I have got a design for an ingenious mountain bike specific van interior layout. It has double bed, shower, toilet and 4 seater sitting, cooking and dining area (not including cab seats which will remain fixed with a bulkhead in place). Storage for at least 2 bikes with reasonable workshop area.

What I need to know is what is the widest and tallest panel van out there? I don’t want to go for the huge Iveco extra long van, just a normal lwb will do. The width is more important, especially at head height (a lot of the designs taper in at the top). I want it to remain a panel van because they are cheaper to buy and a bit more aerodynamic. I’ve looked at walk-through Luton vans but I’m on a limited budget. I also want it to hide in plain sight. i.e. it will be stealth. Just another boring white van on the outside. To help with sneaky camping and bike security.

Final requirements: Under £3,000 (ish) for something with high miles but well serviced. Good engine with reasonable economy and comfortable to drive long distances. front wheel drive preferred.

Your biggest options are iveco daily lwb, vw lt35 lwb, old mercedes springter lwb and any of the vauxhall movano, renault master, nissan movistar (i think that’s waht they call it) group.

The engines and running gear in the lt and sprinter are all good but the bodies rust badly. They’re all made in the same factory.

You’ll get more iveco than anything else for your money and they are the biggest, not the nicest to drive. Engines are decent enough, reliabilty generally ok.

The vauxhall/renault option will be the nicest to drive but they’re a fair bit shorter than the others.

What about the Boxer/Relay/Ducato family? They seem to be the widest at the top. My design hinges on the large overhang behind the rear wheels to fit the shower though so this family of vans might cause problems.
How bad are the Ivecos to drive? and why?

Ford transit/fiat/citroen/Peugeot in 2.2 engine from the past 4 years all use the same engine (puma) not a bad engine but the engines are ford made and body/electrical is fiat….
All used ones have 100 k plus miles and most suffer from poor history Courior vans or hard driving couldn’t care less company vans….. At 3k range I really wouldn’t to be spending time and money into a conversation.
For example we have a high top LWB for sale non runner with 250k with poor body work and non runner (suspect timing chain stretched) for £2000+ not a van you would want to invest in….

The problem with only having £3k is you’re looking at something old or high mileage. Which isn’t a problem if you’re careful and know what you’re looking for. What about converting an old Mobile home? Lots of old people have them sitting on their driveways that they don’t use anymore.

As said above for that money you’d be better going for a simple conversion such as a bed, table and bike rack rather than a full expensive conversion which could be a waste if it blows up

I had an old Citroen Relay (same as the Pug Boxer) about 10 years ago. LWB, high top. Was able to fit a double bed in there and plenty of space for 4 kayaks, 2 surf boards, 4 bikes and 2 months worth of crap.

Not very exciting but good and reliable.
A few friends have converted big Iveco Dailys and I know that the big Sprinters (same as a VW) can be converted (see Lopes 55 vans).
I think what you need to do is plan out the floor plan, height and width you need and then look online at the measurements of all the different vans.

The man who fitted my new front door had a massive VW van that was partitioned off about 1/4 back from the bulkhead. The front section had enough space to store some DH bikes built up while the back 3/4s was about the same as a LWB transit and being a high too I could stand in it with my arms stretched up (I’m 5,10) so that could be an option.

Depends on your height, I was looking at Medium roof, extra long wheelbase sprinter as my Camper / Boarding / MX / MTB bike van a few years back.

£3k in “Van land” potentially buys you a whole load of pain, work and some huge bills……

Don’t get me wrong none of them are amazing to drive but the ivecos I’ve had just feel a bit more industrial, gearbox not as smooth etc as some of the others.

relay/boxer aren’t too bad, the old 2.5d engines are pretty bombproof but they’re rarer especially in the biggest sizes.

Masters are awfully unreliable and not good on fuel .As above they are not that long .The big sprinters can be gutless if you get the wrong model

a ldv maxus?
cheap and chearfull ish. Id avoid cheap dailys tbh, (i work for iveco)

Your easiest van to find is a transit, loads out there loads is scrappys makes a cheap van to keep on the road

Do your plans aim for a bed width ways and if so how tall are you?

I’ve got a Sprinter mwb high top that me my wife and 2 daughters camp in. Its cosy but my eldest is tall and nearly 10 and will soon require more leg room as her bed is across the width of the van.

The Sprinter is 12 years old and is fairly reliable but can cost quite a bit when she goes wrong. £480 for a breakdown repair in central France in the summer to diagnose and replace an injector. Followed by £200 for a belt and nor to mention £250 before we went on a service and new rear discs and pads.

Condition is everything. I’d like one of these next from Force Vans

But for your budget and a little bit more one of these would be good or for serious width

Iveco MWB here, I suspect that’s the one you mean as the next one up is the biggest, a LWB, no such thing as XLWB. MWB is 6 metres with a 2m overhang. You can get a 5’10” sideways bed in, at 5’10 I found I needed an extra inch so robbed a bit extra between the panel ribs.

It drives like a truck, firm ride and quite noisy. Faster than a big standard transit though.

