Collection Caper Pt1: Goodbye Smart. Final drive to Birmingham! New car tomorrow for a Dutch trip!

New car time! But first, the Smart must go. I drive it to Birmingham (where it was sold new) and on to Coventry for one last journey in our ownership.
But the journey is only just beginning for both of us! The Smart is off to Edinburgh, and I'm off to Bicester to collect a new £200 car and immediately drive it to The Netherlands for Japan Classic Sunday. No, it's not fast. No, I don't have tools. No, it's not Japanese...
More soon!
Until then, some HubNut clothing, stickers or mugs perhaps? Visit hubnut.org
Cheers
#newcar #lastdrive #smartcars

[@spellsecurity]

A car that you actually got, fixed and flipped in record time! Well done.

[@Teribus13]

I can confirm from personal experience that you can fit a Mrs Scottish Car Enthusiasts & Trains TV into the boot of a Smart car 😂

[@misshubnut]

I'm not going to ask...also sad we didn't attempt this with me 😂

[@Invisibleman7]

@@misshubnut😂😂

[@Teribus13]

@@misshubnut I wish to place on record, Mrs SCE&TTV placed herself in the boot of the Smart car, we didn't tie her up or duct tape her or anything. She took it upon herself to see if she could get in the boot of my wife's Smart car when my wife had one. Since then, it's sort of been an in-joke. Can Mrs SCE&TTV fit in the boot of various cars? The most recent Mrs SCE&TTV boot test was on my dad's Ford Mustang (yeah, my dad decided to have his mid-life crisis at 73 and bought a 5-litre V8 Mustang of 2016 vintage), and you can indeed fit a Mrs SCE&TTV into the boot of a Mustang. In fact, I think the only one she didn't fit in was the Peugeot 206CC my wife had after her Smart car... Davy may correct me if I'm wrong.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Have we still picture evidence?

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

​@@Teribus13not sure we even tried in the 206cc

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Well the Smart arrived home in Edinburgh earlier this afternoon. A great little Drive back up the road. Not sure why I had not driven a Smart Sooner! Will have to adjust the roof again as the wind noise was a bit loud, but i did manage to have the roof down for a bit and still managed to hear my music! I can pick up the spare alternator at Rustival as i think i will be changing my current car to the Smart for the event. Hoping to have my collection caper up over the weekend.

[@HubNut]

Very happy to read this! There is a procedure to adjust the roof but I thought it'd go all HubNut...

[@Mighty_Cat_Mods]

Davy is a good lad. I'm glad he got the Smart. He'll take good care of it, 🐈

[@davidhinkson8856]

Collection capers are one of the features I've always enjoyed on this channel. I think you did well getting this car back up and running and hope the new owner takes good care of it. Look forward to seeing what's coming next.

[@grahamparks6088]

Well done, as you say you stayed on this project and flipped it in a quick time. So glad Miss Hubnut got to have a drive before she went. This is a Hubnut success. Just for a laugh is the new car a reliant robin😂. Good luck and have fun in the Netherlands

[@petersimpson5859]

There's a photo somewhere in existence of me at 19 years old in '97 with my first car, a burgundy 1988 Rover 213 (bought in Birmingham). Just for that reason, I have a soft spot for the concrete jungle of Cov.

[@2760ade]

Soft spot. Really? There's a reason why the Germans bombed the sh*t out of Cov! This town, is coming like a ghost town!🤣I lived not far from there in the '80s!

[@LeeAllen-lq7ml]

@@2760ade I live in Coventry and totally agree with your comments

[@alansimpson835]

Aha! Davy has been teasing us on his socials about a new car arriving but i did not see this coming. How amazing. Great to see it staying in the community and im sure he'll have tonnes of fun with it. Excited to see what the £200 dream is.

[@davefrench3608]

Great you’ve made it live again and give someone else the Smart experience. Enjoy the next flipper.

[@MrOvershoot]

This keeping old tut running has become a bit of a hobby for me over the last year, only its not my fleet its neighbours cars! Currently trying to find a NS front door loom for a 1998 Peugeot 306 😂I must need my head seen to but she's a lovely 87 year old lady that just wants to keep it running.

[@misshubnut]

Bye little Smart ❤

[@smet145]

Great that you got to drive her on video before she went 😢

[@richardrich5093]

“The wind noise is really awful” & “You forget how small it is!” Have you been talking to the enemy? 🤣🤣 Good luck kids 👍🏻

[@jaggass]

It's been one of the better French cars you've had.

