Bedford Chevanne wanted

[Electric Leyland]

How much would I expect to fork out for a half decent MOT'd Bedford Chevanne, early example, preferably a white one? Wouldn't matter it it was tatty. I can't quite tell, but I've the brass band major horn for weeks now for one of these.Saw that totally shot one sell for about £350 on the bay couple of months back, and £400 got that long MOT'd orange estate this week. But I reckon it'd be be a fair bit more than that.

[brammy777]

This shot one?

Yeh good thing you didnt go for this, it was extremely tatty!

If you cant buy a van, make an estate into a van, thats surely the shite way........

And stick a ladder on it, y'know for added authenticity.

[Vin]

Unfortunately I can't answer your question EL, but I remember the 'Skip' of the Scout/Cub pack I was a member of had a lime green one with matt black rear panels covering the signwriting. It was a right heap to boot as we all had to push start it on many occasion.....I remember once a weekend camp at Primrose Hill, Scunthorpe, seemed that every scout/cub in the district was there. Anyway, come Saturday lunchtime we had to push start the Chevanne off cos she had urgent business at home......She returned later on after having watched the FA Cup Final..... The BITCH. I wasn't happy, as that was the main reason I didn't want to be there either...Happily her beloved Spurs got beat by Coventry.....

[Tayne]

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[Electric Leyland]

Yep that white one looks familiar alright. Was that the one that had been under a tree for a few years with major rust holes throughout?I did strongly consider the orange shed last week, but thought if the side windows were whited over, the subsequent lettering and signwriting would look really wrong and so I didnt bid. £400 would have been well within budget too considering it's 9 month MOT. And I think it was a 2 door as well. Did I make the right decision there? Think so. The back of an estate looks more boxy than the fastback shaped van though I reckon, unless I'm imagining that.Just desserts there Vin I think! Good outcome.

[warren t claim]

I must admit I'm on the look out for a Viva/chevette to put on page 1256 of the Ebay tat thread....

[brammy777]

Yeh EL that was the one! It was under the very tree when I saw it. Major holes beneath the windscreen, and there was signs of bodges on the bodywork. It had a Chevette bootlid, and I think it looks slightly oversized, could just be me though.Good luck with the search though, they are out there, just not many! I would safely assume they would be under a grand for an MOTed example, but saying that Im not really sure myself. Anyone care to clarify?

[Talbotman]

All chevannes were basically 2 door estates with one piece rear side panels fitted. The hatch fitted to the white one is the correct one. My local grocer as a kid used to buy a new one every couple of years and if my memory serves me well the rear panels were normally finished in white to contrast the exterior colours. The problem would be actually finding one at all in decent nick as i can recall reading in classic comercial that the remaining count on the road now runs in to single figures - for nice one to pop up -you probably have to come up with at least a couple of grand to bag it .

[Electric Leyland]

Yeah thought so. i suppose they cost major coin because a) they're almost extinct, combined with there's a big following out there for 70s Vauxhalls, like the equivalent Fords.777 that one went for about 350 groat in the end, and it looked like it needed thousands spending on it to make it roadworthy if I'm not mistaken!

[brammy777]

Yeh even though I saw it in the flesh it still did suprise how bad it really was......Well you could still always get a Chevette estate. They seem pretty stable for the moment being. Or perhaps a MKI Astravan, although following the suprising amount on ebay recently, there doesnt seem to have been any for a while.Slightly off topic, but I remember reading in Auto Express a few years ago that workers at the Vauxhall van factory found an Astravan (I cant remember, it may have been something else) that had been left in the new van lot for 20ish years without anyone noticing! Wonder what happened to that.

[Electric Leyland]

Really am after a recessed headlights Chevanne though specifically. But i suppose beggars cant be choosers.Maybe I should have gone and had a look at that Chevette estate now. Nah fuckit, I'll hang on and wait.

