Had a whole lot of photos on my phone but my memory card was wiped somehow so there aren't so many transitional photos...
Monday, 8 June 2009
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Van Specifications
LDV, Convoy, 3.5T, LWB, 2402cc, Turbo Diesel, 1570kg payload, 8 seats including driver
Date of Liability 01 12 2009
Date of First Registration 17 11 2003
Year of Manufacture 2003
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 2400CC
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type Heavy Oil
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Licence Not Due
Vehicle Colour RED
Vehicle Type Approval null
Vehicle Excise Duty Rate for vehicle:
6 Months Rate £101.75
12 Months Rate £185.00
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Tuesday, 16 December 2008
The Van Purchase
I used to have an LDV Pilot van. It was a pretty rough bodied 2001 model. Short wheel base, low roof, 1.9L diesel engine. 3 seats in front, no gap between seats, no walk through, no seats in back. Just a very simple van. I used it when renovating flat in Milton Keynes for carrying materials etc. Did a few man in van jobs as well. Found the van to be brilliant. Although it is a rough van to drive, a bit noisy, etc, it was a tough work horse and i grew to love it. It was this love affair that caused me to keep my eyes on LDVs.
When my wife and I decided we wanted to travel around Europe, we thought that we could save a lot of money on accomodation by travelling in a campervan. I started looking at LDV models and soon found the LDV minibuses. I'd never really noticed them before but once you've got one you notice them everywhere. Literally, I might notice 4 a day - beautiful machines. I soon learnt that the Convoy was the model i wanted, bigger than the pilot, stopped being produced around 2006. Some just have 1 window, a low roof and a couple of seats in the back. I thought this might be ok but Kirsten said she wanted plenty of windows and I realised that so did I. We didn't want to be stuck in a metal box with no view. So the minibus became an obvious option - have a look at it - pretty much as standard you're getting:
High roof (I'm 6'1" and my head just touches the roof, not enough to bother me - most people have plenty of head room)
LWB long wheel base.
Lots of seats (mine has 8 including driver - the more seats the higher the insurance - some have 13ish seats)
360 panarama views
3 seats in front with walk through
Mine also came with auxilery input into the stereo so i can play ipod/mp3 player through it - this is important stuff!
There were a lot on the market but most had been real work horses and had been given a hard time - dents in body work, dirty, high milage, rust, things broken or not working, etc. We didn't want to spend much but also wanted something as new as possible with as few miles as possible so there is less chance of having mechanical problems in the middle of europe. I first saw our baby on ebay as a classified ad with a fixed price of £2995. I contacted the owner to arrange a viewing but he didn't reply. The ad ended but then came back onto ebay a few days later as an auction with a buy it now price. i thought that someone might buy it now as i was almost prepared to myself so i arranged a viewing. Kirsten and I viewed it, drove it, negotiated £2400, went home and thought about it, decided to buy it and checked the Parkers price guide. I collected it a few days later providing time for the seller to get a new MOT as agreed. I paid cash.
That was that.
Questions:
Do you have to have ebay experience?
No but it helps. We traded outside of ebay. After I bought the van he simply removed his ad from ebay so he didn't have to pay any sellers fees to ebay. Also i paid cash so there were no PayPal fees either.
Are you a mechanic? How do I know if the van is fit?
I'm not a mechanic but I've owned over a dozen cars and have attempted simple mechanical work and maintained basic things such as air pressure, oil, spark plugs, water, air filter, lights, etc. When you start spending over a certain amount it's a good idea to get a professional to look the vehicle over. If you're buying a cheap car say under a grand then maybe just get someone with my experience to look at it. I probably should have got a professional to look at it but it was in mint condition, only had 20k miles, was only 5 years old and ran very smoothly so I took the risk and trusted my judgement.
Did you check out insurance before you bought it?
I did but not as well as I should have. I got some quotes off the internet before I bought it. I bought it and drove it home without insurance. When I then rang the insurance companies they said that they didn't insure minibuses and that the internet sometimes gives quotes anyway. I then took my time getting quotes and ended up going through Wrightsure who insured me with Norwich Union which is great because it includes 3 months insurance in Europe and full UK RAC cover. If you take out the seats the insurance companies consider the vehicle to be 'modified' and some insurance companies don't insure 'modified' vehicles. I ended up getting insurance from original minibus quotes of 800ish down to 450ish with 3 years no claims.
Was it taxed? How much is tax?
It wasn't. It cost me another £200 for 1 years tax.
NOTICE - This communication may contain confidential and privileged information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any viewing copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer.
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