Looking at something to be a bit of a Jack-of-all-trades – caravan and trailer pulling, bike lugging, carrying large tools, carting waste to tip/landfill. Oh, and space for wife and two small kids. Is a pickup what I’m after? £8k budget.

No. Get a van.

yes, but I’m in the minority on here
And get a Ford Ranger

Can’t get 4 in a van without going double cab, at which point all benefits of being a van are negated

No.

The Flying Ox – Member

Is a pickup what I’m after?

If a pickup is what you want, then yes.

This was done last week. I love them, most on here don’t

I’ve an L200 I bought when setting off on my own business.
Does me fine for what I wants/need.

I had one as a courtesy car for 4 weeks, I loved it, Ford ranger, nasty diesel and only 30 to the gallon, all things that get quite a few frothing on here. I can unlike many on here however advise from both sides of the fence, as I have a van also. If the right one comes along for the right money in 18 months time, our estate/family car will become a truck.

I can unlike many on here however advise from both sides of the fence, as I have had van also.

+1

Mondeo Estate or S-Max will do what you want, and you won’t get turned away at the tip for having a commercial vehicle.

Can’t get 4 in a van without going double cab, at which point all benefits of being a van are negated

But you’d still get more loadspace and better security in a SWB crew cab van than a truck wouldn’t you?

I’m wanting one too. Ranger, Hilux or Navara are my choices.

Yes. Love mine, on my second Ranger in 17 years. Also have a Vito and a caddy, I could use any of them if I wanted but use the Ranger most.
Beware our council recycling centre (tip) has an issue with commercial vehicles be that van or pick up.
Also depending on where you go with it, tolls can be more in a van or pick up. Severn Bridges for example. Adds a chunk on a Welsh trail centre trip for me.

I regularly drive an Izuzu D Max twin turbo Blade ( top of the range ) twin cab ..full leather, black alloys all the bells & whistles ..and absolutely hate the way it rides ..which can best be described as lurching along .
Thankfully its on reasonably short journeys ..I think I would be physically sick if I had to drive around in one all day ..

Not personally, my only experience was a Navarro my mate owned.

It was slow, very noisy, not very comfortable (seats were okay, but flat and the ride terrible) thirsty and not very nice to drive.

I really don’t see the point of them unless you have to carry stuff, but not as much as a van, and not very securely off-road.

6 bikes in the back of a Vivaro crew cab with the wheels off, just saying. (I can also get 11 in a standard Vivaro panel van, Tetris with bikes). If the kids are small and in booster seats then the pickup will be fine. Larger people find the rear seats uncomfortable, crippling.

Mate runs them (large cab pickups) as his business vehicle (tax benefit as they count as a commercial vehicle I think)) and all round family car (he has two boys). He has a VW at the moment I think

How much do you like cleaning up kids sick?

Some of the newer ones are much nicer than they used to be. I get to drive quite a few hire ones and the Ford Ranger is much nicer to drive than the Hilux and the auto box is nice. Quite a few sideways options coming in now from Fiat, isuzu and even Mercedes if you fancy spending more.

Hilux and L200 have a very car like, low seating position, which is not what pick-up’s are about IMO – older Hiluxes have a ridiculously long gear shift lever too.

Most top of the range pick-up’s are a nicer place to sit than vans.

I’d rather pull a caravan/trailer with a pick-up.

Try hosing the back of a Mondeo/S-Max out after a dirty weekend ^^

Maybe not so much these days, but – in the 7 years of owning a 4×4 pick-up…
– I’ve got home late at night once in the snow, when cars and vans were stranded 6 miles from home
– I’ve made it to Middlesbrough to work (from Derbyshire) when others couldn’t get to work.
– I’ve travelled home on a snow covered M5 feeling much safer than the struggling vehicles around me

I’m glad I wasn’t in a van… (or a Peugeot 206)

[url=https://flic.kr/p/nVCQBi]Untitled[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/oeTnU8]Untitled[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

You are looking at 2010 or earlier trucks… I had an L200 of slightly later vintage that was good for work (once I changed the tyres) but not an ideal family car (and it was called a Trojan – which was just unnecessary… at least it was black though 😉 )

Had an early last gen Navara that blew up quite a lot.

Tested a Hilux of that kind of age (when it was new) and that was okay. The one I drove over the Amazon was tough as old boots.

The only Ford was the older Mazda/Ford version and that was bloody terrible.

Note also – tips are not going to happen, reduced speed limits and the turning circle of a super tanker.

My friend had a hilux for years. It was an indestructible and brilliant vehicle. Sold it when he had a family though.

Cheers folks. Food for thought there. We have a Skoda Superb Estate thing for more refined family transport, but the missus doesn’t like the idea of it been filled with greenery and garden waste and old plasterboard etc.

tips are not going to happen

I’ve been lead to believe that if you can prove it’s a private (i.e. non-commercial) vehicle then you’re in the clear. I think I can prove this.

Youll probably find that tips will be allowing only a handful of rubble sacks per month per household. So it won’t matter if you went to the tip in a Smart car. A van and/or pick up is more likely to be refused at a household recycling centre and if you want, you can show them as much proof as you like.

Or slip them some dollar.

Or just get a Hippo type bag every so often and save yourself the bother.

In which case, best take the tip off your purchase justification list 😉

To be fair, the council tip isn’t really an issue. I have an agreement with a local landowner for garden waste and a different agreement with a family friend for use of their permanent skip. It’s more about having something I can transport crap to those places that won’t matter if it gets mucky/stinky. That’s why the pickup appeals – keeping waste/associated dirt & smells separate from people.

