This thread has popped up elsewhere so you have probably been bored by it already, I'm now18 months in so I'll post up the edited lowlights and bring you up to speed.....cue wavy line flashback sequence.....
I had a T4 back in the early 90's, when no-one had one and mates mocked my decision, I loved it, there was no following for them, no forums, and very little aftermarket. The T4 was thin on the ground, there was only one other modified in North Devon, and builders still drove round in Transits.
Slowly they gained popularity I sold mine and it soon seemed like T4 ownership was compulsory for any North Devon resident. I decided there was no way I’d get another.
10+ years passed by as I worked my way through a mk1 caddy, and a couple of Golfs
Then the T4s started to arrive at my workshop for diesel pump work and I had to take them for a test drive, the urge to have another slower grew...
I looked semi-seriously for over 12 months, wasted time with scammers, and deluded owners selling rusty, dirty wrecks. A few came up that were good and I arranged a deal only to be shafted before closing the deal, I was gazumped or just plainly ignored.
Then something popped up on Gumtree, initial enquiries were promising, the seller seemed sound, but the gumtree photo's were rubbish and he seemed reluctant to send more photos. We chatted some more and it all sounded good, he accepted my deal but didn't want to take a deposit and gave me his word....
Wednesday 5th Nov bonfire night and whilst watching fireworks he rang me with his mechanic who was checking an oil leak out and fitting a couple of tyres,
I was planning to go up to collect before the end of the week but he wanted to get an MOT and now it was looking like the weekend would be the first opportunity, I couldn’t go that weekend.
Maybe he could hold it until the following week? I could feel it slipping away
Thursday night, as I'm leaving work my phone gets a signal and goes mental, text, answer phone messages and a few missed calls.
I pick up the missed calls, he's done the MOT and there's another buyer who can pick up tonight.
I phone straight back, get and answer machine and leave a message explaining this is the third one I've lost out on and that he gave his word. Not best pleased!
Then I got a call back, he's decided to honour his word
I go home, confess to the wife I've bought ANOTHER vehicle, then she asks how I intend to pay for it.....
This could be painful, because I discussed my taking out a loan a few weeks ago and she 'advised' me that it would be unwise.
She would be happy to lend me the money, but I knew it wouldn’t quite work like that.... I had ignored her and taken out a loan regardless.
I confessed about the loan - and she was fine with it.
Hastily booked a half day off work and a train ticket.
Left work early Friday morning and tried to walk the 2 miles to the station, got drowned in a torrential rainstorm and missed the train, got another train an hour later with the good news that there would be no extra charge. That good news lasted until the ticket collector decided I needed to pay an extra £70 on a ticket that cost £40 originally! I managed to get the extra charge down to £35 but the bad omens were stacking up...
Then there was an 'incident' on the track which stopped the train for a good while, I was now running late and the sun was getting low in the sky.
Got to Winchester and met Jaime, he drove me around for a bit and then confessed there was a problem with the mileage...
One of the main reasons for buying this one was despite its questionable cosmetics, it was low mileage and rust free
I knew it was too good to be true, the super low mileage would now transpire to be a complete lie - yet another wasted vehicle viewing.
However he had indeed advertised it wrong at 96000 when the true mileage was 91000 - result!
A deal was done and cheesewheels 5 - yet another v dub came home with me to cheese towers
It wasn’t much of looker though….
OK... It was butt ugly
Thankfully it has escaped the usual T4 mods of plastic chrome and LEDs, though it did suffer from stickerage and still bore the scars.
The only aftermarket lights are so lame it's laughable.
It had a fairly extensive ICE install. drop down roof DVD player and a fair collection of amps, subs and component speakers - all seem well installed, which makes a nice change.
The swivel based half leather rover seats are a decent place to sit, if not to my taste and they sit too high...
Side profile not too bad, ugly wheels and 4x4 ride height I can live with for the time being,
It all goes wrong again round the back
Let the rolling makeover begin...
I had a T4 back in the early 90's, when no-one had one and mates mocked my decision, I loved it, there was no following for them, no forums, and very little aftermarket. The T4 was thin on the ground, there was only one other modified in North Devon, and builders still drove round in Transits.
Slowly they gained popularity I sold mine and it soon seemed like T4 ownership was compulsory for any North Devon resident. I decided there was no way I’d get another.
10+ years passed by as I worked my way through a mk1 caddy, and a couple of Golfs
Then the T4s started to arrive at my workshop for diesel pump work and I had to take them for a test drive, the urge to have another slower grew...
I looked semi-seriously for over 12 months, wasted time with scammers, and deluded owners selling rusty, dirty wrecks. A few came up that were good and I arranged a deal only to be shafted before closing the deal, I was gazumped or just plainly ignored.
Then something popped up on Gumtree, initial enquiries were promising, the seller seemed sound, but the gumtree photo's were rubbish and he seemed reluctant to send more photos. We chatted some more and it all sounded good, he accepted my deal but didn't want to take a deposit and gave me his word....
Wednesday 5th Nov bonfire night and whilst watching fireworks he rang me with his mechanic who was checking an oil leak out and fitting a couple of tyres,
I was planning to go up to collect before the end of the week but he wanted to get an MOT and now it was looking like the weekend would be the first opportunity, I couldn’t go that weekend.
Maybe he could hold it until the following week? I could feel it slipping away
Thursday night, as I'm leaving work my phone gets a signal and goes mental, text, answer phone messages and a few missed calls.
I pick up the missed calls, he's done the MOT and there's another buyer who can pick up tonight.
I phone straight back, get and answer machine and leave a message explaining this is the third one I've lost out on and that he gave his word. Not best pleased!
Then I got a call back, he's decided to honour his word
I go home, confess to the wife I've bought ANOTHER vehicle, then she asks how I intend to pay for it.....
This could be painful, because I discussed my taking out a loan a few weeks ago and she 'advised' me that it would be unwise.
She would be happy to lend me the money, but I knew it wouldn’t quite work like that.... I had ignored her and taken out a loan regardless.
I confessed about the loan - and she was fine with it.
Hastily booked a half day off work and a train ticket.
Left work early Friday morning and tried to walk the 2 miles to the station, got drowned in a torrential rainstorm and missed the train, got another train an hour later with the good news that there would be no extra charge. That good news lasted until the ticket collector decided I needed to pay an extra £70 on a ticket that cost £40 originally! I managed to get the extra charge down to £35 but the bad omens were stacking up...
Then there was an 'incident' on the track which stopped the train for a good while, I was now running late and the sun was getting low in the sky.
Got to Winchester and met Jaime, he drove me around for a bit and then confessed there was a problem with the mileage...
One of the main reasons for buying this one was despite its questionable cosmetics, it was low mileage and rust free
I knew it was too good to be true, the super low mileage would now transpire to be a complete lie - yet another wasted vehicle viewing.
However he had indeed advertised it wrong at 96000 when the true mileage was 91000 - result!
A deal was done and cheesewheels 5 - yet another v dub came home with me to cheese towers
It wasn’t much of looker though….
OK... It was butt ugly
Thankfully it has escaped the usual T4 mods of plastic chrome and LEDs, though it did suffer from stickerage and still bore the scars.
The only aftermarket lights are so lame it's laughable.
It had a fairly extensive ICE install. drop down roof DVD player and a fair collection of amps, subs and component speakers - all seem well installed, which makes a nice change.
The swivel based half leather rover seats are a decent place to sit, if not to my taste and they sit too high...
Side profile not too bad, ugly wheels and 4x4 ride height I can live with for the time being,
It all goes wrong again round the back
Let the rolling makeover begin...
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