Am I mad for thinking about this?

F

Free spirit

New Member
Hi I’m new here so sorry if I have posted in the wrong section.
I’m currently considering buying a commer that needs a bit of work and restoration, my questions are am I mad for considering this? Are parts easily accessible?
Many thanks in advance.
 
Hi and welcome. Of course you are but join the club. I got experts to restore mine as I can only do little things. This is certainly the place to be to get lots of advice and tips from people. Martin at commervanspares is very helpful and speedyspares too. Keep us posted and lots of pictures :)
 
My worry is the cost as I won’t be able to do it myself but my heart says it’s beautiful so buy it I think it will need a whole new interior, do they come up for sale or will I need one especially made? May I ask who you used for your restoration please? If I do buy it (need to speak with my mechanic who will say steer clear and convince him first) there will plenty of pics and even more questions no doubt
 
Completely barking but aren't we all :)
We are all tinged with insanity when it comes to our vans but we gladly suffer their shortcomings for the pleasure they bring. Mechanical parts are pretty easily found and well catered for with the various specialist - service items can even be bought at local motor factors as filters etc are the same as many other vehicles. Martin Maltas doesn't supply mechanical items any more ( he may have a few bits and pieces around still) but he does produce the majority of repair panels needed to restore the body work and underneath.
Good luck however you decide and maybe put some pics up of the van so we can advise on what is needed.
Oh and by the way - welcome to the Madhouse:)
 
Thank you, I just had another thought, they recently changed the petrol so will it run on the new version of petrol or will I need to do something so it does? I hope that makes sense I’ve messaged the seller some questions so will have a think and then post pics when I’m a bit closer to a decision. I’ve seen it advertised a few times and it’s now dropped in price so I’m wary someone has stolen the pics and it’s a scam at the moment but they are willing to have an inspection done so that’s a good sign. My issue is it’s hundreds of miles away so I will be buying without viewing and having it transported to my garage hence getting the inspection and the apprehension. It’s beautiful though and I’m in love with it.
 
It will run on E10 but it's advisable to put an additive in like Castrol Valvemaster or Millers VSPe Power Plus (the one I use) and also make sure all flexible fuel lines are made from ethanol proof hose.
 
I use the posh fuel as it’s still e5 and I don’t do massive mileage. Cost of restoration can be a bit eye watering. By the time they had restored mine the bill was a lot higher than the original estimate. If it can be restored in stages then you could still use it and restore over time etc. I built the furniture myself. I’m not a carpenter but it’s ok lol. If I knew all this before I bought him I would still do it.
 
Thanks everyone I really appreciate the responses. I’m hoping I can restore it in stages as long as I can get it mechanically sound and MOT’d I can wait to do the rest (although I will obviously want to do it quickly ). My heart and head are still arguing with each other so will see what comes up at the inspection
 
Welcome aboard, I’ve been restoring mine for a little over a year now and the guys in this forum are really helpful so don’t be afraid to ask any questions. Have you got any pictures of yours
 
Neil T said:
Welcome aboard, I’ve been restoring mine for a little over a year now and the guys in this forum are really helpful so don’t be afraid to ask any questions. Have you got any pictures of yours
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Thank you, I haven’t bought it yet, still deciding if I can afford the restoration and to get it done. I keep looking at the ad for it and I can see me in it which doesn’t help in the deciding process I really like it but worry I’m biting off more than I can chew
 
One of those jobs that could escalate but if that's all that's wrong with it then it's not a deal breaker. Is the van a maroon Commer Coaster by any chance?
 
No it’s not maroon, the ad doesn’t say what model it is which is annoying as I’m trying to figure out what it measures.
 
Here you go some measurements for you

Fairly accurate Axle weights

Got a garage round the corner that’s just had his MOT rollers installed so he let me have a go on them to test the brake efficiency after I rebuilt them all (as I don’t MOT it anymore). It’s a one only remaining Norwich Conversions and has an alloy head engine and alloys so maybe slightly...
forum.commervanfan.co.uk

And scroll down here for a basic interior layout and Auto-Sleeper type cabinets

Downloads

Documents for the comemr including free Commer Manual
www.commervanfan.co.uk www.commervanfan.co.uk
 
The seller has messaged saying they are in negotiations with someone else to sell it today so no time for me to get the inspection done. Looks like I’ve missed out on this one
 
Well it seems the other sale fell through so I may be buying it after all! I am very scared though that the sale fell through because it’s a lost cause but I’m going to take the hit of paying for an inspection and will go from there! I’m so scared at the thought of this but a bit excited too!
 
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