Dick

[mercrocker]

What happens to the cars they use around the airports?

 

When being at Manchester or Liverpool airport you can always see an old escort van or the like nocking about! Some foreign lands it's not unusual to see novas etc!!

 

Some certainly escaped.   An old mucker of mine ran about in a Mk2 Golf - took it up to about 340,000 miles.   Ex-Gatwick airport, white base model with red stripe and wired up for roof beacon.    It was completely shagged but utterly reliable.   I have a vague recollection it got biffed at Gatwick and ended up in a salvage yard.   Its usually where his cars came from.

[quicksilver]

What happens to old UPS vans? With their bespoke bodywork they should still be easily recognisable even after a repaint but I've never seen an ex-UPS in new ownership. Some I've seen still in service have been fairly elderly and no doubt the custom bodies cost a bomb so I suppose they just keep running them until they die and then scrap them?

[bramz7]

I once read that UPS don't want people using vans in their distinctive colours so everything just gets scrapped. Makes sense I guess. They get a pretty formidable lifespan out of some of the stuff too.

[Junkman]

No UPS van is ever sold.

[Sir Snipes]

Do UPS still run custom bodied vans? Most of their vans I see are boggo Sptinters.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Great Fred here:

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/20388-old-telecom-pics/

 

Anyone spot EddyRR's 213?! Probably. Not.

[danthecapriman]

I was chatting to a UPS driver once, he had one of the big old vans, M reg I think. He said they run them for years beyond what most other company's do but the vehicles were often built much better than most too (using metal flooring instead of the usual wood etc) so they tended to last.

Once they reached a point of being totally worn out they go for scrap. That was definitely the case with their older stuff, no idea about more modern smaller vans though. Most company's nowadays seem to be shifting away from owned vehicles kept long term towards leased vehicles on fixed time leases.

 

I know SSE who I work for used to buy their own vehicles and run them for about 10 years or so in the case of the bigger vans. The best condition ones would often be kept even longer as depot spare vans or for the likes of dirty work, we had a Y reg Transit for running diesel Gerry cans out to sites for the JCB mini diggers and a 51 reg Transit which had all its rear racking stripped down purely for carrying barriers to and from sites.

More recently we too switched over to lease vehicles so all the old vehicles were scrapped or sent straight to auction. The ones coming up for the end of their use periods were returned for auction and the driver given a new lease vehicle instead. Very very few older vehicles are left now aside from a handful of HGV's kept as mobile gennerator trucks.

The vans are all on fixed 5 year lease deals, and Lex go absolutely ape shit if they're returned late! They want them back asap, strip the vinyl logos off and straight to auction within hours of receiving them back.

[0ldCh0d]

Do UPS still run custom bodied vans? Most of their vans I see are boggo Sptinters.

 

They do still run the custom bodied Mercedes Vario Things, I see one in my street quite often.

 

Same as This

 

[0ldCh0d]

When I was Around 6 years old, My Dad used to work for a company called Colour Care (They developed photo's & went about the shops collecting the films for development & then once developed, delivered them back). At the time, the fleet was a mixture of MK2 Ford Fiesta 1.1 popular plus vans, Various MK3 Escort 1.6 D vans & a couple of Twin rear wheel, 2.5 Di Transit MK2's.

 

I used to go with him on a Sunday morning (Up at 5 am, then a small 15 minute walk to where colour care was based) for a run down to Bury. This was usually in a mk3 Ford Escort 1.6D van The 3rd Time I went with him however, It was a Brand new Escort MK4 Van. (1986 IIRC)

 

All of these were finished in standard Ford White. My Dad has some photos of the vans at the time, I will try look them out & post them up here.

 

On a slight aside, Check this out.

 

http://www.projectbobcat.com/model-info/mk2-ford-fiesta-l-van

[Frogchod]

When I was Around 6 years old, My Dad used to work for a company called Colour Care (They developed photo's & went about the shops collecting the films for development & then once developed, delivered them back). At the time, the fleet was a mixture of MK2 Ford Fiesta 1.1 popular plus vans, Various MK3 Escort 1.6 D vans & a couple of Twin rear wheel, 2.5 Di Transit MK2's.

