Impulse shed buys and a long drive home...stories?
Discussion
I've done it a few times, most recent was a Merc SEC from Bristol back home to Worcester. To be fair though it was in really good nick with history and a long MOT but it did still buy it blind off ebay...on a whim. All ended well.
However i've spied a sheddier Merc...this one's 41 years old and a running project...although MOT till Jan so must be ok...right?? seller even says it starts first click and has good oil pressure!
The thing is it's in Exeter, 140 odd miles, though literally all motorway so I could just take it steady back and pootle along with the trucks...
Obviously I don't have breakdown cover, pah, even though I own a TVR! I mean how badly could it end?
So has anybody good any stories of beating the odds and getting home in one piece at the helm of an unknown, flaky, elderly shed?
However i've spied a sheddier Merc...this one's 41 years old and a running project...although MOT till Jan so must be ok...right?? seller even says it starts first click and has good oil pressure!
The thing is it's in Exeter, 140 odd miles, though literally all motorway so I could just take it steady back and pootle along with the trucks...
Obviously I don't have breakdown cover, pah, even though I own a TVR! I mean how badly could it end?
So has anybody good any stories of beating the odds and getting home in one piece at the helm of an unknown, flaky, elderly shed?
I drove a a wheezy 328i with 187,000 miles from Portland to Brighton and I was amazed it made it home.
....then again, what does one expect for £350? Plus it was a massive sort-out for a while as my main car was off the road. Don't think I'll go as cheap again, the saying "you get what you pay for" really does hold true
....then again, what does one expect for £350? Plus it was a massive sort-out for a while as my main car was off the road. Don't think I'll go as cheap again, the saying "you get what you pay for" really does hold true
Years ago I drove a £150 Alfasud 1.5 early model (S reg?) with 144,000 miles and no heater from London to Edinburgh one January, it was so cold driving up the A1 that around midnight the outside of the screen was frosting up at 90 mph and with no heater it would not clear. I had to slow down, a bit.
Bought one of these last second off ebay back in 2001 sometime for about £100.
it was located down in london and im in b'ham. trouble was i didnt have a car at the time.
so my cousin and i both jumped on a coach ( £1 ea thank you student discount! ) down to london that night and the seller met us at the coach station at stupid o'clock.
he let us know the fuel gauge didnt work, and that something was wrong with the clutch making it kangaroo like crazy at low speeds.
after asking if the car would get us back to Birmingham he told it had a full tank of petrol and it will be fine.
for some reason we just handed over the readies and began the drive back... completely trusting him at his word that it had enough fuel in it!
....after a few scares with the engine spluttering randomly, it having a tendency to veer violently to the right whenever we hit a pothole and a toilet break at a random service station that was absolutely totally deserted, we made it back to Birmingham in the early hours, and then promptly ran out of fuel 2 streets from home!
freaking awesome night
I bought a Mk3 Golf GTI 16v from a fellow PHer in London (im in Aberdeen) for £300
It looked decent enough in the grainy pics, when I got there it turned out to be one of the best mk3 Golfs i have bought, and believe me I've had plenty.
Paid the man his money, filled it with fuel on the M1 and it made it home without any drama. I put the listed minor issues right and I ran it daily without so much as lifting a spanner, best £489 I've ever spent on a car (£189 was flight, tube ticket, fuel home and lunch)
Go for it, worst that can happen is you break down, that's what the 4th emergency service is for
It looked decent enough in the grainy pics, when I got there it turned out to be one of the best mk3 Golfs i have bought, and believe me I've had plenty.
Paid the man his money, filled it with fuel on the M1 and it made it home without any drama. I put the listed minor issues right and I ran it daily without so much as lifting a spanner, best £489 I've ever spent on a car (£189 was flight, tube ticket, fuel home and lunch)
Go for it, worst that can happen is you break down, that's what the 4th emergency service is for
I like your style, A_lex 
Two stick in my memory, one was mine and the other a friend's.
