Alas the Toyota Townace Super Extra has gone...My car/van/bus with many superlatives within its title has been towed to the scrap yard.
It was a stormy February night when I drove it back from Ding Dong and I was chuffed to bits, if a little hot from the heating being up full whack, and not being able to find the controls. My luck with this vehicle had been tainted from the start, just one day after purchasing the Townace, a lady reversed into the front and smashed the whole bonnet.
It wasn't long after that, possibly a fortnight when it started to over heat. But that's o.k I thought, I'll do as the Ebayer said and change the Thermostat, which worked for about another fortnight. Apparently, I've since learnt, a common problem with this make, leading to the head gasket splitting. Great.
I drove the kids to Portland, and it took us about eight hours, a journey that would usually take about four, all the way stopping and lifting up the front seat to let it let off steam! I risked the journey back. Well twenty minutes into the journey and I approached a very steep hill, I wouldn't have been to bothered had a very shiney new Mercedes not driven up my arse. Lets just say I got a third of the way up before the whole van filled with steam...I was then left to wait for four hours for a lift home, thanks to the RAC.
Had the exhaust not fallen off the week before our trip, I probably would have been swayed towards fixing it. 'Still' I thought to myself "someone may want it". Nope. "Perhaps I could sell it to Japanese Spares". Nope. "Well I can at least get the stereo out?" No, even that snapped in half.
So farewell you expensive waste of time and money, I loved you and hated you in just eight weeks. And with this lesson on motors learnt, I shall leave you with the wise words of my Dad.....'Buy cheap, buy twice'
