24th Jul 2003, 02:22
I agree with the previous comment. These vans are great. You must be sensible in what you want them to do for you. They were never intended for heavy duty work, just light stuff and they are great for parking in tight spots. Regular servicing and the occasional check on levels under the bonnet will keep these nippy wonders serving you faithfully, but you must give something back. I rebuilt my one 6 months ago, it was well abused by previous owners. Now used for mobile d.j. work and is a very trustworthy investment,which will hold its price well against other vans, anyone got a spare nudge bar?
3rd Nov 2003, 16:19
I've only had my 1989 Rascal for a few months, but am well pleased with it. 90k on the clock and a bit sore round the edges. A serious change in circumstances meant I've gone from a Mercedes 308D so was very apprehensive at first. Aside from the weight difference, the only thing I can't get inside the Rascal that I could in the Mercedes is a full sheet of ply. An 8ft x 3ft with the passenger seat down, but not a full one. Cheap to run and insure. Only thing I have been warned about is to make sure the cam belt is changed religiously on time.
19th Jun 2004, 03:29
I've had my little rascal for about 6 months I love it so cute!!I've got a whole spare one if any ones interested good drive every thing works, no tax, offers 07788418232.
26th Jun 2004, 14:00
I paid £300 for a old rascal and I love it. I stuck a sign on the side advertising removals etc and made my money back in a month. Its reliable, cheap, easy to park and I have even slung a mattress in the back and kipped in it by the sea.
If you want 'coolness' then its not for you, but for any other reason it's a winner.
4th Feb 2005, 08:41
I got a rascal not so long ago and I think they are great. I'm only 18 and have wanted one for ages, some people laugh wen they see it, but I just laugh with them. its my little beast. I have a mattress in the back and a couple of bean bags. THE GIRLS LOVE IT...!!!
28th Mar 2006, 06:32
I have owned around 5 rascals in various states of repair, swopped them for all sorts of things.. but missed them like crazy the first time you needed to move something... just picked up a '86 with blown engine.. engine already sourced, for repair... why do I like 'em..if I had to explain you would not understand!!!
9th Jul 2006, 05:09
These vans are great!
Dangerously unstable in high winds and bad weather, but if you drive them sensibly, they will serve you well.
Sure they have their engineering quirks, what machine hasn't, but they are great work horses especially for local business activities.
They are cult!
17th Jul 2006, 18:02
I have had my rascal for two years, paid £60 for and it passed mot first time. Used for work daily and averages 1000 miles per month, problem free. Does anyone know of any 13 inch wheels that fit on rascals, as finding tyres is a pain.thankyou.
20th Jan 2008, 08:16
Great wee vans. I'm on my second one, got for free as part of a deal for another car! Can't keep plug nipples tight in it, feels like a head gasket gone til you tighten them again, but that's about the only problem. I can't believe the bloke before who rolled one at 95mph, mine is ready to throw valves out at 60mph, maybe he was looking at kilometres! I can even sleep quite well in the back and I'm 6ft4!!
7th May 2010, 11:49
Driving one of these is like driving a go cart 3 foot in the air.. awesome stuff.
120 quid for 4 new tyres.
50 quid for a new clutch.
120 quid for road tax.
Fuel consumption not so good.. about 12 quid for a working commute weeks worth of 12 mile round trips (~20p a mile at current 119p per litre prices) in moderate city traffic. Cheaper than the bus though!
Oh and forget crumple zones, air bags or pre tensioning belts.. you need gonads to drive one of these bad boys ;)
28th May 2010, 17:05
Hi all.
We pick up our first Rascal in the morning. Soooooooooooo excited! Have a list ready of everything I wanna put in. She'll be used for camping and just having a giggle. I want to get my hands on some bull bars, any suggestions welcomed. Looking forward to having some serious fun now the kids have left home LOL.
Anyway, just wanted to say Hi...
30th Sep 2010, 15:21
I have one of these campers, and have had a lot of fun. I do a lot of fishing and it is ideal. Get loads of laughs in my old skiddoink. Not fast, not stable in high winds, but hey, why rush..
14th Apr 2011, 06:42
I'm on my second one. These vans are ACE! I had one 10 years ago when I was teaching aerobics. It carried all my steps, weights, sound system, and my Dad even custom made a roofbox for me, which carried a lot more stuff. Despite all this, fuel consumption was great. It made me sad to sell it, but I was moving to England and couldn't take it with me.
Now I have a Romahome, and WOW is it the most fantastic thing ever invented. Everything you need to survive on a trip, inc. fridge, stove and, yes, a Rascal sized loo! Small enough to sit in a standard car parking space, so camping is pretty much free anywhere you go!!! I use it for music festivals and motorsport events where I used to be a spectator, but now I'm a marshal, so camping goes with the territory!
I love it - like someone said earlier, it just plods on at a steady 55-60 mph. Bit scarilicious with high winds, being a camper, but like someone else said, you need balls to drive one of these bad boys, and I couldn't agree more!
And, yes, you do get noticed. In fact, mine gets noticed so much that I got paranoid thinking something was hanging off the back, or the back door had flown open in transit or something! Had fun last weekend hand washing it for the first time. Being only 5'2" I got absolutely soaked, LOL.
Just replacing the ignition system with an electronic one, so looking forward to even better performance from now on.
All the best to everyone from Dawn and Toby the van. xx.
2nd Oct 2002, 15:59
Hello every one I think you are all mistaken about these little vans, I think if you look after one it will look after you, they are excellent for what they were originally designed to do, say no more cheap rot-ax, insurance, and fuel, space saving design, and above all significant power behind the wheel for a 970cc, I think they're the best, Iv no owned one for about 7 years and just had a clutch in it once and yes I upgraded the stereo my self... 10\10 for these little vans they're superb.