Hired one a couple of days ago, a diesel, did around 150 miles on familiar roads.
It had a bit of torque steer unlike rwd Transits of old, but of course a good-as-gold obedient back axle. You only noticed the torque steer in first and second, going hard, anyway. Rather sudden turbo power delivery in those gears too. But the thing smoothed out quite well fast and would obviously have managed 90, although I didn't make it do that. Went much more nicely on a light throttle anyway. And did 38 mpg or something like it.
A bit coarse in the Ford manner, very actually, but an excellent machine and worthy successor to its forebears.
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I hope you perfected the leer and the phwooar and the specific series of toots when passing young maidens there AC, can't let the side down.
Did you perfect the wheelspin right turn too, especially impressive with a stone cold knocking engine, not as good as the axle tramp RWD version but we must work with the tools at hand.
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True enough GB. Copy of a red top fading on the dash, empty McD's wrappers placed carefully in the bottom corners of the windscreen........a passenger sleeping open mouthed and baseball cap adorned in the jump seat....
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Bet you forgot to write''wish my wife was this dirty'' on the back doors.
usually edited by someone else saying ''she is''
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Tue 23 Feb 10 at 21:24
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'Cleaned by the NHS' is one I saw on a Transit this week.
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if my vans a rockin
dont a come a knockin
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A now retired Police Officer friend of mine ( 49 and retired it's just not blinkin' fair ) was being trained as a new recruit by a wise old sergeant on a night time beat around Leith Docks. A professional lady was using a Transit van as her HQ. They spied a gentleman knocking on the back door and after a short period of negotiation he was let in. My friend started to go to interupt and claim his first arrest. The sergeant steadied his arm and advised him to let the fellow have his money's worth first as the situation would then almost certainly unfold in a much calmer manner.
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At the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2007, a fellow named Justin Law drove his rust-tinged G-reg Transit up the hill whilst wearing a hi-vis vest, and with the aforementioned tatty red-tops, paint-spattered transistor radio and sandwiches on the dashboard...
It had the engine and running gear from his written-off 600bhp Jaguar XJ220 underneath. YouTube link here:
bit.ly/apdoId
It set something like 5th fastest time of the weekend, IIRC. The weekend included Enzos, F1 cars, old BTCC cars and Group B rally cars. :-)
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Two things about the hire deal though, from a well-known firm down the back here which I have used many times over the last thirty or so years (my name produced my address on their computer). If one got back after closing time one had to pay for a whole extra day - the fact that the van was there first thing next morning counted for nothing, nice little earner. The other thing was that they told one to leave it in a narrow, busyish road and drop the keys in through the slot, at the same time saying that one was responsible for it until it was back in their hands next morning. Suppose a bus or van or drunk graunched the thing during the night? One could end up feeling very resentful.
Liked the van though. Awful on the way up to speed, if brisk, but then quite nice with a sympathetic foot... and impressively frugal.
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I use a FWD Transit for my work - 07 plate and really like it.
In fact next week when I am going from Glasgow to Hull to Liverpool and back in 2 days, I will be taking the Transit.
Like the driving position, the torque and comfort. Not so keen on the windy up windows though!
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When I first drove a RWD vehicle it was a transit. I'd bought my first car a few months earlier (a Fiesta).
This was 1996 but the Transit was surprisingly (to me) good on the motorway! It was even better on the trip back fully loaded. I surprised myself reversing it into a parking bay outside one of our offices too. Bear in mind I'd previously driven a Fiesta and a Corsa!
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Current Transits are available in both FWD & RWD.
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Ford Transit - Not a bad tool - Runfer D'Hills