Mine:
August 2008, Not long before I upsticks and left the UK, I had to sell my beloved Rover 420 turbo and needed a replacement to bung all my stuff in and drive over to Germany. There was a white Rover 620 diesel for sale on the Rover forums for 600 quid... in Cornwall. I was living in NW London so it was a good 200 miles each way. My friend (from story number two) and I went down there in his car (the car from story number two if I remember it right) and picked it up. All I'd seen was photos and all I had was his word that it was good. I ran it for 3 years over here and all it needed was a track rod arm, an exhaust piece, starter motor repair kit and a bit of work on one of the rear brakes. Did 55 to the gallon and never let us down. Sold with 135,000 miles on it by my dad back in UK to a pair of Latvian guys who paid 400 for it, again unseen and untested. I have no doubt that it's still going!
Friend's:
Not sure of the date but it must have been around summer 2006. After my friend got the Rover bug from me and then the turbo bug, he was after a turbocharged Rover. An ad on PH caught his eye - a guy down Suffolk way needed shot of a charcoal grey 420 turbo. He had bought another car (4 door M3, nice) and the 420 was just taking up space. He was convinced there was a gearbox problem and listed it at 50 quid. We went down there in my 420 turbo and picked it up. Oil was clear, it was covered in green as it had been sat under a tree but the paintwork was totally rust and dent free. Basically a mint, totally standard 420 turbo for Friday night beer money. Cash was handed over, a good chinwag had and we swiftly buggered off. After warming it up nicely, my friend stepped on the gas and got the thing on boost. A huge plume of red rust smoke billowed out of the exhaust all over the front of my car and it hooned off into the distance. It was a good one. Gearbox never broke, it was just the usual "they all do that sir" whine. It eneded up with a Pulsar turbo and 250bhp.
It can work really well as long as you are careful, read between the lines and don't let the adrenaline take over (too much). You have to go in knowing that it could all end [very] badly but as long as the seller seems like a good fellow then you usually won't go far wrong. Do not buy cars with low milage for the age; they will start s
tting bits all over the gaff when you get your lead boots all over them. Don't be afraid to walk away if the seller is full of bullst and/or seems like a shifty type. Common sense can land you a huge bargain - for those in the UK think yourself very lucky because you can pick up mega bargains over there. Lots of car for little money can be had, unlike here in Germany where second hand cars hold their value a hell of a lot longer. 1-5 large gets you a bunch of crap here.
Two stick in my memory, one was mine and the other a friend's.
Mine:
August 2008, Not long before I upsticks and left the UK, I had to sell my beloved Rover 420 turbo and needed a replacement to bung all my stuff in and drive over to Germany. There was a white Rover 620 diesel for sale on the Rover forums for 600 quid... in Cornwall. I was living in NW London so it was a good 200 miles each way. My friend (from story number two) and I went down there in his car (the car from story number two if I remember it right) and picked it up. All I'd seen was photos and all I had was his word that it was good. I ran it for 3 years over here and all it needed was a track rod arm, an exhaust piece, starter motor repair kit and a bit of work on one of the rear brakes. Did 55 to the gallon and never let us down. Sold with 135,000 miles on it by my dad back in UK to a pair of Latvian guys who paid 400 for it, again unseen and untested. I have no doubt that it's still going!
Friend's:
Not sure of the date but it must have been around summer 2006. After my friend got the Rover bug from me and then the turbo bug, he was after a turbocharged Rover. An ad on PH caught his eye - a guy down Suffolk way needed shot of a charcoal grey 420 turbo. He had bought another car (4 door M3, nice) and the 420 was just taking up space. He was convinced there was a gearbox problem and listed it at 50 quid. We went down there in my 420 turbo and picked it up. Oil was clear, it was covered in green as it had been sat under a tree but the paintwork was totally rust and dent free. Basically a mint, totally standard 420 turbo for Friday night beer money. Cash was handed over, a good chinwag had and we swiftly buggered off. After warming it up nicely, my friend stepped on the gas and got the thing on boost. A huge plume of red rust smoke billowed out of the exhaust all over the front of my car and it hooned off into the distance. It was a good one. Gearbox never broke, it was just the usual "they all do that sir" whine. It eneded up with a Pulsar turbo and 250bhp.
