During the past few months I’ve been helping family and friends with all sorts of outdoor jobs. The weather has been a bonus.
This morning I drove down to Airedale helping a friend ‘tidy’ her elderly parents garden. It’s a large plot, trees have been felled and it’s a heck of a job. Loaded up my pressure washer and hose, tools, chop saw, Workmate bench etc etc. Returned home an hour ago with all that plus 300/400 kg of cut logs. Back again in the next few days.
It made me realise that despite being away from home almost half the year I really do need a large hatch or preferably an estate. So that rules out any saloon, the potential second hand GTi or Fiesta ST.
Top tip a la Viz.
If you change to a Combi boiler from a traditional with CW tanks in the loft, keep the largest CW tank, and cut around the circumference creating a large rectangular bucket. Perfect for garden waste, dirty tool and logs. A cheap, strong effective load liner in effect.
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It’s been a while now since I’ve had a proper estate car now, but have managed pretty well without. A particular highlight, pre lockdown, was taking an old double bed frame to the tip in the convertible. However that’s possibly been topped today, as I discovered that it’s possible to get a 14’ high scaffolding tower in the back of the MINI, along with boards. No self levelling suspension.. It was almost defeated by a 10’6” paddle board though, but with passenger and rear seats folded, and one rear door open, it sort of fitted. And as none of it projected beyond the, admittedly wide open, rear door I count that as a win! The front passenger seat in the Merc doesn’t recline far enough for it to line up with rather narrow slot created when the rear seats are folded for it to have fitted in that, and even if it did I don’t think there’s sufficient clearance to have pushed it down into the footwell or up onto the dashboard, which is probably necessary to shut the boot
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I once got a 10' 6" (IIRC) ladder in an Austin Ambassador with the tailgate shut and took a 3-piece suite to the tip on the roof of an old Panda - one piece at a time.
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Every time I think I could manage without an estate car, I think of a reason why I'm glad I have one. Sure of course you can work around a lot of things with other types of car, but with an estate you by and large don't have to.
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Idly browsing AT for an estate to replace a friends old car, I spotted a 2019 C43 V6 AMG Estate fully specced circa £30k. No idea on new price but sounds like horrendous depreciation from full list. It looks luvly !
My brother paid that money for a new Subaru Grovel
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Now that's a proper car LL. Much more Crockett and Jones than Jimmy Choo...
;-)
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An acquaintance of mine has a GLC 43 AMG. A couple of years old now....his previous was an A45 AMG in a lurid metallic green. He was telling me about the ‘new’ A45 AMG. Over 400 horse from a 2.0 4cyl unit. A far more sophisticated 4WD system than the previous model. He’s a proper petrol head, changes his cars every 3/4 years, and he reckons the cost to change from his current to the new model A45 AMG will be circa £25/30k. Sheesh.
I’ve owned 2 MB. A C180 Estate from the manager of one of my suppliers when it was 4 yo (R Reg) and an E200 estate (L Reg) from a pal who ran a taxi business....this was an ex lease car which is where he got his taxis from. That E200 was bullet proof. I used it as a small van, constantly fully loaded with stock, and it never missed a beat in 3 years of ownership. Then sold it to a supplier who used it as a delivery vehicle Monday to Friday, hoovered it out Friday night, then ran it as a family car at weekends. He didn’t pay me cash for it, just paid me in product over 6 months...it was his own business and a mutually agreeable arrangement.
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>> I once got a 10' 6" (IIRC) ladder in an Austin Ambassador with the tailgate shut
>>and took a 3-piece suite to the tip on the roof of an old Panda - one piece at a time.
>>
I once took a load of "stuff" from in laws to the tip on my roof rack of my Sierra.
Load bang on entry and instant through flow ventilation.
I had exceeded the height limit and the roof rack and contents smashed the rear windown and was resting on the boot. :-(.
I can easily carry 14' plastic pipe or similar light lengths of timber using my X type saloon, not in inside and not on a roof rack.
The devices look like plastic gutter brackets and clip on the top of the window glass.
Contents secured by mini bungee jobs.
I miss the sun roof and folding rear seat of my 98 Mondeo 2 Ghia X. Items like runner bean canes were so easy to carry.
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Decades ago I had a 205 GTi (B211 UCP). I used to drive from Bingley in the Aire valley to near Wakefield to sail my windsurfer with Pugneys Pirates. It was a big heavy old fashioned rig with very loooong overhangs on a small car. Amazed I never got stopped by the police.
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It is for this reason I could never contemplate getting a saloon.
You just always need the flexibility of popping the back seats down for a dump run, carry a bike or whatever.
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>> Decades ago I had a 205 GTi (B211 UCP). I used to drive from Bingley
>> in the Aire valley to near Wakefield to sail my windsurfer with Pugneys Pirates. It
>> was a big heavy old fashioned rig with very loooong overhangs on a small car.
>> Amazed I never got stopped by the police.
>>
I know the feeling. About the same era I used to transport a Dufour Wing windsurfer (more the size of a small aircraft carrier) on the roof of my Mk1 Golf.
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I ventured into hang-gliding in the '70s and had a Rogallo wing. Decided it was far too dangerous and flogged it on Exchange and Mart to a guy in the lake district (250 miles away). Managed to 'volunteer' a work colleague to take it on his roof rack on a Skoda 120L. He never forgave me!
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Hahaha. I can imagine.
At the time I was very gung ho. The 205 was pretty lightweight. The Olde windsurfer wasn’t. Stable on the water. Not so on the M1. Reckless youth and all that. Actually not that youthful thinking about it.
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>> I once got a 10' 6" (IIRC) ladder in an Austin Ambassador with the tailgate shut and took a 3-piece suite
>> to the tip on the roof of an old Panda - one piece at a time.
I once took a fridge freezer to the tip hanging out of the back of a Metro. It went further in than you'd think.
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One winter when I'd been windsurfing it was freezing-a*** cold and blowing a gale I decided I couldn't be a***d to put everything on the roofrack so I'd throw it inside, salt water be damned, and sort it out in the morning.
It was so quick I couldn't believe I hadn't taken that approach before. My opinion changed when I slammed the rear hatch and found out that the surfboard fin made the board about 2" longer than the available load space.
I think it was autoglass that came out to the beach and replaced it on the spot - the guy was efficient if not happy. I seem to recall that I was at Calshot, which is pretty unpleasant with the wrong wind.
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>>I really do need a large hatch or preferably an estate
Or a towbar and trailer. Easy answer.
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Been there done that with the 330 convertible.
The only flaw in that idea is when I take friends to Scotland or Wales fully loaded with outdoor kit. It’s not fair to sponge off them all the time as I did during my years of owning the 330. And it’s an artz loading the trailer and making it water tight for my stuff.
I’ve still got the trailer in my old mums garage. I should sell it.
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Not getting one of them - PeterS
