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[w3526602]

Hi,

I have just started to ponder on my personal Cost of Living..... .... starting with car insurance.

Preliminary research started with looking at our bank statements, to ascertain the premiums paid for this year, but not going into detail.

My car is a LR Freelander diesel, Barbara's car is a Hyundai IX 20, which I only recently realised has a 1600cc engine ... I thought it went well.

I didn't note the individual premiums, but the combined figure was close to £1,000. Hmmm! I think some more detailed research is called for.

The Hyundai was bought new at the beginning of 12019. I believe insurers charge a higher premium for a brand new car, justified by even the slightest damage requiring replacement by another brand new car. I wonder if that premium is reduced for the second and subsequent years?

Barbara, who deals with such things, has just told me that the Hyundai's insurance went up when she took her name of the policy. I will have to ask if she took her name off the Freelander too.

I do not have the various costs of running both out cars, at my fingertips, but my "fixed" weekly mileages come to about 6 miles a day, six dix days a week, taking Wilkie to his walker. It is seldom that I go elsewher. Barbara has been bedridden for maybe a couple of months, and there is little expectation of that changing in the near future. I spend my days lying on the bed beside her, chatting up her Carers.  I think it is about time to re-assess our vehicular needs.

Ideally, what I need is a VED and MOT exempt 88", but they no longer come cheap, and there are only a handful that have been converted to battery power.. (Question ... how long will HMG grant MOT and VED EXEMPTION to battery powered vehicles.)

So ... what should I replace my two vehicles with? Building a battery powered Series is probably still within my capabilities ... but try telling that to my family ... and to be sensible, everything ought to be new. A new power unit will be about £5000, and I have no idea of the cost of the controls.  Do I really need "deep discharge" batteries for ten miles per day. or would a dozen Discovery diesel starter batteries suffice. I have not studied the cost of home chargers.

At present, second hand cars are worth more than new cars .... because there ain't enough NEW cars to go round,

Suggestions on a postcard please.

Latest on Barbara ... she is still living in a "Swaddle", with gangs of Government Care Workers calling four times daily. They are now talking about charging her £50 per visit, but is that per person too? Last week they managed to crane her into an arm-chair. I suspect that I will be taking a Stanley knife to the bedroom carpet, as the crane does not like rolling over soft surfaces. Nobody seems to want to tell us what is going on, nor what is going to happen.

AGE UK (or whatever they call themselves now) are asking, on my behalf, for Attendance Allowance for me. Who am I too argue?

602

[dartymoor]

On the subject of whether an electrically converted 88 will qualify as a historic vehicle after such a "significant change" is probably more moot that you've given it credit for. All electric vehicles (externally sourced power rather than hybrid) are charged at £0 road tax, same as historics.   Source: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-exempt-from-vehicle-tax

MOT would still be needed, but that's less of a concern as many of the environmental limits affecting new cars wouldn't be applied.

But if you're concerned about cost, then electric conversions of classics are unlikely ever to be cost effective no matter how many miles you do, unless viability of internal combustion engines is significantly reduced (fewer petrol sources, legislation, lack of spares etc) but we should be good for a while.

(Sorry, skipped the bit where you said you'd convert it yourself. Sounds great!)

Only a short time now until the first 90s are exempt - and power steering is a nice thing!

[Matt Reeves]

602 have you considered a small classic such as an Austin A30/A35/A40 or similar? tax and MOT exempt, £100 a year fully comp insurance on limited mileage and you'd likely pick up a decent well cared for example for around 5k.

It's still a "proper" car with plugs, points etc so the opportunities for tinkering are there.

[Larry S.]

My nephew's best friend since kindergarten now works for a company on the Northwest coast, either Washinton or Oregon, that converts vehicles into EVs.

They are gearing up to convert a SI from the mid '50s.  The base cost is $40K, roughly £32K, but based on the other options the SI owner is considering it could go up to as high as $80K, roughly £63K.  Those prises DO NOT include labor.

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi.
If you ever need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line.
Regards,
Dan.

[w3526602]

Hi,

My findings so far is that a (I think) elecrtric motor for a canal boat can be acquired for about £5,000,  I envisage it sitting in an H-frame (but with 2 cross bars) mounted on the the original engine and gearbox brackets on the original/replacement chassis, so no points lost for the chassis. The output drive flange is the same as, or very similar to, the Land Rover drive flange ... easy to make an adaptor, if necessary.. I can't see myself needing 4WD into my dotage in Milton Keynes, but if I did, just add another motor for the front axle.

The original 80" had a 1600ccc engine, developing about 40bhp, with an even lower (but higher numerically) axle ratio than S2s. Can anybody tell me that ratio?

I believe the 80" developed 46BHP

I have already gone into fitting much smaller wheels and tyres, as a ploy to drop the seat cushion height, so Barbara doesn't have to "hitch a haunch" to climb in.  There is a white Jago G**P, on TV, advertising some national car trader.  The Jago has a full size GRP replica of the US Army 4x4 (actually moulded on a US 4x4 body (on which the first Land Rover was based.) The Jago stands on 185-14" tyres, and does not look silly.

The Reliant Scimitar GTE weighed 26cwt, used 14 SR 185 ... though my Robin Rew race car came fitted with HRs, and on a couple of occasions VRs would have been desirable.    There were times when my fingers were crossed the the car a quarter mile in front would not change lane. Seven seconds?

I read something in the Saturday papers (Telegraph or Mail) Apparently HMG is muttering about home chargers for battery powered car having a revenue collecting facility, to compensate for the loss of fuel duty.  Here's me wondering if I have enough roof area to generate sufficient electricity.   