 

I used to go with him on a Sunday morning (Up at 5 am, then a small 15 minute walk to where colour care was based) for a run down to Bolton. This was usually in a mk3 Ford Escort 1.6D van The 3rd Time I went with him however, It was a Brand new Escort MK4 Van. (1986 IIRC)

 

All of these were finished in standard Ford White. My Dad has some photos of the vans at the time, I will try look them out & post them up here.

 

On a slight aside, Check this out.

 

http://www.projectbobcat.com/model-info/mk2-ford-fiesta-l-van

 

 

I used to work for Colour care and Kodak, I've got some pics of their fleet somewhere.

Here's a couple I have to hand:

And what your photos were printed with:

[0ldCh0d]

I used to work for Colour care and Kodak, I've got some pics of their fleet somewhere.

Here's a couple I have to hand:

ccv.jpg

ccv1.jpg

Montego2.jpg

And what your photos were printed with:

Gretag 2.jpg

 

Those pictures are quality......Especially the 3rd one,That bring's back good memories.

 

I see that the Van's are J registered in your pictures Frogchod, My Dad was driving Lorries by that time. I will get the photo's he has looked out & post them up.

 

If you have anymore, please post them up. 

[eddyramrod]

Kodak owned a silver Sierra, D85 OVS, from new.  When it got to about 10 years old my parents bought it and I drove many miles in it!  2.0GL, Pinto, 5-speed.  As Sierras go it wasn't bad, but I've never been a fan and having two in the family has done nothing to change that.

(The second one was also a 2.0GL, but DOHC.)

[twosmoke300]

Possible pedant mode but did the mk2 transit get the 2.5di? Would it have not been the York?

[Ghosty]

UPS still run Merc vans in Manchester, there's about 2 for the city centre.

 

I was in London recently and they still have the gaping grille model down there. 

That's a cool thing in itself, but they've converted to 100% electric!

 

[Lankytim]

My dad had an ex BT Maestro van. It was yellow but had been painted grey when they changed branding back in 1991 or something. Really really good motor with no real faults or issues.

 

It was stolen back in 1994 so I had to walk to school. Half way there I found it parked at the side of the road, the scrotes had driven it a mile or so and left it. They hadn't even stolen any tools from the back. BONUS!

[Pillock]

I used to be on the M42 every morning going past Tamworth where the UPS depot was. They've still got LOADS of the bespoke bodied vans, almost everything I see is special.

[danthecapriman]

Possible pedant mode but did the mk2 transit get the 2.5di? Would it have not been the York?

Yep. The mk2 facelift Transit was the first to use the 2.5Di. The early mk2 still was using the York though.

[0ldCh0d]

Yep. The mk2 facelift Transit was the first to use the 2.5Di. The early mk2 still was using the York though.

 

That is correct.

 

It was the facelift MK2's colour care had when my Dad worked there.  

 

If you look at Frogchods pictures, In the 3rd one down, you can see the exact same Ford Transit that I was talking about. With the colour care logo etc. Memories. 

[Frogchod]

That is correct.

 

It was the facelift MK2's colour care had when my Dad worked there.  

 

If you look at Frogchods pictures, In the 3rd one down, you can see the exact same Ford Transit that I was talking about. With the colour care logo etc. Memories. 

Was that picture from the old Bury lab ?

Have another picture, this time from Neath lab. Stolen from Colourcare FB page.

[Frogchod]

Kodak owned a silver Sierra, D85 OVS, from new.  When it got to about 10 years old my parents bought it and I drove many miles in it!  2.0GL, Pinto, 5-speed.  As Sierras go it wasn't bad, but I've never been a fan and having two in the family has done nothing to change that.

(The second one was also a 2.0GL, but DOHC.)

Lucky you. In my time at Kodak the only choice was Astra or Vectra in red, white or blue.

I did have a Sierra at a previous company, awful to drive but at least it was comfortable unlike any Astra or Vectra...

[Asimo]

My Connect van

 

bears vinyl-sticker scars just like this Citroen

 

which are only visible at certain angles or when the van has a film of condensation on it.

