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Bargain hunters
Page 70
Page 71
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If you're after a used 4x2 for Continental work M's classified section is the obvious place to look. Armed with a budget of around £10,000 we went shopping. Here's what we found...
there's more freedom, and you are regarded as a king of the road rather than the scum of the earth.
But making money on Continent work means being canny with your costs. Chief among these, although not often factored into things, is depreciation. So why not cut out depreciation and buy a used truck? We've scanned CM's linage ads for £10,000 worth of 4x2 tractor.
Our first call with Daf being at the front of the alphabet in the absence of any Atkinsons is to an international operator based in Poole who's cutting back his fleet. He's selling an Mreg left-hand-drive Daf 95 with the Super Space Cab for £7,500. It's in good nick, with only a little rust round the doors and only needs new cab mountings, which is hardly a big job. There's more than a million kilometres on the clock but it has 10 months to run on its MoT. Our only concern is the 500hp Cummins engine's thirst but with lower fuel prices on the Continent this would be less of a problem than tramping up and down the UK.
Too rich for our blood
The same operator is selling a nice R-reg Volvo FH12 Globetrotter XL with 12 months' MoT. It comes equipped with 1,100litre fuel tanks and looks sound — shame it's beyond our price range at £16,500.
But that £10,000 limit brings a brace of Renault Magnums within our reach.The first, a 1998 Magnum 430 with air-con, fridge, 1,650-litre tanks and an MoT till March is up for £8,500. But when we phone at lunchtime on Thursday it's already sold.
It's the same story with the second Magnum. A 1998 S-reg Magnum 430, it has an MoT and Reduced Pollution Certificate until June, and is on offer at £8,000.The moral is, if you want a used Magnum you have to be quick.
Our next call, to an operator selling a Scania R113-360 with a double bunk,is more fruitful — it hasn't yet been sold. Registered in 1995, the blue Streamline 4x2 has only had two owners. It's plated at 31 tonnes but replating is simple enough.
The current owner reckons it's only done about 20,000 miles a year for the past few years, and would have covered about 500,000 miles M its lifetime. The actual mileage isn't clear as it's had a few new tachos over the years. It's a clean, tidy truck which has been no trouble. A new fifth wheel with airoperated slider was fitted just over three years ago. Taxed and tested until November, it's on the market for £6250. Right next to this ad we spotted our next target: another 1995 Scania R113 sleepercabbed Streamline in good condition.This example has the bigger (380hp) engine and 450,000 miles on the clock.Tested until December. it has good tyres, drives well and it could be ours forf5,250.
It's another FH12
On the opposite page our eye was caught by a tidy 1996 lefthand-drive Volvo FH12 420 with the Globetrotter XL cab and CD trim.The owner, who's had it for two years, says it's been doing light work on the Continent, and although it's nominally a 420hp engine it's been chipped to produce 480hp for a bit more grunt up the Alps.
This FH12 is well set up for Continental work, with 1,600-litre fuel tanks, and driver comforts such as a CD player and air-con and air suspension all round.
With 830,000km under its belt, it drives well and has been little trouble for its current owner, who has had it serviced every six weeks. At the last service it was treated to a new alternator. tacho and front airbag. Sounds great, and while it's out of our price range — the seller says he's looking for £13,000— that's a lot of truck for the money. •