Health Check Report

After an anxious week's wait we have the health check report, courtesy of Dr Keith. The general prognosis is good. The car drives well and appears to be both mechanically and structurally sound. Phew! However, a few ailments are in need of treatment:

• Front side light not working
• Reversing lights not working
• Windscreen wiper blades hanging in shreds
• Spare wheel is punctured
• Rear brake pads are down to the metal
• Rear silencer is blown apart like an "exploded oil drum"!

Apart from that we seem to have found ourselves a sound little motor.

So as soon as we can identify a suitable "silencer" donor, the medical team will carry out some compatability tests and prepare the patient for some delicate transplant surgery. The last thing we want is a case of donor rejection half way up the Pyrenees.

...And Here She Is...

The emotional moment when Murf, our new friend in Derby, shed a tear as he waved goodbye to his trusty workhorse and handed over the keys to our newly acquired Barcelona Banger. Murf is on the right of the picture handing the keys to Paul. What a beastie (the Beemer, not Paul). Two tons of precision German engineering that cost a measly £19,750 when bought from new in 1993 has just changed hands for a whopping £198. Depreciation? What depreciation.

Murf very kindly also made a generous donation to our sponsorship fund. Many thanks for that - it is greatly appreciated. Details of our chosen charity, MapAction, and how you can donate will be published shortly.

The drive home was uneventful, the car handled very well, no worrying knocks or whines, temperature gauge steady all the way. Amazingly all electric windows and sunroof (oh yes, what luxury) work. Even the original BMW toolkit and first-aid kit are still present and intact. And the fully functional in car "hi-fi" ALMOST managed to drown out the noise from the broken silencer!

So the first hurdle is over. With some gentle nursing Chris managed to coax the car to its new base in Southport. With the first 100 miles done, the car will now "enjoy" a few weeks of TLC while it is prepared for it's 1,500 mile run to Barcelona. The first port of call is an appointment for a checkup with Dr Keith "the spanner" sometime next week. Watch this space for the health-check report...

Time for the Pick-up

After two weeks of waiting we've finally got confirmation from our new friend in Derby that the car is ready for collection. Tomorrow is the day that we descend on the east midlands, laden with cartons of water and budget engine oil, in the hope that LWT will have enough life in her to get Chris the 100 miles back to Southport.

To say that we're excited is an gross understatement.

Chris is so keen that he collected our new interior from Shrewsbury two days ago (thanks to a very generous e-bayer) and has been carrying it around the south of England in his now eight-seater Volkswagen Golf.

There is nothing quite like collecting a new car...even if it is an old car!

Full critical appraisal of the cars Barcelona chances later, providing she makes it back to Southport.

Travel Preparations

With over 60 teams taking part in the run it was important to get in there early and “bag” the cheapest beds available at each of the planned overnight stops. So in a demonstration of faith, I can confirm that the rooms for Team 24 have now been booked for our stopovers in Calais, Nantes, Toulouse and the final night in Barcelona. Of course we will make it all the way.

Did I say rooms? Perhaps I should have said the room at each location – sorry Paul; you are sleeping in the car! After all, we are keen to keep costs to a minimum.

Do you think we will be able to earn Ibis Reward Points?

Money Spent - Goods Awaited

Well...that's it.

The filthy lucre has been handed over to our new friend in Derbyshire, courtesy of PayPal, while he still awaits the V5 back from the DVLA.

Risky...you may say, but not as risky as turning up to the Normanton district of Derby with a fist full of tenners!

The seller seems like a nice bloke so we're not in any fear (and PayPal guarantee any transaction on e-bay anyway). So now we're just sitting by the phone and waiting for the 'come and get me' call!

We seem to have also secured a couple of new front seats for the chariot (see picture below for the sad and sorry state of the current incumbents), once again via e-bay, and Mr Nelson has to arrange to collect these from somewhere in Shropshire. It seems that I'm doing all the work on the Internet and then sending Chris running around the country like a headless chicken.

About our Wheels

A dark late weekday night, the nervousness of a live auction, last minute bids flying in from across the country. Don't you just love e-bay?

A five to midnight last night we secured our sturdy (to be confirmed) chariot for the epic journey. She's a 1993 'L-plate' BMW 518iSE in British Racing Green with a measly 191,000 on the clock (not validated or warranted). She needs a bit of exhaust welding, a good oil and filter change, and perhaps a couple of seat covers, but she's all ours!

Okay so it sounds a lot of miles but after doing the equivalent of 7.67 circumnavigations of the Earth, a 1,500 mile jaunt to Barcelona should be a breeze, after all she's done that journey the equivalent of 130 times already in her short life!

And here she is (courtesy of her current owner), only the fifth registered keeper!



How much did we pay for the little beauty? Just £198.00. That's right, under £200 for a piece of precision German engineering.

We're just awaiting the seller getting a copy of the V5 Registration Document which he lost and then we'll be going to collect her from her current home in Derbyshire.

What's this all about then?

Welcome to the blog of two Burly Bald Blokes in a Banger Beemer who are Barcelona Bound, we're doing exactly what the title says!

In the middle of 2008 we spotted something on e-bay. It was the chance to enter 'Bangers to Barcelona', a driving endurance test from Calais all the way down the beautiful west coast of France, inland through Toulouse, along the Pyrenees and then dropping into fabulous Barcelona on the east coast of Spain.

And the catch to this great sounding little jaunt? We have to make the trip in a car that we've paid less than £200 for!

Bearing in mind that we are starting from the Nelson residence in Southport (Mrs Nelson has graciously agreed to shelter our banger on her driveway), this is a journey of just short of 1,500 miles.

Oh, and by the way, we're trying to raise as much as we can for a great charity, MapAction, but more about them and how you can help later.

Keep checking back for regular updates.