Evening all,

Been discussing long term financial stuff with the Mrs and we are thinking of replacing our honda crv with a family van later this year.

So much easier when little chilled number 2 turns up to get 4 people bikes tents etc etc in to go away for weekends and a month in France in the summer etc.

I’d absolutely love a transporter but really budget dictates they aren’t ideal. They fetch a huge premium for the badge and image from what I can see.

I’m thinking 10k, maybe stretch to 15k budget if it’s nearly brand new.

Want it to have parking sensors for the wife

Twin row seats (can you get 6 in twin rows?)

Rear windows for the rear row of seats.

Possibility of future camper conversion a big bonus

Need a to be reliable and preferably get 8-10 years out of it at 15k miles per year at the above price point (obviously with correct servicing and tlc).

Thoughts from the experienced family van owners?

Cheers

Had our Transit for about a year after having got used to parking sensors in the previous car.

I don’t miss parking sensors ever and neither does Piemonstress.. SWB admittedly.

Rear camera instead of sensors?

Welcome to the family! I simply can not understand how anyone survives without a van (especially if they are active in the outdoors.)

In 2009 I bought a 2002 VW T4 Transporter 2.5TDi 88 Special. It had 90K on the clock and was previously owned by EDF Energy. (Purchase price was £5.5k)

Since then Ive spent a further £1500 putting side windows in, installing removable back seats (+ front swivel seats) and soundproofing and insulation etc.

I’m proud to say that I have done ALL of the work myself. (Neighbours thought that I had gone mad when I took a jigsaw to the drivers side to install windows but being a tight-fisted Ulster-Man I loved every minute of it.)

It’s still an ongoing project and as such we dont mind it getting muddy and wet (Just back from a VERY muddy Newham Park and the 24/12.)

We have spent countless nights sleeping in it and consider it part of the family.

Only bit of advice I could give is get swivels for the front seats… makes a lovely job! ohh and also your budget….. £15k…. bloody hell! You could have 2 of my van for that!

You can get aftermarket parking sensors so that shouldn’t dictate your choice.

A Crew Cab Trafic/Vivaro will come with 6 seats and a second set of windows.

I made a standard Trafic LWB into a crew-cab type with removable seats. I’ve now had it converted to a full camper. There’s a recent thread on Trafic/Vivaros somewhere.

Twin row seats (can you get 6 in twin rows?)

Try and get two captains chairs up front instead of a bench – there is no comfy bench front seat!

Although you will be paying more for the vw badge, you’ll also get more for it. A £15k t5 today would be worth what, £8k in 8 years time (complete guess tbh), a £15k transit today will be prob £2k max. If you’re planning you convert later down the line I’d also err towards vw, just a much bigger market. Love my 6 seat t5 (2 rows), long wheel base I can get 6 bikes in behind the seats all wheels still on

Cheers for the advice so far folks.

All noted. Traffic cams or aftermarket sensors are fine, no idea where to start getting something like that installed though?

Can you get 3 people up front with swivels?

Oh and as for budget 10k is really where it’s at…

15k does need to be nearly new so I know I’m not sinking money into repair bills etc for quite some time.

No pennies for upgrades at 15k either, needs to be 100% ready to roll if I cough up that kind of cash.

Double Swivels up front??

Yes…

http://www.justkampers.com/vw-t4-parts/interiors/seats-swivel-base-kit/double-seat-swivel-base-t4-rhd-1990-2003.html

My recent conversion has the twin seat swiveling.

chilled76 – Member
Can you get 3 people up front with swivels?

Our Vivaro has a swivelling double passenger seat, so it’s certainly doable.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/VXHYXL]2017 07 29 van 01[/url] by Rob P, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/WYxWsQ]2017 07 29 van 02[/url] by Rob P, on Flickr

Where’s a good place to buy a used camper or van? AutoTrader seems a bit confusing on the vans compared to cars

Got ours through the van section of Autotrader website.

