Collection

[254575]

As Promised, here is a write up and a few pics of a shite collection.

 

Being a south-easterner, a car becoming available in Preston would usually be dismissed as too far away, however, I had been on the lookout for a badermatic Maestro for a while now, and this one fitted the bill.

 

A fellow member of the maestro owners club forum had spoken to a local couple from his home town after seeing they drove a maestro, and said, if they were to sell the maestro, he would help them sell it through the club. and sure enough a few months back they asked him to do so. with 109landys3 jr due, i couldnt really commit at the time, but after she arrived, I agreed to buy the car.

 

however, it still didnt solve problem the 440 mile round trip to collect it. after weighing up driving up in convoy, flying, rail or coach, the coach turned out the cheapest. £8.50 one way, from london victoria to preston bus station.

 

so here is the journey in pictures!

 

an early start, the 9.03am train, on the way to the station we spotted this beauty, what a good omen to start the day!

 

 

 

All aboard the train, change at clapham for london victoria, dragged a mate along for the experience. user "mateincoat" on here

 

 

 

London Victoria Coach station

 

 

 

Our Magnificent steed, to take us to 'the north'

 

 

 

Have to say, I was pretty suprised with the coach, very luxurious

 

 

 

First stop Birmingham!

 

 

 

Then Wigan, after a long detour off the M6 due to a big crash at Stoke-on-Trent. and next onto Preston.

 

Here is the first view of Preston, the Bus Station and its Brutalist Architecture!

 

 

After being picked up from the station (in a VW Scirocco no less!) we made our way to the owners house.

 

Bearing in mind we had never met these people before, we were fed a lovely dinner of roast lamb, with apple crumble for desert. and also offered accomodation for the night if we wanted to wait until morning to make the journey back!

 

I have never met a friendlier couple in my life!

 

Here are some pictures of the Car, and one with David (the former keeper) and his wife.

 

 

 

We left Preston around 7.15pm and with 1 stop for coffee and fuel, we made it back around 11.30pm. car drove great. no problems at all

 

Maestro 1.6 LX Automatic.

64k miles

MOT - Nov

Tax - April 2012

 

will post a few more interior pics etc.... tomorrow

 

Popped out to Brooklands museum today, snapped a pic

 

 

sorry for the long post, its just nice to share a good car buying experience, as only the bad ones seem to be told!

[Cheggers]

A great write-up & great pics.

 

A white Maestro and a roast dinner...it doesn't get much better than that!!

[Father Ted]

Still with its original SGL plates (that branch is now Perrys Vauxhall).

 

I am insanely jealous as that is about 5 minutes away from me and I never saw it advertised. The bus station with any luck will be pulled down to make way for the Tithebarn regeneration project and about time too as it is the most jumped off building in the North of England.

 

Northerners are renowned for their friendliness - though the usual way of dealing with Southerners who stray up here is to fatten them up with a roast dinner, sedate them with drugged apple crumble and put them into a large pot on the stove....

 

Top write up there.

[Pillock]

My word, that looks like a lovely example! My great uncle had a very similar one - white over grey, white wheeltrims, also on a G plate I believe. Came from a dealer in Boston where he traded his 1985 Montego in. First car I ever rode in with 'leccybob windows.

 

What a wonderful couple too, makes up for all the miserable lying timewasting sellers!

[boobydoo]

An excellent trip! Nice to see a pic of the owners...had they had it from new?

 

P.S Did she serve Mint Sauce or Mint Jelly with the lamb? I like either ( although I've not eaten Roast lamb since about 1987) but she looks more like a traditional sauce girl. Home-made of course.

[barrett]

Excellent write-up, pics and purchase. Top Autoshiting, 17/10.

 

I love Preston bus station, be a shame if that got pulled down. London Victoria one looks ace too, I'm amazed I've never noticed it before

[ProgRocker]

Another fab purchase, it has to be said. Does the Maestro have the brown velour upholstery (cf. Maestro Mayfair & VP) or does it have the tweed jobby?

 

The sellers seem like a very nice couple indeed. Certainly restores a little faith in humanity.

[RobT]

Sounds like you had a really good trip, the most I've ever been given is a cup of tea!

[Lord Sterling]

Top write-up Steve! Great picture of the former owner and his wife. They look like the agreeable retired couple type that would own that owned from new, well looked after, always garaged and polished every weekend Maestro. I remember when I bought my Rover 827Si, the former owner had a picture taken of me and him with the car just before I drove it away.

 

London Victoria - Oh dear, I was there a few weeks ago, I had to run from Belgravia to try and catch my (missed) Coach to Brussles, thankfully I managed to get another coach. Shant be doing that again, that part of Victoria station is like hell on earth.

[trigger]

Nice write up and what kind people to make you a roast dinner, i don't even get that at home!, The guy i bought my old BMW 1602 off made me tea and a piece of cake which was nice.

[Shep Shepherd]

Nice car, nice people

[peter9000uk]

I think that Princess used to live in Chertsey

[254575]

I think that Princess used to live in Chertsey

 

thats right, was up for sale about 2 months ago, i thought it was lost to the area. but its now on an estate next to egham station.

[25v6turbo]

I was following youb today from Oatlands drive to Brooklands,car looked great and turned some heads,well done nice writeup

I remember the Princess being for sale and him spraying it in his front garden...

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Good writeup, and the Maestro looks great. I love seeing well kept Maestros, it seemed like they were Britain's least loved car for a while.

 

£8.50 for the coach, that's nothing. I hate travelling on coaches though. I get claustrophobic. They're very stuffy.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Top work, sir!

 

£8.50 for the coach, that's nothing. I hate travelling on coaches though. I get claustrophobic. They're very stuffy.

 

There are different kinds of coaches. There's the Merc 508 bursting at the seams with teenagers from the Senegalese countryside and a full luggage rack on top, there's the nearly-new National Express which is clean and modern but suffers from a seat pitch designed for gnomes, and then there is THIS:

 

or its rival here http://www.ado.com.mx/ado/DatosArchivo/platino_kit.html

 

I didn't find them too claustrophobic!

[jonny69]

Gone are the days of orange and brown random block print, with the manky worn bald shiny bits under your legs that you didn't want to touch with bare skin.

[Volksy]

orange and brown random block print

 

Which becomes ingrained on your face when you sleep in a position only possible normally by a Yoga Master and doesn't fade for days.....

[254575]

I was following youb today from Oatlands drive to Brooklands,car looked great and turned some heads,well done nice writeup

I remember the Princess being for sale and him spraying it in his front garden...

 

hehe, perhaps members should have an autoshite novelty horn installed, so we can identify each other by sound if we don't see each other.

 

i was on the way back from kwik-fit, to get the front-middle section exhaust clamp nipped up as it was blowing a bit, i only went there because What used to be hi-q told me the car was too old to bother with and i should just replace the front and middle section when it fails. tw@ts

 

answers to some of the other questions:

 

The couple i bought it from had owned the car from when it was 18 months, the guy worked for BAE the time they owned rover, so got a good discount

 

interior is grey velour with box patterns, i must get round to putting a pic up. electric windows too, what a luxury

 

not sure on the mint sauce or jelly. i hate mint sauce! it like putting mints on your dinner!

[eddyramrod]

What used to be hi-q told me the car was too old to bother with and i should just replace the front and middle section when it fails. tw@ts

 

Hi-Q Business Manual, p.177: How to ensure repeat business. NOT!