[@vanessab6612]

At least your parking was 100% better than the other Smart’s effort at the airport

[@anthonystevens8683]

It's always mixed feelings when a car moves on but the series on the Smart struck a chord with me for some reason. She was saved and that must be the huge plus but we didn't really have a lot of time to get to know her when she was feeling better. The hubnutters and friends did a great job on fixing her up though. Coventry has changed dramatically over the decades from an industrial city to something totally different. I still pop over to visit people in the city from time to time but it has changed so much since I spent some extended time there. Many thanks for sharing.

[@quanchyplimp]

The Smart is fun to drive, I had a SmartForTwo for a month. Excellent on Spanish mountain roads. Also had the chance to drive the Brabus version, that was fun, the owner told me "drive it like you've nicked it", so I did. 3 speed gearbox with a turbo, really fun to drive, sticks to the road like brown stuff to a blanket.

[@Andy-eo3mq]

A very relatable video Ian! 🙂 I think a lot of people don't realise just how capable a modest car can be. I used to own a 2008 Fiat Grande Punto, which was an excellent cruiser; likewise the 2011 Suzuki Swift I bought after the Fiat was written off last year. Also, I too remember when Premier Inn offered actual value for money. Back in September 2021, me and some friends stayed at a Premier Inn at Cardiff, when we went to see the Manics performing at the motorpoint arena; and the price was £59 a night, including breakfast. We thought this was a good deal, so as the hotel met our needs most excellently, we booked it again when we returned to Cardiff in October 2022; except the price had shot up to £93 per night!! 😱

[@bernhardkuhn5676]

It's the cleanest car in the fleet, so let's sell it! Well done, Ian! 😂

[@allanmollison6971]

You did a great job getting the Smart up and running. Hopefully it sees many miles on the road to come. All the best for the new vehicle. 😊👍

[@daniellee9015]

Absolutely brilliant video Ian ❤, 👍 can't wait to see the next purchase brilliant

[@Georgeolddrones]

New car, get ready Whitland restoration 👍😂

[@Bicyclehub]

really enjoyed all of the Smart videos. It was great to see some tinkering on Hubnut again, with some challenging fixes.

[@mrjsv4935]

It was nice video series about the Smart, good to see it was saved and lives on. Interesting to see what car comes next :)

[@Colin-ci5ll]

Well done Ian i have been watching your KZbin video's right from the start highs and lows. Hats off and keep up the good work.👋

[@PlaystationLounge]

Oh wow, I stayed at the Coventry Britannia hotel for work a few years ago, and it was the grottiest hotel I've ever stayed in! Sounds like at least your room was clean, unlike mine...

[@danieltaylor3755]

I love the C3 at the airport carpark behind you.

[@CauliflowerMcPugg]

Bye-bye, Smart. Hello collection caper woohoo! What could possibly go wrong....

[@HTMLEXP]

Well done on turning the Smart around Ian. The hat is wise, UV light will still burn you through cloud.

[@tristanpage6805]

Great content. Sad to see it go but looking forward to the new edition.

[@martinneumann7783]

It seems that the Smart is good hands now. Good job,Ian. See you in the Netherlands video. 😊

[@H4lminator]

Great video! Always love your travel vlogs 👌🏻

[@ncb_uk]

A collection caper, awesome looking forward to the next part 👍

[@Ricketik65]

Excited to see your new car in my country on Sunday. I will also be in a non-Japanese car, so parking outside the event and walking in.

[@niklaswejedal463]

I must admit Brittish Brutalism is someting I find enormously interesting - I like it the way you like brown poverty spec 70s and 80s cars 😅 Sure, there are some brutalism that are curious, even beatuiful and some that are down right ugly, but it is still very fascinating how city planners back then could give the go-ahead to housing that was not traditionally or obviously beautiful to look at. My next trip to London will be on the brutalist theme - will try to see as many of the brutalist landmark-buildings as possible!

[@johnscarsandstuff]

I'm willing to bed that the Britannia Hotel, being in Coventry city centre, gets lots of interesting characters wandering in off the street. I lived in Coventry for many years, so I'm talking from experience. I guess the hotel doesn't really want random folk potentially wandering the corridors and hassling or robbing the guests. Back when I was a student at Coventry Uni, the hotel was much nicer and I went to a student ball in one of its function rooms.

[@EdgyNumber1]

Dover -> Dunkirk is a route I am familiar with and far better than Calais. I have used it multiple times to head east and south east, notably to Knokke, Bruges, Frankfurt, and Prague. Good times. Takes a bit longer but more time to chillax in the lounge 👍 ALL Britannia Hotels are skanky - I avoid them like the plague.