Facebook groups?

Caddy Maxi Kombi?

Don’t worry about Reversing Sensors, get one of these. Best £19 I’ve spent.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-3-TFT-LCD-Monitor-HD-IR-Night-Vision-Reversing-Camera-170-Car-Rear-View-Kit/222120723940?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Personally. I’d put the vw at the bottom of the list. They are overpriced compared to the rest. The rest have moved on since the 90s and are as good as the vw without the inflated price.
The 8k over 2k in years to come assumes people will keep paying over the odds for the vw.
For the same price you will get a newer model from a different company.
Transits are good and the Traffic/Vivaro variants also appear to be reliable these days.

The other non VW vans are all slightly wider which means you get more room especially if you are putting 3 across the front seat – after a long trip that will be very nice.

As for the VW “residuals” think of it as a deposit you may or may not get back as said above you are relying on people thinking it’s a good deal and a lot of good vans are hitting the market at the moment aimed at knocking VW off it’s perch.
Think about the size and space, I marked the internal dimensions out and started laying stuff out to see how much space you would have, do you want to go down the bike rack route with a van?

Plenty of conversion kits if you want to do it that way
http://www.cambee.co.uk/campervan-kits.html
http://www.convertyourvan.co.uk/flatpackfurniture.html

Also how do you want to use it? Plan to be inside can you stand up?
How long do you think you could sit out a crap weather trip?
Is the layout kit reliant on having outdoor extra space?

Lots of questions to think about. Thanks again…

For now I really just want it to be a big vehicle that swallows bikes and people with the potential to convert later on.

Twin seats and Windows. Sliding side door and a tow bar so I can put bikes on the back if the inside is rammed with other kit.

I take it I should really be looking at long wheelbase options?

simmy – Member
Don’t worry about Reversing Sensors, get one of these. Best £19 I’ve spent.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-3-TFT-LCD-Monitor-HD-IR-Night-Vision-Reversing-Camera-170-Car-Rear-View-Kit/222120723940?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

POSTED 10 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

Can I ask, as a total noob, what’s involved in wiring this in?

The obvious choice is a Vivaro or Trafic crew cab, in terms of both price and the huge availability.

You’ll get an excellent one for £10k.

SWB does us fine and you can fit untold amounts of family crap in the rear, however go for LWB if you’re wanting to convert. And make sure the rear is long enough to sleep in.

I wish I’d got a LWB. my mate has and bikes just go in straight behind the seat where more than two bikes and I have to mess around taking wheels off etc.

I also wish my T5 wasn’t in the garage this morning with a suspected failed camshaft.

Can I ask, as a total noob, what’s involved in wiring this in?

It’s basically just power to the camera, power to the screen and a cable between the 2.

I’m geeky installing stuff and I’ve mounted the screen where the interior mirror would be and the camera is alongside the high level brake light. Took me about 4 hours stripping bits of trim off etc. I’ve also tapped into the reversing lights so that the screen only comes on when in reverse but you can have it on all the time of you want.

Just bear it mind there are some lines on the camera red, Amber, green to tell you how close you are to things that you can’t get rid of so would be annoying if you had it running all the time.

But for £18.40 you can’t go wrong, even if you get someone to wire it through.

In the spirit of recommend what I’ve got I’d say a nice T5 but on a not brand specific note LWB would be the one thing I wouldn’t go without. We used a swab van for a weekend as that was what we were looking at at the time but very quickly realised the extra versatility of full bikes or bikes and a weekend worth or camping gear weren’t going to fit in a SWB.

Our van is the best money we’ve ever spent, used at every outdoor opportunity ( no longer a daily driver due to a company car)

[img]https://farm5.staticflickr

What about a Jap (grey) import for something like a Nissan El Grand, Toyota Alphard etc – ridiculous amount of car for the money

The Vivaro/Traffic can also have people sideways as it is wide enough…vw isn’t if you are above average height.

That then does allow more space for stuff as you use less length to sleep.

