Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[van ordinaire]

I suppose that's why I've got one, among all my 2CV's - not that anyone could afford one now.

Sadly, Jeeps seem to be going the same way: when I got my 1st Cherokee I deceloped a whim for a "real" Jeep but even then they were around £10,000, saw one for sale on Sunday [bit of a rarity: ex-British army - & just restored (not entirely to my liking)] £21,000-odd!

[Gibbo2286]

Those army ones were as expensive on fuel as your Cherokee Van, we had a couple in Egypt, they got about twelve miles to the gallon, the army target was 20 mpg but they never got anywhere near that.

On TA up in the Lake District an officer decided to do some off-roading with one, he drove it fast over a hummock and tore the short clutch cable off, that dislodged the clutch fork and it dropped inside the bell housing, an engine out job to fix................it didn't get fixed.

[van ordinaire]

& I thought the main drawback was top speed but that might explain why Buick V6's were (& may still be) a popular engine swap in the US - a win, win solution.

[daviemck2006]

I have been doing some finding out for Zel, from my mate who has recently retired from stagecoach as driver trainer. Anyone who has a full category B licence(car) can drive a vintage bus or lorry or artic lorry as long as said vehicle is not being used for hire or reward. Whats the defination of vintage? Anythink over 30 years old. Whats the definition of hire or reward? Vehicle or driver getting paid. So therfore Zel can buy his vintage coach and legally drive it to his hearts content without sitting his category D licence. Better hide the ebay link on his computer lol

[CitroJim]

That's excellent news Davie..

Zel, go for it

[Zelandeth]

So the 30 year rule does still exist...interesting. Very interesting. DVLA have done a good job of hiding that on their revised website.

The biggest hurdle there then will be insurance. When I first pondered this idea a few years back quite a few of the insurers wouldn't give comprehensive cover unless I had the full licence. Will have to do some more digging on that in due course. Likewise I'll attempt again to make contact with the DVLA so that I have something actually in writing show I can legally drive the vehicle. Especially for the day I end up in a roadside "random" check, handled by a grumpy police officer who's looking for a reason to give me trouble.

Still plan on getting the category D licence in time anyway as it's something I'd like to prove to myself that I can...but nice to know that if necessary that can wait a bit and the money can instead go towards the vehicle itself...hmm...Time to track down some of the specialist magazines etc and find the relevant clubs, as no doubt that's where the best bargains are...

[daviemck2006]

The specialist magazines and clubs may have more info on the licencing and insurance aspects. Would be worth seeking out. Knowing the 30 year rule too now makes me think I may drive a coach again. I remember a C reg, that would be 85 or 86 volvo b10 van hool alize i used to drive, in fact it was my regular college run coach when I was at Deveron coaches. It was a lovely old thing and drove perfectly about 8 years ago. I could legally drive that now! The only problem is i saw it on ebay a couple of years ago out of service, out of mot, for spares or export.

[Zelandeth]

Just knowing that the idea is less far fetched than at first thought gives a lot of drive to looking into it in more depth.

Time to start hunting out the right sorts of publications I reckon. Assuming they still exist and haven't dissolved into a Facebook group these days anyway...

I'll keep you updated on anything I find out Davie, as I get the impression that you'll be as interested to hear what's going on. As it's entirely for private use, I can't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to drive one under these rules. It's the responsibility to the passengers that the vast bulk of the health rules and such revolve around after all.

You'll be more than welcome to have a shot of mine (eventually!), even if it may well be only a lowly Bedford Y series if I stick with my original plan...to be honest, the more folks who show an interest the more likely I'm to put serious thought into it.

While they were a bit lightweight for mainline service thundering up and down the motorways every day, they're just fine as a preserved vehicle that's not going to see masses of miles. Reckon being a bit smaller in a lot of mechanical aspects actually might make it a bit easier to wrangle the maintenance aspects single handedly.

That said, even being considered a lightweight - the Bedford 500 engine used in many of the Y series buses was still a six cylinder 9.6 litre lump if I remember right.

Reckon that alone will turn heads at a show...you hear plenty of Gardners (nice noise too I might add) ticking away quietly, the old Cummins engines burbling away and the distinctive bark of the Leyland O.680 at shows... it's very rare you hear one of the Bedford engines from the same period at a show. From memory, rattly old things at idle but actually very smooth once going. My memory of the first comparison there was getting into the bus to a friend's house one day, which was a Plaxton Supreme on a Leyland Leopard chassis of a similar age to our Bedford. It was quicker sure enough, but goodness it seemed noisy in comparison and felt a lot more agricultural in a lot of ways. That was the first time I ever saw (and heard) the pneumocyclic gearbox too, "sneezing" through the years.

Drove a Leopard a few years later. Went really well...really really well, especially down the long downhill stretch of the A96 from Aberdeen towards Kintore. Brakes on the other hand were shocking, as I discovered when I came to slow down for the roundabout...think I left some finger prints in that steering wheel - but I did make it round the roundabout. Really glad coaches aren't as easy to tip over as they look though!

Goodness I was young and stupid back then...

[CitroJim]

Enjoying all this coach talk immensely

[Zelandeth]

Enjoying all this coach talk immensely

Probably for the best given my tendency to veer off into that sort of topic...

[CitroJim]

Enjoying all this coach talk immensely

Probably for the best given my tendency to veer off into that sort of topic...

Veer as much as you want Zel The more the better as far as I'm concerned! I'm starting to get into coaches now, thanks to you and Davie speaking of them and you know how much I enjoy bus museums...

[Zelandeth]

...and so I start to drag another person down into this very special level of madness!

[Hell Razor5543]

...and so I start to drag another person down into this very special level of madness!

Well, he might look on buses, but as Jim no longer enjoys driving I doubt you can get him to own and drive one!

[Zelandeth]

Was surprised to see an older coach still apparently in active service today - Plaxton Paramount 3500 body, not sure what's under it, but the exhaust placement and shape says early Volvo B10M to me. On a D plate that would fit too.

Surprising thing though was that there was a sticker in the rear window claiming that it had been adapted to allow wheelchair access. That's a heck of an expensive bit of work to have done to a coach that's optimistically worth three to five grand! Looked tidy though, so hopefully has a good few years left yet.

I was half asleep at the time and nearly missed it entirely so didn't catch the full reg of the operator name...but whoever they are, I salute your decision to keep it in use.

Paramount is a bit new for me...it suffers somewhat from the 80s theme of an all carpeted interior with no wood* and a distinct lack of exterior brightwork. If I were to include it on my list though it would give me a few more options as there do seem to be a few of those on sale.

*Depending on age and trim options - some of the early Paramounts used the same dash as the Supreme models before it.

Been a while since I saw one on the road, had forgotten how absolutely huge those tail lights were!

[CitroJim]

...and so I start to drag another person down into this very special level of madness!

...and so I start to drag another person down into this very special level of madness!

Well, he might look on buses, but as Jim no longer enjoys driving I doubt you can get him to own and drive one!

No, but happy to be a passenger or a conductor