Hi everyone,

I’m currently looking at purchasing a VW caddy van for bike duties and as my personal run about. I have a company van so this will only be used at the weekends etc.

A few questions i’m hoping some of you may be able to help with?

-From what i’ve read the tdi is the one to go for, what are they to drive and what sort of mpg can i expect?

-Do 2 fully built bikes fit in the back ok, having to remove wheels would defeat the object of buying one really.

-Any advice on price to pay for a decent 1.9tdi mk3 with fairly low miles (50,000 and below)?

Thanks

Hugh

Got a non turbo, built a rack to fit inside (zip-tied to the loading eyes) and it takes 2 fully built bikes,2 with wheels removed, and more than enough kit for a long weekend for 4 people easily.Ply liner and glazing the bulkhead mesh with acrylic sheet cuts out hell of a lot of noise.Non turbo’s great around town, but a bit frantic on the motorway,can’t remember the last time I had less than 50mpg from mine since I had a decent stainless exhust fitted,never less than 47 prior to that either.

id be interested in this…..

im also on the look for one, but for a little more can get a vivaro or renault equiv

im also on the look for one, but for a little more can get a vivaro or renault equiv

that’s a different size of van.

imo you need to decide on the size of van you would like first.

i wanted a transporter size as i wanted space for complete bikes/ permanent bed. double bed and 2 bikes if really necessary.

Stunning vans, had one for 24 months from work before the barstewards told me i had to get my own vehicle. Cost cutting an all that.

Had a beautiful dark grey 1.9tdi 104bhp.

Great for everything. Two bikes go in dead easy, we use to turn the front wheels and drop them behind the front seats which left the the middle free for kit and whatever else needed.

Had it fully loaded with Telecoms equipment(like to the roof and on the bumpstops) and it still pulled like a train.

last shape model, 50K and under you’ll be lucky to get one for less than 6k plus vat i;d say. Not many private sellers about yet sadly.

i like the small size to be honest but when you get a nice medium van for the same price its tempting.

anyone got any pics of bikes in a caddy…. i got 2 dh bikes i would need to get in and all our kit.

so be good to see one

thanks all

Sounds good, thanks for the info chaps.

I’ve got a fairly good budget so will look around for the right one. Thought i’d found it today but it’s now sold!

I bought this in April:

Loving it so far! It’s a 1.9TDi, so the 104bhp works pretty well for getting me to Ft.Bill and the likes.

Standard weekend sees 2 fully built DH bikes and a load of kit in the back without even having to think about space. XC bikes are even easier.

First 1,500 miles have returned 44mpg. That’s a fair mix of commuting and mtb trips.

Price? Well a main stealer will be looking for around £7,500 (plus vat of course, easy to get caught out with vans) for the sort of spec you’re talking

Coatesy, can you give me details of how you did the acrylic? I’ve been thinking about doing exactly the same thing myself

glazing the bulkhead mesh with acrylic sheet

Id also be interested in this….

Ive just gone from a 1.3cdti combo as our bike van to a caddy (2008 1.9tdi 104bhp) and absolutely love it.

We only use it for transporting the bikes but would have no probs driving it to work and the like – we have done 300 miles in it since buying and its returned 45mpg so far but i have a heavy foot 😆

Its quite expensive to insure though – My GF insures it, she is 27, has 2 yrs commercial insurance and its costing us £1250 fully comp. My car (which is group 17) costs me £1100 to insure so I reckon the 1.9 caddy is a tad steep for what it is.

I test drove a brand new 140PS long wheelbase caddy with all the extras on and demo mileage. Handled really well and as said unladen pulled like a train-and I think you would get bikes in with wheels still installed. Only downside was…….£20,000!!!! For a van with minimal so called comforts. may as well spend another £10K and get a Transporter come time I will have the money to buy one for myself.
Just beware of the standard seat options as they snag really easy if you have zips on your back pockets and look really scruffy really fast.
Crime prevention advice-get yourself some decent slam locks fitted to the side and rear doors and always keep the keys in your pocket.

Its quite expensive to insure though – My GF insures it, she is 27, has 2 yrs commercial insurance and its costing us £1250 fully comp.

holy cr@p man!! I’m only paying around £500 and dont stay in the best area (to say the least). I do have full no-claims mind you…

I bent some welding rod around the lip to form a template, marked it onto a sheet of acrylic (B&Q, damaged stock so cheap)and cut it out using the old man’s fretsaw.I used 4mm bolts and penny washers in the corners of the mesh so I didn’t need to drill the bulkhead as it was a new van at the time.I’d use polycarbonate/lexan next time, it’s less prone to cracking when you cut or drill it.

ooohhh i’m so getting that done in the next couple of weeks! Cheers coatesy

Also recommend Climatecovers.com for decent quality waterproof seat covers, had mine since the van was new 7yrs ago, and still going strong now.

