Miserable decision to be made..........

[purplebargeken]

I hate to have to do this but I will explain why in a second.

 

Most folk may know that I have arthritis of the spine, 3 fucked discs that are pressing to varying degrees on the spinal nerve. This causes varying degrees of havoc and pain. I have arthritis in both knees.

 

I am in a lot of pain most of the time, walking is difficult most of the time. I try not to complain. Meds make me either vomit or be sleepy, hence no meds at the moment.

 

Pity bit over. The MGF went due to this reason.

 

I am fucked with regards to manual cars, I am coming to realise this. I am struggling to do the work on the Triumph, even though I want to do it.

 

The Triumph will be coming up for sale once I have sorted out the V5 - cc swap and historic vehicle status.

 

The Beetle will be up for sale too.

 

The Toledo will be in the region of £850 or so. The Beetle around £350 to 400. I have done the temp sensor and the breather hose thing. 

 

The Amazon, I will be discussing this with Mrs. PBK soon. That will likely be around the £3500 mark.

 

Any interest on here for any of the above before I go elsewhere.

 

I am gutted but cannot avoid the inevitable despite wanting to. 

 

I will have another car but it will have to be a slushbox/badermatic. That is the only sensible and realistic option.

 

So, overr to you guys and gals

 

 

[M'coli]

How difficult would it be to Badermatic the Amazon?

[MarvinsMom]

i would suggest a jaguar, but, and this is a major but, they are really damn low to the ground, and therefore may be a problem for you getting in and out. same with mercs and other kwalitie hun makes.

 

with that i mind, prehaps an SUV will be an easier solution?

 

disco and range rovers will be available in auto flavour.

[Inspector Morose]

Daimler 250s aren't too low and come in correct peddleage. Prices are on the up but are reasonably affordable.

 

Amazon auto is another good idea.

 

My freind of many years has had this condition since young. He was a chief and totally ignored any advice given to him by the hospital or doctors. His ignorance (his words) didn't end well as about 20 years ago, while lifting flour sack he managed to paralyse himself from the waist down and he has been in a wheelchair ever since and in constant agony.

Didn't stop him though. Despite no feeling in his arms or hands making gripping delicate things tricky(and never shake hands with the sod!) he's manages to write off 6 wheelchairs, he was also stopped for speeding by the rozzers (mucklow hill, Halesowen- 37 in a 30) in a wheelchair.

His drive is a moggy with an auto box and hand controls that he built himself about 15 years ago.

[mat_the_cat]

with that i mind, prehaps an SUV will be an easier solution?

 

disco and range rovers will be available in auto flavour.

 

My mum suffers from arthritis too (both knees and both hips replaced, one side twice) and struggles in a normal car. She finds it easier in a 4x4, especially an older style separate chassis type without the sill lip to get her feet over.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Going auto only is made a lot more palatable by the plethora of barges out there.

P5s always strike me as a good car for dignified entry and egress and presumably pretty easy to lpg for everyday use ,if necessary .

Depending how tall you are, Shadows, Spirits and the like are nice and high, but I always find the roof too low.

A 2 door Discovery would be great as the drivers seat goes back a couple inches more and you might actually find an auto one,whereas there's not much chance with a Range Rover( unless money is not a consideration).

 

The other route is Yanks, pretty much all Autos and all designed for 400lb nonagenarians to leap in and out at the Country Club.

[stillOrange]

Sorry to hear about all this ....

 

 

Would you be able to post or send me some info about the beetle? Otherwise I'll try to search the forum when on something other than mobile.

[purplebargeken]

Cheers guys, yank is appealing but not sure about fitting it in the garage. Converting the Amazon would be a faff and costly

 

The Beetle is now a 2 owner car. 60 odd thousand miles, bit of service history. 1.6 manual. It has dents and scrapes. Biggest dent is the N/S sill. More dents in the O/S rear 1/4 panel. No idea how, don't ask

It looks scruffy - which I actually like. The odd ding in the drivers door is present.

 

It all works. Well almost , the stereo display doesn't. Oh, the spare key fob doesn't either. May just need a new battery. It is MOT'd until later in the year, I will check. No A/C fitted, it has a sunroof which works. Piccies to follow. there are a couple of split seams in the seats but a trim shop should sort that out for a few quid. It drives lovely and I love this car the best as it is scruffy but goes well. I fitted a new temp sensor and sorted the oil breather hose thing with a length of rubber hose which just needs fitting..

