No get them from people like
Sam
On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 13:44:36 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@ydbttvou.com (Kat) strung together this:
I've driven quite a few vans over the years and have never missed having any rearward visibility apart from side mirrors. If you have decent spacial awareness then lack of windows isn't a problem.
Slightly oversized for you I know but I drive a Transit Luton quite often and find that a doddle to reverse and generally manouvre.
It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Air Rider" saying something like:
If there's a bulkhead fitted, the SWB Tranny is annoyingly just too short to get the doors shut on a sheet of 8'x4'. If no bulkhead it can stand up and poke between the seats.
Apart from that, I found the SWB shr Tranny a gem to own, being bloody useful for most things and an excellent tug.
Yes; it was the drunken 90-yr old pensioner in the Range Rover coming the other way, overtaking on a blind corner at 120 mph with his foot on the accellerator, instead of the brake that causes the *real* injuries, wan't it? ;-)
K
Thanks for the tip. Was that one of Subaru's 4-wheel drive cars? If so I'd be especially interested.
K
Ah, so yes, it *was* a 4-wheel drive car! I must investigate further. It sounds interesting.
Thanks again for the suggestion.
K
The Rover/Jaguar dealer that I used to buy parts from years ago was very reasonably priced, and right in the middle of town. The last Rover dealer I used (obscure parts needed) wasn't bad either, but a bit slow. I usually buy parts from a grubby little backstreet establishment, but I doubt they know a lot about Volvos. That's okay, as I don't think I'll ever buy one, but a couple of guys I know have had them and had problems sourcing obscure parts at a sensible price. That was before everyone and his dog was on the internet though - it's a lot easier to find specialists and shop around these days.
They are not bad at all, but the trailers do NOT come cheap, and reversing a trailer is a bit of an art - and one I don't have.
But a good estate car like a merc or volvo (shudder!) with a tow bar, and a trailer is a darned useful combo.
However if you are doing long term hose renovation and want a lockable storage, hire a container: Its MUCH easier than using a trailer.
Friend I knew once bougfht a clapped out van to do his removals for less than the cost of hiring one, and sold it for marginally more than he bought it for afterwards. That was some time ago. Going rate for a runner in basically working oder with 6-9months MOT should be under 500 squids.
Tough and reliable, and have large load spaces, and the older ones have reaer wheel drve which is quite good for trailer work.
Hate the bloody things meself, because nearly all the worst drivers buy volvos, and you get tainted, but they are actually not bad cars really.
vaguelly recollect
estate car with a
Merc is good for general build quality,
BMW the best drive.
Jaguar X-type the best comfort level.
Volvo the biggest load space.
But all are reasonably good really.
Subaru can be stunningly good on corners..:-)
Yup, IIRC all/most models are 4WD. Some of the autos have the option of switching to FWD only. Some of the estates have a low range transfer box option (doubling the gear count).
My first one (2L saloon) I sold to my FIL 5 years back, that is still going strong. Replaced with the turbo nutter model I descibed elsewhere in the thread (ideal Q car - does not look particularly souped up or sporty until you engage the afterburner). Recently bought SWMBO a 2.2L estate version. That has the built in roof rails and will carry a serious load on the roof, plus having volvo style real estate in the back with the seats folded down.
Most cars these days will not rot much before the engines are knackered.
15 years or 150k miles is what most '2 liter' cars of decent manufactire (no Fiat) should do, with the clas cars like beemers, mercs, veedubs, volvos and even jags *(these days) being capable of.I happen to have a landrover defender, and that - 110 size and tdi or if possible td5, is a good workhorse IF you can accept the high fuel consumption and the offroad capability is worth trading it for.
Its a second best at everything for us - except when the weather turns sour, and then there is nothing I would rather be in, frankly. I've towed with it,. gone across fields looking for the dog in it, filled it with a ton of bricks, taken it to denmark and germany and back, driven through 2 foot of floodwater, through 8" of snow, cleared houses with it.
Lots of crappy qulaity problems, but the big bits - Engine, tramsission and brakes and tyres - have never let me down, and its just coming to the end of its first set of tyres after 450000 miles from new.
Low service costs too.
Only expense is the 26mpg dropping to about 20mpg at 85mph :-)
And the weird handling. Each end of teh vehicle has a mind of its own, and making sure they agree is a little tricky if youi are 'pressing on' hard..
I can second this. Bro in law has one and its a hell of a car. Can be found awful cheep.
Spares might be a problem though, if only a few hundred entered the UK, yes?
K
Yes, that may be what I end up doing. My car just failed the MOT and seems prohibitively costly to do the work (welding).
But I shuddr at the thought of using a van for the regular 60-mile weekend trips I have to do, and nipping to town just for grocieries. So I'm allso thinking of an estate or possiblt a longish hatch-back. I had a hatchback once, and I couild get very big items in it by driving with the hatch open and the cargo sticking out of the back (well tied down of course). For the long, fast trips, the hatchbacks tend to burn less fuel due to the better aerodynamics, methinks. But they don't have that large roof area for a large roof-rack suitable for plasterboard sheets etc.
K
Best drive in what way? Pray expand...
I'm attracted to the Subaru - partly because I've never had one, and they aren't common, but chiefly because of the reported performance and handling and 4WD. Concerened about the spares situation though... Probably hard to find them in scrap yards, yes?
K
Alternatively, you can prolly drive with the back doors open, suitably adorned wioth red rags, yes?
If 'most thinks' includes nipping down to my crowded narrow shopping street for a packet of tea bags, I'd have to beg to differ.. ;-)
K
Not really. The "few hundred" applied only to the 4 cam turbo model. The conventional fuel injected ones were always available in quantity and still are. Most of the parts are common to both. Some of the turbo specific parts are common to the Imprezza as well where most models sold are turbos. Generally getting parts is no problem.
The conventional fuel injected car is more than capable and very nice to drive, and would probably suit your needs very well. It depends a bit on what you mean by "accelerates well". The 2L 120ish bhp conventional car is not slow at all. However, the ability of the turbo to go from 30 to
60 in the space of 100 yards is quite astonishing though.(They introduced the Turbo into the UK in late 91 IIRC, when Subaru decided they wanted to make a serious entry into the WRC circuit (having previously been successful in their class, but never having had a vehicle that could compete at the top level). A certain Mr. McCray then set about changing the brand visibility in the UK just a tad! They stopped importing the turbo legacy model in about 94 when the imprezza because available and took over the rallying, but they still produce them for the Japanese market, including some very exotic twin turbo versions that they have developed with the their partnership with Porsche).
If you go for one of they grey imports then you may have more difficulty with getting parts through the official channels (not because they are different, but because they sometimes try to restrict support for grey vehicles), but again there is a whole grey parts industry in place to support them.
That's what a bicycle is for :-)
Handling and feedback frm teh wheels. The merc is tanklike and the jag is a bit spongy.
Volvos are pretty tanklike too.
Dunno. He has friends in Prodrive who rally prepare em ;-)
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