It would also be nice to have 4×4 capability for the odd times we fancy heading to Glenshee/Aviemore/Skye and the weather makes us think twice – been stuck at Glenshee in the past after a particularly heavy snowstorm.

Go test drive some. £8k will get you well into mk6 Hilux, maybe base spec ranger and maybe very early Amarok. I recently went round all the breakers farm/truck mechanics I could speak to on behalf of a friend who was buying and the general consensus was Hilux for reliability closely followed by Isuzu. Ranger for spec, toys and comfort..too new to be a really well known quantity in terms of long term durability.

L200 and Navara, steer clear for work but probably ok if you’re not a farmer, builder etc.

caravan and trailer pulling,

I’ve got a Navara for ski boat towing, launching and recovering, been brilliant for all that. Strangely due to nature of our lake, when the lake was really low, had to do a quick big dip and run to recover the boat (doors under water) without issue, heart in mouth moment tho.

bike lugging,

OK(ish), front wheels off and you can’t really leave the vehicle unattended (this applies to putting anything of value in the tray). You quite quickly realise that the tray isn’t anywhere near as practical as the back of a van or big estate, but for the fact that it washes out easily.

carting waste to tip/landfill.

Very useful for buying/transporting large items without paying delivery, tip visits, logs for stove etc etc. The post about being excluded from your local tip is bollox, you just need to provide proof it’s a private vehicle and get issued a free pass for your windscreen (some local authorities require this done every 12 months ie Bradford district, some are just a one off ie CravenDC/Skipton).

Oh, and space for wife and two small kids.

rear seats are really only bench seats (base is quite short and back is steeper than a car), not great for adults on journeys more than 1 hour or 2, but ok for kids. As above, we had a very young child throw up down the back of a seat tho.

tips are not going to happen

You just get a permit from the council

I love my l200 was brand new last year

However new civic type r is a dirty Lille thing and I’m tempted to chop her in

Oh, and as STR, I’ve only ever hired large vans and the pickup is much more like driving a car (big car). The clutch is quite heavy on my Navara, so a bit tiring in heavy traffic, thankfully not a regular issue for me.

I have been turned away from tips in Cumbria with very obviously household waste before so can only comment from my experience! They do a pass, but I think it is for a single visit and a bit of a ballache to get in a hurry.

capt kronos, loads of people who live in Cumbria will run pickup / van as private vehicles, so certainly there will be a free pass system for all local private pickup/van owners at their local tip.

In West/North Yorkshire, V5 Doc address matching council tax invoice address will give a free pass. As said above, some passes are only for 12 months, some permanent, but ALL councils will have a free pass system for private pickup/van owners who pay council tax in that area. Every area is slightly different, in Bradford council area I’m restricted to a single named site and it’s renewed every 12 months. In Skipton, I can dump at any North Yorks tip and the permit lasts forever. No idea about Cumbria specifically, but privately owning a pickup/van will not bar a local resident from their local tip.

Go hire one or 2 for a weekend.

Some mates have them, not that nice IMHO. Every time I go to a mine site you can see why they have them to bounce around on mud/coal/dirt roads with tracks gouged by 100t dump trucks etc. in all weathers. Uncomfortable, bad seats, lack of space and that is before you get to the unsecured rear load area.

Having lived in the countryside, good tyres and driving skills will get you a long way, the best 4×4 going won’t get you passed the idiot blocking the road in front of you or the idiot who thinks 4×4 means no skills needed.

Capt. Kronos – Member
I have been turned away from tips in Cumbria with very obviously household waste before so can only comment from my experience! They do a pass, but I think it is for a single visit and a bit of a ballache to get in a hurry.

OK, what I think you actually mean is that, if you go to a dump that you don’t have a permit for and are in a pickup, then you are much more likely to be scrutinised because you’re in a pickup and therefore turned away, which is true in my experience, anywhere.

Can’t get 4 in a van without going double cab, at which point all benefits of being a van are negated

It depends how important the 4×4 element is to you: if not so crucial i’d Recommend a VW t32 kombo, as the back seats pop out giving you a van. However they are USELESS as soon as the going gets loose / sandy / snowy / icy / muddy / slick / greasy / damp.

Have you looked at the Mitsubishi 4×4 people carrier type trucks?

My local council, in London, you can use the council tip, in a van or a pick up, only Monday to Friday, once everyone six months and you still have to have proof of residence, no passes etc. Bit of a pita tbh, but I’ve still got a van, I just only do diy or gardening twice a year.

Don’t buy a Navara. The older ones have a known issue with the chassis rusting from the inside out. Ours did.

£8k budget.

VW T32 Kombi

Aren’t these two mutually exclusive, unless you’re willing to accept galactic star destroyer mileage?

I was driving my friend’s band down to a festival in England. The van we were meant to borrow broke down so someone managed to conjure up one of these. In bright orange.

Awful thing.

It was cramped inside. The middle seat in the back had some kind of sticky out plastic bits which put you in agony after 20 mins. It had a fair bit of grunt but handled like crap and was bad on fuel.

But the worst part was… it was a pickup.

So we have to load all the guitars and amps in the back. Fine, it took them OK. But then you have to tie down tarps with ratchet straps over them in case it rains.
At every services someone has to wait with the truck in case someone comes and pinches all the gear.
When we get to the festival, we have to unload all the gear from the back and put it in the cab as they weren’t playing til the next day.
Then load it all back in the bed to drive into the festival.
Then put it all in the cab while we partied.

Worst of all worlds.
Far better off with a transit van.

Anyone know what age Navaras are best avoided? Ta