[brammy777]

Oh no I understand completely, Chevettes are very attractive (in my eyes) cars. Lets make this the Chevette Estate/Chevanne for sale thread?Be careful in the snow with the early ones though EL.....

[Electric Leyland]

Funnily enough I've always hated Chevettes until a few short months ago. Thought they would never grow on me, and forever be regarded as just mundane shit, as opposed to shite. But that was the case once upon a time for most shite cars I adore now. Weird how that happens, completely unexpected, unpredictable and inexplicable. That's Autoshite for you.

[Milford Cubicle]

Can you get hold of a five door, paint over the side windows and put duct tape over the rear door seams?

Good luck finding a five door Chevette.

 

[Cavcraft]

Probably worth keeping an eye out on Retro-Rides as there seems to have been a few Chevettes up for grabs on there recently.There are a couple of Chevette forums on the web from memory which would also be worth a bash, I'll see if I can find the link for them.

[pogweasel]

Good luck!Rarer than rare things, and remember that there is a heavy 'scene tax' on old vans due to old giffers loving them for driving to allotments and steam rallies. I'd go egg for one, but they always crop up when I am having one of my 'fiscally retarded' moments.

[pbottomley]

so rare that there are less than a handfull on the road, literally less than 5 road legal!

[Rusty Pelican]

so rare that there are less than a handfull on the road, literally less than 5 road legal!

All small Vans from the 80s and before seem to be getting rare , A hard short unkempt life kills em off , Only 5 left is a bit tragic though , Makes my Commer imp van common then with 12 left , When was the last time you saw a 205 , anglia , MK1/2/3 Escrot or even a MK1 Golf van , theres a Datsun Sunny Van where i live on an E plate ( 88 ish ) im trying to catch him and see if its for sale .

[Mr H Sceptre]

 

Good luck finding a five door Chevette.

 

My thoughts exactly. No such vehicle.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

What about this instead.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1982-BEDFORD-10-CWT-HAV-WHITE_W0QQitemZ200433364507

[trigger]

I do like the look of the old Chevannes but haven't seen one for years so good luck on your quest.

 

What about a HA van like Mr_Bo1 said, They are easiler to find and i have a soft spot for them!

 

 

 

 

[Spottedlaurel]

Mk3 Escort van? Saw one only on Friday:

 

 

Seen it around town a few times.

 

Not as stylish as a Chevanne though.

[boobydoo]

The Chevanne is featured in this months "Classic Car Mart" mag in the "Don't Let Them Disappear" section. They didn't say how many were left though , just the usual "if you see one it's got to be worth saving", blah , blah....very woolly journalism in my book .... Harumph...!

[trigger]

SCRAMBLE THE OMGCOPTER!!!1111!!

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BEDFORD-CHEVANNE-Vauxhall-1980_W0QQitemZ160406624447

Get on it Richard!

[Rod/b]

"has been dry stored for 7-8 years"CHINNY RECKON.

[warren t claim]

According to the brochure you could spec an autobox. Did anyone bother? Do any survive?

[MrRegieRitmo]

Why have they fared so much worse than Bedford HAs then? Considering they are a more modern design!

[Talbotman]

The Ha's were by far more popular to to the Fleet deals that vauxhall had with Bt and the post office - heck the tooling for the ha's was getting on for 20 years old by the early 80s - must have been cheap as chips to make by then! The same as the Commer /Dodge spacevan !which Bt also used to love. The chevanne never really and truthfully took off for some reason - suprising with the subsequent succesess of the astra vans .

[Electric Leyland]

A HA is a fine beast and no mistake, especially a Co-op blue/white one, that's look ace. Chevannes are rarer though. But god I didnt realise they were as rare as this.Now that one for sale, I am well tempted. Despite the timing being disasterous (isn't it always though?). But how much to get that back on the road, check out the rot on that wing!? But - rest of it looks alright from here though.....

[pogweasel]

I've got to go up the fens in the next couple of days - want me to have a look for you??