[@RamshakleRetro]

I do love some brutal concrete architecture.

[@Mighty_Metro]

Awwww bye bye Smart. Great content as always Ian

[@moneyprofessional]

Was the plan always to sell this car so soon. Seems a shame you got it driving well but not going to get any use from it. I thought you said you always liked them!

[@21stcenturyozman20]

@ 1:20 you briefly mentioned the election. I was impressed by a British woman, reported by the Beeb, who said that choosing whom to vote for is like trying to pick which kind of STD you want. Too true!

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

Wow, I've not been to the midlands for so long. Smart looked...so smart.

[@davidmbell]

Sounds like some self care required, a bit croaky there Ian. Goodbye little Smart.

[@chrisdowns1987]

You inspired me to pinch one of our driver's cars this weekend. I had a choice of 3 slightly broken smarts & a brown 211 E220 saloon (all of which live at Mercedes in Cov, 10 minutes ish from your hotel!) I picked the 2013 0.8 diesel with a thirst for coolant & I honestly loved it! Surprisingly good at speed, although could have done with a taller 5th gear or a 6th (2300 rpm & 70, I think) & I only got caught out by the gearbox once. Now to go in tomorrow, get jobcards on them & have a tinker myself 😅

[@hectorshouse7348]

Another car saved…good job 👍

[@mattw8332]

I visited the transport museum in Coventry in 2012 and 2018. Stayed overnight on the second trip at the very peaceful Premier Inn at Tile Hill. Around £70-80 for the night & £5 to park in the multi storey next door. I remember walking past the Britannia Hotel and seeing the old cathedral remains. Got a bit lost in the evening and my phone ran out of battery. 😧 The ring road is fun to drive around. 😯 3rd trip to Europe this year, eh? Looking forward to the next installment. 🙂 I can have a guess of what the car will be but I'll keep that to myself. 😁

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

When I first tried a CX I knew what to expect and loved it.

[@MapleMarmite]

Ah, yes I remember the Maestro Van video - I was disappointed it never appeared again. It was the second ever video of yours I watched after the Montego one. 👍🏻

[@harrygiles1098]

Great video x

[@davewright3317]

Job well done!!

[@lesklower7281]

The Smart is definitely looking smart and is the new car a Japanese classic car can't wait to see it

[@petermcilroy1176]

The Smart journey from tired to rejuvenation continues 🙂

[@andyt2510]

Never stayed in a Britannia, never want too. Seen too many Walk With Me Tim videos about them. They also own Pontins.

[@YllaStar95970]

They are cheap, for a reason.😉

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

I stayed in a similarly faded 60s concrete hotel in Coventry for a night before a Rover event in Warwickshire... the something- Hill on the A45....

[@LeeAllen-lq7ml]

Not as bad as media make out

[@tonysargent7787]

Safe travels another great video has always Ian and Carly miss/mrs hubnut and hublets and hubmutt 👍

[@TheCounty90]

Collection capers are the best. I re watched that XJ40 video the other day. What a car that was. Shortly after that video came out, me and a friend were inspired to collect a very original Disco 1 ES V8i premium in Niagara Grey from the Midlands and drive it back to Bristol. He gave it to me 2 years ago and I am still welding it. Perhaps I shouldn’t have watched the XJ40 video. 😂

[@christineayres7199]

Shame the Smart car is leaving you so soon , I hope the next car will be just as cool and quirky 😀

[@HowardLeVert]

I've spent the last couple of weeks fettling the Yaris - it now has a functioning rear washer (at last!), much nicer wheel trims and freshly-painted wheels, a handbrake that doesn't need twenty notches to operate and missing/loose bits of trim have now been fastened into place courtesy of Vehicle Clips, whom I recommend as a happy customer. Next up is a replacement wheelarch liner from Autodoc, which I am a little doubtful about and new wiper blades (not aero) but I'm now getting quite attached to my little project car too. Needs an oil change though - already 11,000 miles since Christmas.

Dear Reader, With the comparison of Smart and the CX, when it comes to affection at second sight, and the remarks about a practical family car with lots of spare parts, I dare to think it's going to be a Citroën CX. Michel F. van den Brun Dutchman with his contacts the other way around

[@kerryhughesgillard9906]

Got to admit after watching the smart videos I have warmed to the little smart. I think it wouldn't be a bad shout for myself as a nice little train station car. New car guess Im going to say something Japanese maybe a k11 Micra or Toyota Yaris MK1.

