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That's a 280SL isn't it? Love those.

Could you get one for £2k though?

If only... In fact you won't find any SL of any era for £2k but you can find* usable *W123 CE coupes for that kind of money. Plenty of new age fun with a vintage feel to be had here: http://pistonheads.com/classifieds/2047174.htm

Do not buy a Cherokee.
Fuck, I had one as a company car for two years and it was atrocious.

Was this an XJ or one of the newer models? My recommendation extends only to this model as everything made after was a piece of shit. The XJ is still quite agricultural despite the leather interior, cruise control, AC etc so don't expect it to handle like a Range Rover Sport but that's part of the charm, much like a Land Rover Defender but loads cheaper whilst having better road manners. Should you ever need to take one off road you'll find them rather capable too.

LPG pops up at larger petrol stations, Shell and BP especially once you hit the motorway and Sainsburys forecourts tend to sell it at their larger stores. Should still be under 70p/litre. Other than that, some gas centres have a pump and it will be cheaper. The duel fuel setup means you'll start the car on petrol and once taken above a certain RPM it automatically switches over to gas. You can flick the switch to run it on petrol though.

For two grand I can sell you my Z3. OK for two people. Reliable and easier on petrol than my Scenic.
I've never ever repaired anything since 1996 apart from changing oil and fitting new brake pads/discs.
it needs a respray, though.
Generally, whatever people say, old BMWs without too much electronics never brake down and the engine goes for ever. Tax and insurance is just unfair.

Apart from the odd nikasil incident during the 90s I concur. I'm on my fifth BMW now and decided that I'm keeping this one forever. With an open mind to a bit of DIY and a few quid extra on insurance they can be run on Ford Fiesta money whilst offering a rewarding drive.

To address the OP I'd seriously consider something like a facelifted Jeep Cherokee (97-01)converted to LPG. They're cheap to pick up and can be found for well under budget and I consider them to be a 'classless' vehicle but look perfectly respectable and have all mod cons and plenty of space to lug around equipment. LPG is pretty much half the price of unleaded and cleaner to boot. (Calor Centre in Bow is cheaper than a forecourt). OK, the thought of owning a 4x4 might blow your mind but these XJs are really quite compact and have smaller dimensions than your average MPV.

I got one for the OH as she goes to pony club and brings it back each weekend covered in mud but she trundles down to Devon every few weeks in quite happily with her surf board on the roof. I've changed the plugs and oil a couple of times but otherwise asks for nothing. It's pretty agricultural under the hood, low tech for win.

Something a bit like this will do: http://tiny.cc/cx7lo

Oh and they already come with roof bars so bike racks can bolt straight on and the duel fuel thing gives us a discount on the parking permit.

wpo750
lever on its way to you (envelope decorated by my 4 year old daughter just incase you think i've gone mental)

saddle still available

Thanks, received today. Best packaging ever btw. Your daughter shows much artistic promise. Entertained the the postman.

Prov dibs on the Condor track. PM coming

Did it myself.
Lots of rubbing either with a drill, and various wiry spinning attachments, or with wet or dry.
Tiny bits of body filler to cure scratches here and there, loads more rubbing with wet or dry,
4x coats of primer, more finer grade wet or dry, 3-4 coats of Rover Tara green spray paint, more even finer wet or dry and then 3-4 coats of clearcoat. Ta Da!

That looks like a pretty good job. Have you wet sanded or used a compound to cut back the clearcoat for a shiny shine? I've thought about a DIY respray in the past but wasn't sure if I could get a good finish, especially around the stays at the ST and BB.

Dibs dirty harry, PM coming.

600 quid for that??? Considering the OTP alternatives or what you could build for that kind of money I find that insulting. Even if that it supposed to appeal to well heeled, lesser informed individuals it's got to at least look convincing. And are those stumpy schrader valves barely poking through those mismatched rims?

I'm glad to hear she's on the mend. Hope she makes a swift recovery.

fluff was telling me only yesterday about this thing that called Magic Sponge, for THIS VERY PROBLEM. Spooky. It's a sponge. But magic.

A major scale +1 for the magic sponge. It's essentially a very mild abrasive and I've taken to cleaning everything with them. It makes leather stuff like grips, saddles, steering wheels, whatever, look brand spanking.

This will do: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-Pack-5-Magic-Cleaning-Sponges-Dirt-Eraser-/120628198510?pt=UK_HomeGarden_CLV_Cleaning_CA&hash=item1c16003c6e

I need a RH brake lever to finish off my conversion. Something like a Dirty Harry or a cyclocross lever (ideally in silver) would be spot on.

Also I'm after a straight silver handle bar to fit into an early 80s Cinelli quill stem. TBH I need to check the clamp size as reading Sheldon Brown's site suggests that it could be 26.4mm which would complicate things a little. Anyway, if anyone more in the know than I has anything to fit, let me know!

Thanks

Nice piece of kit. Do you know what year this bike is and is the 600 groupo factory fit?

Dibs, pm on it's way.

Does the Dodici have a braking surface?

^^^Subtle

PM on it's way

3rd dibs on the camera

Hmm, I too made a tiny ashtray but the crank did pull off in the process. Stack a couple together if you can't find a suitably sized bolt?

I really shouldn't but I'm considering these. 2nd dibs. PM on the way...

I've used a 5 pence piece in the past (or maybe it was a foreign coin of similar size?) with a standard crank puller to remove ISIS cranks.

2nd dibs on the Rolls.

I'll dibs the Thomson if it hasn't already gone.

I've got too many gears but the Speccy is being fed through ebay piece by piece to make space for the fixie which now hangs in its place.

The Francesco Moser I've had for a few years now but I've never managed to identify which model it actually is. Columbus SL (I believe) + Shimano 600 12 speed group which almost looks a bit too new for the frame.

Nice. What's Columbus CrMo strada equivalent to in terms of Reynolds?

No I'm not, would quite like to see one in the flesh though mate, can you stick some pictures up once it turns up?

I'm going to dwell on this one for a little while longer and see what other options there are to be had from across the pond. If anything I may try and get it ground shipped to someone in the US for gratis and work out my own courier costs from there whilst being sneaky beaky in the process.