What transport????

[Irideahardtail]

Right!!!! after Ace's report on his Toyota i thought I would start a thread.Im in the process of saving for a new method of transport that will get me to races, be comfortable if me and the missus stay over, be suitable to carry me hardtail and cheap to run!!! now I don't have unlimited funds as like most of us, I wasn't born with a silver spoon in me gob and have to work my nuts off!!!! any suggestions would be appreiciated and I know a van is the way forward but would like to be different!!!!

[ace]

Ha ha ha ha ha, will bring you a beer at the next race !

Today i am really hacked off, i saw a add in fourboys window, Astra van £140 ono, turned out to be my old boss and the van had sold, i would had bought it unseen as i know it has been well looked after, missed out there.

Ok so me and iridehardtails are down minehead way, happy hunting, there is a escort estate in the co-op might be worth a look £495 ono ! might phone them later myself, but go nuts kenny.

The Van option then, few knocking about £500 - £1500, cons- high mileage, been worked hard, insurance, and dont forget the severn bridge is £5.30 for a car or £10ish for a van, and in my case the humber bridge as well.


Estate car, again a few knocking about from £450 upwards. I like estate cars, boring old fart image, but mostly unthrashed and well looked after, like the Toyota just remove the back seats to make loads of room. The front seats recline so you just crawl into a sleeping bag and use that, an astra estate car will be cheaper on Toll bridges and roads and insurance than a astra van ( just an example)

Cars, small hatchback or saloon, you will need to take both wheels off the bike to fit it in the back, if a 2 door just remove the back seats ( but keep them for the next MOT, i refitted the rear seats in the Toyota as it's a 4 door) you can still recline and sleep on the front seats ( who needs a tent).

My next car may well be the wifes suzuki swift (old one) i had planned to remove the rear seats as it's a two door car, get some 4mm bendy ply to line the back out with. The bike will need the wheels dropping to get in the back, but with careful packing you could get 2 downhill sussers in and recline the seats for sleeping. However i am down south and need to get north to Grimsby and the Toyota wont make it that far so i am looking for a cheap runner, a car with up to 6 months MOT for little money.
I got the tercel for £550 about 4 years ago, i got my moneys worth from it, now to find the next worthy banger, and of course join the AA so you at least get back home even if you miss the race.

[stiffeehardtailer]

Keep looking at vans ace you'll never look back! i have a tranny connect which apart from tomorrow when it gets a new altenator :( has never caused me any bother. was driving to glenshee for a ski/snowboard day on sunday when the battery light came on, lucky i got home, it was cold up there!
anyhoo, having a van is great, it's safe from prying eyes as theres no windows, insurance isn't that much more and it is a cool machine with loads of street cred !!!!!!!
i also have mine pimed out on the inside with wee lights, fold down tables, insulation and loads of cool stickers (yes i know i am a geek), it's great for camping in, just take the bikes out, lock em to the wheel and fold the camp beds down
Sorted!

[ace]

I still have my telly and kettle and volt dropper from my HGV days.

Hot fave is the wifes little suzuki (free apart from adult favours), did look at a old escort van and Fiat estate tonight, couldnt hang about as it was getting dark and i was in the Toyota, which is running on battery charge only, driving with the lights on is BAAAAd it might run out of electric !

Although small people carrier or sized van would be very good.
Quite like the mazda Bongos but dont like the prices for a 10+ year old vehicle.
Maybe i will fly up north to go home, cheaper than a train ! never been on a plane.

[stiffeehardtailer]

ah the bongo - i think they are made by toyota (right up your street!) they are all imported i think, hence the price but yes an expensive dream for many of us!

[Irideahardtail]

Maybe I should bring you a beer Ace for running a car that quite simply has got you everywhere and lets be honest how many new cars can say that?????
I have looked at Transporters, Bongos,Mercedes Sprinters etc but it whittles down to the fact of do I want to join the crowd??? the answer is NO!!!! i want to be unique. Now I would love to have the funds of a Race Team and buy something mental-Ben Reid & Dan Stanbridge (Dirt Issue 97) but I also have to go to work! so a van may be the best option!! remember seeing the sign at the Severn crossing for cars with no back seats is more than a car with back seats-don't quite understand this????? so paying £10 a time maybe isn't too bad??

[riot rider]

[Irideahardtail]

[quote=riot rider;1969]
Now that is cool!!!! wonder what the missus might say??

[ace]

dont fancy the motorway in that ^ then again swifts arent big.

Being used to cheap cars to run i have been looking at tax discs today, my car is a 1500cc, looked at a 1600 astra estate £185 to tax it, mines only £105, still looking for a small engine motor.

Kenny that severn bridge thing is a new one on me ! i think that might be to do with car vans, like the astra van which is the same size as the estate car, and the Ford fiesta vans.
When i was blade-running we had a ding dong with the bridge over our Nissan Navarra King cab, because it had a small pick up area it is classed as a van, if we had the full body 7 seater it was classed as a car.

However, if you go through the coin bin booth you can get away with a car van (unless they have tightened that up) if you have rear side windows you are a car, if its got no rear side windows you are a car VAN and subject to the Van fee of £9.70.

used to have a photo of a smart car with a DH bike on the back.
If i had the cash, tempted by a Bongo, with the folding tent roof and small cooker pod in the back, nearly all automatics but with 4wd, if only they where priced to the fact that they are mostly 10 years old and no longer allowed on the road in the country of origin, then again if they bring that in over here i am screwed as most of my cars are at least 15 years old.

I feel this may become a challenge to knock out a race motor, be interesting to see what iridehardtails comes up with.

On that note, has the garage in roadwater got anything cheap on the forecourt, was going to go out and look, but if i break down i cant phone for help as my phone is broken.
Killer deal on a H reg volvo 940 estate car near the Kildare in minehead, i would have bought it but the running costs are too high (16-25mpg) would be perfect until you need a bank loan to fill it with petrol (1.13.9 ltr down here and 1.19.9 on the motorway)

The hunt is on, Team HTN needs a motor (banger)

[ace]

Bloody scrappage scheme.

all the cheap cars have gone ! and whats left down here is way overpriced for there age/mileage and condition.

The cheapos are out there, it's finding one, a few years ago you could find a car with some tax and mot in good order, just old for a few hundred pounds.

The only cheap ones are silly motors, big injection Saab or 4.0ltr jeeps or big volvos, high tax, high insurance and petrol is £1.15ltr now so anything that does less than 35 mpg forget it.

You found anything Kenny ?