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As long as any vehicle remains under the makers warranty, and it pains me to say it, it pays to have the vehicle serviced and repaired at a main dealer so that, despite what the theoretical law says about servicing anywhere using genuine or recommended parts, you KNOW you are safe. So it costs a few quid more for the first two services - what price peace of mind and (theoretically!) aggro free warranty repairs if needed - especially given the horrendous cost of repairs to 'modern' vehicles. It might also help the resale value a bit?

Have you tried breakers yards? Being a '92 Talbot is it a 1.9 petrol - these were used by Peugeot in the 504 and other car models of the era. It you type 'car and van breakers parts' into Google quite a few choices appear although whether or not a half decent engine can be found is another matter! Have you looked at the feasibility of a rebuild, if appropriate? You would need to consult an expert, if you can find one, so it may well be a long shot but a 2.0l petrol, either engine or complete engine & transmission, from a Boxer might, or might not, fit? It's a much better engine, quieter, pulls better, easier to get parts for, but possible changes to the chassis and mountings may have accompanied the change of model around that time.

Bed firmness is very much subjective and what one of us finds comfortable another will find uncomfortable. Best to try without topper first because, as David says, bedding is very bulky and can be a pain to store in a smaller van.

For some years we successfully used 'Duvalays'. Not cheap, although cheaper versions may now be available, but they gave us a good night's sleep and softened the overly firm seat/mattress. As a lower cost aternative a memory foam topper with separate sleeping bag does almost the same job and we found that a jumbo size sleeping bag with inner liner sheet gives more air space with one side open, or just the sheet, on warmer nights.

Thanks Jeremy - having had a few boats over the years, both working and leisure, I am well aware of the risks but it did not seem relevant to mention it regarding a motorhome. Many boats, leisure and working, do use gas for cooking and heating but the connections were (in my day) always by secured copper tube with no flexible rubber used inside the hull, the gas bottle lockers were always well above water line, air tight to the interior of the hull and vented externally and the bottles secured within the locker. We also fitted a gas detector in the bilges.

Diesel heaters were originally designed for truck cabs for which they are ideal, having relatively small areas to heat, plenty of diesel in the tank, large capacity batteries fully charged by the day's mileage and regular daily use. They also work well on a boat where gas is not always available but again as you can't bump start a boat you do need a large capacity well charged totally reliable leisure battery. The battery charging regime on many newer vehicles does not fully charge the engine battery, on the alleged grounds of reducing emissions, I have no idea how or if this impacts on van engine or leisure battery charging on newer vans?

My only experience of diesel heating was with an Eberspacher in an Autocruise some years ago. It worked very well when it worked but not only was ours unreliable, with competent repair people thin on the ground when you needed help, it needed a very well charged leisure battery to keep firing it up when on thermostat temperature control over a cold night, and you would not want to be parked next door to it as it's exhaust roared like a jet engine! Over the years we had various Truma gas heated vans and, maybe we were lucky, we never had any problems with any of them. So our preference back then was for gas using refillable bottles which worked well for us all over the EU. As soon as gas levels fell below 50% we would top up at the first availble opportunity. We didn't use sites or EHU but if you do then perhaps an electric heater would be worth a thought? Running costs were never the issue for us - staying warm was! I can't speak for modern units and I am out of touch with the availability of LPG at filling stations.

Thanks Brian, I looked again at NW and could locate no mention of the change from UK Ins to Aviva or any change in terms or prices? I did mange to get a quote for travel insurance from NWand it was crazy! In addition to the £13 a month = £165 pa + £65 pa age related, they want an extra +£379 + £198 for our medical issues. Over £800 a year isn't as bad (or as good) as some for a year's cover but if only used once it is not viable. Given that their c/a terms are inferior to Santander, I think we can rule out NW as a contender. That said, I very much appreciate your efforts to help, many thanks.

Thanks Brian, the NW flex a/c plus looks like a bit of a minefield! Over 70's have a £65 surcharge for travel ins - yearly I presume although it does not say, maybe not a deal breaker - plus the same medical questions as all the others will like as not result in a much higher cost? It may still equate to less overall than a dedicated policy elsewhere but they seem unwilling to quote unless I open the a/c first - catch 22! I've not yet compared all the other a/c benefits but we are getting some half decent interest rates from Santander with their Edge Up a/c and as we are not latest phone addicts insurance for our ancient wind up phones has no great appeal! Thanks for the info Brian and everyone, much appreciated. It's still work in progress!

Their website explains their T&Cs

We were for some years with NFOP but now being over 75 that is no longer open to us. From the NFOP website is a link to what looks like a gov related website 'Money Helper', which was no help at all, apart from listing lots of potential insurers that one would need to contact individually in what would be a very time consuming and probably frustrating experience. LV will not cover my existing conditions and still want to charge £428 for a week's trip, which is an unattractive option. The Axa Schengen cover for health costs only looks like good value at 44 euros for a week for two of us without the baggage, cancellation, delays etc cover and is probably worth considering as a stand alone leaving us to carry the risk of those other inconvenient but less financially ruinous losses. The cost savings of over £300 makes that a tempting prospect.

Results so far for our situation suggest that Goodtogo is the most expensive at around £700 for a one week river cruise in France for my 80th birthday. Staysure and Avanti are less unreasonable at around £400. Payingtoomuch, who appear to be a brokerage comparison site have come up with a variety of quotes from £290 upwards. Different circumstances will elicit different quotes but as they all seem to use the same medical questionaire format, so as long as your memory is good, they are quick and simple to complete after the first one. I have not yet looked at the integrity and claims record of any of these as I still have a few options to look at.

