Best way to get a donor car home???

[leeparkes]

Ive seen a few cars that would be perfect for my conversion but the problem is they are quite far away,plus the majority of them have no tax/mot so cant really be driven home.

would i be legal if i towed it home?
how have you guys done it?
all comments welcome

Thanks!

[bodger]

no tax and mot means it needs to be trailored really, unless you book it in for an mot at your local mot station

[magpie]

i have a good m8 with a breakdown truck.[mates rates].
i'm lucky here .
i'd not risk anything that will result in penalty points on my clean liscense though.
a rigid bar may cover the red tape but i've never asked or used one yet but they are cheap enough.

[leeparkes]

I can book it in for an MOT,
but what if i have to travel 100 miles?

[Morat]

Distance doesn't matter, but you could still get a fine/points if the car isn't roadworthy. Check you insurance too!

[DanThe]

I can book it in for an MOT,
but what if i have to travel 100 miles?

They are not stupid, they will still f*ck you over if possible, we are talking about police here remember....

[mattsbmw]

Trailer is the only legal way, if you can legally tow the trailer.

[Alex]

helicopter

[fuzzy]

how fooked is the car and how far are you travelling? getting caught driving a non taxed and mot car wont result in penalty points unless the car is unroadworthy . possibly a couple of fixed penalties of £60 each but if your insurance doesnt cover you, some policies do, then no insurance is usually 6 points plus. best and safest option is a trailer hire or recovery.

[leeparkes]

how fooked is the car and how far are you travelling? getting caught driving a non taxed and mot car wont result in penalty points unless the car is unroadworthy . possibly a couple of fixed penalties of £60 each but if your insurance doesnt cover you, some policies do, then no insurance is usually 6 points plus. best and safest option is a trailer hire or recovery.

I havent chose a car but all the cars im interested in dont have tax/test,

do recovery firms charge by the mile? if so how much?

[leeparkes]

Whats the score with towing it with a bar?
does the car being towed have to be legal (t&t)

[fuzzy]

cheapest option would be a days hire on a trailer id expect. recovery firms do charge by the mile . i cant remember an average cost as its been a while since i used one.
someone told me if towing with a bar the car doesnt have to be T+T as its classed as a trailer. i dont know if thats totally true though.

[DanThe]

Its not true, if a car being towed has to be steered it is not classed as a trailer so needs to have tax mot and insurance

[leeparkes]

Trailer is the only legal way, if you can legally tow the trailer.

Legally tow a trailer?

[jimmyspeed]

yeah those born after a certain year cannot tow a trailer legally - those old farts who have greys and wrinkles can !!!!!

one advantage to being old

[DanThe]

You need to have the correct entitlements on your licence for towing

[madaboutthe30]

How about using trader plates?

It covers road tax, insurance and mot, or am I mistaken??

[jimmyspeed]

http://www.autow.co.uk/smmt/trailer_res ... cence.aspx

[leeparkes]

yeah those born after a certain year cannot tow a trailer legally - those old farts who have greys and wrinkles can !!!!!

one advantage to being old

Im 35,

do you know what the certain year is?

[fuzzy]

im 38 and my licence from 94 entitles me to drive upto a 7.5 ton or 16 seat minibus with trailer.

[h7fal]

What about buy the car, ensure it won't start then phone the AA to tow you home. Job done....

[jbh]

What about buy the car, ensure it won't start then phone the AA to tow you home. Job done....

the AA wont lift a car thats not taxed

[h7fal]

What about buy the car, ensure it won't start then phone the AA to tow you home. Job done....

the AA wont lift a car thats not taxed

Do they run a central check? I've never noticed an AA mechanic check tax discs before. Could you not just stick your existing disc in the window - it's unlikely the reg would be spotted.

[barryj]

What about buy the car, ensure it won't start then phone the AA to tow you home. Job done....

the AA wont lift a car thats not taxed

I don't know about that, I had a Porshce 944 lifted by them that had not tax. They even let me book a time that I wanted them to pick it up, very helpfull.