Very nice van and we almost bought one – but don’t forget you are on reduced speed limits on A roads and dual carriageways…… Not a problem unless you go places with frequent speed traps (e.g. A75 to western 7 stanes, A66 / A6 into the lakes etc).

Combo / Berlingo / Partner are on regular car speed limits, as is the MPV variant of Caddy. I’d be tempted to look for a 98 plate new shape Berlngo.

We ended up getting a Dispatch Combi MPV (but also had kids to carry).

“Combo / Berlingo / Partner are on regular car speed limits”

Not quite true there. All of them are restricted to van limits too unless they are mpv’s. Never heard of anyone being done for doing 70, doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen mind you….

I’m sure someone will be along with various confusing links shortly

Not quite true there. All of them are restricted to van limits too unless they are mpv’s. Never heard of anyone being done for doing 70, doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen mind you…

car derived vans (under 2 tonne) are limited to car limits. are these car derived vans?

what constitutes a car derived van i have never quite understood (some smart arse is sure to say derived from a car :lol:)

there are plenty of stories on the vwt4forum of people being pulled up for speeding, mostly pulled over. However apparently some newer speed cameras are set to the lower limits and filter by reg plate.

Love my 05 (new shape) 1.9TDI – don’t get the smaller engine – Caddy. Had it a couple of years now, pleasure to drive, good fuel economy, but also a little pocket rocket, great on the MWay and the twisty, windy stuff. It’s my main vehicle and we use it for short haul bike trips – the Vito does the long haul stuff.

Bikes go in easy (secured by custom clamping system 😉 )so no faffage removing wheels etc, and plenty of room for kit. Sorry no pics but basically bikes go in on an angle – rear wheels in bulkhead corners, front wheels secured together at back. Found mine at a VW dealer so covered by warranty etc and in immaculate condition, plus I hunted for tailgate rather than barn doors – perfect post ride rain shelter 🙂 . Was used privately so no VAT, it was £6k with 50k on the clock, which was the best price I could find anywhere at the time. At 90k now, cam belt changed at 80k and no problems at all with regular servicing. Yes, you are on reduced speed limits for A roads and DCs [EDIT it’s car derived but the tonnage pushes it over – DfT webpage has the info] and people do get done, so you need to ‘retune’if you are used to going faster. But it’s really not an issue given average speeds, fuel economy etc.

I may be biased but I would thoroughly recommend them. 🙂

I bought an 06 plate to replace my T4 in january of this year. Paid 4600 with 80k on clock. its the 1.9TDI

Must say havent looked back, great van, nice size for bikes (t4 was frankly too big for one bike, sort of slid round inside/constantly fell over)

Its my only car, we have used it for normal car stuff with no problems whatsoever. Wholeheartedly recommend.

VW vans are SO much better than competetion.

car derived vans (under 2 tonne) are limited to car limits.

Astra Van, Escort Van, etc
Caddy is also a car derived van (Golf/Polo).

Ford Connect is a van.

Car derived van is a bit of a farce – basically if the plated GVW is under 2 tonnes then it is CDV. If it is over 2 tonnes then it is a light commercial vehicle = lower speed limits. This catches lots of small-medium vans like Doblo, Caddy, Transit Connect, Dispatch etc.

My Dispatch Combi has tax class = diesel car and body type = MPV on the reg document – this means I can drive at the regular car speed limits. If it were the van version (identical apart from seats and windows) then it would be on the lower speed limits.

You can have a van registered as a dual purpose vehicle (also car speed limits) if it’s UNladen weight is below 2040kg, it has 2 or more proper seats in the back and some small windows in the sides and back doors (there are some specific dimensions on seats and windows if you check the regs). I’ve heard tales of VW Transporter combi vans / Vito Traveliners / Renault Trafic Crew Vans etc that meet the dual purpose criteria but have still been registered as panel vans by the manufacturer (would need a VOSA inspection to get reg doc updated to DPV).

When in court it is the detail on the reg document that counts!

We’ve just bought a LWB caddy, 2.0TDI. It’s mega 😀
Pics to follow

“Was used privately so no VAT”

How’d that work then? Surely it’s only business users that can avoid VAT?

