Many years ago I bought an old MK1 Escort up in Tottenham (*), it was red (this is relevant.) After a few weeks work it was finished and now had a 3.0l V6 Essex engine it it but still looked like a tatty old Escort but went really rather rapid. At the time I was commuting between Brentwood and Cockfosters, taking the M25 and it was a very rainy evening and the electrics weren't exactly waterproof and it stuttered to a stop in the tunnel just after the M11. I waited a couple of minutes and started it up again but in that time, the police landrover which was stopped on the hard shoulder a few hundred meters in front of me had reversed back and the conversation went something like this (after ownership and papers was agreed on):
PO - "Could you open the engine please?"
Me - Gulp, "Certainly"
PO - "That doesn't look like an 1100 engine"
Me - "Nope, I'm just finishing off the project, as you can see its a 3.0l V6"
PO - "I bet thats quite rapid. Where's the bumpers?"
Me - "This weekend, I've got some of those quarter bumpers off a MK1 Escort van. They look better."
PO - "Could you please open the boot?"
Me - "Certainly"
PO - "Ah, that explains something. The purple colour inside the boot. Its just that this car is registered as a purple 1100 Talbot Horizon."
Me - Dodgy Tottenham *******!!!
- Visitors can check out the Forum FAQ by clicking this link. You have to register before you can post: click the REGISTER link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. View our Forum Privacy Policy.
- Want to receive the latest contracting news and advice straight to your inbox? Sign up to the ContractorUK newsletter here. Every sign up will also be entered into a draw to WIN £100 Amazon vouchers!
Reply to: Anyone got an old Escort?
Collapse
You are not logged in or you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:
- You are not logged in. If you are already registered, fill in the form below to log in, or follow the "Sign Up" link to register a new account.
- You may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
- If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.
Logging in...
Previously on "Anyone got an old Escort?"
Collapse
-
We've had the Ford Escort and the Ford Fiesta.
When are they going to complete the set and give us the Ford Razzle??
Leave a comment:
-
Might go for a drive up to the Peak District in my 25-year-old Orion later in the week
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by eek View PostArrive at clientco in fancy car. Someone takes exception to you and no work is forthcoming....
Must have been his general attitude also?
qh
Leave a comment:
-
I had an escort in 1984. My first ever car. It was a mark 1 - 10 years old. Even full of rust it was way stronger than cars built in 1984.
Putting the winscreen wipers on full with lights on would drain the battery.
Leave a comment:
-
I worked with a junior permie who inherited his Mum's 25 year old Mk 1 Escort. He insisted it was as good as a modern car, as it had only done 30,000 miles or something ridiculous, but he had a longish commute and inevitably it wasn't long before he was on first name terms with all the AA patrol men in the area.
Bangernomics: it's great; if you can get something Japanese that is. I thrashed the Primera I bought for £1000 for a number of years often doing 200 miles per day commutes. It was only when I was told that the entire exhaust was rotten that I had to admit defeat.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by eek View PostArrive at clientco in fancy car. Someone takes exception to you and no work is forthcoming....
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by Stevie Wonder Boy View PostOn the other side I've heard a story about a contractor that rocked up to GUS in Liverpool for a new contract with a new porsche and was promptly shown the door.
Leave a comment:
-
When I was a permie engineer, I worked with a contract PM once who was working for a 3rd party that we were doing work for. He came to meet us in our offices and was driving an absolutely ****ed 15 year old Fiat Punto. It had some serious rust issues and sounded like it had next to no exhaust.
Within about 20 minutes of meeting him, he also admitted that he mainly ran it on red diesel. He also tried to get my boss to buy him a holiday in return for business, before he fell out with the end customer and walked off site never to be seen again!
Leave a comment:
-
Mark II Escorts are worth a fortune now. I really wish I had my dads old one that we rebuilt about 35 years ago. They are even in the transport museums.
Nothing would be a cooler ride.
Leave a comment:
- Home
- News & Features
- First Timers
- IR35 / S660 / BN66
- Employee Benefit Trusts
- Agency Workers Regulations
- MSC Legislation
- Limited Companies
- Dividends
- Umbrella Company
- VAT / Flat Rate VAT
- Job News & Guides
- Money News & Guides
- Guide to Contracts
- Successful Contracting
- Contracting Overseas
- Contractor Calculators
- MVL
- Contractor Expenses
Advertisers
Contractor Services
CUK News
- Secondary NI threshold sinking to £5,000: a limited company director’s explainer Dec 24 09:51
- Reeves sets Spring Statement 2025 for March 26th Dec 23 09:18
- Spot the hidden contractor Dec 20 10:43
- Accounting for Contractors Dec 19 15:30
- Chartered Accountants with MarchMutual Dec 19 15:05
- Chartered Accountants with March Mutual Dec 19 15:05
- Chartered Accountants Dec 19 15:05
- Unfairly barred from contracting? Petrofac just paid the price Dec 19 09:43
- An IR35 case law look back: contractor must-knows for 2025-26 Dec 18 09:30
- A contractor’s Autumn Budget financial review Dec 17 10:59
Leave a comment: