jonnyboy
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2005
- Messages
- 2,564
- Location
- Camberley, Surrey
- Car
- 1991 sl300-24 project,s124 280,w115 no interior, w108 project no engine
I had a thread running about possibly changing the classic to a leased new L200/D Max/Ranger. But I am very unsure indeed, see below!!
Real quandary about direction, current fleet:-
Mrs' Galaxy petrol turbo, 5yrs old, needs replacing in next 6m or ideally sooner, hardly need more than 5 seats these days but very handy. has been brilliant. Does about 15k miles a year. No commuting (don't go there.....).
Shared Saab Convertible - eight years old petrol turbo - summer toy, we love having it (although it's no Merc, sadly) she uses more than me, moans about doing school run in it but son finished a levels in 6 months then just one daughter in car to school so no buggering about with seats, just sorned it for the winter due to lack of use and £50/month blooming RFL !!! 4k miles a year.
My L200 classic - getting trashed by keeping tools on back seat (for safety), but I regularly carry plants/mower/compost etc, tow a plant trailer (not with a digger on), or a car trailer when needed to do a pickup as I potter about with motors, crash damaged stuff sometimes, I do about 7k miles a year ish.
I also have an iveco daily crewcab that my lads use for contract maintenance. This lives in my warehouse along with my plant trailer (no room for anything else unless some of the bit I sublet out becomes available, which I doubt). Yard is around 15/20 mins away.
L200 is brilliant in that it does the towing/can chuck stuff in the back etc, can carry steps/timber (see other thread!!!) but a massive compromise ie no security, and it is absolutely crap on juice, and of course isn't the poshest place to be outside of working hours if you know what I mean. Have maybe had the back seats occupied ten times in the eighteen months I've had it, sometimes for work, sometimes family.
All the current fleet except my staff truck are automatic - Mrs JB has an auto licence, I prefer them these days.
I have been thinking lately that I should drop the L200 and get something like a 3 seat van like a Peug Expert or Despatch or the likes (manual) and just use the Saab as my "car". Far more practical, secure, more economical, 3 seats enough for work. But......no 4x4 will be a significant thing for towing, and if I have no way of getting off my hill should the snow come (rare but it does) then I cant service my customers (we go out salting/snow clearing etc). Plus it keeps the same number of vehicles on the drive. Plus Mrs JB can't move it, or use it in an emergency.
I don't really want to go back to the (dark) days of having vans on my drive. Been there, done that, would avoid if possible. We do live in a nice area, a bit snobby to be honest hence I already don't fit in, which I quite like in a way, but I can't use here as a yard!!
Obvious choice was as above, ditch L200, get a wee van, but change Galaxy for a 4x4 with seven seat capacity but madam has put the blockers on having one as her daily (we've been there - Lexus RX, Merc ML), doesn't want one again, to be fair, at 14/15000 miles a year the running costs are a factor.
I am really stuck with this. Could probably do without the plant trailer if I had a wee van like a Despatch. So in that scenario I could commute to our yard and leave the Despatch there overnight in the trailer 's space if I sold it. But.....what would I commute in? She'll want the convertible 8 months of the year so I can't use that, she effectively wants to choose which motor she can use on a given day. Obviously what I am trying to do is cover all bases but at the same time, and this is important, reduce costs if possible, keep the Mrs happy, and make my life easier - I am so busy lately with work that the headaches of tools/remembering what to take out on a given day/having to collect materials at a moments notice etc that I really need to reduce the stress of it if possible). Tempering that, I do love tinkering about with motors etc, and the L200 fulfils part of that, but when it's needed for work that can become logistically a problem too.
It sounds a load of old ******** doesn't it? I should just tell Mrs JB to drive what I tell her, but it doesn't really work like that, she's an absolute diamond, has put up with me as a husband for 25 years or so. I toyed with just switching the L200 classic for a new one leased, which would in some ways force me to keep it nice, but that does scare me that it could be too restrictive and a backwards step not forward, my business is not yet healthy enough that I am off the tools totally, and just swanning about checking on the lads, carrying nothing and doing nothing!!!!!
