My grandson, Suave Harve, has just passed his driving test (at first attempt), so the search is on to buy him a cool, simple, and reliable car.
Kimbo found this beauty on a Moroccan web site. It's a 1986 Renault 4, which has served its life as a Radio outside broadcast car. It was offered at 10,000 Dirhams (about £2,000).
Just imagine the looks you'd get, driving around in this!!! It's the epitome of COOL. I've owned a Renault 4 myself, and they are great cars. Very easy to tinker with, and lots of fun. The fabulous advertising is simply an extra bonus.
Kimbo is trying to find someone who'd be willing to drive it up to England (for a generous fee). We're still waiting to hear if anyone will do it.
Coming from Morocco, it'll probably be rust-free too. No Rusty-Renaults for us!
I would have loved this as a first car. I had a VW Beetle instead.
However, being realistic, I think there may be too many obstacles to overcome in order to get it here. We'll see!
On my own personal search I found this below, which I thought he'd like. It's a 3-wheeler Lomax, based on a 1980 2CV. Nice, but not too good in the rain! A bargain at £2,500, but I expect the insurance would be phenomenal.
Why not an ordinary 2CV rather than a Lomax [and yes, for a beginner in the insurance field, it would be around the same price per annum as you paid for it]
ReplyDeleteMost 2CV's on the market at the moment are on a galvanised chassis and will go on for years, now, if the bodywork is looked after.
The drawback with the Rennie 4L is it hasn't got a chassis... and once the sills go, that is it.
Everything on a 2CV/Dyane/Ami is available and the camps are fun... this year the World Meeting is in Slovenia.... two years time in Holland.... both will be big meetings with over 4000 cars [8000 people on average] attending.
Or get him a new Ami, all electric and designed as a "vehicule sans permis"...
charges from the mains... and the insurance, even for a beginner is low!!
And the Lomax comes with a soft top... and they aren't very fast!! Not compared with a Morgan....
DeleteWe looked at 2CV's (I had one once), but the prices are crazy. The Lomax is about the third of the price. A Morgan is far too 'serious' for a 1st car; he needs something that's fun.
DeleteCro, where have you looked.... there are people out there asking silly money in the tens of thousands.... but you should find a solid, rechassis [galvanised] 2CV that needs care and attention for around £4K / £5K
DeleteAnd seriously, tho'.... take a look at the new Ami
DeleteNot a Tesla then?
ReplyDeleteNope!
DeleteInsurance for young men is phenomenal. My first car was a yellow VW Beetle, I loved that car and had it quite a while. It was very noisy inside and made a dreadful rattle but was very reliable. Congratulations to your grandson and I am sure he will enjoy whatever first car he gets. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteWe've been trying to find a 'legal' way of getting him an affordable insurance, but no luck so far. He'll have to have TWO JOBS.
DeleteCro, re insurance. Assign a "second driver". Preferably much older, and with a largely unblemished record. Say, Suave Harvey's father.
DeleteU
The first car that I drove (off road) was a 1956 Series 1 Land Rover - no synchromesh, but virtually unbreakable. The first car that I actually owned, many years later, was a Triumph Dolomite, real class, but a total rust bucket and with dodgy brakes. Pulled up behind a lorry at a roundabout on a downward slope, brakes didn't quite hold, and rolled gently forward into the tow ball. Net result, most of the front disintegrated into rust powder, leaving the Triumph badge as the only bit still standing.
ReplyDeleteI have driven a SWB LR series 2 soft top, but I have to say that it was the MOST UNCOMFORTABLE car I've ever driven. You needed a chiropractor after just one mile. The Dolomites were very sporty, but didn't last too long.
DeleteUpon passing his driving test, a young man needs a small, boring, low-powered, economical vehicle. Something like a Hyundai i10 or a Nissan Micra. You should understand that first time drivers - especially young men - have many accidents and some are fatal. Common sense should be the guide.
ReplyDeleteOur family motto is 'Safety Last'. H is a very sensible young man (if that's possible), and is more interested in tinkering than speeding. Hence the R4 and 2CV choices.
DeleteWell done Suave Harve ..... congrats. I suspect everything will depend on insurance but, whatever car he gets I'm sure he will have great fun in it. XXXX
ReplyDeleteHe's starting work with IBM soon, so he'll need something.
DeleteBoth of those are really cool cars. Bet he'd love either of them. Is he 17, 18? My 2 granddaughters just got their licences. They're fearless.
ReplyDeleteRed and loud are usually the number 1 priorities at that age. Oh and fast too.
When my younger brother got his first car it was the surfboard on the roof rack that mattered.
DeleteOf course! He must have been a Beach Boys fan too.
DeleteThe joys of the first car, mine was a 1965 Ford Pickup truck. My grandfather stopped driving the year before I started.
ReplyDeletePeople in the USA do love their pickups; we don't really have them too much here. My wife spent a few years in Washington DC; she also went to school there.
DeleteI was raised on a farm, we always had two or three trucks around. I have been in the DC area about 16 years.
DeleteBoth cars look like fun. A car without rust is great. Friends have bought cars in Arizona/Texas and to secure a no rust purchase.
ReplyDeleteI believe, if Kimbo is listed as the primary car owner/driver and Harve is second, insurance costs are lower. (That's how it works in the US.)
We've gone through most of the options, but they are all expensive. They really don't like young drivers in the UK. When I had my first car we were treated just like everyone else.
DeleteGreat fun both choices, but imagine how many accidents poor Harve may cause driving the first option! The poor lad will be a police magnet.
ReplyDeleteMy first car, just after I passed my test, was a mini, shared with my mother (well, it was her car but I just "borrowed" it). The very first car I chose myself was a Mini Cooper, back in the days when British Leyland spent more time on strike than working in the factory. It was ordered in the Spring and by the time it was finally delivered, (the following December!) the Cooper had been dropped and replaced with the Mini 1275 GT.
The Mini 1275 GT was a very fast car. My mother had a Mini Traveler; the one with the wood. My wife had an ex-Gas Board Mini van. I think they were an essential part of our lives.
DeleteOur first car once married and out of college (1968) was a light blue 1960 Ford Falcon. Paid about $200 for it back then. Grandson recently bought himself his first car - a white BMW - nice looking car (and he likes taking care/tinkering with it himself).
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to wait to see what Harve ends-up with. I expect it'll be something quite simple.
Delete