Battery wise, I was thinking of a banks of Disco diesel starter batteries ... 3 batteries would give me 36 volts, and 4 banks would give me 48 volts. The more banks I can store under the bonnet, the greater the range.  I do 3 miles plus return most days, and twice on Saturdays, so range should not be a problem. I'm thinking something over £1000 for batteries, and expecting to replace them every year.

Visions of several washing machin motors, each driving a 12 volt alternator, for recharging.

I'm allowed to dream. 

602

[Wittsend]

Always thought the Morris Minor was a nice car ....

[DogDave]

If enough people swap to electric they will just put the car tax on that. If everyone gives up and got push bikes then They would stick a 50% tax on Lycra. They will get you no matter what you try.

Can’t help but think For 3 miles a day it will take you a long time to get the investment cost of the electric vehicle back, even as home built. On the flip side a lot of these electric and hybrid vehicles are worth almost zero after a few years - you could experiment a lot cheaper and all would have to do is swap the cells out.

I had a horrible Japanese plug in hybrid as a company car - was glad to see the back of it but the guy that collected it at the end of the term reckoned it was going to get £1500 quid at auction and that was a 30 grand vehicle new -

Yes not typo, 30 thousand plug in hybrid is worth one thousand five hundred pounds at four year old at auction. Apparently they get shipped to Southern Ireland but no idea what they are doing with them all over there.

[Peter Holden]

The problem for me with the minor is the lack of practicality.  A good compromise would be a Renault 4 or a Citroen Dyane if you can find one.

If you want to stay british do as Callum Barrowhas done and find an Austin A40 - a very practical vehicle

Electric Citroen Berlingos have existed for many many years.  robin Sanderson used to have one

Peter

[w3526602]

Hi All,

Morris 1000 Midwife? I had a "woody" estate, two house moves ago 9say 4 or 5 years ago, which attracted appreciative comments, but in reality it was horrible, structurally.

I've had a few Citroen 2CVs, and one Dyane. Similar to horses in that they are great fun, but as a means of transport ...   On the other hand. one particular car would go "off the clock" on the flat, with very few cars seeming able to keep up with it.    New chassis are available, and I believe electric conversions are also available. I have carried a 6 metre length of timber in a 2CV ... you have to open the sun-roof, then the boot lid, and feed the timber in, until it no longer touches the road behind the car .... and be careful where you put the long bit sticking out in front. I do not foresee the need to do that again. Ride height is adjustable. 2CV tyres are expensive, but then, so are Morris 1000 14" dia tyres, and probably any other unusual size.

But hey, it's worth investigating ... new chassis and battery power ... and maybe some sensible size rubber?  I will in investigate.

A couple of thoughts ... What licence does a new driver get when they pass their driving test in a battery powered car. I'd guess AUTOMATIC only, but would that be sufficient to cover the different driving style, assuming there is a difference. Does a 2CV have any trailer towing capability?  There is something in my mind about reading that anything (?) or anybody with a full licence(?) can tow 750kg, but I think the context is more complicated than that. Back to the drawing board.

At one time (and briefly) I wondered about replacing the TWO 2CV horizontal "coil over shox", running along the chassis rails, with FOUR rubber block INDESPENSION units, retaining the original strut/tie type links. But I resumed taking the tablets.

My head hurts.

602

PS, if anybody is still interested. Barbara has not stood (nor been asked to) on her on feet, since being taken into hospital... which was how long ago?
Her Care Workers crane her in and out of her bed, wheel chair, and armchair, but seem too busy to be interrogated. They seem to work a similar shift pattern to Stanley Baker in film HELL DRIVERS (if you haven't seen that film, ask Google to show you the opening sequence.)

She might, eventually, be able to access a 2CV, perhaps with some ride height adjustment.

[w3526602]

Hi,

Further to the above mail,  Citroen 2cv chassis seem to be about £600 - £700. That's 3mm  thick and galvanised. Virtually a simple ladder with two rungs.

Click on https://www.2cvcity.co.uk/chassis/

"Fully homogulated" "battery powered" seem to be about £6,000 -£7000, but I don't know what that means.    It seems too much for a kit of bits, but too cheap for a "turn-key" vehicle.  Can anyone comment, pretty please.

2CV suspension is adjustable, so possibly a good idea for Barbara's bum height ... assuming she will ever manage to get out of bed again.

602

[Clifford Pope]

I've had Volvo 240s as my main car for years. Very reliable, sturdy, immense carrying capacity, easy relaxed driving style, comfortable seats, and very manoeuvrable with their small turning circle.
I've just renewed the insurance at £187pa. (Down from £221 last year, for some reason)

The LandRover and the Triumph 2000 cost £115 together on a multi-policy - agreed values, unlimited mileage.

[w3526602]

If you ever need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line.

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your offer to help. You are not forgotten, it's more a matter of collecting  my thoughts and then hitting the keyboard.

I wonder if we are being penalised, premium wise, by Barbara retaining keepership of her Hyundai, thereby retaining her NCD, but having me as the only named driver, without explaining why? She voluntarily surrendered her licence, being happy to drive anything with only one usable arm (disabled driving test after one professional lesson, in 1971), but is now less happy about her two gammy legs. Probably all "academic" now.

602

PS. Afterthoughts about a wheel chair accessible vehicle (WAV) in the form of a 2CV.    I've already pondered about a WAV S2, but feel that if I have to buy a new chassis and bulkhead, it would be sensible to spend a lot more, with no certainty of not being prevented from using it by future legislation.