Modern Commer Replacement

[Lazy B'stard]

Catchpole, don't buy a Transit Connect. If its a modern-ish van you want go for the series 1 Vito CDI.  I've had mine 5 years and 80k and it has never missed a beat or broken anything- it gets a hard life too, towing rallycars and spares around the country and its done five 1,600mile round trips to LM. Its fast, comfortable and looks good for a van. You can get a minter for £5k
 Trannies aren't what they were and depreciate like mad. New Vito has poor reliability so avoid.
 Si

[Martini...LB]

 Trannies aren't what they were and depreciate like mad. New Vito has poor reliability so avoid.
 Si

Depends on if they have had a full chop job, or so I am told  Is depreciation ... going down?

>Martini...

[Lazy B'stard]

yep, thats the one, any ideas where they can be bought, errh the answer isn't France, BTW

Catchpole- the number for Centreville is 0191 276 3730
 www.centrevillegarage.com
 Happy hunting!

[Lord Pig-Pen]

The H van or Tubie as it is sometimes called are cool as... My local citroen specialists (brave men) have/had one as a parts hauler. Not seen it for a while but I remember them saying they had a contact in France for spares and project vans. Also some weird facts they told me... the longer the wheelbase, the better the top end and mpg. Something to do with aerodynamics or lack of... not sure if its true but 55mph in a pig arc on wheels should be enough for most people.
If youwant their number PM me and I will pass it on. PP

[Canada Phil]

Staying on topic Will this push it over to 100 pages
Phil

[Andy Zarse]

Staying on topic Will this push it over to 100 pages
Phil

It is my firm opinion, and indeed that of the Commer, that the person who should bring the MCR thread onto Page 100 is the lunatic who started it all - I give you MG Mark!

[mgmark]

Staying on topic Will this push it over to 100 pages
Phil

It is my firm opinion, and indeed that of the Commer, that the person who should bring the MCR thread onto Page 100 is the lunatic who started it all - I give you MG Mark!

Lunatic you say?  Well that's ripe coming from you...... .  Here goes..... 

The Commer, venerated and feared in equal measure, has generated insipration, merriment and wonder to many.  Long may she continue to do so.  The subject matter has strayed and wandered over topics aplenty, from sensible on-topic thoughts, through banter, to bizzare and outlandish suggestions, straying into aviation, wandering into Commer curses and across general chit-chat.   But always the thread returns, like the Commer to its roots, namely, with what you might replace the Commer.  A purely rhetorical qwuestion of course, as she cannot be replaced - ever - and Andy is saddled with being in thrall to her forever more, with the rest of us holding out breath as the annual saga unfolds, culminating in a collective sigh of relief as that year's unofficial ACO poster hits the streets, featuring here ladyship in some form, lifting up her skirts and showing johnny foreigner the way hime at La Sarthe. 

In keeping with the thread, there are plenty of here sisters, brothers and cousins out there - here is but a small selection for your delectation 

Do we know what happens when a thread reaches 100 pages?  Will the server crash?  Will the page count turn to gobbledy-gook?  Will the Commer rescue the dire situation?  Well, I guess we shall see soon enough.....

MG Mark

[mgmark]

Ok, let's see if this one does the trick from a period advert.......ostensibly a happy family situation camping from one's Commer, although the bloke seems to have lucked in with 2 birds along with him.  But he does seem to have the right idea with a beer in hand, whilst they get on and do other useful stuff like walking dogs and children, and preparing the meals.....

MG Mark

[mgmark]

This has got to be getting near to hitting page 100 now.....I'm doing my best here, Andy.  Or will page 99 just last forever.....

Let's see with this one, espousing the Commer as the "faster more ecnomical transport of small parties".  With the dozen bodies shown as having bags of space inside it, I suspect a little artictic licence here, as a dozen bodies crammed inside a Commer might just be a little more cosy, and I imagine that the foot to the floor performance was perhaps a little curtailed..........

MG Mark

[mgmark]

Well there it is    A milestone in the annals of CA.  100 pages of the Commer, from what started as a little bit of banter when she was having a hissy fit because she hadn't been looked after over the winter.  Hasn't she done well - Andy, you need to crack open the bubbly over her bonnet this evening and raise a toast to the old girl    Hurrah and huzzahh!  And here's one to take you right back to the start with the birth of a Commer.....

MG Mark

[Andy Zarse]

Thank you Mark for taking it to 100, a CA first. And thank you for starting the thread in the first place. May I return the complement with something for our friend and ally, the MGA.





High on style! High in spirit! And if I might be so bold as to suggest the owner was High on Tropicoma and Dutch lager!

[mgmark]

Too kind - many thanks - the A lives on in the same spirit as the Commer, although I am now having to be careful over the jealousy factor, now that the missus has an MGF parked on the drive which I ended up spending all day working on yesterday, to the exclusion of the spritely old girl in the garage. 

Not sure about the high on Tropicoma and Dutch lager.  The latter seemed to work outstandingly well without any recourse to the former.  As far as I can remember....

I do like the reference to the "one of a rainbow of brilliant new MG A colour schemes available.  If memory serves me correctly, the following veritable kaleidoscope of "rainbow colours" used originally during the production of the MGA - red, a mid green and a mid blue, powder blue and then eerrmm beige, white, black and battleship grey.... .  Oh, and one gold one which was the 100,000th of the line.  That's why mine went back together in BRG!   

MG Mark

[Steve Pyro]

Ok, let's see if this one does the trick from a period advert.......ostensibly a happy family situation camping from one's Commer, although the bloke seems to have lucked in with 2 birds along with him.  But he does seem to have the right idea with a beer in hand, whilst they get on and do other useful stuff like walking dogs and children, and preparing the meals.....

MG Mark

Having stood up in the dear old Zarse wagon, the woman in that photo must be a midget!

[mgmark]

Whilst we all know that the Commer will never be replaced, as we have reached the milestone of 100 pages it is perhaps time to meander back to the thread title - Modern Commer Replacement - if only briefly.  I seem to remember that some fairly garish Japanese custom vans were suggested on the first pages of the thread.....a bit like this one.......

MG Mark

[Lazy B'stard]

Congratulations to Mark for providing us with this epic thread.
 Here's to the next 100 pages and to the wonder of MB, the green goddess herself- the one and only Commer, gawd bless her and all who sail in her!