[@NeilBarratt]

I like Ian Rankin books too.

[@PaddyWV]

New hat? 👍 I did a Premier Inn Hub in Edinburgh which was lovely and reasonable. Though it was January. 😉

[@mrfairsthename7470]

Smarts gearbox , if you are on unfamiliar ground , bearing down on some unseen sharp bend , this is where you would rue the decision to stick with it .

[@michaelstaunton1632]

A farewell to the SMART……. On to the next adventure 🚙💨💨💨

[@dominicchesterman2107]

I work on a site very near to Birmingham International station. If i'd have known, you could have popped over for a tea! I used to drive buses near your old patch, my route took me past the Wythall transport museum. Used to see a lot of old buses coming out in fine clouds of black smoke.

[@brianjthomson17]

My first video i ever watched was the Mestro van road test instantly subscribed after that

[@FourthDrawerDown]

The Smart looked fantastic as it disappeared into the neon lit metropolis.🤩 p.s. brutalist nightmare hotel with brutalist nightmare headboard it seems 🥴

[@35dononeill]

I'm thinking, you should keep the Pajero. Perfect Bob car.

[@tomoreilly9932]

I bet a roll of memory foam would have sorted the seat comfort out,short but sweet ownership 👍🏻

[@MartsGarage]

Shame to see the smart go but flippage is a necessary thing when space and funds are a limiting factor. You (plural) did well to get that car to a state where it could be driven from Wales to the Midlands and onwards to Scotland. Well done team!

[@michaelgoode9555]

Future Hubnut classics following the theme of Berlingo and Pajero. Allegro Mondeo Punto Scorpio Toledo ... 🤔

[@PKWeaver74]

I have a 2001 Toyota Previa with a magic carpet like ride, and unlike you i find my little Smart more comfortable! Must be they suit some and not others? Mine is in the specialist now for new roof cables and a pre-emptive water pump, I'm glad you featured one in your excellent channel and will miss it.

[@barryhumphries4514]

A bit of a shame, I quite liked the Smart. I hope you remembered your passport! 🥹

[@Matthew-Fletcher]

Completely agree on Premier Inn. Ridiculously expensive now. Don't even consider them anymore. In 2021 I stayed in one near Knockhill, Scotland for £90 for the entire weekend. I was there for the BTCC. Nowadays that would easily be over £300. No chance.

[@terrybarnhurst7119]

Telford services about a mile from my house 😂

[@tbone1975uk]

There is a Britannia hotel just up the road from me. I pass it every morning on the way to work, about 4 or 5 times I've seen the police at the door. Cheap yes, nasty probably.

[@ivanvisanich]

Same here. Sold a car to reduce the fleet and guess what ?. Got another one. But the upside was that the replacement came for free.

[@mgbv8man2]

Smart vids were good and you seem to actually fix it. I’d shift a couple of the blue ones (not a fan sorry) & Bella will never be fixed. £200 car sounds great I hope it’s a DAFt car?

[@shaunhewitt]

We do that go to a caravan site close to home.....they may be close to home but so far away from the norm😊

[@tonys1636]

Just booked with Premier Inn, 2 nights in Sittingbourne and 2 nights in Crawley for £35 per night in September, they must do better rates for non UK residents. Just the ferry and train tickets to book now. I'll get the train tickets mailed to me as last trip encountered offline ticket machines and ticket offices, when open, can't access bookings. The cheapest nights I can find for their new hotel in Cork is €79 but it is a city one. Have a free travel pass for trains here, can't reserve seats but can pay the difference to upgrade to 1st. class.

[@2760ade]

Glad you are a Rebus fan! Know why you 'stole' the book, You just have to know whodunnit! Becomes more important than life itself. Great video, bit nervous about your new purchase. £200 is not a lot of money for a vehicle needed to transport your goodself to the Netherlands, and potentially back.

[@user-ih7gc7dt9l]

Funny that’s exactly what I thought of a Citroen cx test drive hence I never bought it.

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Cool 😎

[@adrianmclean9195]

A comparison between the Smart and the 2CV, showing the advancements made over time would be good.

[@HubNut]

Certainly no advancement in comfort!

[@adrianmclean9195]

@@HubNut True

[@MrButtonpresser]

Driving a Smart at 70mph or staying in a Britannia Hotel. I’m not sure which sounds more adventurous!

[@alansmith1770]

The Smart has been a good little car. Sorry to it go.