It can work really well as long as you are careful, read between the lines and don't let the adrenaline take over (too much). You have to go in knowing that it could all end [very] badly but as long as the seller seems like a good fellow then you usually won't go far wrong. Do not buy cars with low milage for the age; they will start s
tting bits all over the gaff when you get your lead boots all over them. Don't be afraid to walk away if the seller is full of bullst and/or seems like a shifty type. Common sense can land you a huge bargain - for those in the UK think yourself very lucky because you can pick up mega bargains over there. Lots of car for little money can be had, unlike here in Germany where second hand cars hold their value a hell of a lot longer. 1-5 large gets you a bunch of crap here.I bought a Fiat Panda some years back as a first car, went like clockwork on the test drive and handed over £240.
Feeling quite pleased with myself as I drove the 15 miles home, started to rain a few miles from the house. Switched the wiper on and it did a somewhat jerky sweep of the screen before falling off and landing on the bonnet.
It utterly pissed down and I had to drive 3 miles home with my arm out the window wiping my own screen with the severed wiper arm. Slightly took the shine off my new purchase.
Feeling quite pleased with myself as I drove the 15 miles home, started to rain a few miles from the house. Switched the wiper on and it did a somewhat jerky sweep of the screen before falling off and landing on the bonnet.
It utterly pissed down and I had to drive 3 miles home with my arm out the window wiping my own screen with the severed wiper arm. Slightly took the shine off my new purchase.
I'm doing this myself tomorrow so fingers crossed, ive just bought a 20 year old audi and I've got to get a train up to Lancaster tomorrow from Bexhill, then I'm driving straight back, it will be 330 miles back so I can see me drinking a few cans of red bull tomorrow.
I also did this two years ago with a shed which cost £281 which i bought in Somerset which was a 170 mile drive back home.
I still have the old shed and it's been the most reliable car I've owned, I won't be getting rid of it as its going to go into semi retirement and is becoming my winter car.
Also I did the same thing a few years ago when I bought my old smart roadster, as to get the one I wanted I had to travel to Cardiff during the floods there was a lot of aquaplaning that day.
I also did this two years ago with a shed which cost £281 which i bought in Somerset which was a 170 mile drive back home.
I still have the old shed and it's been the most reliable car I've owned, I won't be getting rid of it as its going to go into semi retirement and is becoming my winter car.
Also I did the same thing a few years ago when I bought my old smart roadster, as to get the one I wanted I had to travel to Cardiff during the floods there was a lot of aquaplaning that day.
Not quite sheds but I've done this twice (comes with the territory when you live in northern scotland!)
1. Sept 2010 - saw a 205 gti for sale online, bought and travelled down to Crewe the day after to drive it home. £30 train ticket, 8 hours south then 6 hours north. It was a good one.
2. Dec 2011 - saw a 205 gti on ebay, bid expecting to be outbid but wasn't. Travelled to Stranraer on Christmas eve with a bottle of oil and spares in my bag. 6 hours south, 4 hours back north. It's been okay for the money.
You can see a theme developing here.
Little beats the thrill of driving a car that might break down at any minute!
1. Sept 2010 - saw a 205 gti for sale online, bought and travelled down to Crewe the day after to drive it home. £30 train ticket, 8 hours south then 6 hours north. It was a good one.
2. Dec 2011 - saw a 205 gti on ebay, bid expecting to be outbid but wasn't. Travelled to Stranraer on Christmas eve with a bottle of oil and spares in my bag. 6 hours south, 4 hours back north. It's been okay for the money.
You can see a theme developing here.
Little beats the thrill of driving a car that might break down at any minute!
E34 540 - a mate spotted a mint example for sale knowing I liked them, and so a boy's day out just to view was arranged the following Saturday. Mostly a poor excuse to romp over Dartmoor down to Bodmin in his Boxster and eat butties.
Bought it on the spot and rumbled home playing 'tag' the even longer way around - Bath via the crinkly bits of the Cornish riviera. Big grins, much fuel. 4 1/2 yrs later I still have it; lovely car.
Bought it on the spot and rumbled home playing 'tag' the even longer way around - Bath via the crinkly bits of the Cornish riviera. Big grins, much fuel. 4 1/2 yrs later I still have it; lovely car.
Baz Tench said:
theironduke said:
Good stories chaps! The above is the potential shed in question....