[leeparkes]

Been looking at these.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CAR-RECOVERY-A-FR ... dZViewItem

buy it,
use it,
then e-bay it!

anyone used one?

[DanThe]

yeah those born after a certain year cannot tow a trailer legally - those old farts who have greys and wrinkles can !!!!!

one advantage to being old

Im 35,

do you know what the certain year is?

You get 'grandad rights' then
Its 1997, if you passed your test before then you can tow a combined weight of up to about 8 tons

Trade plates are for road tax only

[mattsbmw]

yeah those born after a certain year cannot tow a trailer legally - those old farts who have greys and wrinkles can !!!!!

one advantage to being old

Im 35,

do you know what the certain year is?

You will be ok as it is after 1997, basically if you passed your test after that date the combined weight of trailer and car must be under 3500KG which is a bit daft because i could legally tow caravan with an estate car bit not a range rover, to me there is no difference, but the rules are the rules

[leeparkes]

Been looking at these.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CAR-RECOVERY-A-FR ... dZViewItem

buy it,
use it,
then e-bay it!

anyone used one?

Anyone?

[Joeey]

I have a trailer you could hire though I live in Leicester so other side of the mids to you. It's a twin axle with brakes and suspension on both axles.

Those towing a-frames are for recovery only not for moving cars in general, just something to bear in mind if you get pulled. They are also classed as an unbraked trailer so you'd need something with a large towing capacity to pull it.

Saying that I tow my E30 on my trailer with a weezsy 1.8 406 lol.

[leeparkes]

I have a trailer you could hire though I live in Leicester so other side of the mids to you. It's a twin axle with brakes and suspension on both axles.

Those towing a-frames are for recovery only not for moving cars in general, just something to bear in mind if you get pulled. They are also classed as an unbraked trailer so you'd need something with a large towing capacity to pull it.

Saying that I tow my E30 on my trailer with a weezsy 1.8 406 lol.

Thanks,ill keep you in mind

[zimmer-320i]

nice merc on that ebay item

[DanThe]

nice merc on that ebay item

You seem more and more like clarkson every day.....

[cecotto479]

AIUI it depend on the type of towing dolly.

Effectively what they do is, as you say, turn the towed vehicle into a trailer, so, the tax, test and insurance of the towing vehicle covers it.

However, 99% of them are illegal. Nothing to do with tax or test or insurance, but a trailer weighing over 750 kg must have its own independent braking system. Some of the professional ones that lift one pair of wheels on to a sort of spec frame affair do have standard trailer overrrun brakes and I have seen a tow pole with a Heath Robinson cable affair operating the brakes on the towed vehicle, but mostly they just bolt on and go - so unless you're towing a Reliant Robin or a Smart, then you'll almost certainly be illegal.

If somebody sits in the towed vehicle to operate the brakes or steering, then I think you are into the area where you may need tax, test and insurance for both, because the towed vehicle then has independent control of its motion.

If your licence is later than 1997, you cannot tow more than 750 kg or 3500kg train weight without sitting a test.

Towing dollies and A frames are dubious - see above.

Trailer hire can be £45 per day, but make sure you get everything to get it on and secure it on.

Recovery or transport firms will charge about £1 per mile one way.

Let me know where from and where to and I'll give you a quote so that you can compare.

Beware illegal Recovery lorries transporting too.

[daimlerman]

Cannot recommend the Machine Mart solid tow bar,lasted us 800yards before the wife swerved the towed car and rammed the towing car.... that's why my project touring needed a replacement front valance Good time to tow a project home is Sunday morning,roads are quiet and plod are still asleep You can always try to convince them that the towed car has 'just broken down,offisher..' Honestly,your best way is to hire a trailer. If you need a boring old fart to help you out,I am on holiday all next week!!

[v_nitro]

I just had a quote for an open car transport to take my e30 65 miles from home, swap with another car there and come back. £110 +VAT which i think is very reasonable.