Over the last 3/4 years, prior to the L200, I've ran the likes of 7/8 seater Discovery 2, three Landcruisers (old ones) and similar. Diesel and petrol/LPG, wouldn't do LPG again as the station is too far away and I doubt we'll get one closer. Generally a much better experience to be in than me truck day to day, or when I am off ona jolly to pick up a daft ebay purchase or whatever. But a compromise totally in the sense of as soon as I have the need to put a few bags of compost/cement/plants in the boot (seats up), it gets similarly trashed like the L200. Plus, when it has been snowy, wet bags of rock salt plus wet lads plus wet snow shovels aren't the best combination in me leather seated motor, neither is trying to distribute salt out of the swinging back door!!!! L200 very good indeed for this, as was the fated Navara I had a few years ago. We've had no snow to speak of for three winters here now (although I will say that my folks are still up in Northumberland, they aren't getting younger, you know where I am going with that in terms of visiting them.....
I don't exactly have a limitless budget here. Probably got about £13k equity in the three and little liquidity due to expanding the business, would likely finance or lease part of the changes (perhaps another £15k ? if that was going to cost say £325 a month or thereabouts). Sorning the Saab has bitten us twice this month already due to need for a car (Galaxy was temporarily out of equation), right blooming pain when car stood there and unusable! I am not yet 100% clear on how tax rules will help/hinder the choices we make here. For reference, I am self employed, Mrs JB doesn't work, although she could have a Ltd company if she had to !!!!!!
For those of you still awake who haven't left this thread bored or asleep, thank you for reading. I really could do with some fresh eyes/observations here if you could? Apart from "stop posting long threads" of course!!!
Thanks
Real quandary about direction, current fleet:-
Mrs' Galaxy petrol turbo, 5yrs old, needs replacing in next 6m or ideally sooner, hardly need more than 5 seats these days but very handy. has been brilliant. Does about 15k miles a year. No commuting (don't go there.....).
Shared Saab Convertible - eight years old petrol turbo - summer toy, we love having it (although it's no Merc, sadly) she uses more than me, moans about doing school run in it but son finished a levels in 6 months then just one daughter in car to school so no buggering about with seats, just sorned it for the winter due to lack of use and £50/month blooming RFL !!! 4k miles a year.
My L200 classic - getting trashed by keeping tools on back seat (for safety), but I regularly carry plants/mower/compost etc, tow a plant trailer (not with a digger on), or a car trailer when needed to do a pickup as I potter about with motors, crash damaged stuff sometimes, I do about 7k miles a year ish.
I also have an iveco daily crewcab that my lads use for contract maintenance. This lives in my warehouse along with my plant trailer (no room for anything else unless some of the bit I sublet out becomes available, which I doubt). Yard is around 15/20 mins away.
L200 is brilliant in that it does the towing/can chuck stuff in the back etc, can carry steps/timber (see other thread!!!) but a massive compromise ie no security, and it is absolutely crap on juice, and of course isn't the poshest place to be outside of working hours if you know what I mean. Have maybe had the back seats occupied ten times in the eighteen months I've had it, sometimes for work, sometimes family.
All the current fleet except my staff truck are automatic - Mrs JB has an auto licence, I prefer them these days.
I have been thinking lately that I should drop the L200 and get something like a 3 seat van like a Peug Expert or Despatch or the likes (manual) and just use the Saab as my "car". Far more practical, secure, more economical, 3 seats enough for work. But......no 4x4 will be a significant thing for towing, and if I have no way of getting off my hill should the snow come (rare but it does) then I cant service my customers (we go out salting/snow clearing etc). Plus it keeps the same number of vehicles on the drive. Plus Mrs JB can't move it, or use it in an emergency.
