HELP ! Dilemma !! Do I save an old lorry from going to scrap?

[Muddywellies]

Oh b*gger !! I have been offered a lovely old lorry for a song (seriously cheap as chips) as he cant be bothered selling it. It is an old M reg (1976 I think) Leyland with a Lambourn box on it. It is a really sweet thing - like an old fashioned ice cream van/postman pat van. Just adorable.
ANYWAY, money is tight, and I know it will need a few pennies to keep in on the road. It is not tax excempt so will need taxing, as well as all the normal running costs. I already have an old but reliable Ifor Williams trailer, which of course is the sensible option (running costs). But how can i let this old gem go to scrap ? Its criminal. I have been given till Satuday to decide.
SO, what would you all do ? ? ?

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

Id buy it! lol


But it does depend how much work is needed on it.
If you have the time to do it up and re sell / use it then it may be the cheapest way of getting a lorry!

 

[joeanne]

Buy it, SORN it, work at your own pace to repair and restore it.
Then if you dont want it you have a saleable item thats not cost you tax/insurance etc!

 

[Booboos]

What is the floor/ramp like? Is the payload sufficient to carry a horse?

Mechanically, what condition is it in? Do the breaks work? Steering, clutch, etc.?

Running costs will include getting it taxed, gatting it through its MOT/plaiting, insurance, etc. It could be thousands of pounds to make it roadworthy.

You could be driving around in a death trap, to be honest I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

 

[Bowen4Horses]

i'd buy it. but i'd buy ANYTHING that was a bargain (see my post on 'share some wisdom', or any post about my lorry...)

i agree it's criminal to let those beautiful old lorries go to scrap... however, it could be a real money pit...

 

[ecrozier]

But equally some old lorries are absolute gems. Ours was an old bedford and I had three years of trouble free motoring all over the country. Cheap as chips every year through plating - never more then £500 including service/test. But had to sell because of needing to travel 3 horses.
Worth getting a mechanic to have a look maybe?

 

[Bowen4Horses]

[ QUOTE ]
What is the floor/ramp like? Is the payload sufficient to carry a horse?

Mechanically, what condition is it in? Do the breaks work? Steering, clutch, etc.?

Running costs will include getting it taxed, gatting it through its MOT/plaiting, insurance, etc. It could be thousands of pounds to make it roadworthy.

You could be driving around in a death trap, to be honest I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

[/ QUOTE ]

^^^ now, that is the answer that i should have said... ^^^

*scuttles off back to her bad bad bargain hunting hole *

 

[Muddywellies]

It has been barn stored for the pst few years, at the yard where my horse is. It has been used for storing tools. Was last taxed in 2003 or 4 i think, and was last driven maybe 2 years ago an about a 150 mile journey. V slow i believe, but the chap who owns it is actually a mechanic, and wouldnt have driven if it was dangerous. But saying that, its all prob ceized up now. Tho as i said, i know it hs been barn stored as i have been admiring it for the past 18 months. There bseems to be no rust whatsoever and the floor seems perfectly sound. I m just worried about the mechanical costs of gettingit running well. My other hald is mechanically minded but i cant sensibly get it if it really is going to be a money pit, and will let it go to scrap and stick with the trailer (that my horse hates and wont go in)

 

[Shay]

Hate to disagree but... No! You have tax, MOT, Plating, Insurance. Lorries cost way more than trailers. If you live nerar London there are areas you can't go becuase of the congestion charge. You get stuck more easily in muddy showground. Plus if you break down recovering the lorry and horses is far more complex and time consuming than recovering a trailer. Much as I like having a living area for winter shows nothing would induce me to give up my trailer.

Sorry.

 

[ecrozier]

I'd get an independant inspection of it. I got a guy out when buying my old one and he looked at it and gave me an honest opinion taking into account its age etc. Then you'll know one way or the other! He advised me against the first two he looked at and said yes to the third (I had looked al LOADS!)And then you won't be left wondering. Or, get someone like that out, and mention to them the possibility of running it for a few years and swapping the box onto a new chassis (especially as Lambourn quite a well known/respected make) - quite affordable in some cases! Then they can advise what needs doing etc.

