Practically Classics Forum

Michael Skype, oops, sorry, I should say "Stipe", famously blue-faced vocalist with REM, famous for old tunes such as "Shiny happy people" and that other one that was a clear rip off of "The lion sleeps tonight", but with miserable words and a dumbed down tune.

I awoke today to no fewer than one new message in my email inbox from the vendor of a Metrocab TTT who'd seen my wanted posts for one in another car forum. Other forum? Who knew? Anyhow, this cab has been in private hands since new as it was owned by a local garage down in Rothbury, who used it for the school runs to the outlying villages where even the post office's fleet of Vauxhall Combo post buses were unsuitable. Small enough, but the buses also had to carry some post and that meant no buses when it wasn't time for a postal collection or delivery.
The cab has only covered a total of 194,000 miles and has been treated against rot from new, using my own preference; Shell Ensis V, which won't fall off yet is flexible enough to creep if its film is broken and - unlike Waxoyl - is suitable for application to imperfect steel, where the Ensis penetrates and keys well to light surface rust, which will then become a good thing, much as Dick Turpin could have done if he'd gone round giving it all back on alternate weeks.

The cab is *coughs* slightly more expensive than the other recent possible contenders at a much steeper - but realistic for something in such tidy condition and fully working - £3500, not a lot, IMHO, since I could have bought a rough one and spent more money than that to get everything looking and working to at least a slightly less creaky standard than that achieved by the factories when Metrocabs were still new things. This won't be as easy a ride as buying a 12 year old 119,000KM Toyota which, some 32,000 more showing on its odometer, is my benchmark for where I want to end up, condition wise, after prepping a TTT for my use. I'm mentally crossing my fingers as there are the inevitable couple of other interested parties viewing the cab today, but the vendor has my offer which he knows I would stand by even if the car turns out to be less well kept when I see it at close quarters.

Then, also in the last few days, I have found a potential, slightly older Japanese import, solution that quite appeals.
I need, at this point, to admit to my not being the world's most decisive of people, so much so that it's amazing that I actually managed to buy any of my cars at all.
I even take about half an hour to decide between neighbouring loaves on the baker's shelves!

if you cannot decide john, the answer is simple.. have both as for bread, i usually go for the freshest..

And another car that's not a practical proposition for me, but has something about it, I found the following and decided to post it before someone else did:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-3-Litr ... SwLnBX9qEr

Remarkable? No arguments from me there.

Is that plate worth the asking price and would I be hanged for thinking that way?

go on, you know you want to

It would be nice to have, but I think that the Rover should keep its original identity, if it's at all possible for the seller to find a new custodian whose interest isn't just because of the reg. That Rover on one of these "age-related" *SU, *SV *SK or *FF issues would be plain wrong, IMHO.

how about?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Espace-mark- ... 3641.l6368
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall-cav ... 3641.l6368
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/25337911 ... rmvSB=true
https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/13767 ... tm?ca=18_s

That modern Vauxhall thing has incredible roadholding, even a Land Rover or a Routemaster bus can only run at 45 degrees off the vertical!

Shame about the other GM product in the list, why on earth would anyone actually want a car whose claim to fame is that it ran down a person and was filmed doing it? Weird, and that description looks like a half gram special too.
Fords are always too expensive, so the Onion is probably cheap in the fan boys' view, maybe some images to illustrate its amazingness would help that one to realise its >£7k "value?"
Liking the Espace, these are an ideal Lotus Europa alternative which have one massive advantage compared to the British two seater.. Yep, that's right, the Espace had its backbone chassis Galvanised so they last better. Come to think of it; how is it possible that there aren't more surviving Espaces? GRP shell, that Galvanised chassis and engines known for their durability so where's the weakness? I don't get it.
A Reliant-fettling mate of mine runs an Espace as his mobile workshop, and always has at least one other example undergoing restoration to his usual high standard but, apart from his, I can't think of any other examples that are in daily use. Why not?

I would guess that it's because of the difficulty with getting parts for them. Even when they were current Renault dealers never stocked and were were unwilling to get in parts for these because they told me "They're not actually Renaults"!!! And, true, they were not made by Renault, they were all made by Matra using mostly Renault sourced parts and marketed by and as Renault vehicles.

No prizes for guessing how I found this out!! But it did drive well and had lots of room for a bike or two with the seats out.

Nowadays what they've done is put a Scenic on steroids, then added another bank of seats and renamed it the "Grand Scenic".

Less room in the back of these than in my Berlingo.........

John

JPB wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:19 amLiking the Espace, these are an ideal Lotus Europa alternative which have one massive advantage compared to the British two seater.. Yep, that's right, the Espace had its backbone chassis Galvanised so they last better. Come to think of it; how is it possible that there aren't more surviving Espaces? GRP shell, that Galvanised chassis and engines known for their durability so where's the weakness? I don't get it.
A Reliant-fettling mate of mine runs an Espace as his mobile workshop, and always has at least one other example undergoing restoration to his usual high standard but, apart from his, I can't think of any other examples that are in daily use. Why not?

Liking an Espace is similar to liking an elderly Aunt. Big and blousey but not exactly attractive. But at least with your Aunt, given the right light and enough alcohol.........

Atodini wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2018 2:04 pm I would guess that it's because of the difficulty with getting parts for them. Even when they were current Renault dealers never stocked and were were unwilling to get in parts for these because they told me "They're not actually Renaults"!!! And, true, they were not made by Renault, they were all made by Matra using mostly Renault sourced parts and marketed by and as Renault vehicles.

Not Renaults, why does that not surprise me? Next time you see a big Renault truck on the road, actually, I should say, when you see one stationary, take a close look around the cab, then take a close look at a Volvo truck, lo and behold, they are one and the same.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LAND-TRAIN-3 ... rmvSB=true
so good i posted it twice