[@WheelchairWonders]

Just so you know Ian and Carley... I've kept it quiet, but ... I also own a Smart ForTwo along with my Lexi and P6... I've no idea why I've not said anything because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!.. (Phil)

[@simonbarnwell7787]

Sounds a bit like an old air cooled Porsche when you welly it , which is no bad thing .

[@robertsedgwick1629]

people are the same with hondas i-shift- i had no issues with using one over 11 years and very much left in auto

[@2tone209]

AY UP MR HUBNUT

[@michaeltutty1540]

Have to say, 50 mpg is not exactly stellar. I bought a 2004 Toyota Corolla CE saloon. Even with the automatic gearbox it returns 46.5 miles per gallon on a cross country run. The 1.8 litre petrol engine is surprisingly good.

[@mehrzahl2219]

So you're picking up a Dutch car, LHD? Or maybe a Japanese import...

[@ianwelburn5158]

Probably a Daf!

[@paulthompson8367]

Oh no The Brittania hotel 😂

[@UnknownUser-rb9pd]

One of the reasons I'm not a fan of small engined cars is that they never deliver particularly good fuel economy in real life if you want to make good progress. Plus you have the penalty of poor performance for overtaking on country roads when stuck behind tractors, tourist traffic etc. A big engine that has plenty of power and torque and which you only lightly stress much of the time is a better option IMHO. I have a 2.2 litre large diesel car which on a long run at 70mph + down a motorway it will deliver 55mpg and on a country road at 50mph + it will be 60mpg. In a light traffic urban environment it gives 40mpg. Another example is a colleague telling me that his 2.2 litre Saab 9-5 estate was giving the same economy as his other family car, a 1.2 litre Seat Ibiza, when commuting to work. The only time something like the Smart makes sense to me is if you are using it in the middle of a city with parking and environmental considerations and where it should be a bit better economy wise than larger vehicles.

[@curmudgeone]

Ian, I’m probably having a senior moment (or ANOTHER senior moment for the sake of accuracy) but I was watching the Oltcit playlist (the saga of the fire-damaged model that became the parts spare for the one acquired in better condition). What happened to the Oltcit(s)? I couldn’t see a sale and/or a collection caper.

[@Thecrazyvaclav]

lol you saying easier to get onto an raf base, when I worked in Lincolnshire had a contract to transport the RAF Waddington band to their gigs, turned up there one teatime, first exterior gate by the guard post was up, drove through, thought oh they’ll stop me by the main guard room gate, nope, nobody about, actual gate onto a frontline base open, I just drove straight in. Had a contract to take cleaners on a Friday and Monday to Butlins Skegness, security there ridiculous, everyone on board had id checked and were ticked off a list of names, no id or not on the list no entry. Bags had to be locked away in the security hut, coming out the minibus was checked, as was everyone personally to make sure we weren’t nicking stuff. So yea, butlins harder to enter/exit than a frontline RAF base.

[@bentullett6068]

Bye bye Smart. Hope to see this car driving around the Midlands now.

[@HubNut]

Sadly not. It's now in Edinburgh!

[@MrOvershoot]

I'm not sure you will as the new owner lives in Edinburgh.

[@bentullett6068]

@@HubNut I see. I hope it made it back to Edinburgh safely

[@Candisa]

Ah yes, while it were sad times to see some long term collection cars go, part of being a car enthousiast, with or without a KZbin-channel, is letting go and allowing yourself to experience more. I probably should follow that advice as well, I'm on 8+ years and 184.000km (115k miles!) with the same daily driver, and the classic I bought with the idea of having a couple months of fun is finishing her second full year of my ownership... I used to change cars almost as often as I change socks, what happened with me, am I getting old?

[@nigelh4617]

Collection Caper? Don't mind if I do. 😊

[@twocvbloke]

Thoughts on what the next car could be, needing to be practical, family-friendly, roomy, parts available easily, except this is HubNut, so it'll be a Montego Estate... :P

[@Teribus13]

@@twocvbloke my guess is a mk6 Escort 🤣😂

[@Invisibleman7]

Goodbye Smart🙋🏻‍♂️

[@davidrumming4734]

How cold do those cars get inside in winter (with the roof closed)? And do they have any sort of Parking pawl? The VW DSG had one, I don’t think the VW ASG did (VW up). My CVT Honda has one. A colleagues nearly new Hyundai with DSG-like (Hyundai have abandoned their torque converter transmission) transmission and I don’t think it has one…I think it’s the new i10….personally I would choose the earlier model with proper automatic. New car? Toyota IQ Mazda 121 Nissan Cube