Sadly my Commer PA has to go.
- Thread starter JohnR
- Start date
Hi All
Have sent this email to John
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, have been decorating all weekend, JOY! and have only just come on line. After speaking to my Wife about it we both agreed that because of the children, seatbelts would be required and some how set up a rear facing seat in the back with a seatbelt, Also a more stable middle seat. I found a Company that could make these alterations but it was not cheap, I have the money to buy your PA but with the added cost of the seatbelts and alterations needed for me and my wife to feel safe with kids it becomes too far over my budget, I will not insult you and try to haggle as i know what you paid for it. So with deep deep regret i am going to have to decline buying this Camper of my dreams AGAIN!!!!!
Hope it go's to a good Home.
Regards and very gutted
Steve.
Have sent this email to John
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, have been decorating all weekend, JOY! and have only just come on line. After speaking to my Wife about it we both agreed that because of the children, seatbelts would be required and some how set up a rear facing seat in the back with a seatbelt, Also a more stable middle seat. I found a Company that could make these alterations but it was not cheap, I have the money to buy your PA but with the added cost of the seatbelts and alterations needed for me and my wife to feel safe with kids it becomes too far over my budget, I will not insult you and try to haggle as i know what you paid for it. So with deep deep regret i am going to have to decline buying this Camper of my dreams AGAIN!!!!!
Hope it go's to a good Home.
Regards and very gutted
Steve.
If it had a proper middle seat and seatbelts, I would be a proud owner of this Van at the price he has asked.
I just can't justify spending alot of dollar on a van that only I would drive in, the extra for seatbelts was just too much extra strain on me old wallet, Don't get me wrong I bloody love this Van and i am totally gutted to decline but my Wife and kids are my life and i wouldn't risk driving around without proper seatbelts.
I just can't justify spending alot of dollar on a van that only I would drive in, the extra for seatbelts was just too much extra strain on me old wallet, Don't get me wrong I bloody love this Van and i am totally gutted to decline but my Wife and kids are my life and i wouldn't risk driving around without proper seatbelts.
While I totally understand and accept everything you say Steve, I also get a perverse pleasure out of playing 'Devil's Advocate'.
Growing up in the 60s and 70s basically no cars had rear belts and no-one really wore them in the front either. My brothers and I used to travel in the boot (crumplezone) of Dad's Mk3 Cortina Estate etc etc. We're all still here as are most people who grew up in those days. What I'm saying is you could buy it and save the necessary cash to have the belts fitted later. The odd journey with the kids on board will 'probably ' be fine as are most journeys.
The above is just food for thought, I am in no way saying you're wrong. Nor am I saying that I would do anything different to you. My three kids go nowhere without seat belts fitted. As I said, Devil's Advocate and some food for thought............
Even if you buy it then don't use it until you get the belts done! C'mon man! You know it makes sense!
If I told you I was a pathological liar, would you believe me?
Peggy's got an MOT !!! (not a lie)
Growing up in the 60s and 70s basically no cars had rear belts and no-one really wore them in the front either. My brothers and I used to travel in the boot (crumplezone) of Dad's Mk3 Cortina Estate etc etc. We're all still here as are most people who grew up in those days. What I'm saying is you could buy it and save the necessary cash to have the belts fitted later. The odd journey with the kids on board will 'probably ' be fine as are most journeys.
The above is just food for thought, I am in no way saying you're wrong. Nor am I saying that I would do anything different to you. My three kids go nowhere without seat belts fitted. As I said, Devil's Advocate and some food for thought............
Even if you buy it then don't use it until you get the belts done! C'mon man! You know it makes sense!
Peggy's got an MOT !!! (not a lie)
Bazz
I totaly see where your coming from, I too traveled with my Brother in the back and front of my dads MK2 Zepher, MK2 Cortina, MK3 Cortina and god knows how many other fords ( Hence the MK1 escort in my Garage ) all without seatbelts and never had an accident.
But, I travel around 45,000 miles a year with my job, i see some proper crap driving and some really nasty accidents, it's not my driving that i'm worried about, it's others.
Times have changed on the roads sinse the 70s sadly, alot of the accidents i see involve Lorries that all go faster than a little Commer. ( Usually European Lorries )
And if I spend that kind of money on a Van, I want to get in it with the Family and go, not having it sit on my drive while I save even more Money to drive it.
I am best man to my friend this year, which involves a Stag doo to Benidorm and he is getting married in Cuba, Basically I havn't got any more spare Cash and won't have this year so I would buy it and let it sit there for 12 months or take it out just with me in it. [V]
I totaly see where your coming from, I too traveled with my Brother in the back and front of my dads MK2 Zepher, MK2 Cortina, MK3 Cortina and god knows how many other fords ( Hence the MK1 escort in my Garage ) all without seatbelts and never had an accident.
But, I travel around 45,000 miles a year with my job, i see some proper crap driving and some really nasty accidents, it's not my driving that i'm worried about, it's others.
Times have changed on the roads sinse the 70s sadly, alot of the accidents i see involve Lorries that all go faster than a little Commer. ( Usually European Lorries )
And if I spend that kind of money on a Van, I want to get in it with the Family and go, not having it sit on my drive while I save even more Money to drive it.
