What've You Had in Yours?

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

Just a random thought really, having transported our new Suite home this weekend.

Anyone else got a 'I had this item (or person) in my motor' story?

The more unusual the better perhaps.

Taxi !!

[Paul-R]

The items we've had in our estate cars over the years are legion.

We've taken several 6 foot fridge freezers down to our place in France. I once took a 2m diameter satellite dish down on the roof bars. That was on our old Austin Montego estate car. That had self-levelling rear suspension and, my goodness, didn't we use it to the full. One time years ago, during the major reconstruction period of the house, I brought a 10m roof beam (same diameter and density as a telegraph pole) back 5 miles from town. That was a real test.

[Peter.N.]

Estate cars seem generally to be getting smaller. The CXs we had were huge, my son could transport his ladders inside. The XM's were not quite as big but I delivered two large armchairs to Wales in one, with the tailgate shut. The 406's are not bad by modern standards, had a couple of single beds in mine (one at a time) but couldn't completely shut the tailgate.

We went to Newcastle in one of the XM's and collected a 2.1 diesel engine and gearbox plus some other bits and on the way back went into Derby and picked up a Ford 1.8 diesel engine for my sons truck, car drove fine but was a bit slow up hills.

Peter

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

strewth, that's going some in both cases. Brilliantly versatile things with only a small weight penalty to pay over the Saloon equivalent.

Completely agree Peter: Estates are definitely getting smaller; which seems ironic when cars in general are getting bigger.

Always liked the styling of the Montego, partic the Estate, long time since I've seen one on the road now.

[Zelandeth]

Saab is the only car I've ever really used to full capacity I think.

I successfully fitted a full width American style fridge on one occasion, I reckon half a tonne of ex office lighting equipment on another (that made the steering "interesting") though the one that probably got the biggest surprise from the guy we collected it from was the Hammond T-212 organ. That fitted with plenty of room to spare - though had the mudflaps scraping the ground on roundabouts. Getting it back *out* of the car was significantly harder.

We packed the Lada impressively full one of our trips to Center Parcs, though a lot of that was supplies for the projects we were working on while there so mostly stuff that was bulky and awkward rather than heavy.

Having access to a trailer now does make things easier, as does the van as it's good for long awkward stuff.

We did once move an old Samsung rear projection TV set in the Volvo V40 that belonged to a friend's parents. This sounded easy at the start...but in the end we wound up with the set almost totally dismantled, and occupying pretty much every cubic inch of space in the car - including the passenger seat, footwell and glove box.

I had to get the bus back!

...then we hauled it all the way up to our 2nd floor flat.

[Timmo]

Does 27 paving slabs and 10 bags of sand count?

Suspension height after unloading

[Timmo]

Also remembered a few loads of decorative gravel for the drive, 2 full boot loads and then resorted to the little trailer!

[moizeau]

2.5l sherpa diesel engine in the back of a BX hatch from Gloucester to W Mids if that counts?

[Paul-R]

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

[Timmo]

Thats an impressive amount of wood!

[Peter.N.]

I've done that with the wood too, a friend of mine had a huge holly tree fall, he said 'come and help yourself - so I did. I think the only decent sized estate is the Merc E class, or maybe that has got small too, it was about the same size as the XM.

Peter

[Stickyfinger]

Thats an impressive amount of wood!

[Gibbo2286]

You're a bad lot, that's not use it's abuse.

I once got pulled by the cops in Gloucester with my old Austin Westminster, "Low on the back sir." I had a Land Rover engine with all its components in the boot, they had a look and waved me on my way.

Another one, my cousin had an old Austin 7, he went to collect a sheet of corrugated iron, dad in the passenger seat with the sun roof open reaching up through and holding it on, "for gawds sake Victor slow down the winds getting under it and lifting me out of the seat."

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

Brilliant !! 27 Paving Slabs & 10 Bags of Sand. Heck! I'm guessing the former's about 5Kg and the latter about 25Kg; that's a lot of weight.

I see Alasdair beat me to the 'Ooh Matron' comment; I've no idea what he means of course!

Recent (ish) Estates I know of that still were a decent size were the Honda Accord and the BMW 5 Series. Pic borrowed from AutoTrader.

Some seriously impressive loading there with the Roof Beam and the Roof Box Paul. What is it with Estate car owners.... despite having some of the biggest cars on the road, we seem to be inclined to have Roof-Boxes too (I have one also) !

I googled the Hammond T-212 Organ, Zel, that's a size; old school Valves in something like that?

[Timmo]

It was a lot of weight for sure! Bags were 25kg each, slabs were not the lightest mind! Also had both kids and the wife in the car,
Pops has that shape accord, we abase the size on ability to fit his wheelchair in without having to take the wheels off! The accord it fits a specific way, not all that big inside mind,