[OT] Ex "Official UKHA Taxi" completes Staples2Naples rally :-)

["Keith Doxey" <ukha@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi All,

Many many moons ago ( January 1999 ) I purchased an aging Peugeot 309 GLD
with 125,000 miles on the clock to transport me to and from Martlesham 5
days a week clocking up miles at an average of 600 per week.

The Pug earned the nickname "Official UKHA Taxi" after it was
used to
transport our illustrious leader to and from UKHA2001/2002/2003 and
Smarthome 2005. (Would have used it for UKHA2004 but had so much stuff I
had
to hire a van!!!)

Anyone seeing said vehicle when it arrived at UKHA2003 with its rear end
dragging on the ground from the weight of kit and UKHA members would have
been amazed that it moved at all.

'Twas not the prettiest vehicle in the world, not a speed machine, and
certainly not the most comfortable ride, but it continued to transport me
backwards and forwards to work until I left BT in March.

In my leaving email I added a joking "For Sale" notice stating it
had only 2
owners (true) and was low mileage at 280,000. Surprisingly I got an email
asking if I really wanted to sell it and offering me £99-99 for it.

I thought this was a strange amount and asked why. The reason was that an
ex
colleague wanted to enter the Staples2Naples rally and one of the rules is
that the car must be roadworthy, have a valid MOT and cost less than £100
so
I agreed.

Today I received the following email.....

"Big thanks to Mr Doxey - 3200 miles later the Pug did good!!"

... so despite looking like a heap, the UKHA Taxi is a pretty robust
vehicle
:-)

Regards

Keith