Buying a half-decent van for 600 quid isn't as easy as I originally thought it would be.
I was under the assumption that the classifieds would be bursting with potential vehicles for our Desperate Van Challenge - but it was not the case. In fact all my local rag had to offer in my price range was the choice of a Bedford Rascal or an early 90s Iveco Daily. The Rascal was out of the question because it was under our 2.2-tonne GVW limit and the Daily was instantly dismissed as it didn't have an MOT. One of the stipulations is that all three of our vans have to be road-legal.
My next stop was eBay - which I have used to buy a number of cheap cars over the years.
Originally I thought something German would be the way to go - which would hopefully mean reliability. You see I am to mechanics what Jade Goody is to diplomacy, so reliability is vital. But I couldn't find any road-worthy Mercs or VWs for under £800, so decided to set my sights a bit lower. Make that a lot lower!
I briefly thought about buying something French, but all I had to choose from was a clapped-out old Renault Trafic or a Citroen C25 - neither of which inspired confidence. In my experience you don't find the words 'old' 'French' and 'reliable' in the same sentence. For a similar reason I didn't even contemplate an elderly Fiat or Iveco.
Japanese vans were out of the question too, simply because I don't like them. I've never owned anything Japanese, and I don't intend to start now. And I wanted to avoid the ubiquitous Mk 3 Ford Transit too, simply because it's so boring. Yes there are plenty of late 80s and early 90s road-going examples to be picked-up for about £600, but they aren't for me. Besides, I'm confident that either Colin or Dylan will go down that 'safe' route.
I'm a bit of a classic car/van/truck enthusiast, so thought this might be the way to go - but trying to find a roadworthy classic van for this sort of money is close to impossible. I managed to locate a tatty Bedford CF for £500, but it was a minibus, so wouldn't have been allowed. I couldn't find any MOT'd Mk1 Transits, or Morris Js, and the only Bedford CA I found was an ice-cream van and was priced at over £5,000.
So this left me with just one choice - an LDV!
Now the thought of owning an old LDV might strike fear into the hearts of most people - but not me. I have to confess that I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the marque, and Leyland DAF, Freight Rover and British Leyland that proceeded it.
Incredibly the choice wasn't huge, with most decent Convoys far exceeding my budget. In fact the majority of Pilots were out of my price bracket too. But then I noticed a 1994 Leyland DAF 200-Series, the forerunner to the Pilot - and the bid was on £250 with 3 hours to go. This is the exact description given:
"1st Owner was Royal Mail up to 1998 when i bought it with 46386 miles and full service history.
I have used it daily for my electrical business and only ever had repairs done as needed, I have reciepts all filed with in my business.
The Van is in tatty condition but is extreamly reliable.
There is rust, mainly wheel arches and rear doors. No bashes or noticeable dents, just dull paint and rusting. It cleans up nice and interior is in reasonable condition. I am a non smoker.
This Van is sold as seen with MOT till August, recent new tyres, front breaks, part exhaust, rear break cables/hand break, front wheel bearing.
Any test drive welcome, must be before auction time ends. I am still using this Van daily untill my new Van arrives."
And this is what it looked like
Faded paintwork and sign-writing identify the previous two owners.
Leyland DAF has more holes than an alopecic hedgehog.
I had a good feeling about the description, and wasn't even put off by the faded red paintwork or huge patches of rust. It was "extremely reliable" - and that was good enough for me. I immediately placed a bid for £550, and three nail-biting hours later it was mine for the bargain price of £398.80.
Stay tuned to discover how the 75-mile journey from Gosport to Sutton went.