One of the things I promised myself I’d do during my sabbatical was write more blog posts. But… as the days went on, I found I was very much enjoying not being anywhere near a computer.

Now I find myself back on the laptop - with an urge to write up some sabbatical stories. Like this one.

Another car Steve? Isn’t that a couple too many for a city dweller? And the answer is very probably. But. Our daily driver 2cv (and it’s really NOT a daily driver - we live in a city - the 2cv is more for weekend adventures…) is subject to the ULEZ charge… which, I guess is broadly fine…

I mean, it’s mildly annoying that our 2cv is mechanically identical to one from 1982 - only a car from 1982 would be ULEZ exempt already. We’ve got a lot of years to wait before our 1989 car turns 40, and becomes exempt.

Similarly my brother owns an air cooled carbureted 900cc Triumph - which is ULEZ exempt based on the N0x level on the V5 registration document, so it seems reasonable to assume our 2cv might just about almost meet the ULEZ emission standards. But unlike on a motorbike you can’t get a car emissions tested to see… - and I suppose motorbikes have to meet the Euro 3 emission standard - cars need to meet Euro 4 so perhaps it doesn’t matter anyway.

BUT - the thing is - I’m not massively anti-ULEZ - I don’t stomp around chopping down cameras or anything. It’s an active encouragement to drive less… and when I do drive the 2cv - I’m sending cash to poor old cash strapped Transport for London. Plus - the daily £12.50 charge is still less than a couple of train tickets if we were to take a train to visit the inlaws in Sidcup rather than driving…

But it’s not just the ULEZ angle. Our 2cv is 34 years old. It’s slow, it’s noisy, it’s cold in the winter. And all these things are part of its charm, and I still love driving it… but sometimes you just want a car as an appliance. Something that’ll just take you where to do with a minimum of fuss. And that you’re not too fussed about if you scratch or dent it.

Plus - with a sabbatical coming up, a car for trips to the tip, the shops and general errands felt like a good idea.

But what to buy? I had a hankering for a petrol Citroen Berlingo… because it’s really a van with seats, so super practical. Doing my research I found this video on the internet, where my mate Ian (Hubnut) did a comparison between the Berlingo and the Renault Kangoo.

And oooh - I’d never considered a Renault Kangoo - but it’s effectively the same thing - a van pretending to be a car, only not a Citroen.

And I found one that looked pretty decent on eBay, just up the road in Ilford. Messaged the seller. And nothing…

…in the interim, my missus spotted that a friend on Facebook was selling his petrol Berlingo. And in a bizarre twist of fate, it was the same car featured in that YouTube video… so a quick messenger chat later I’d agreed to buy a car/van.

A famous van off the internets…

A price was agreed, money was transferred… and then it was time to hop on a train to go and collect it from “the North”

Another interesting ULEZ side effect, is that all compliant petrol cars in the South East seem to have jumped in price by a few hundred quid - so spending £40 on a train ticket and a tank of petrol buying a car from Derbyshire made a lot of sense.

Plus - sabbatical adventures! A fast train to Derby, then a much slower train to Cromford, where I was picked up in, er, my new car. It was a little scruffier in person - but then so I am. But the underlying car was sound and solid - with a recent cambelt change under its, er, belt - and less than 100K miles on the clock.

It was odd re-learning how to drive a “normal” car - and I’m still struggling with the lack of low down torque/flywheel mass - lots more clutch slip is required than in the diesel cars I’m more used to. It’s quick for a sensible old man car though. It’s the same 1.6 16v engine used in the Citroen Saxo VTS - a car much beloved by boy (and girl) racers.

Niggles?

Yeah? But not many. The wipers were squeaky. This sounds trivial, but on a long drive anywhere with a constant squeak squeak squeak… ugh - annoying. But resolved by a trip to my local EuroCarParts - where Valeo branded wipers were purchased for £2.75 (!) each. (A lot less than 2cv wipers…)

The washer pump wasn’t working. Initially I chalked this up to low/no fluid. But on filling the system - I had a working pump - but not enough pressure to properly wash the screen. Normally I’d just live with this, and worry about it nearer MOT time - but at this time of year, with rain and spray and sludge, having the abilty to clear the screen is important. But again, on a “modern’ (ish) car - a replacement pump was mine for just over a tenner on Amazon - and it took me about an hour to fit with the help of the YouTube video below.

The rear loudspeakers were distorting, as the internal cones had disintegrated. The previous owner had “solved” the problem by sending all audio to the front speakers. I threw some cash at the problem, and bought some replacements for £20 on Amazon. That didn’t quite fit… but some slightly longer screws came to my rescue, and now the audio sounds much much better…

The only other thing missing is the rear boot trim - and I’ve managed to blag from of that from a friend who’s just scrapped his Berlingo.

With those minor issues sorted, I’m very much enjoying that Berlingo experience. It manages to feel huge on the inside, with lots of storage compartments and a massive boot… but on the outside it’s not really any bigger than a VW Golf of a Ford Focus. With the benefit of hindsight, this is absolutely what I should have bought instead of my Citroen Xantias back in the day. Even Jeremy Clarkson likes Berlingos…

The big question is… do we take the Berlingo to the International Citroen event in Poland this summer - or do we take something less practical and more fun like the 2cv. Or even my 1973 2cv van?

Decisions decisions…

Equally - I’m really tempted by one of the many micro camper conversions available for the Berlingo, but suspect I’ll stick with the old school method of throwing a ton of regular camping stuff into the back instead…

It should also mean I’ve got more time to work on other project vehicles, as the Berlingo should “just work” - we’ll see how that pans out, but washer pump aside, so far so good…