 

Done the Jag thing, very, very nice but a struggle as you say due to lowness.

 

4x4 is an option but auto is limited.  I might even re-visit the R75 as plenty of slushness is available. 

 

Track day stuff is also out of the window, arse.

 

Funds limited to a theoretical 1350 to 1400 as a result of hopefully selling the Toledo and the Bug plus a couple of quid.

 

UPDATE: Beetle now SOLD pending collection this evening.

[danthecapriman]

Sorry to hear about your trouble. I had a back problem, though nowhere near as bad as yours, so I know what it's like. Can't be nice having to sell your cars because of it.

 

Autos are great, I don't get why people dislike them really. Much more relaxing to drive and no need to bother with the stupid clutch and gear stick anymore!

I'd (predictably!) suggest a yank, they are great to drive and really easy to get in and out of. If your worried about garaging it, remember not all yanks are huge, some will fit in a uk garage.

 

What about a Volvo 140 or 240 auto? They have good seats and seating position, and can be picked up for a good price.

[Inspector Morose]

Now a goo slushy 75 derv might be a good idea and that budget would find you a good one, I'd have thought.

 

75 for wafting and general usefulness

Amazon (maybe converted to badermatic) for fun weekend frolics

 

Sounds pretty sorted to me!

[Junkman]

I don't think converting the Amazon to automatic would be such a chore.

I have a BW65 here (needs to be looked into, though).

All you would then need is a

 

- bellhousing

- converter

- distance piece

- flexplate

- radiator (or an auxilliary oil cooler)

- maybe pedal box

 

I bet there are enough people in Scandinavia who converted autos to manual, so there should be leftover bits up there.

[beko1987]

Xm auto? Then raise up to get out, leave up for when you get in then lower down again?

[cros]

Bad news, its what I dread too. Best wishes.

[Inspector Morose]

Find out it's sunk for when you return...(I know, I know, anti sink spheres but - French)

[stripped fred]

Have you tried all the different medications that you can? They all have side effects granted but a good Dr/consultant should be able to suggest different one's to try that might not have the same side effects? I'm sure you have done your research but there might be something out there that could work better for you? There are thousands of drugs on the market nowadays.

[Albert Ross]

Why not a Volvo 240/740/V70 etc. High, Swedish, great seats. And quite a few out there still.

[rml2345]

Rather predictable but what about a Volvo 700 or 900? Automatics are piss easy to find and a grand should bag you a minter. Not too low to struggle in and out either.

200s look just as easy but I'm not sure how common autos are.

[Bren]

Xm auto? Then raise up to get out, leave up for when you get in then lower down again?

I concur - a sensible choice, even though XM and sensible go together like "politician" and "honesty".

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Xm auto? Then raise up to get out, leave up for when you get in then lower down again?

I used to know a fat bloke who did this with his BX , he used to reach in and start it up after sinkage.

[vulgalour]

I too can recommend a 75 for back comfort if the passenger seat of RobT's one was anything to go by, lovely place to be.  Also found my brother's 216SLi auto very comfortable to drive and the auto box changed when I wanted it to.  Automatic Rover could be the way forwards if you can't get the Amazon converted.

 

Sad that health has brought you to have to rethink your fleet, but it could be an opportunity to try out something new rather than a setback.

[DS20]

I'm sorry to hear that your health has got to this point, PBK.  

 

When I bought my Range Rover (several years ago), it was at a time that I had muchos pain in both knees (now greatly improved), and I bought it for its easy entry / exit (step in and out), lack of sill to haul painful legs over, and automatic gearbox.  It wouldn't be great as a daily car if you lived in town (parking it is tricky given the length and poor steering lock) or if you did a massive mileage (because fuel consumption in the 12-16mpg range), but it was a good solution.  A Subaru Forester might do a similar job.  My parents' old Merc E-class (W124) was good for getting in and out of comfortably, too, and they're almost all automatic.  

 

Ultimately, I'd be v tempted to turn the Amazon into an automatic, though.   

[castros_bro]

That's shit but I like the attitude "this is an opportunity to get some different shitemobile" .  I had a back problem a while ago and used a couple of sticks and an HGV (on private roads guv) but found the seats in some cars made it worse not just the getting in and out problem. The best were an Audi 100 5 pot diesel and a Mk2 Golf which makes this a perfect compromise.  Obviously you'd need a pineapple and you can't have it and stay a member of Autoshite.