Thanks guys, I'll try 'em all dreckly and report back asap.

We too liked the flexible and friendly approach with usually, but not always, no need to pre book for weekend meets and THS locations, much better than CC/CMCC or whatever their current name is, restrictions, regimentation and rules. Perhaps the CCC has been infiltrated by CC spies hell bent on bringing the once friendly club down to their level of officialdom?

Yes I know it's been discussed before, but the insurance market is continually evolving - usually in an upwardly spiraling costs direction - and I wonder where the best, or least worst deals are now to be found for an 80 year old with various stable ailments under control going to an EU destination please? Staysure is expensive, Goodtogo is even more expensive but beyond those two I have not yet searched - any ideas please folks ? Thanks!

Personally I would not touch a Talbot Express base van as a Boxer / Ducato, often known as 'Sevel' from the factory they were first made in 1981 is leaps ahead both in terms of rust control and road manners. The petrol engined vans are more pleasant to drive than the early diesels and used to be less sought after so less expensive to buy but perfectly adequate for limited use especially in the UK where diesel fuel continues to be more expensive than petrol. I have no experience of parts availability for oldies but I would expect that Sevel vans and Ford Transits would be a better bet than other makes and A class vans. That said these vans/chassis cabs are now up to 40 years old so buyer beware. Best to take someone with you who knows about where to look for terminal or expensive stuctural corrosion or mechanical woes as a full MOT is no guarantee that the van is solid - just that it is not yet bad enough to fail on the day. We always found the hab parts of older Autosleepers to be more durable - particularly the GRP one piece coachbuilt body mouldings - than many other UK based conversions but their insulation can be woeful if winter use is envisaged. There is also a very good owners club - ASOC - for the exchange of info and support. They can be great fun at a sensible cost so I can see the attraction of a pre electronic age vehicle so long as the owner is savvy about servicing, spares, maintenance and repairs. An internet trawl might well find other groups for oldies plus this and other forums can be a great source of help but do bear in mind that old vans and their owners are a diminishing resource! If you find a van you like ask about it on here - you never know there may still be someone left who can recall having one! Owning an older van needs a particular attitude and state of mind. Be prepared to search and wait for parts and advice, be prepared to be off the road at the most inconvenient times, have a decent breakdown recovery provider, have somewhere safe to park it and work on it, be prepared to modify (bodge) to overcome problems. Plan for the worst and hope for the best!

Good points Mike. Also worthy of consideration is the group's potential liability towards unpaid volunteers who could potentially suffer loss or injury whilst organising / running an event or trying to help others, especially when operating under the directions of a club official. If they were being paid it would be 'Employers Liability' but I don't know how the law relates to unpaid volunteers? We used to be involved in running rallies / meets years ago but back in them more laid back and less 'I know my rights' litigation aware days insurance was not an issue that was ever discussed. These low key rallies and meets were very often good fun with some good friendships formed and are one of the aspects we miss following our 'retirement' from Motorhoming Perhaps Timberland might be able to offer some help, or maybe an internet trawl to contact various owners clubs/groups for their solutions might be worth considering?

Cheers! We must have been doing something right as never once in 50 years of UK and EU touring did we ever break down or encounter a problem that we could not overcome. Check lists, common sense and mechanical sympathy (as my Dad (ex RAF) called it!) worked for us!

The general advice back then was to replace or supplement the engine battery earth strap which was a known failing of the breed and to at least run the engine once a month when not in use or preferably take it for a short drive to recharge and keep it mechanically free running. A good size solar panel or a ctek or similar battery maintaining charger if there is access to mains power would also keep the battery topped up but I was always a believer in giving it a run once a month on the basis that being designed as a working van it needed to be used.

As others have said, battery drain with nothing in use has long an issue. For us it was more of an issue when the van was not in use and on several vans I fitted a main battery isolator switch to stop the battery being drained flat and damaged. My experience is years out of date now and this may not be a good idea anymore with 'modern' electronics - but it may be worth exploring as a cheap and simple out of use cure. As far as having enough power for off grid use, and we never used sites or EHU, an extra leisure battery and solar panels worked well for us.

That's a bit unfair Gary, Derek and I have had our differences over the years, but I have always acknowleged and appreciated his depth of knowledge and ability to find answers, at times, almost single handedly providing support for those in peril on the roads. Thanks Derek - never, in the field of human motorhoming has so much support been provided to so many by so few!

Thanks Derek - that made I smile! Some of lesser intellect may deny you have a sense of humour but your sense of irony seems to be in fine fettle!

Ever since the forum was re-hashed some while ago it does seem to have lost favour with many previous regulars without attracting the high volumes of hoped for new contributing members? Whether that is due to the format, or perhaps so many of us experienced DIYers are getting older, or perhaps younger members have more reliable vans or are maybe less inclined to seek third party solutions - I don't know - but I wonder whether the time might come that Warners might see it as not worth the cost and pull the plug? On the bright side, at least chatterbox seems to have largely been cleaned up!!!!!

As ever was - a simple 'be aware of the potential of bleach to cause damage' has been hijacked into a personal crusade - exactly the kind of thing that puts many people off of joining in this forum. Give it a rest please.

Over the years we too experienced this rattle. Being careful not to overpack and cause a bulge I just applied small dabs of foam backed adhesive strip draught excluder to the panel or to the door to absord any movement. Job done - cheap and easy!