If its going to be a daily driver (my trafic is) Think about where you are going to park it. SWB is pretty much the same length as a big estate. A LWB can be a problem.

That said if your going to convert to a camper LWB is the way to go.

I have never had any problems due to length with my LWB vivaro. Height on the other hand can be an issue in car parks but surprisingly often the nominally low barrier is actually higher than the van. Conveniently the van is exactly my height so it’s easy to check by walking.

About to convert mine with a full-size double bed (collapsing design). And it takes tandems easily.

How tall is a Vivaro/Trafic? iirc a Vito is 1.9m and a T5 around 1.95m

Mine is listed as 1.96 though that’s a 2012, there was apparently a small change in body since then which may make a difference (or not). 6’6″ barriers are fine but anything lower needs checking.

If your buying a van to convert then fitting extra electrical stuff is pretty easy. Before new panels are fitted you’ve got good access for running in cabling and connecting power. With a stripped out van you might as well pop in a reversing camera hooked up to either a separate screen or if your also spending money on the music system then a double din head unit with video input.

@thecaptain

I didn’t mean its difficult to park. More that if you live in a terrace house with busy on street parking etc, trying to find a space long enough becomes harder. A SWB can pretty much be parked where a car can fit (almost)

Well yes, I agree being bigger means it physically won’t fit in all the same places, but in practice I’ve found it surprisingly easy to cope with. Yes I overhang some parking spaces and have to do a few more points in some turns etc (including getting out of my drive!) but the wheels being close to the 4 corners and high seating position with good visibility (at least forwards) helps make it quite easy to manoeuvre. I find my parents volvo estate more awkward though that may of course be partly due lack of familiarity.

How about one with the whole side on a hinge!

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201706086241158

I was in a similar situation to you last year – I had a largish estate car and had to use a roofbox, bike rack etc for family trips.

I bought a Ford Tourneo custom titanium last summer and it’s been fantastic. 6 seats in the back with 2 up front. Tailgate which is handy for when it rains as it acts as a canopy (have to be mindful of parking though as it needs a fair bit of clearance to lift.
Twin sliding doors and privacy glass all round. Leather interior (full), tow bar with electrics, parking sensors and rear parking camera that pops up in the rear view mirror. Paid £19K for it which is a fair whack but it was only 2 years old with 8K miles.
All the rear seats can be removed (or various other combinations). They are heavy so it is a pain but they also fold upright too which means often, just leaving them in and shifting them around.
I got used to juggling the arrangement depending on what i’m carrying. I think that if you regularly carry the kids and bike and want everything in the van, you’ll want a LWB version just to make things a bit easier but I wouldn’t say it’s essential and there’s not been a time where I begrudged getting the SWB version.
Parking isn’t really an issue. It fits in a normal space. You have to be a bit more mindful in car parks (especially of the 1.9m height limit) but it’s no worse than parking a large estate – in fact my SWB is the same length as my mate’s Merc estate.

Guys this is so useful, thanks for a the detailed responses so far.

I don’t think length will be too much of an issue providing we have a reversing cam or sensors, our drive can fit 6 cars on it so no problems parking it at home.

Length wise I’m ditching a 5 series estate and the Mr’s crv for it so I think I’m leaning towards a lwb as the 5 series is pretty long and we dont have issues with that.

I’ll have a look at the few different options that have been discussed so far.

Cheers

Also enjoying this thread! Am looking to get a van in the not too distant future. A trip to the Alps saw massive van envy. I was thinking it might disappear when back in the UK. But still want one. Ive gone from looking at Caddy Maxi vans to looking at Renault Master/Vauxhall Movano MWB vans. As much as I like Caddy’s they just wouldnt be a big enough step from an estate that I currently have.

Be wary of aftermarket seats in the rear if a non factory conversion.

Do remember they are vans, and drive like vans. I’ve got a couple of friends who complain about them not driving like a car, I know, it’s a van.