ETA in reply to shay, agree that potentially costs are higher but we now run a much smaller cheaper car, horses travel better, and I wouldn't go back to a trailer unless I absolutely had to. And our first lorry was a bit ancient but over all was a fantastic buy and sold 3 years on for hardly less than I paid! So if you are hankering after a lorry OP it would be a shame to not check this one out and always wonder if it might have been a diamond in the rough!

 

[agreenhalgh]

does sound sound like a potential money pit, but get someone to look at it for you.

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

If your horse hates the trailer would he load into the lorry?

If yes then i would get someone to check it over - it may be worthwhile!

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

Buy it! you could always rechassis it later

 

[jodie3]

As already said if the lorry is usable and safe you could downgrade to a smaller car and also sell your ifor trailer as they are always sellable, esp if your horses don't like the trailer.
I would always choose a lorry over a trailer but thats just a personal thing.
The other thing to consider is that lorries need using, they don't do well if just left sitting in they yard being admired! Do you do enough with your horses to make it cost effective?
Good luck!

 

[Booboos]

Since I am in the minority, I shall try again!!!!

This is a 34 (ish) year old lorry. This is really old even for a lorry. Think of all the technological advances it will NOT have which make modern cars safer. How many miles has it got on the clock?

Having broken down more than once in old lorries with horses on board, it is really no fun at all.

Despite one off miracle stories, most ancient lorries are rubbish which is why they are so cheap. The chances of getting it MOTed/plaited for less than 3,000 -4,000 pounds are nil. Making it safe for a horse is yet another matter.

Anyway, hope it does turn out to be a bargain if you do get it!

 

[kick_On]

nar you're not. Unless you have a very good mechanic on tap i would walk way big time. The amount of money and time it will take you to keep on road will be better invested in more modern lorry.

Would you really use a 1976 car to drive about in .............. NAR of course you wouldn't, not unless YOUR a classic cars fan and the same with a classic lorry ......... Take it from someone who does drive classic stuff around something is always going wrong or braking !!! And stuff i drive is very well looked after.


Defo take to scapers but if a freebie defo take off good bits and sell parts on ebay

good luck

 

[Mike007]

If it had been a Bedford, maybe .But its not its a Leyland. Possibly a Leyland Terrier, which as its name suggests ,was a complete dog.Or maybe,(heaven forbid) an FG series.Own one of these and you will make lots of new friends, all of whom are in the Recovery business.

 

[kerilli]

i wouldn't touch it with a bargepole, money. pit.
sorry!

 

[pearlygirl]

I used to have a 1979 Bedford with a wooden body, it was superb to run for a few years then gradually more and more started to degrade on it. Mechanically it was sound but it was old, slow and very tempremental!
Eventually the cost of running it was nothing compared to the cost of keeping it sound and roadworthy, eventually one of the two ramps went and although i used it with only one ramp for a while i started to get worried about what else might be going that i couldn't see! It was going to cost 3 times the amount i bought it for just to get it plated the last year i had it, so iretired it to the great scrap heap in the sky! Sad but i think safety has to come first.
Just think it through and if you think that you can afford to do it, then go for it, but always be prepared for the extra bits of work you don't plan on!

 

[brucea]

Stick it through an MOT at £45 (I think maybe more) and that will tell you what needs done - then decide whether you want to do it

I bought an old A reg Cargo with a beautiful teak box - cost £1400 and ran it for 5 years. Cost £700 to put through it's first MOT though!

 

[Dubsie]

If it's been barn sored for a long time chances are it'll be pretty reasonable under there.

Personally I'd buy it, SORN it, keep it in the barn (is this free?) look at it in the spring and sell it if it'll cost you too much.

 

[amandaco2]

i wouldnt.