I don't really want to go back to the (dark) days of having vans on my drive. Been there, done that, would avoid if possible. We do live in a nice area, a bit snobby to be honest hence I already don't fit in, which I quite like in a way, but I can't use here as a yard!!
Obvious choice was as above, ditch L200, get a wee van, but change Galaxy for a 4x4 with seven seat capacity but madam has put the blockers on having one as her daily (we've been there - Lexus RX, Merc ML), doesn't want one again, to be fair, at 14/15000 miles a year the running costs are a factor.
I am really stuck with this. Could probably do without the plant trailer if I had a wee van like a Despatch. So in that scenario I could commute to our yard and leave the Despatch there overnight in the trailer 's space if I sold it. But.....what would I commute in? She'll want the convertible 8 months of the year so I can't use that, she effectively wants to choose which motor she can use on a given day. Obviously what I am trying to do is cover all bases but at the same time, and this is important, reduce costs if possible, keep the Mrs happy, and make my life easier - I am so busy lately with work that the headaches of tools/remembering what to take out on a given day/having to collect materials at a moments notice etc that I really need to reduce the stress of it if possible). Tempering that, I do love tinkering about with motors etc, and the L200 fulfils part of that, but when it's needed for work that can become logistically a problem too.
It sounds a load of old ******** doesn't it? I should just tell Mrs JB to drive what I tell her, but it doesn't really work like that, she's an absolute diamond, has put up with me as a husband for 25 years or so. I toyed with just switching the L200 classic for a new one leased, which would in some ways force me to keep it nice, but that does scare me that it could be too restrictive and a backwards step not forward, my business is not yet healthy enough that I am off the tools totally, and just swanning about checking on the lads, carrying nothing and doing nothing!!!!!
Over the last 3/4 years, prior to the L200, I've ran the likes of 7/8 seater Discovery 2, three Landcruisers (old ones) and similar. Diesel and petrol/LPG, wouldn't do LPG again as the station is too far away and I doubt we'll get one closer. Generally a much better experience to be in than me truck day to day, or when I am off ona jolly to pick up a daft ebay purchase or whatever. But a compromise totally in the sense of as soon as I have the need to put a few bags of compost/cement/plants in the boot (seats up), it gets similarly trashed like the L200. Plus, when it has been snowy, wet bags of rock salt plus wet lads plus wet snow shovels aren't the best combination in me leather seated motor, neither is trying to distribute salt out of the swinging back door!!!! L200 very good indeed for this, as was the fated Navara I had a few years ago. We've had no snow to speak of for three winters here now (although I will say that my folks are still up in Northumberland, they aren't getting younger, you know where I am going with that in terms of visiting them.....
I don't exactly have a limitless budget here. Probably got about £13k equity in the three and little liquidity due to expanding the business, would likely finance or lease part of the changes (perhaps another £15k ? if that was going to cost say £325 a month or thereabouts). Sorning the Saab has bitten us twice this month already due to need for a car (Galaxy was temporarily out of equation), right blooming pain when car stood there and unusable! I am not yet 100% clear on how tax rules will help/hinder the choices we make here. For reference, I am self employed, Mrs JB doesn't work, although she could have a Ltd company if she had to !!!!!!
For those of you still awake who haven't left this thread bored or asleep, thank you for reading. I really could do with some fresh eyes/observations here if you could? Apart from "stop posting long threads" of course!!!
Thanks
Tourreg thingy, not the W10. My buddy Conway has the W10 (diesel pump issue - Dont go there) his Mrs has the smaller one and its brilliant. As does me old mate Camerafodder. 
but it does remind me of a conversation I had with our old fleet manager years ago, when Mrs PXW and I suddenly had four kids move in with us...at the time, people carriers were nowhere near as common (it was an espace or a previa) and I was looking for something bigger that could take six or seven people plus all the camping gear. No problem, he said - I'll just give Bedford a call and see if they can run you up a special....
