Horsebox dilema - Advice needed

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asterid

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I have a limited budget so would only be able to afford an old horebox. My dilemma is as follows:

1. I would realistically by only using the lorry 2 times max a month with work e.t.c.
2. Would a trailer be more practical and not rot?
3. I have a car that I would keep and not use a 4x4 as main car so would be running 4x4 and car.
4. 4x4 insurance expensive even for an old girl like me!
5. Lorry cheaper to insure, breakdown cover e.t.c.
6. Lorry's are hassel to plate and normally cost a fortune!

I think I am swaying towards a lorry as they are so much easier to drive, store stuff in and generally nice to go to shows in.

So, What old lorries do you have? What doesn't rot so much? What goes up hills better? What is the best older lorry to get? Was looking at budget of up to 2500, and probably an F reg or G Reg. Am looking at Cargos, Leylands and possibly Bedfords.

Advice welcome!
 
Tbh, I think you'll be lucky to find anything for such a low budget that is not going to consequently cost you a lot to run. We're looking with a higher budget and struggling to find anything suitable.
 
ive got a old bedford tk. (1983) the first thing i will say is the skirts.. on a lot of older lorrys they now need to be added to, to be legal. (its another story but worth considering)

my beast had a lot of paper work with it, so i knew what had been done etc. and
had been taken to the same garage for a long time, even so when i bought it, i still paid for a horsebox garage to come out and give it a once over!

then... it went for its mot.. it needed 2 parts and did fail 1st test BUT the parts only cost £105. it was hte labour that got us (ok so i think we got had )

but with the parts, an mot, and retest it cost over 1k. i was a tad livid and will not be going back to horsebox garage.

to tax its cheaper than most cars at £90 for 6 months. running it, its a 7.5t and has a 6 litre engine but its actually not costing any more to run than the discovery and trailer. things like tyres, youd expect to be expensive, but for my beast there around £75 not much difference than decent tyres on a 4 x 4.

if your looking at bying an older lorry just have a google and make sure you can get parts for them that are not going to cost the earth. and like i did i would fully reccomend getting a decent garage to come and give it a once over. I paid £45 for the check and the bloke was there around an hour.

its got a limiter on it set at 50mph but it still goes up the steepest hills at a decent speed, only draw back is the steering is very light on it.

lastley i paid very little for bernard the bedford..
lorry.jpg
 
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I've had cargos for over 20 years, they are great to drive, but rot badly around the cab, and now its almost impossible to find parts for them. I've gone over to a leyland daf 45 after a commercial breakers yard said they were the best lorry about (they should know!)
You'll be lucky to find one that cheap without getting a lot of trouble. Remember, 7.5 ton lorries are designed to be driven every day, and you can get more problems from not using one regularly.
 
for what it will cost you to buy it, insure, run it, repair it etc. you could hire a nice shiny new one twice a month and probably cost you less over the year.
2.5 k will get you very little.
 
Chestnutty mare is probably right! I used to pay £70 to hire a two horse box..

I really wanted to buy a box, but my husband (who is a mechanic) talked me out of it - saying they cost a fortune to get through their tests each year. Friends I've spoken to spent hundreds... We ended up buying new IF trailer, which we love. You could spend over your budget on a good trailer though!
 
bedfords/cargos etc-the parts are increasingly now harder to find and of course the older it is the more things that will wear out and cost more to keep going

the fact you will be only using two times a month immediately flags up a huge issue! Lorries rot when just standing and you will be getting through tyres due to the tyre memory of just standing in one position all the time

I agree with the last two posts-hire a 2 box! A lot cheaper and less hassle for you to worry about!

Even if you bought a lorry say for 2.5k+

Annual Insurance £300-£600 Fully comp
Tax £165
Equine Breakdown insurance £200
Annual service and plating £300 (that's without anything major going wrong)

So you have 'running' costs of say £1000+ per year

That would be 10 trips in a nice brand new 2 box!
 
You might get a useable lorry with that budget.... but you would need a willing mechanic in the family to vet it before you buy and keep it running afterwards.. and be on good terms with them!!!!!!!!!! a decent safe trailer will cost £2500 then a 4x4 say £1500 up..and they can cost more than a lorry to maintain, tax,insure and get moted... the hire option as OPs advise sounds by far the best way for your useage....IMHO
 
You do not have to tow with a 4 wheeled drive.You are not necessarily any safer towing with a 4 wheeled drive.Safety lies in having a well matched outfit weight wise and driving safely.Because a trailer is plated at say 1400kgs. its not illegal to tow it with a car that should not be towing 1400kgs so long as the ACTUAL weight you are towing is within the car manufacturers limits for a braked load.I checked with the caravan club, the BHS and the DVLA.Lorries are easier but towing is actually easy too.Invest in a couple oflessons including reversing.£2.500 should buy you a decent trailer.
 
foraday said:
bedfords/cargos etc-the parts are increasingly now harder to find and of course the older it is the more things that will wear out and cost more to keep going

the fact you will be only using two times a month immediately flags up a huge issue! Lorries rot when just standing and you will be getting through tyres due to the tyre memory of just standing in one position all the time

I agree with the last two posts-hire a 2 box! A lot cheaper and less hassle for you to worry about!

Even if you bought a lorry say for 2.5k+

Annual Insurance £300-£600 Fully comp
Tax £165
Equine Breakdown insurance £200
Annual service and plating £300 (that's without anything major going wrong)

So you have 'running' costs of say £1000+ per year

That would be 10 trips in a nice brand new 2 box!
Click to expand...


I think you need to swap insurance companies :eek:

As long as you have a clean licence the most you will pay for fully comp insurance (any driver) and breakdown cover is £300. For both. Try Shearwater and Anthony Evans.
 
i agree, we pay just under 400 per year that is fully comp, any body over 25 with their c1 can drive on our insurance and be fully comp, and we have full breakdown cover.
 
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