It seems things may have been quiet on the Yes We Khan front. Indeed the last few months of 2017 have whizzed by in a rocket like fashion, however whilst things may seem quiet we have been scurrying around, we are gearing up for 2018 and our two main goals are our continued fundraising efforts and finding our vehicle!
In fact, Tom and Katie went to view a possible vehicle which would not only we a great vehicle to donate to Go Help (who already pre-approved it!) but would be a capable and reliable vehicle crossing the two continent terrain that we face – a 2009 Mitsubishi L200.
Despite the advert being on Gumtree (a site not known for is reliability) we decided to view the vehicle on mid-week evening as in the run up to Christmas that was the only time we could spare. Tom and Katie decided to meet at the owners place in Surrey, sadly as Paul was is Wales it seemed unlikely he could pop by Surrey for a quick half hour to view too.
Upon arrival things did not start well, the vehicle who on the verge on a main road outside the property and the “owner” was waiting to meet us. The vehicle itself looked in good condition from the outside, but we were a bit surprised when the first thing he said to us was he was selling two of his vehicles due to him losing his licence for 6 months. Apparently speeding and using your phone whilst driving is against the law.
Nonetheless, he seemed very eager and told us all about the new parts the vehicle had just been fitted with and showed us the lack of rust. (Here is a tip for future ralliers who may be reading this – it is a silly idea to view a vehicle on a dark winters night. Bring a torch)
We started the engine and it sounded great! Exciting times! We “checked” the engine and by this we mean we looked at it and made non-committal noises and tried to act as though we knew what we were looking at.
Then the real mystery started…Seller was enthusiastic about selling – some might say over enthusiastic, and then when he found out we were buying the vehicle as a charity donation he suddenly announced he was off the church after our meeting. Apparently he goes to church every Thursday evening at 7pm. He looked at us although waiting for our approval and immediate offer to purchase the vehicle there and then.
Whilst not being an unfriendly chap, we found his behaviour strange, so we asked about how many owners the vehicle has had…the answer “I don’t know”. Stranger still. So we decided to double check he owned the vehicle. The response “No, not me. It is some guy named John”. Apparently he bought it a few months ago and forgot to register it to himself. He also said he didn’t want to register it to himself but it would be ok if we registered it to ourselves. Something didn’t seem right there (especially as he couldn’t say who this guy named John was, and he couldn’t even provide a receipt from when he bought it. So with a heavy heart as the vehicle was lovely, we left knowing we wouldn’t buy it.
However, despite our strange encounter we were really pleased we viewed the Mitsubishi. Although our hearts have always been set on an ambulance, it turns out pick ups are in just as high demand by Go Help. They are far more affordable and much easier to repair so our vehicle hunt may lead us down the pick up route.
As the new year approaches all three members of Yes We Khan are on the autotrader constantly on the look out for a Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara or Mitsubishi L200 – any suitable vehicle with 3 seats and is 2009 or newer basically. So if anybody can help us in our hunt please get in touch!
Finally, we want to thank those people who have donated to our cause so far, we cannot believe 2018 will be the year of our journey and we can’t wait to keep you up to date with it all!
Team Yes We Khan 