How’d that work then? Surely it’s only business users that can avoid VAT?

private seller.

yeah that one, ta. 😉

@legend

The vat has already been paid by the previous private seller

From the dft – “.  Very few vans will meet the criteria to benefit from the same speed limits as a car.  Those that do are likely to be similar to a Ford Fiesta van ,Vauxhall Corsa or Renault Clio van in having maximum payloads of around 500kgs so that when combined with the weight of the vehicle unladen (normally around 1.4 tonnes) the maximum laden weight of the whole vehicle will not exceed 2 tonnes.”

http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/speedmanagement/vanspeedlimits.html

Surely combos, berlingos, etc are over 2t laden?

On the subject of speed limits, here’s what the Highway code says (scroll down to the table)

I’m presuming that vans come under the category og goods vehicles under 7.5 tonnes.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070304

I’ve driven, vans (mainly transits) for years, always at 70 (or there abouts 😉 ) and never had any problems.

yeh in theroy me caddy is indeed speed limited.

but that said the identical touran doesnt have the £125 road tax bill that i have each year!

woohoo! euro 4 compliant vans FTW!

Meh, £200 a year for me 🙁

Some Berlingos are 1960 / 1980kg. Some are over 2 tonne. Caddy begins at 2175 kg. All a bit daft when plenty of passenger cars are over 2 tonne gvw.

Konaboy – read the table again – we are talking about light commercials over 2 tonne / under 7.5 tonne which are supposed to do 50mph A roads and 60 mph dual carriageways (still 70 on motorway).

Original Caddy 3’s were classed and registered as car derived vans, but about 2 yrs back they were re-classified by the DVLA as panel vans, and notification of this(and corresponding reduction of speed limits)were sent to all owners of these vehicles.Pee’d me off a bit as I like the back roads.

off topic slightly – But will I have any issues getting on the euro tunnel in my Caddy? I.e. are there any restrictions?

Standard roof caddy gets on fine, I was behind one the other week.

Standard roof caddy gets on fine, I was behind one the other week.

Thats great news – Thanks

I had to give back my Touran 2.0 tdi due to retirement, treated myself to a 58 plate Caddy 1.9 tdi complete with electric pack, bulkhead and fully lined. Been to the Alps via the tunnel, lovely van!

One of our work vehicles is a Caddy Maxi window van with a second row of seats, great bike filling potential. Definitely drives more like a van than a car, probably has less feel than the Land Rovers, all very power assisted, but easy.

Would avoid the budget bottom end diesel that our lease company got us, especially in the bigger van. It would be nice to have the choice about breaking speed limits.

If you’re bothered about too much power assistance on the steering, you can get the level altered via the ECU.

coatesy – Member

I bent some welding rod around the lip to form a template, marked it onto a sheet of acrylic (B&Q, damaged stock so cheap)and cut it out using the old man’s fretsaw.I used 4mm bolts and penny washers in the corners of the mesh so I didn’t need to drill the bulkhead as it was a new van at the time.I’d use polycarbonate/lexan next time, it’s less prone to cracking when you cut or drill it.

You weren’t wrong about the acrylic cracking easily! Second last hole to be drilled and i ended up with a nice bullet hole instead 🙁

However, does a grand job of cutting out noise – even if I could only get 2mm thick stuff!

M8 Roofing screws, 8-36 (i think) Repair washers and nylock nuts did worked for me

Cheers for the tip Coatesy!

Mr MC posting)

i was recently in this position, buying a vehicle for my daily commute but primarily targeted as our bike transporter. I considered vans as half our riding buddies drive everything from Astra vans to LWB transits, but neither the Caddy nor the transit connect would get a bike with wheels in directly in line, which was my criteria. Not many MPVs would either.

I ended up getting a Seat Alhambra 1.9TDI, get the bikes in inline with room to spare in front of the front wheels, has all the car-like creature comforts (heated screen, heated seats, climate etc ad nauseum) and averages over 45mpg over a full tank (600+ miles on 60 litres). Averages over 50mpg on any sort of long journey.

The only van that would have ticked my boxes was the maxi caddy, which was too rich for me (not been around long), and most vans are either very high mileage and knackered, or really hold their value.

This is my alhambra (front wheels turned to stabilise the bikes with loads of room in front of the bikes, they fit with room to spare inline). Seat Alhambra, VW Sharan, Ford Galaxy all the exact same car so loads of choice around. Improvised bike rack is 2 straps between passenger handles with saddle noses looped through (so straps keeping bikes upright, not carrying any weight). My dad hill climbs and sprints vintage motorbikes and put me onto the alhambra as half the paddock use em as bike vans.

Insurance is cheap too, I’m paying £400 FC but its my first car with no NCB, for comparison I was quoted closer to £600 for a 1.6 Scenic or C-Max which what I was initially looking at.

Would have been driving to alps today in it if I hadnt broken my arm in wales 🙄