How did you manage to insure it?
“Do not panic, student driver”
Automation UK tour 2018
1 Like
I took my road test in a Volvo, it looked something like this:
Not the same truck, but similar looking. 12.7 liter engine and an Eaton Fuller 8 speed with a granny gear. I used another one for my classes which had a 14 liter engine and a Rockwell 10 speed in it. (And those trucks did say “Student Driver”)
2 Likes
We’ll have to decide on a name through poll at some point 
and yes there will be a big trip in it but maybe not for a while
Insurance was £350 for the whole year which also allows anyone over 25 to drive it and comes with breakdown cover
Better than my first quote of £1400 without all of that
1 Like
No there is no decision to be made surely, Vengabus has been declared.
1 Like
I was going to call it the Bang Bus but Vengabus it is 
*anyone over 25 on the public roads provided they hold a full Category D license 
Have a picture someone I know took on it’s last day out and about doing Christmas Eve rail replacement, awesome picture it is
+100 points for the advert
6 Likes
Brick styling… check.
Loads of space… check.
RWD… check.
I6 diesel… check.
Well, it seems you’ve bought a classic reasonable Volvo 
7 Likes
And don’t forget the safety.
When the bus hits a car, it explodes, and the bus remains intact? Check!
1 Like
Oh no! chav-driving on slot!
Ok honeslty, I think this is really cool and something else. But what do you do with a bus? (this is probably the 1389th time someone asks you this already)
I´d like to have a semi truck just for the lolz but I suppose I´m never actually going to do it. You did something similar and I´m just curious.
I cannot think of anything to do with that except for a road trip and a camper conversion. Where do you even park it? 
I will be taking it to bus shows and will occasionally use it for other things (they are great for fetching things that cars can’t carry
It will be stored at a local museum along with other preserved buses
Quick update since I’m typing this out guys! The fleet manager has turned around and said that they can’t give me the tyres on the bus so my mate is really fighting them to change their mind so as of now it’s still sat waiting 
Other possibilities include tour bus and party bus. The latter are quite popular here in the Lake Country, Wisconsin, USA area. They take people bar hopping or to sporting events. No DUI worries, and tailgating out of a bus is extra fun.
as much as I’d love to run services in it I’m not allowed by law, would need a class 6 MOT (this has class 5) and I would need an operators license which requires me to be 25 and it’s £4,000 
think I’ll just use it for my own fun
1 Like
So quick update! Got her home and cleaned the bus up a bit! Next step is getting it to the MOT place
11 Likes
So she finally went for her MOT the other day! Passed with 1 advisory on a bit of rust, wire brush, treatment and a rattle can of black spray will sort that
Will finally be taking it for a run later on, gotta clear the cobwebs and see how much diesel is left (that bit I’m not looking forward to)
Video possibly coming soon along with a to do list
17 Likes
So updates, I think it’s about time lol
First the bus
So what have I done? A bit of waterproofing and that it hehe got more time over the next couple of weeks to do some cleaning
So I’ve bought a ticket machine and am sorting a lock of the emergency exit to prevent bus veg from gaining access
It’s also been out and about so here are some pictures
Not much has changed with the Alfa,
Got some new front brakes for her but haven’t yet fitted them
8 Likes
A lot has happened since I last posted! Unfortunately I left my job at First leaving me unemployed for a good 3 months! In which time I sadly had to sell the bus as the gearbox went and the fuel tank perished! And unfortunately recently I wrote off the 159 being a bit of an idiot oops
Luckily recently my boss was selling a fairly decent Mercedes, I thought screw it time to take a risk! So without ever driving the car and only seeing pictures I went ahead and bought myself a 2003 Mercedes CLK200 Cabriolet Kompressor Avantgarde
For a 17 year old car I’m amazed nearly everything works flawlessly! Only problem is an SRS Restraint error but that seems to be down to a seat sensor! For something that has done 104K miles its held up pretty nicely! Gearbox still shifts like butter and even the roof is completely leak free!
I thought it was time for an update! RIP 159 you were an incredibly flawed car with a careless owner 
Sadly she picked a fight with a Vodaphone Broadband Cabinet and lost
6 Likes
The CLK is more head than heart on paper, but it is something the 159 couldn’t have been - a rear-drive convertible. I thought that Mercs of this era were not as well-built in general, but this one could well turn out to be an exception.