What would you buy & why?

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JPB
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What would you buy & why?

#1 Post by JPB » 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!
Last edited by JPB on Mon Dec 10, 2018 11:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

3xpendable
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Re: Yet another "what should I buy next?" type of thread..

#2 Post by 3xpendable » Mon Mar 13, 2017 10:25 pm

Forget a MetroCab if you want 30MPG :lol:
2013 Dodge Durango R/T
1965 Ford Anglia 106e Estate (Wagon). LHD.
1964 Ford Anglia 105e Saloon

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JPB
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Re: Yet another "what should I buy next?" type of thread..

#3 Post by JPB » Mon Mar 13, 2017 11:24 pm

I reckon I could stretch the old Transit engine to that much on every gallon, but then I forgot that they're all Diesels so for that reason, the Reliant falls at the first fence. Dammit! I haven't thought that one through, have I. :oops:
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

rich.
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Re: Yet another "what should I buy next?" type of thread..

#4 Post by rich. » Tue Mar 14, 2017 6:30 am

ooh spending other peoples money!! :D
as its early, ford transit? maybe a ford galaxy/vw sharon.. sd1 rover??

GHT
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Re: Yet another "what should I buy next?" type of thread..

#5 Post by GHT » Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:29 am

You like ugly old BL & BMC tat. How about a J4 with a pop-up roof?
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Grumpy Northener
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Re: Yet another "what should I buy next?" type of thread..

#6 Post by Grumpy Northener » Tue Mar 14, 2017 8:18 am

Only one answer John - Jowett Javelin (and yes they can be converted to auto) :thumbs:
1937 Jowett 8 - Project - in less pieces than the Jupiter
1943 Jowett Stationary Engine
1952 Jowett Jupiter - In lots of peices http://Jowett.org/
1952 Jowett Javelin - Largely original
1973 Rover P6 V8 - Original / 22,000 miles

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JPB
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Re: Yet another "what should I buy next?" type of thread..

#7 Post by JPB » Tue Mar 14, 2017 9:43 am

Grumpy Northener wrote:
Tue Mar 14, 2017 8:18 am
Only one answer John - Jowett Javelin (and yes they can be converted to auto) :thumbs:
8-) Chris, you're not half tempting me with that idea. Are suitable (rot-free, mechanically sorted, auto converted, etc.) Javelins really obtainable at my budget or below? That sounds like amazing value and many of the kitten register folk also own, have owned or are involved in some other way with Jowetts so I'd never be far from hands-on technical and moral support if I should end up with unforeseen work to do on a car.
I'll have to take a run across to Renfrewshire and have a seat in a good example but I'm often west of the border in any case so that wouldn't be difficult to organise.

I also like the vans that have been suggested and may well investigate a few commercial based options though Transits are too high off the ground and lack sufficient leg room as they come, but I reckon the driver's seat wouldn't be too hard to raise to address that issue, especially in the simpler interior of MK1 and MK2 vans where a couple of bits of timber under the seat frame would suffice.

Think along the lines of a vehicle whose floor is at roughly the same level as that of a typical conventional car, but whose front seat base is around 6 to 8 inches higher from the floor to my backside than the same seat would be in a car like the Corolla, which was fine once I was in, but was hard to get down into and not much easier to get out of, I don't want a car that the fire brigade will have to get me out of in the event of a minor traffic collision! Unless of course Anna Friel has become a fire fighter and could be guaranteed to turn up in that situation..
:oops:

Please keep the ideas coming, extra points for weird stuff that I would never have considered. :thumbs:
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

rich.
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Re: Yet another "what should I buy next?" type of thread..

#8 Post by rich. » Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:15 pm

have you considered a citroen cx or the hy? im sure a man of your calibre could modify the van to suit your needs :D
or how about a honda acty or bedford rascal?

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Grumpy Northener
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Re: Yet another "what should I buy next?" type of thread..

#9 Post by Grumpy Northener » Tue Mar 14, 2017 9:43 pm

Chris, you're not half tempting me with that idea. Are suitable (rot-free, mechanically sorted, auto converted, etc.) Javelins really obtainable at my budget or below? That sounds like amazing value and many of the kitten register folk also own, have owned or are involved in some other way with Jowetts so I'd never be far from hands-on technical and moral support if I should end up with unforeseen work to do on a car.
I'll have to take a run across to Renfrewshire and have a seat in a good example but I'm often west of the border in any case so that wouldn't be difficult to organise.

John - It requires conversion to an auto box - but plenty of scope with the price of this one

https://jowett.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4072
1937 Jowett 8 - Project - in less pieces than the Jupiter
1943 Jowett Stationary Engine
1952 Jowett Jupiter - In lots of peices http://Jowett.org/
1952 Jowett Javelin - Largely original
1973 Rover P6 V8 - Original / 22,000 miles

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JPB
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Re: Yet another "what should I buy next?" type of thread..

#10 Post by JPB » Tue Mar 14, 2017 10:05 pm

Rich, I've not discounted entirely the idea of a Citroen with the clever suspension but the BX isn't long enough for my legs, a GS, available with that lovely semi auto, is hard to find and the local one that was on eBay for ages eventually went for scrap because nobody wanted it, a shame as it was a break and was yellow. An H van is a little too large for my needs even in its shortest form and its mechanical layout means that a hard to find DS-sourced semi-auto would most likely be the only transmission option that would fit, and one of those is probably worth as much as the van. Also, I suspect that I'd have to double my budget to get something in the condition I'd like.

A "sooty van" would be a bit too new and also far too cramped. Last time I drove one, a then new Daihatsu, it had too little space in every direction. I must have a car that I can drive while I'm wearing Brunel's hat, but the black cab has come back into the game again as apparently, the Reliant was available with an optional V6 petrol engine, as found in Scimitars, Sierras and Transits, among other blue oval stuff, it would possibly toil to get close to 30mpg though..

Chris, that 1952 car has to be cheap at under £5k :o , which certainly leaves plenty of space to purchase and adapt an auto box from something Japanese, RWD and fairly modern. But is a sub-£5k Javelin really going to be substantially rust free and is its interior likely to be salvageable?
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

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