I've been reading up and they are about the most unloved merc ever! they rot in ways that anything made by BL could only dream of....BUT i've kind of fallen for it.....it needs some love!
And I can't remember the last time I saw a Merc of that age on the road...I just think it's so effortlesly cool, more so in its slightly tired condition!
martin mrt said:
I bought a Mk3 Golf GTI 16v from a fellow PHer in London (im in Aberdeen) for £300
It looked decent enough in the grainy pics, when I got there it turned out to be one of the best mk3 Golfs i have bought, and believe me I've had plenty.
Paid the man his money, filled it with fuel on the M1 and it made it home without any drama. I put the listed minor issues right and I ran it daily without so much as lifting a spanner, best £489 I've ever spent on a car (£189 was flight, tube ticket, fuel home and lunch)
Go for it, worst that can happen is you break down, that's what the 4th emergency service is for
And very nice it was to meet you Martin! It looked decent enough in the grainy pics, when I got there it turned out to be one of the best mk3 Golfs i have bought, and believe me I've had plenty.
Paid the man his money, filled it with fuel on the M1 and it made it home without any drama. I put the listed minor issues right and I ran it daily without so much as lifting a spanner, best £489 I've ever spent on a car (£189 was flight, tube ticket, fuel home and lunch)
Go for it, worst that can happen is you break down, that's what the 4th emergency service is for
[quote=A lex]Due to buying a house I sold 50k worth of cars and started playing the bangernomics game.
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every time i see your house i want it. have you ever done a 'my house is ace' thread? i'd love to see inside.
my contribution is that i bought a lovely 1983 bmw 528i from ebay whilst inebriated for around £600. woke up next morning to discover it was 300 miles away. cue a loooong train journey and hittingg 135mph indicated on the a1 on the way back. still one of the best cars i ever owned.
[/pic]
every time i see your house i want it. have you ever done a 'my house is ace' thread? i'd love to see inside.
my contribution is that i bought a lovely 1983 bmw 528i from ebay whilst inebriated for around £600. woke up next morning to discover it was 300 miles away. cue a loooong train journey and hittingg 135mph indicated on the a1 on the way back. still one of the best cars i ever owned.
shirt said:
A lex said:
Due to buying a house I sold 50k worth of cars and started playing the bangernomics game.
[/pic]
every time i see your house i want it. have you ever done a 'my house is ace' thread? i'd love to see inside.
my contribution is that i bought a lovely 1983 bmw 528i from ebay whilst inebriated for around £600. woke up next morning to discover it was 300 miles away. cue a loooong train journey and hittingg 135mph indicated on the a1 on the way back. still one of the best cars i ever owned.
Good effort! I think i'll be taking it slow and steady, at least for the first 50 odd miles...although a 41 year old Merc with a lazy 6 pot producing a whopping 148 horses (back in 1971...) is hardly appropriate hooning material![/pic]
every time i see your house i want it. have you ever done a 'my house is ace' thread? i'd love to see inside.
my contribution is that i bought a lovely 1983 bmw 528i from ebay whilst inebriated for around £600. woke up next morning to discover it was 300 miles away. cue a loooong train journey and hittingg 135mph indicated on the a1 on the way back. still one of the best cars i ever owned.
Couple of years back I bought a 1973 XJ12 like this:
from fleabay - said it was smoking, no mention of tax or mot for the princely sum of £250
Contacted the owner who confirmed it was T&T, he picked me up from the train station in romford and I enjoyed a rather smokey trip back down the M25/M3 to basingstoke - used both tanks of fuel kindly provided by the seller and even the Tom Tom he left in there as well (as his new S-type came with sat nav)!!
Checked it over, found the smoking was being caused by 1 stuck open injector and subsequently sold for a small profit
from fleabay - said it was smoking, no mention of tax or mot for the princely sum of £250
Contacted the owner who confirmed it was T&T, he picked me up from the train station in romford and I enjoyed a rather smokey trip back down the M25/M3 to basingstoke - used both tanks of fuel kindly provided by the seller and even the Tom Tom he left in there as well (as his new S-type came with sat nav)!!
Checked it over, found the smoking was being caused by 1 stuck open injector and subsequently sold for a small profit
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