Yet another meticulously planned (ahem...) collection thread

[NorthernMonkey]

Ok, so having agreed a purchase with an esteemed member of this very forum, all was falling into place. No truck based antics this time, oh no. This was going to be a proper, bona-fide train based collection thread. Note the 'was'....

This has somehow transgressed into a rather complicated but hopefully mutually beneficial deal which entails going to view and ultimately purchase a 22 year old vehicle locally before arranging to drive it to the other end of the country and exchanging it for another slightly larger vehicle that I really don't have any practical use for. I'm assuming this is how this 'shite' thing you all talk about is supposed to work?

Anyway, this is all arranged to take place this coming Sunday...Oh hang on, the phones ringing. Am I ok to come in for a full technical run through our latest production for which I am operating the lighting desk? Of course I can....Monday night as usual is it? No? Sunday afternoon...oh right. Of course I can. Nope, no problem at all.

One quick call and a couple of messages later and everything is re-arranged on the car front for Saturday.

Only problem is I'm working until 15.00 so at approximately 15.01, I shall head due south for around 4.5 hours before the exchange and a hopefully slightly quicker return. WCPGW?? Hmmm....

[beko1987]

Yep, you're doing this right!

 

Any clues as to where you are going to collect this from? We could help* you out if needed if anyones local!

[NorthernMonkey]

According to google maps, it's just outside the M25. Unfortunately not the side I'm on at the moment but hey ho.

I appreciate any potential offers of help but frankly they're all a little too late. A far bigger help would have been if one of you had actually bought this bloody thing before that fateful night when the other half forgot to confiscate my iPad before heading off to bed and leaving me downstairs with a multi-pack of Stella and only the spaniel to stop me from making rash purchasing decisions.

[purplebargeken]

Spaniels are useless at preventing such things, their ears are too big.

[NorthernMonkey]

Tell me about it. Even though she was present throughout, the next morning when I broke the news to the missus, I swear to god the dog just gave me that look that said 'Sorry pal but you're on your own with this one' before smirking and going outside to pee on the lawn.

[Clanger]

That sir, is where you are wrong!  Both the Spaniel and the alcohol knew what was in your best interests - possibly even your wife, otherwise why would she have allowed you and your friend Stella unmonitored access to t'internet?

 

You can thank them all later.

[NorthernMonkey]

Righto...time to get this show on the road. I'll refrain from posting any pics of the southbound transport....I'll leave it up to the member in question to reveal his new piece of motoring nostalgia.

Suffice to say, I've given if a pretty good going over and for a 22yr old car the model of which I've never really had anything to do with, I can see the attraction of them. It really is quite a pretty old thing...

[NorthernMonkey]

This could be going better...

[NorthernMonkey]

Do we really need to close lane one because someone on the hard shoulder has a puncture? Really?

[NorthernMonkey]

Well after going the wrong way around the M25 like an idiot, we eventually arrived a hour late (sorry again Barrett) to be greeted with this

Tea was drunk and after having a quick tour around the barn and it's amazing contents, it was time to head off once more.

I've got to say, this car defies the laws of physics. With the cruise control set to 68mph, I reset the computer and upon arrival back in Lancashire at 03.00 this morning, it showed an average of 32.7 mpg....indeed it had half a tank of fuel left thanks to Barrett and his friend Jonathon, two of the nicest guys I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with so there was no need for a fuel station shot.

However, should the temptation arise, by lightly pressing your right foot a little further, ridiculous things happen VERY quickly indeed...combined with the four wheel drive, it just takes off like the proverbial and shows absolutely no sign of running out of momentum before common sense takes over and you lift off...

More to follow later on in the day once bacon has been consumed and exploration continued but initial impressions are extremely positive.

Even the Spaniel doesn't look quite so smug this morning...

[skattrd]

Please don't tell me these things aren't ruinously expensive to run ... over 30mpg seems exceedingly good for something so big.

[danthecapriman]

I'm not normally a big fan of cars from the land of the Hun, but that's nice! Nice colour too.

Pretty good going with the mpg on such a big car.

[wuvvum]

32.7mpg is superb for a beast that size.  My latest purchase managed less than that, and that has two fewer cylinders, 1.1 fewer litres and two fewer driven wheels.

 

I was so tempted by this, but I'm a bit of a child behind the wheel so the chances of anything managing 32mpg when I have a 4.2-litre V8 under my right foot are zilch.

[NorthernMonkey]

Trust me, I don't expect to keep that average on the dashboard! However, I truly believe that something in the mid 20s should be quite achievable locally; last night was purely an experiment to see what was obtainable on a long run which realistically is the only time consumption could be an issue for me ie the occasional trip over to the coast etc

Having said that, although I allegedly* like to make progress as much as the next man, it's strangely satisfying to sit there in lane one in this beastie, cosseted in a sea of dead cow, with just the knowledge that it has nothing to prove and the capability to leave most things for dead should the need arise, all the while costing less in total than one months payment on the current model Q7 that's just shot past in lane three.

[HillmanImp]

Whilst I commend you for buying this fine steed I must admit I am not happy that should you ever put this up for sale, I will no longer be able to use distance as an excuse for not purchasing it. Unless I have misread the post and you actually live in Burnley, Victoria?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnley,_Victoria

[Mr_Bo11ox]

32mpg is v good, I never got more than 26 out of my Audi V8.

[barrett]

That's well impressive! It never managed more than 26 when it was down here, although it got hooned a lot tbf. Have you tried it in sport mode yet? No mpgs, but all the funs.

 

Glad you made it back okay. The A8 replacement is really nice, thanks for delivering it. Feel free to put a picture up as it was too dark to get any last night.

[NorthernMonkey]

Sport mode? God no....I've only got two pairs of clean pants left as it is and no more Ariel liquitabs!!

 

Glad you're happy with its replacement. The only pic I've got of it is the one I took to memorise the number for the DartTag (which you'll be pleased to hear I've just paid )

 

The Spaniel is now exuding that air of smugness that Spaniels do so well....'I don't know what all the fuss is about, I told you it was a good idea...'

[Lord Sterling]

Wow. I think I really need to purchase myself an Audi A8 4.0 before they disappear/go up in price/something else happens...

[Clanger]

  On 31/05/2015 at 11:32, njgleeds said:

The Spaniel is now exuding that air of smugness that Spaniels do so well....'I don't know what all the fuss is about, I told you it was a good idea...'image.jpg

If you think the Spaniel looks smug, just wait till you see Stella.

[NorthernMonkey]

Two days in and I'm finally starting to figure out where everything is.

There's a list of little jobs to do building nicely...most pressing is the exhaust blow which is niggling but I'm not sure how much of the noise is just the V8 growl. There also seems to be an occasional clunk when going over a pothole emanating from the near side rear which merits further investigation. Other than that and the crack in the top corner of the screen which will require attention before next Feb, everything seems ok.

On the subject of the engine note/exhaust blow, it really isn't noticeable until the window is down. I realised this morning the bloody thing has only got double glazing!

Having now put another hundred miles or so in upon normal roads, the consumption has steadied out to about 27 mpg which is perfectly acceptable for a V8 powered block of flats. That is actually the biggest drawback....it really is huge, managing to overhang a typical Morrisons parking space by a couple of feet.