Stag Run Challenge

[C8PPO]

For my mate's stag next April, we have set up a challenge which involves teams of 2, purchasing a car from eBay for a maximum of £500 and then to complete a run into Europe with "challenges" (tbd) along the way.

The rules so far are:

- car has to be bought from eBay
- printout of your final bid/win price to prove
- £500 limit includes MOT but not tax & insurance as these will be so variable – teams to sort that themselves
- Challenges to be set, Top Gear-style
- No disclosure of your steed until the meet point on Day 1
- Top-gear style driving into each others doors and bumpers when parking is allowed
- No Dacia Sandero allowed (OK, I made that one up)

I'm hoping that we can get something half-reasonable in the December/January distress-sale period! My team-mate & I are looking at maybe an LS400, or a big Merc, preferably an S Class. There do seem to be one or two around within budget. it's only got to last 3-4 days and cover maybe 1000 miles, although 13 of those *might* involve a hilly one-way toll road located in some German mountains...... If we can re-sell afterwards then all to the good though.

So, fire your best suggestions at me. We're based in Kent, so I don't fancy trekking up to Dunfermline or Inverness and use up more than half the car's 1000-mile life expectancy just getting it home! Needs to be something of mild interest though - firstly, we're PHers, secondly I can't see any joy in chugging a knackered old Mondeo diesel around for a long weekend.

Oh, and there may be Morphsuits involved.

[Ozzie Osmond]

Oh dear....

[C8PPO]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Oh dear....

Exactly - which is why we're going with the plan!

[shibby!]

There you go
http://motors.shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=205+gti&...

Also a good call

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/peugeot-309-gti-auto-/230562...

[theaxe]

Sounds great fun, I have no advice but let us know how you get on!

[rob.e]

Sounds great.

Only observations - you need friends with lots of money (purchase price, petrol, hotels etc it'll all add up) and a lot of free time to devote to this.

I considered a car-releated stag but ended up ruling it out - it would just exclude my friends who either are not in to the "car" thing or who can't afford it or could only give up a weekend.

..but if you can do it, great - post pics

[C8PPO]

Thanks - yes, 205 was also a thought if we abandon the barge plan. I've also seen a Cat C but drivable Legnum VR-4 at a shade under £500 and I know how, erm, "interesting" those can be.

Ref the cost - the £500 budget is between 2, and the car will hopefully be able to be sold on afterwards, so the real cost will be in petrol, hotels & beer, and two of those are a standard component of most stags anyway. Well, that's the plan!

[Simond S]

make sure that some of the cars are big enough to transport those whose cars break down / get wrapped around the armco / seized by French Police / safer to abandon at the roadside.

Sounds like a blast.

[anonymous-user]

i looked at something similar but abandoned the idea when the estimated costs exceeded £2k per car...

things to consider beyond car purchase, insurance and tax are european recovery or contingency fund for flight home, return ferry crossing, lots and lots of petrol (your car will be lucky to get much more than 25 mpg), accomodation, food and beer whilst you are out there...

[C8PPO]

Ref the above 2 posts - yes, I doubt we'd get European cover on these sheds, so the plan does involve some risk but that's all part of it, so if one or two of them get sold to Pierre le Disjoncteur for a slab of beer, so be it!

[HereBeMonsters]

I did a car based stag - took all my mates to the 'ring for a long weekend. My car broke down, but I had fun teaching the lines to a mate in his Puma and my brother in his 1.1 Saxo.

[C8PPO]

Yeah, for my own stag 18 months ago we did a rapid road trip. 2200 miles in 4 days, route essentially was Calais - Millau - Monaco - Italian Lakes - Alpine passes - Nurburgring - Calais.

Mind you, that wasn't in £500 sheds!

[davepoth]

Did something similar with a mate, went to the 'ring. About £1000 all up including the car, an E30 BMW 316 drinks petrol quite fast when you go a full tank at 110mph.

[Major Fallout]

Sounds fantastic! Keep us posted!