 

It was previously operated by Sodexo which seems to be a Netherlands based "service company" and owned by an outfit called Artegy which is a vehicle leasing arm of French Bank BNP Paribas.

 

I don't know exactly what Sodexo used it for but it stank of food when I got it and little wriggly things lived under the ply lining. (Quickly burnt!)

School meals or some such (previously public) service perhaps.

 

Doesn't have the glamour of real signwriting for a real outfit like BR. Way of the world, I guess!  http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/92536-br-road-vehicles-c1990-pre-railtrack/page-3

[JeeExEll]

Any pics of blue Scottish Hydro Electric vans from the 70s or 80s?

 

The deal with surplus-stock used-Hydro-Electric vans for disposal was that you submitted a bid on a bit of paper in an envelope by a certain date, and the highest bidder won. Imagine that!!

 

My dad had a couple of Ex-Hydro Mk2 Escort 1300 vans, then along came a Bedford Chevanne 1256 which I remember as FSE 773T. After my dad's time this one later became a Fiat 1800 Twincam 5-speed pogweaseled-Hydro-blue Chevanne. Quick and handled well but a more an experiment than an engineering masterpiece, a runaround but only for less than a year. Rust got it. Round about 1988.

[Tayne]

 

 

I don't know exactly what Sodexo used it for but it stank of food when I got it 

 

 

 

 

About 16 years ago I worked as a waiter at the Open in St Andrews, Sodexo were the people paying me and doing all the food and drink.

[tooSavvy]

Toshiba TEC (tills and c&p payments) were my bread n butter fixes (before the break!).

 

Sodexo are food/restaurant/vending people. I used to troll round the country fixing their Tosh $hite

 

 

TS

[Pillock]

What's the deal with the Maestro Van and the Class 37? There's gotta be 20 years between those two liveries.

[0ldCh0d]

Was that picture from the old Bury lab ?

Have another picture, this time from Neath lab. Stolen from Colourcare FB page.

ccv3.jpg

 

It was Bury. That is where I used to go with my Dad, early on a Sunday, Not Bolton as previously said......I apologise, I was only 6 at the time. Knew it began with B though... Bury, That was it.

[noseypoke]

Anyone remember the old EMEB minivans? My Dad nearly bought one for me when I turned 17 but I bought a Capri instead I bet they are worth a fortune now.

My second vehicle when I was 18 was a ex Liverpool Works department Morris Mini-van, Cost me £50.00 and my old minivan Mot failureas Part ex. Zanti screen prices where £70 take your pick

It must have cost the Corpy a fortune cos the guy I bought it off "ZANTI MOTORS" in Everton Valley  bought 25 off them and all where mot'd and serviced by the Corpy in their then Super Depot Breckside Park.They were not skimped on neither,all new tyres,wipers.They did a fleet renewal at 45,000 miles.

They used to Mot taxi cabs for Liverpool City Council and where shit hot on any defects.

Like you said the going prices for minivans now is pure rip off!! Wish I could of bought a load and stored em away in a garage...buy then that's hindsight for ya

[Jimbo]

My first work van was a Hotpoint mk11 escort white with a blue stripe at waist height. All the hotpoint vans had a smiths oil pressure gauge under the dash below the ignition switch. The sign writing was a big self adhesive sticker screen printed with the company details in blue on white. This colour scheme stuck!

I took over the company some years ago and still use blue white livery on our vans to this day all due to the long departed v reg. escort.

[JohnDeere]

Our postman was back in an old Vauxhall Combo van today. He said the gearbox on the nearly-brand-new FIAT Doblo had failed after 30,000 miles so was in for surgery. The Pogweasel Pink Corsa has done 144k. "Doesn't say much for FIAT," said postie.

[danthecapriman]

Our lot have been buying those Fiat Doblo's for a few years now. They buy them instead of Transit Connects as they're cheaper.

I got a Sprinter as I need a big van but a couple of the other guys I work with got the Doblo's and they are spectacular pieces of shit! They seem to suffer big time from exhaust gasses getting into the cabin somehow. We've had loads go in for that to be looked at. They're absolutely gutless hateful little things though, awful seats and driving position too.

I guess they're cheap for a reason.