Advertisement
Published: January 3rd 2008
Edit Blog Post
Clancy and Jas
Out the front of her old house.... We did it! On our trip to London we bought ourselves our very first home in the UK....a 1984 VW Transporter Campervan.
We had been looking around on Gumtree for some time for a suitable van....cheap and nasty being pretty much the sole requirements. Found this one...went down to London, had a look and going completely against Jason's usual decision making process (look at loads, take your time and make an educated decision using logic and practicality) we decided to go with our heart and just buy her! We're glad we did as she will now be able to take us all on our trip to Scotland...should be a lot more comfy then cramming four of us into Vicky the VW (Karen and Mick's car) or Kit.
Our first few days together however were not without drama....
Will she or won't she?
We caught the tube from Kirstyn's cousin's house to Clapham to pick her up....only one slight hitch. She wouldn't even turn over when we tried to drive her away! OMG....had we made the most stupid decision??? We couldn't get her to start with jumper leads (with help from a very friendly neighbour) but did manage
I think she's smiling
It was bloody cold that day too! to push start her in reverse and took her for a drive to see if she just needed a good battery charge. Nope this didn't work as once again she wasn't going to budge. Had she decided that she didn't want Gav to sell her after all???
Another hour or so later we had made friends with the lovely RAC man who arrived to save the day....a dodgy connection on the starter motor...simple little wiring but obviously VERY important. Finally got her on the road and negotiated London traffic to arrive a good three hours late for our roast lunch with Liz (sorry Liz!).
Clancy finally leaves London...not without another hitch though...does this van really want to be with us??
Got away from Liz's late in the afternoon (i.e pitch black over here)...Kirst driving Kit and Jason bravely taking Clancy onto the M25. Didn't get very far however when our willingness to ever make a spur of the moment decision was again tested...this time when the muffler broke it's already dodgy mounts and caused a fireworks display as it dragged along behind the van. Did a few bush mechanic repairs to get us to a service station where
we managed to rig up a chain and padlock system to keep to muffler on for the whole five hour drive home to Caerphilly. Arrived home very late...a sleepless night wondering if she would hold together for the next two years......
Clancy gets her MOT, new decor and a wash
She spent the next week or so at the mechanics....getting new mounts for her muffler and passing her MOT with flying colour (just a few minor little hitches....but nothing too major). Thank goodness for that....she was now legal and roadworthy for another year!
Meanwhile Kirst tried out her long lost sewing skills making new curtains and cushion covers to make her look a bit better on the inside even if the outside was full of dents and rust! Finished this off with a wash, a new seatbelt so we could all fit in and she was ready to hit the road....here we come Scotland!!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.075s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 14; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0304s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb