Found: I'd like a Daimler Ferret Please

[Patrick B]

Dear members of MLU.
My brother and I are looking for a Daimler Ferret. My first choice would be a MK2/3 (maybe im thinking of a MK2/4?) but after looking for 4 years, i think any ferret with a turret would be great.
I don't mind putting in the time and money to restore one if its not in good shape, so please let me know what you have, and how much you want for it.
I live in Langley B.C. but will travel from coast to coast (in canada) to find one.

Thank you for your time, and any help you may offer.

P.S. i have found a ferret. i will update when it arrives.

Sincerely
Patrick B

[maple_leaf_eh]

Ferrets come up for sale periodically, but timing is everything. Getting to know what vehicles are in your area will help you decide which ones are worth pursuing. Some are overpriced and too needy. The other option is to prowl e-pay and other auction sites for listings. There are plenty of British and Canadian Ferrets in the US.

Almost all the Ferrets in Canada are ex-British because whoever won the bid for Canada's surplussed Ferrets took them to the US. This is good and bad. Like any historic military vehicle, owners' attention to maintenance and storage varies. Sometimes it is wiser to pay more than you like in order to get one in better than derelict condition.

[Robin Craig]

Ferrets are slowly rising in value, some more than others.

We are currently in a resurgence of vehicles for sale, as the cycle of wealth, acquisition and age and disposal seems to have hit one of those disposal times for those who bought originally and have now aged and are beyond driving them.

The Ferret in turreted form has a lot of appeal because of the enclosure and tank like similarities, armour and a weapon. For those of us who have put on a few extra pounds the Mk 1 open top is easier to get in and out of.

If you can drive to look at one that is good, if it is in the same country that is good. If you have to import it there are details to take care of that if not sorted properly will cause you grief and cost you money.

Basically the Ferret is a very supportable vehicle and with some upgrades that are not visible that makes the performance and reliability great.

It is arguably the smallest wheeled piece of armour that is (in this province and most others) street legal without modification and simple to drive even solo and makes good road speed. It is also of a size that will go through the average suburban garage door opening and is a great vehicle to cut your teeth on as far as mechanical systems.

There is much lore and urban myth that will over time become clearer.

If you find one and think it is expensive and out of reach then then the next one will be even more out of reach.

Buy the best you can and be prepared to spend more.

All British equipment sweats and leaks and drips in some form or other, some are good and acceptable some are dire and need sorting.

I currently have a of my own a "spare" Mk 1 Canadian that I think is now spoken for and a MK2/3 awaiting restoration in the pipeline that will not be ready for at least a year or more.

[eddy8men]

a mate of mine has 3 ferrets, 2 of which are for sale as far as I know but you would have to ship from the uk, although since brexit the exchange rate will be in your favour. if you are interested I will pass on his details.

good luck with your search

rick

[Patrick B]

thanks for posting guys. very good info.
im not very good at finding things on the internet, and when i do i'm usually late to the party. any leads are much appreciated.

Hi Rick. i would buy a ferret from outside of Canada but i dont know anything about importing/exporting into canada.
Im kind of scared of buying one and having it denied entry at the docks or boarder.

Am i worried for no reason? can anyone import a ferret?

thanks.
Patrick

[Robin Craig]

Email sent to you chum

[Patrick B]

Originally Posted by Robin Craig

Email sent to you chum

thanks for your help Robin. checking it now.

[Marc van Aalderen]

One on eBay in the USA: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1956-Ferret-...3?roken=cUgayN

Good luck!

[Darrell Zinck]

Hi Patrick

I recommend Doug's page ( http://www.owningtanks.com/ ) for interesting reading about owning a military vehicle. Area 2 and 4 can be illuminating.

Lots of bits of good Ferret info there too.

regards
Darrell
(owns no military vehicles!)

[eddy8men]

hi patrick

sorry but i don't know anything about canadian import regs but you wouldn't be the first guy to do it so shouldn't be an issue. the down side is i reckon it would cost £2k. might still work out cheaper though.

i'll ask my mate if they are still for sale and let him get hold of you.

good luck

rick

[Andy Foulds]

I am in the market for selling one of my three Ferrets me being the person that Rick is referring to.

This is the one I am thinking off selling its partially restored

http://www.ferret-fv701.co.uk/02ca35.htm

Andy

[Andy Foulds]

If your looking for Ferret help a fair bit seems to be going on on the Facebook page for Ferrets (Daimler Ferret Armoured Scout Car Appreciation Society).

Also www.hmvf.co.uk

[Patrick B]

hi guys. sorry for the late reply, i was out of town.

thanks for all the links and your interest in helping out a new guy. it is all very much appreciated.

i'm completely unaware of how to import any kind of vehicle at all, but it sounds like it may be the next best thing to learn about.

Best Regards
Patrick B

[Andy Foulds]

Patrick I have sent you a pm

Import and Export ask the guys on here who have exported vehicles from the UK to America and Canada, it usually involves shipping a container.

You should also try to ship as many spare parts as you can in the container and maybe share the costs with someone else if they want a large item importing.

[Patrick B]

Hi everyone. Im excited to say that my brother and i are proud new owners of a 1961 MK2/3 Daimler ferret. 00DC75.
I was hoping it would stop raining for more than 10 minutes so i could pull it out of the garage to get some better pictures but this rainy BC weather is not ready to stop. sorry for the bad pictures. Its very cramped in my garage now that i have a car parked in it. time to do some organizing.
It was previously owned by Terry Witiuk, a member here and one of the friendliest, most helpful gentleman i have met.
I live in Langley BC and had to fly out to ontario to purchase this car, which was really out of my comfort zone until i met Terry.
Id like to publicly thank Terry for the huge amount of time and help he gave me while i was in ontario. we must have spent 18 hours together over the 3 days i was out there going over everything. He walked me through all the maintenance required for the car, took me for driving lessons, and even delivered everything to the shipping company for me, as well as driving it into the shipping container the following day when it arrived.
Terry went above and beyond anything i could have expected from anyone.
By the end of my trip i felt like i had just been on vacation visiting a friend.
A true gentleman.

Terry if you end up reading this, thankyou very much for everything.

Cheers
Patrick B

[Robin Craig]

Welcome to the world of Ferret ownership, sorry to see Terry sell his.

Hope you guys have fun once you get it home.

[Patrick B]

Originally Posted by Robin Craig

Welcome to the world of Ferret ownership, sorry to see Terry sell his.

Hope you guys have fun once you get it home.

Thanks for the welcome Robin. the fun has already began

[jdmcm]

Hi Patrick

Congratulations on your Ferret purchase, I am in the Langley/Surrey area and have been known to dabble in a bit of armour myself, hopefully we can cross paths one day

Regards
John

[Patrick B]

Originally Posted by jdmcm

Hi Patrick

Congratulations on your Ferret purchase, I am in the Langley/Surrey area and have been known to dabble in a bit of armour myself, hopefully we can cross paths one day

Regards
John

Thanks John. Its always nice to meet new people and im happy to see more people in my area with likeminded interests.

cheers
Patrick

[Terry Witiuk]

Patrick. Thanks for the kind words and I must say, it has been my pleasure. The experience of passing along the Ferret to the two of you has been and continues to be a great and rewarding experience. Ever since first communicating with you last fall, it certainly has felt like the two of you were the rights folks to carry on with caring for 00DC75. From what you’ve shared with me when you were here, sounds like there’s a great group of MV enthusiasts out there that have welcomed the two of you into their group. This will make ownership of 00DC75 a more rewarding experience. Enjoy their friendship and comradery! I know that we’ll stay in touch and I look forward to reading more about your experiences of MV ownership.
Cheers, Terry.

Originally Posted by Patrick B

Hi everyone. Im excited to say that my brother and i are proud new owners of a 1961 MK2/3 Daimler ferret. 00DC75.
I was hoping it would stop raining for more than 10 minutes so i could pull it out of the garage to get some better pictures but this rainy BC weather is not ready to stop. sorry for the bad pictures. Its very cramped in my garage now that i have a car parked in it. time to do some organizing.
It was previously owned by Terry Witiuk, a member here and one of the friendliest, most helpful gentleman i have met.
I live in Langley BC and had to fly out to ontario to purchase this car, which was really out of my comfort zone until i met Terry.
Id like to publicly thank Terry for the huge amount of time and help he gave me while i was in ontario. we must have spent 18 hours together over the 3 days i was out there going over everything. He walked me through all the maintenance required for the car, took me for driving lessons, and even delivered everything to the shipping company for me, as well as driving it into the shipping container the following day when it arrived.
Terry went above and beyond anything i could have expected from anyone.
By the end of my trip i felt like i had just been on vacation visiting a friend.
A true gentleman.

Terry if you end up reading this, thankyou very much for everything.

Cheers
Patrick B