What would you buy & why?
Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 9:05 pm
As the title says.
So I just sold my 1990 Toyota AE92 Liftback. I got a very decent price for it but am already looking at where it used to stand and wondering how to fill that space.
The essential criteria for the next older car follow:
Must only have two pedals. OK, so the daily bB has three, but the leftmost one is for the rear brakes and as such, doesn't count since I rarely use it other than for parking in places where the car is likely to get the odd nudge, in which case I tend not to risk gearbox damage by relying solely on the parking check mechanism to prevent its running away when I'm in the shops.
Must - and this is why I bought the bB as a daily, so use its seat height from the floor as a guideline - have a high seat but with low floor for ease of access, so typical off roaders don't qualify as their floor tends to be higher than that of the reference car.
Must have loads of leg and head room - my colleague, Eilidh, can stand up in the bB and her head only just touches the ceiling, if that's what the inside of a roof is called when it's on a car, she's only 4'11" long but even so, that's the sort of interior space I'll need.
Would like but not essential:
Loads of rear legroom, but a Maxi or ADO17 wouldn't be high enough so please, not one of those this time around.
Van or minibus proportions, but maybe a large, tall estate would work?
Petrol engine because work has, in line with the rest of the haters, executed a total U-turn regarding the suitability of Diesels for use in connection with LEA business, which is the job of the bB most of the time but it's sometimes nice to tip up at work in something old.
Good handling, enough power to keep up with the flow of traffic and average fuel consumption no worse than 30mpg.
Easy spares availability would obviously be good, but as this wouldn't be the main car it could be VOR occasionally without leaving me stranded waiting for spares to come in the post.
I've already thought about a retired Reliant Metro cab as they're mechanically Transit, have room enough to be converted into a camper and have strong GRP bodies, so that's the first thing that came to mind, the rest, chaps & chappesses, is up to you.
What do you reckon I should own next?
Oh, almost forgot; I don't want to spend over £8000 on this "new" toy so no ponce metal or show queans please!
So I just sold my 1990 Toyota AE92 Liftback. I got a very decent price for it but am already looking at where it used to stand and wondering how to fill that space.
The essential criteria for the next older car follow:
Must only have two pedals. OK, so the daily bB has three, but the leftmost one is for the rear brakes and as such, doesn't count since I rarely use it other than for parking in places where the car is likely to get the odd nudge, in which case I tend not to risk gearbox damage by relying solely on the parking check mechanism to prevent its running away when I'm in the shops.
Must - and this is why I bought the bB as a daily, so use its seat height from the floor as a guideline - have a high seat but with low floor for ease of access, so typical off roaders don't qualify as their floor tends to be higher than that of the reference car.
Must have loads of leg and head room - my colleague, Eilidh, can stand up in the bB and her head only just touches the ceiling, if that's what the inside of a roof is called when it's on a car, she's only 4'11" long but even so, that's the sort of interior space I'll need.
Would like but not essential:
Loads of rear legroom, but a Maxi or ADO17 wouldn't be high enough so please, not one of those this time around.
Van or minibus proportions, but maybe a large, tall estate would work?
Petrol engine because work has, in line with the rest of the haters, executed a total U-turn regarding the suitability of Diesels for use in connection with LEA business, which is the job of the bB most of the time but it's sometimes nice to tip up at work in something old.
Good handling, enough power to keep up with the flow of traffic and average fuel consumption no worse than 30mpg.
Easy spares availability would obviously be good, but as this wouldn't be the main car it could be VOR occasionally without leaving me stranded waiting for spares to come in the post.
I've already thought about a retired Reliant Metro cab as they're mechanically Transit, have room enough to be converted into a camper and have strong GRP bodies, so that's the first thing that came to mind, the rest, chaps & chappesses, is up to you.
What do you reckon I should own next?
Oh, almost forgot; I don't want to spend over £8000 on this "new" toy so no ponce metal or show queans please!