My first layout was 2 birth with rear shower room behind the rear wheels, never really worked so changed it to a permanent rear bed which is loads better for storage/dumping coats and provides a second space, with bikes underneath.

Ingenuous layout? I’ve done a few and it must be special to get a bed, 4 seats, bike storage and workshop into a 4.5m load space!

Spend the 3£k on hotels/travelodges or buy a tent to stick in the car. £3k as said above buys nowt in vanland.

Relay/Boxxer/Ducato are good because they are galved so don’t rust and wide but you need double your budget.

Transits are good but rust if not cared for. Sprinters are over priced and mega thrashed courier mileages on cheaper stuff. And they rust.

Best value are ex Network rail or NHS welfare vans – basically a unusable van ie no good for carrying stuff and not quite a camper.

Save the hassle and expense of a conversion?

http://www.forcevans.co.uk/used-vans/peugeot-boxer-350-lx-2-8-hdi-wallingford-201411118913438

I don’t think 3k is too bad for Iveco Dailys, mine was 5yrs old with 60k and relativity good nick and it was 4.5k.

Equivalent sprinters etc were double the price.

Ingenuous layout? I’ve done a few and it must be special to get a bed, 4 seats, bike storage and workshop into a 4.5m load space!

I think so! Don’t forget the shower and toilet!

Bed will be lengthways with a narrow gangway allowing access to the bike workshop etc without having to go outside and walk around to the rear doors. I am being rather clever if I say so myself. I’ve seen hundreds of conversions and they all follow the same basic MX van layout. I’ve decided to start from scratch and rethink the whole concept!

It will all fit in the biggest Iveco daily but I was going to try and fit it in a smaller van by having a modular bed/settee unit. Those Ivecos are HUGE! I want the girlfriend to share the driving so a smaller van may be psychologically better…

What fuel consumption for the Ivecos then? And what to look out for mechanically/bodywork on the older ones? Budget may stretch to £4.5k depending on savings to loan ratio!

Buying advice http://ivecoforums.com/topic/8733059/1/#new

I can get about 26mpg for my 2.3 MWB, down to 18 when towing.

They are huge but its surprising how tight it gets when you actually start building.

Cheers Spooky, I’ll have a look around the forum.

Have you drawn a plan as I am intrigued?

You’ll get a decent transit for 3. However, my advice would be sleep in a tent. Most folk I know that sleep in the van are freezing! It’ll mean you can drop to a mwb fwd van, get into 35mpg range and have a comfier thing to drive.

Have you drawn a plan as I am intrigued?

I have a plan but it’s in Pagemaker so I can’t output easily!

When I get time, I’ll do a proper sketch. The key to the design is a wide interior space with a rear overhang of at least 3 feet (usable interior space).

Most folk I know that sleep in the van are freezing!

I will have an Eberspacher 7kw diesel heater running on red diesel. Switchable between the underfloor heating system, hot water tank heating and then connecting to the van engine coolant system for engine pre-heating.
Insulation will be chiller-van spec. Eliminating cold bridges will be the key to warmth and not getting condensation. I have an ingenious plan for the bathroom/shower area to keep moisture locked out of the van ‘living room’.

All I need is detailed measurements of the widest panel van interior. My works van is a recent Ducato LWB high roof so I can work on that.

Mine is insulated with a heavy curtain closing off the cab, in winter we put the propex gas heater on but it normally gets turned off within 30 minutes as cooking heard the van more than enough. It mainly gets used first thing in the morning. Never cold 🙂

Can you just do a screen dump in PageMaker to get us an idea of the layout?

My computer is packed away at the moment, I’m in the middle of a house move!

I’ll try and do a new drawing based on a Ducato. I can take exact measurements from the works van.

Ducato is widest of all the vans by a fair margin I think.

why are vans so expensive if they’re so basic and shit?

why are vans so expensive if they’re so basic and shit?

You aren’t buying the van, you’re buying the air inside it.

Sell things mostly air and make a fortune 🙂
(eg Ikea furniture, Sheds, Vans, tyres)

money makers aint it and vats payable on the whole value of van and not just the profit so that pumps the price up a bit.

any one sleeping in an even unheated van and is cold – is doing it wrong.

so you pay a premium because it’s a commercial vehicle?
(and tradesmen are experts in daylight robbery?)

My uninsulated van is a lot colder to sleep in than my tent. But it’s much easier and practical than pitching a tent in a car park or in a city centre after a night out. Especially in Europe. My answer was a 4+ season down sleeping bag and a memory road mattress.

Tom Kp

This is the smooth 5 cylinder Sprinter that lives in the outside lane of the motorway ebay Merc ambulance

LWB Boxers and Relays are great to drive.Vans are not shit they are made for a purpose.Go do a muddy MX meeting with car and trailer next day you find mud everywhere in the car when you change your kit.Having owned various vans for the last 24years I think they drive better than they ever have.When you think of the crap we use to drive at work LDV sherpas with sliding drivers door 😥

My uninsulated van is a lot colder to sleep in than my tent

I refer you to my previous statement.

ultimate bike van… under £3k (ish)

Well it made me laugh.