the WAFFLE page

January 7, 2009. Yes, folks, the new year! Also the year that the REAL Aussie Odyssey will begin. So guess what I did? I bought a van. Yep, I've been searching the internet for ages to check models, prices, etc. When I saw this old girl, I thought, "that's the one!" It wasn't quite the case of the little old lady who drove her car to Sunday school once a week but it was close enough. I bought the Nissan Nomad for $350. Registration had lapsed due to lack of interest, and the owner just "wants to see it gone". But it's costing me $550 to ship the old bus to Taree. Nonetheless, I think it's a pretty good deal.

Sooo... the idea is that between now and August (when I officially retire) I'll fix this and fix that, and get the car roadworthy so that I can use it as everyday transport. Then I'll sell Tough Titties (and I don't anticipate any problems with that... she's a collector's car) and use the sale proceeds to spend on Bluey - the Nissan's nickname. At the mo, she's a people mover with two sets of rear seats. They'll eventually go in favor of a camper conversion.

My Oregon mate, Richie, calls her "El Nomad Grande"... but he's a bit of a worry so just ignore him.

So there ya go... I'm not just a dreamer. Over the next whatever months, I'll create a special Bluey page, and record the progress of the van's transformation into the belle of the by-ways. She's equipped with a 2.4 liter twin-spark 4-cylinder donk that produces 74 Kw (100 bhp) coupled to a 5-speed manual box. No Ferrari, but she'll do the job. She's not a big van but only 1' shorter than a LWB Toyota. Not an issue. I expect her to arrive within the next few days or so.

The attached pic is from the net. However, I'll use real pics of the genuine Bluey when she arrives. Gary