Rant!!!!! The Plot Thickens

professorben

Paul_C said:

professorben said:

Paul_C said:

pfft @ modern vans, you should have tried a Sherpa, or for the full experience, a Sherpa Luton.

The old VW LT28s were fun, especially when the throttle cable broke (which happened more than once) - we (Kennings) used to get them back to the depot for repair by taking the engine cover off (between the front seats) tying a bit of string to the carburetor and using that to control the throttle with the left hand, right hand for steering (and gear changing).

Are you my dad???

Not as far as I'm aware . . .

Lol my dads called Paul surname starts with C, he plays bass. 
It was a remote possibility. 

professorben

So, just before Christmas I was cut up on a roundabout in my town, woman took the outside lane around me and I hit her as I was exiting. 

Very clearly her fault, I know roundabouts are awkward insurance wise and oft go 50/50 but I've retraced my steps and I'm defo in the right, suddenly there is a witness, drummed up out of nowhere. 

Guess who that might be.....
the director of Robinsons, oh who happens to be the guy the woman phoned AFTER the accident and he turned up a good 20 mins after the fact, so his statement claiming he was just behind me seems somewhat iffy. 

ESBlonde

Paul_C said:

pfft @ modern vans, you should have tried a Sherpa, or for the full experience, a Sherpa Luton.

The old VW LT28s were fun, especially when the throttle cable broke (which happened more than once) - we (Kennings) used to get them back to the depot for repair by taking the engine cover off (between the front seats) tying a bit of string to the carburetor and using that to control the throttle with the left hand, right hand for steering (and gear changing).

Ha!

We had an old Sherpa, london taxi diesel engine iirc. Bugger to start and max speed of about 46 mph. We replaced it with a VW LT35 dual rear wheel jobbie. Great space but 60mph max and went through cylinder heads annually. the band moved onto a merc 310 Hi top which solved most of the problems we'd had before. In those days (20+ years ago) Merc vans were the best of the bunch, I wonder if the current offerings match up.

Paul_C

The thing for me with the Sherpa was the cavernous gap between 3rd gear and 4th - even if you revved it to pieces the change to 4th would result in it going bleuuuuurgh for about five miles before it picked up speed again.

I remember one motorway journey in a Sherpa Luton when I was feeling particularly hacked off with its lack of speed and started slipstreaming lorries until another one overtook, diving into that one's slipstream to be pulled past the first lorry and then hoping there'd be enough room behind it to follow it back in otherwise as soon as I was left in the middle lane on my own the lorry I'd just passed would pass me again on the inside and I'd have to wait for the next one - huge fun but probably* a bit foolish


*definitely

PolarityMan

professorben said:

I think it is a brand issue. They make terrible vans. Which is staggering considering the ford transit exists, just build one like that and put your name on it. 

Done..whats the next step?

http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr154/polarityman/van_zps96iwaemy.jpg

skunkwerx

I come with a disclaimer.

Upon meeting anyone who claims to work for, or in any way associate with, Evans Halshaw, I become no longer accountable for my actions and shall reign down in almighty vengeance upon he! 

Id rather lay face down naked on lego and upturned mains plugs under a glass table while holding a mirror, so I can see Susan Boyle squat over it and produce bowel movements, rather than have dealings with them lot. 

Evans fucking Halshaw. 

Nitefly

@skunkwerx you're not keen on them then?

skunkwerx

Nitefly said:

@skunkwerx you're not keen on them then?

Exaggerated for comical effect.. slightly! But not really. Few years ago they sold what turned out to be a rather dodgy vw beetle to my dear old mum, which ended up costing her a fair whack to set right.. but the problems kept coming.. Halshaw denied all responsibility, Wouldnt do a damn thing. 

Long story short it was the relevant authorities (dvla or consumer/trading standards) which then investigated further.. finding a few discrepancies regarding its mileage too. 

Piss poor experience but I think it was the hurt and frustration seeing it happen to mum that boiled my blood. (She used her mums money left to her in her will to buy it, as her first car was a lovely brown 1303s beetle back in the 70's. Which my dad had made her sell at one point in the 80's rather against her will). 

Twas supposed to be a lovely throwback experience courtesy of, at the time my recently departed nan. 

But hey ho. Shes ended up in a newer Golf cabriolet which passed its emissions inspection last week with Volkswagen. The smiles returned as the roof comes down, although more so in the summer, great to see her relive her youth and have fun with it.

HAL9000

uncledick said:

I wouldn't want a Transit more than 3 years old.  If the engine doesn't blow up then the gearbox will seize.  That's assuming they haven't rotted away.  Scrapped a 2006 van yesterday - beyond repair due to corrosion.

^ This. You see plenty of old VW group cars, plenty of old Mercs and BMWs, etc. But bearing in mind the millions of cars that Ford build every year you'd still expect to see a fair few Sierras, Escorts, Granadas, etc driving about. Do you? No, because they rust into the ground faster than just about any other make.

For some reason there still seem to plenty of people who always only buy Ford. As soon as I'd owned my first non-Ford (in this case a Saab 900) and realised how much better it was I vowed to never buy another Ford in my life. Have mostly bought Toyotas recently. Not the most exciting of cars but nothing ever seems to break or go wrong.

And as for Evans Halshaw, they are definitely the worst dealer it has ever been my misfortune to deal with.

Nitefly

skunkwerx said:

Nitefly said:

@skunkwerx you're not keen on them then?

Exaggerated for comical effect.. slightly! But not really. Few years ago they sold what turned out to be a rather dodgy vw beetle to my dear old mum, which ended up costing her a fair whack to set right.. but the problems kept coming.. Halshaw denied all responsibility, Wouldnt do a damn thing. 

Long story short it was the relevant authorities (dvla or consumer/trading standards) which then investigated further.. finding a few discrepancies regarding its mileage too. 

Piss poor experience but I think it was the hurt and frustration seeing it happen to mum that boiled my blood. (She used her mums money left to her in her will to buy it, as her first car was a lovely brown 1303s beetle back in the 70's. Which my dad had made her sell at one point in the 80's rather against her will). 

Twas supposed to be a lovely throwback experience courtesy of, at the time my recently departed nan. 

But hey ho. Shes ended up in a newer Golf cabriolet which passed its emissions inspection last week with Volkswagen. The smiles returned as the roof comes down, although more so in the summer, great to see her relive her youth and have fun with it.

Oh dear.  Good that she's happy now, though.