After a little time using an estate car with roof racks I have decided its time to go back to a van, i used to run a 1.7 DTi astra van but i was a pain as bikes didnt fit with wheels on and it could only carry two people, I now have an A4 estate, two bikes on roof and one in the car so 3 people no problems but now the wife can change her company car for something family friendly I can go back to a van as i plan on racing next year and want somewhere to get changed etc lol but i have a few requirements………….

Must seat 3 people
As reliable as a 2k van can be (I always run old cars)
Possible scope for day van conversion
Not turn orange at the site of road salt (vito sugestuions take note)
Not be too massive

any help would be great

TBH with a 2k budget you’d be best having a trawl on VanTrader and seeing what you fancy in your budget and then get the best example you can find of that.

Small, Cheap, Reliable, Van are not normally words used in the same sentence, you’ll look at a lot of nails before you find ‘the one’

I’ve auctioned off some of our work vans in the past and got £1k-1.5K for something that was destined for the scrap yard so I’d generally avoid eBay on this one myself, although it won’t hurt to look for a BIN bargain.

My mate got a 2000 ish SWB mid-roof Transit for around £1500 iirc. Ideal size for biking weekends.

Plenty of Transit parts out there too!

Transit Transit Transit

fiat scudo oR Pug Partner type van.

Toyotas T4 sized van seems to be cheap and a mate has run one for years.

Transit, mate had the SWB low roof which was fine as a day van. I went with the LWB Med Roof which was perfect as a full weekend/camper style.

Parts readily available, I was getting fixed price jobs done out of Ford at sensible prices.

I also had a reliable swb transit t280 that I paid £2.5k for, sold 2 years later for 1.7k. Wish I’d kept it as my next transit, a 2006 rwd t350 was a dog.

One thats cheap and easy to repair

Fiat Multiple

OK, it’s not a van, but its cool as fish

Lots about under £2K

3 seats in the front

cheap to take to Wales / past Brum on the toll

Can get loads in the boot

You will look well cool 🙂

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1999-2001_Fiat_Multipla_04 by boltonjon, on Flickr[/img]

What about an alhambra with the seats out. Bigger and better than a multipla.

toyota.

Save up a little longer and get a T4

Transits (had 2 – a 2002 and a “classic” smiley face) rust like crazy. Having fairly good luck with a 56 plate Trafic so far, nicer to drive, space for 3 in the front, galvanised body, so no rust at all (so far). 38mpg too, which is nice.

I’d head down the route of Renault Traffic or the Vaux equivalent, I had the Traffic for 2 years and it ran really well until I wrecked it by piling my windsurfing gear in it on the dashboard soaking wet…
But the Vans are just about achievable at that price now.. Or failing that a small Kangoo (but that doesn’t really fit your criteria)

yeah i have ended up looking towards the vaux/renault/nissan to be honest……T4 is a nice idea but way over priced compared to everything else and for wat reason other than cult status??

The fiat pic above is just simply epic, i might just take the wife for a look at one next week lol

I’ve been pandering after a Multipla for months, but the Mrs said she’d leave me

I think its a fair swap 🙂

I’m shocked that there are Multiplas on sale for more than £500 :-0

Mitsubishi delica, some around for under £2k

4 x 4
6-8 seats
middle seats swivel
all seats lay dead flat to make a bed
rear door is up and over so you will be dry as you change at end of ride

Mitsubishi Delica

Love the idea, but its a LWB Shogun underneath, so what’s the fuel consumption like?

Thanks

does it matter?
🙂

I’ve been pandering after a Multipla for months, but the Mrs said she’d leave me

The dude in the picture above doesn’t seem to have any problem picking up the chicks.

The way I see it is like this.
A) it’s a van, so it holds bikes & gear
B) its going to get mucky and dirty and stink
C) it’ll get you to places of fun and frollics
D) it’ll run quiet, be nice to drive, easy to park
E) it’s a van so everyone else on the road will assume you can’t drive/give a toss/couldn’t care less where you stick it on the road
F) you can lock it up without everyone knowing whats in the back of it
Thats about it, if you are fussy about what you drive then it’s going to fulfill all the above criteria anywhoos and you will be more angsty where/when/how you look after it.
For that reason Renaults/Vaux/Nissan/Toyo’s fit the bill and no one will even care what it is you are driving.
😉

Sounds like you want exactly what I bought. Took me ages to find a good one at the price but they are out there. Private sellers better than dealers IME, van dealers make second hand car salesmen look fantastic.
.
I eventually found, after a ,lot of looking, a SWB low roof Transit, 8yrs old with 79k on the clock, the 85hp T300 version. Night heater and water heater fitted already. Ex-BT so not had too hard a life. Usual issues around the sills and wheel arches but mechanically sound. 39-40mpg. Paid £2,300 for it.
18 months on the day van conversion is almost done. Very pleased with it. run it as my only vehicle.