 

 

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C494117

[Justin Case]

Sorry to hear of your health problems; arthritis is not at all nice, our godson has it in his hands. How about a Subaru Forester;  a friend had an automatic turbo version, I assume the N/A version comes in automatic form too. Highish but not too high, it should be worth a look

[EssDeeWon]

Classic shape Rangie - Lovely cars in 3.9 V8 form with Vogue SE trim.

 

Classic status and qualify for classic car insurance but now prices are creeping up. You would need to sell the Amazon for one of these I feel.

 

But you could be the Godfather of Edmonton driving about in one of these.

[xtriple]

Same boat mate so I truly sympathise. I had to give up the manual cars completely as my left leg doesn't know it's actually still attached anymore. I had some great fun times driving manuals in traffic with a left leg that wouldn't work...what clutch control?

 

Like you, I CAN drive a manual but it takes an awful lot of concentration and if the dogs start fucking around or I am otherwise distracted, it all goes to shit in a nano second.

 

I have ankolysing spondolitus (spelling?) which is a form of arthritis but it makes your spine crumble/grow and extremely fragile (it used to be called 'bamboo spine' in less enlightened times!) so I broke it coming up to three years ago. Nerve damage is an arse and why my left leg belongs to someone else. I am fortunate in so much as opiates suit me quite well and though I have to take a lot of anti sickness drugs to counteract the effects I have no other side effects any more. They do take a while to get used to; don't give up on trying different painkillers, fentanyl is cracking gear and really does help.

 

I have no real suggestion as to what car would suit you, RR and other big stuff I find dreadful 'cos I can't use my left leg to step up into one so I am limited to mid size stuff I can sit straight into. I didn't even mind the Mazda MX5 as I just used to fall into it and roll out onto the floor and stagger up from there. It helps I guess that I have no sense of shame so couldn't give a fuck how much people laugh/are horrified at me.

 

A mate of mine who is also a crip has a new Skoda Yeti and he loves it - he's on his second (15 plate top spec, very nice) but I can't get in it with any ease. We are all different so you'll have to suck it and see.

 

My Insight suits me; auto, power everything, comfortable and very easy to drive. The last is very important when everything is hurting so you don't have to make compromises on your driving to to ease the pain. Unfortunately, you will probably get worse so pick carefully now as you may well end up like me and be unable to work on your cars any more. I just do not have the strength in my body to turn a spanner (I even have to hoover the flat on my hands and knees 'cos I cannot stand and push, no strength from mid back down).

 

The most comfortable car I found was a Volvo V70 phase two. It was an 03, auto and it was great; just the right height for me, supremely comfortable seats, and easy to drive. Unfortunately it had to go as it was getting leggy and things were starting to go wrong with it. When you can repair yourself, you don't think about costs of repairs but when you crappy body is letting you down all the time, you do! I would have had another for sure, but couldn't afford a new enough one to be under warranty at the time.

 

Personally, I would (and did) get something that suits your level of decrepitude as an everyday car regardless of street cred (I drive a Honda Insight for Gods sake - what street cred?) , something that is easy on your body and wallet and then get something else auto for the weekends/when you are feeling well enough to use it. 

[Cavcraft]

Sorry to hear of your troubles, Ken. Interested to hear more about the Beetle, although I suspect stupid insurance quotes, it might suit my daughter.

[fairkens]

Awful situation, I have AS like xtriple but early stages, taking a lot of immunosuppressants which seem to be working but don't know what the future will bring

 

Another vote for a range rover comfortable and easy to get in and out of esp if u can find one where the air suspension still works

[eddyramrod]

Commiserations, PBK.  I'm with those who have suggested the Volvo 240/740/940 solutions.  They have supreme seats, none are too low, and if you choose wisely you can still get something enjoyable to drive.  You only have to find my collection thread from when I bought Rawy's white one!  I couldn't believe the kickdown on the motorway, neither could my mate who was trying to follow me.  I have now had all three series, all automatic, and believe me when I say, you'll struggle to find something more comfy.

 

Or, I have a three-litre automatic Yank here that's no bigger than a 940 really, tell me more about the Triumph?

[Spiny Norman]

While I agree with the big Volvo option 100%, may I suggest you look at its Swedish cousin the original Saab 900?
They're quite upright cars with good seats, and the way the door cuts into the sill makes them very easy for people with limited mobility to get in and out of. Autos are a bit thin on the ground but do exist and aren't particularly sought after so tend to be cheaper.

[crapcarcollector]

Sorry to hear about your issues PBK. let me know about the bug, I have a home for that.