I am best man to my friend this year, which involves a Stag doo to Benidorm and he is getting married in Cuba, Basically I havn't got any more spare Cash and won't have this year so I would buy it and let it sit there for 12 months or take it out just with me in it. [V]
I appreciated Steve's email and his reasons for deciding against the Commer. When little children are around you can't be too careful. We used to take our two boys beltless in the back of a 2CV AK400 van with no problems apart from the lack of space. As we were going rather slowly all was OK. I'm not saying it was right and it was 25 years ago when roads were a little quieter. The only accident it caused was a chap watching it go past in Corfe. He was pushing a pushchair and not looking where he was going. He promptly hit his wife up the rear bumper and they all fell in a heap on the pavement.
As for price, any old vehicle is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. My elder son is a VW nut and he thought £4 grand was peanuts compared to a T2 but he accepts that T2s are overrated and over-priced. Although I haven't had the PA long I love it and know that apart from the seatbelt issue it doesn't need anything spending on it. I've had to make bodywork repairs on old vehicles over the years...this is where real money is needed and I was very relieved to find the PA is rot-free and has been very well cared for since new...fairly unusual I would think.
As for price, any old vehicle is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. My elder son is a VW nut and he thought £4 grand was peanuts compared to a T2 but he accepts that T2s are overrated and over-priced. Although I haven't had the PA long I love it and know that apart from the seatbelt issue it doesn't need anything spending on it. I've had to make bodywork repairs on old vehicles over the years...this is where real money is needed and I was very relieved to find the PA is rot-free and has been very well cared for since new...fairly unusual I would think.
Just realised Steve, you CAN have the Commer AND pay for the belts. All you have to do is stick the MK1 2 door Escort on eBay - they go for stooooopid money these days even in stripped out semi-restored condition. There, I've sorted it for you!
If I told you I was a pathological liar, would you believe me?
Peggy's got an MOT !!! (not a lie)
Peggy's got an MOT !!! (not a lie)
LOL, NO NO NO, the escort will never leave me, Never Ever. [}] lol.
] lol.
Just a thought but have you seen BigMonkeyMan's answer to the rear seat belt problem?
He fitted a pair of forward facing seats from a Transit minibus, the kind with seat belts attached to the frame of the seat, by modifying the bench seats. Because they had standard seat belt fitting he was able to fit child seats for his two youngsters and, with a bit of ingenuity, was still able to make the double bed up with the bench seats.
Unfortunately no one has yet come up with a solution for the middle front seat, apart from a lap-belt.
Here's the thread
http://66.129.69.181/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1239&whichpage=2&SearchTerms=rear,seat,belts
He fitted a pair of forward facing seats from a Transit minibus, the kind with seat belts attached to the frame of the seat, by modifying the bench seats. Because they had standard seat belt fitting he was able to fit child seats for his two youngsters and, with a bit of ingenuity, was still able to make the double bed up with the bench seats.
Unfortunately no one has yet come up with a solution for the middle front seat, apart from a lap-belt.
Here's the thread
http://66.129.69.181/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1239&whichpage=2&SearchTerms=rear,seat,belts
quote:
Originally posted by Panky
Unfortunately no one has yet come up with a solution for the middle front seat, apart from a lap-belt.
There is an easy solution, fit a harness bar across the van, unfortunately that adds some obvious problems too :I
"you were only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
Originally posted by Panky
Unfortunately no one has yet come up with a solution for the middle front seat, apart from a lap-belt.
There is an easy solution, fit a harness bar across the van, unfortunately that adds some obvious problems too :I
"you were only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
as for the middle front seat why cant it be installed like in the back of some modern cars of even the same way as in the front of a transit ,where the belt is secured or fixed down to the floor behind the seat and then also has a roof mounting as well, which you pull down and click it into your catch peice as normal.[?]
Big Bad Woolf
Big Bad Woolf
The middle seat with a roof mounted seatbelt loop is something I've got in mind. With our Hunny currently at Woolfy's being wonderfully restored, now's the time for any additional strengthening the roof may need for this - we may have a slight advantage with our hi-top roof as this will hide any plating rather nicely
I'm just waiting for slightly warmer weather for a trawl around our locals scrappies to suss out the possibilities and options ...
Once I find out more I'll post my findings - but if anybody gets there first I'll certainly appreciate the favour
'Hunny' our Commer Hi-Tor by TorCars
I'm just waiting for slightly warmer weather for a trawl around our locals scrappies to suss out the possibilities and options ...
Once I find out more I'll post my findings - but if anybody gets there first I'll certainly appreciate the favour
'Hunny' our Commer Hi-Tor by TorCars
Reading through this has made me a wee thankfull that our interior was chopped about to make the layout different. Bex and i much prefer the original layout, but it does mean that fitting rear seatbelts are a problem. With our bench seat now facing forwards it was able to have belts fitted easier. I'm liking our layout now ;-)
Real shame Radar, but i'm sure they will come out of the woodwork more now that the season is back in view.
Real shame Radar, but i'm sure they will come out of the woodwork more now that the season is back in view.