Sisson - '87 505sti 2.2l auto - West Haven