[Closed] Having a bike van as my only transport

i have a van only!

I've had vans as my personal drive for most of the last 5-6 years until recently
I and miss it

Had an expert ugly as **** but three seats and could sleep in it
Replaced that with a huge master
And that's the one I miss , it was so comfy
And not to hard on fuel being 6 speed and a 120 dci

Who needs cars well apart from car parks with height limits

Had a lwb transit. Not the only car but the one I used the most. Survived well but 30mpg was a killer for the long commute. Sold when we moved to oz but will be replaced soon. There were 3 in the works car park by the end. Some people daud stuff but it looked better than some of the modded chav cars

What's with the censorship even stw has gone all pc ffs

I'm a van only driver...a transit. Love driving into work with all these shiny status symbol cars in the carpark and parking my status symbol tranny. Embrace the van. New vans really do drive like cars

Oh and I'm getting 37.1mpg from my 06 model

Not done it myself but a friend ditched his pck up for a van and loved it.

It was much better for bikes than the pick up too.

My VW T5 drives beautifully. Pretty well equipped but not fab on diesel(35 / gal).

Pretty quiet in the cab esp with bulkhead.

It is my only vehicle and as someone above said, long trips are felt quite heavily in the wallet !

Only van driver here for last two years, had an old kangoo van for work duties and the odd bike duty and an audi a4 which hardly moved , decided to get rid of the car and buy a newer van, ended up with a Renault Trafic sport, best decision I made and probably wouldnt go back, van does everything I require.

For all the time I've lived in the UK until the last 18 months I only had vans - first an L reg Renault Trafic - the french wench, ex-school bus with the seats taken out. That not only had horrible mileage but didn't do more than 60 miles an hour.

Next up was the longest lived, an R reg Transit SWB high top. Did my first (quite shonky indeed) camper conversion on that and it was great. Was getting the usual Transit rust over the wheel arches and back door - funniest work time was turning up at the BA offices for meeting with them in it, all suited and booted.

Then I got my sadly departed VW LT35 MWB. Fantastic van but really pretty huge for general driving around town. Absolutely hauled on the motorway though and was nearly done with a very nice camper conversion when the engine blew up - in the middle of Ireland no less - very sad to see it go.

Now I am no longer corporate at all I have the most corporate car yet, VW Passat, I can throw 2 whole bikes in the back and very easy to stick a towbar mounted rack on for another 3. So much more comfortable and economical to drive around town it's not funny.

So yes, it's do-able, but a regular car will be much more practical as a daily driver. That said, I will own a van again some day - probably with something small and sporty for general use.

You are all getting good fuel consumption from vans .I have never had a van do more than about 25mpg .Thats from 3 old transits a Master and a sprinter

40mpg in my renault trafic..

My master would do 34 average and about 30 on Sunday morning blasts down to Woolacombe or Newquay
It was all but empty and mostly driven with a light foot , no need to drive it like a car

If you work in a office and use the vehicle twice a week for bikes, for me thats a heavy compromise. A van is great if you use it most of the time for stuff that a large estate can't handle.

In Jedi's case he uses it for work/his job, a gardener would love a van etc etc.

I love Transit's, love how you can place them really easy, move them around etc etc. However a three-seater, well my neighbours wouldn't like it (couldn't blame them). However why not a van but....with 5 seats, two side windows etc? Makes it more usable?

T5, Vivaro etc etc all have them. Makes them a great family bus/cross utility vehicle and you wont look like a Pie key trawling an area for motorbikes/pickings etc... 😉 This way it looks acceptable in all situations.

I keep thinking about the newshape Berlingo (car).

My Caddy is perfect for lugging bikes around and isn't too much bigger than a car. It's a little short to sleep in but the Caddy Maxi would be about perfect.
Mine's the 1.9TDi and averages about 45mpg 😀

Personally I can't see myself going back to driving a car.

Recently got a new Renault Trafic Sport for carrying mountain bikes and my motorbike for trackdays.

I do have a car as well, but hardly used it since I have got the van. Its way easier to live with day to day than I was expecting.

Van is nice to drive more economical than car (BMW 135i) and it has all the toys on it. SatNav Bluetooth phone and A2DP etc etc

I really like it and if one of my vehicles had to go it would be the BMW at the moment !!!

What do peeps do re insurance? Is van (i.e commercial) insurance a definite need and/or can you insure cheapily?

I'm still toying with the idea of a 3-5yr old Toyota Hi-Ace and converting as I go along (adding some sound proofing, side windows).

T4 here. 2 seats in front, 2 in the back.

No idea how I lived without one. I reckon it pays for itself in free wood for the log burner, large objects picked up cheap on eBay and building material/tip runs.

Not exactly the same but I have a Peugeot Partner (same as berlingo). It can be a car when needed for regular stuff; with the seats folded a van (have easily fitted three MTBs in the back without removing anything, and has a towbar too); and with a [url= http://www.amdro.co.uk/jump.php ]Boot Jump[/url] it can be a camper van too. Absolutely love it! It's really slow though, but the last time I calculated I got 47mpg from it, and I'm happy sitting at 65. It's also super comfy and like driving a conservatory 🙂

'Only transport'??! Don't forget walking, cycling, buses and trains, if you think about the odd alternative like that then you won't have to use the van for every single journey. Then relish the journeys you take where the van is a boon and don't bother with ballache journeys that aren't essential.

I've recently got a Vivaro SWB crewcab, replacing Mondeo.

It's slow, does rubbish MPG and handles crap. Spec is very basic and it's a pain on the odd school run I have to do.

Hugely practical for family holidays and bike trips though.

We've also got a Fiesta for local journeys, not sure I'd be happy with just the van. Would probably want something a tad smaller.

I have had vans on and off for years and have had a van as my daily transport for over 10 years and love them.

Currently have a VW T4 Transporter 2.5td, use it for bike most weeks or camping in, its just a panel but insulated and borded with bulk head and a bike rack. Has a leisure battery for running the stereo and charging stuff. Love driving it, 36+ mpg round town and more on a run, up to about 45 mpg.

Insurance wise I have a car/private policy via HIC that lets me drive other cars as well. Point to note, a lot of companies who offer van insurance for SDP only (not for commecial purposes) will commute you NCB to commecial. You may then find it difficult to switch this back to a car policy. Worth checking first.

Lots of vans including the T4 come fitted with side windows and rear seats making them a great multipurpose vehicle. From the factory the T4's like this were sold as window vans so you can do the national speed limits as well. I'm sure other vans have this as well. Car rates through tolls as well.

I'm in no hurry to go back to a car, just don't miss them.

The van is not our only car so technicaly I'm cheating... we just ditched our medium sized car (mine) and big 4x4 (hers) for a smaller car (hers) and a van (mine). We use the smaller car most of the time for family stuff and shopping etc so the van is for adventures. I catch the train or bike to work a lot of the time unless the bike is in the back for adventures after work. I was never that happy leaving an expensive bike in the back of the car even hidden under blankets; but in the van under blankets its much harder to see what it is. Van is a Kombi so 5 seats with enough room behind the seats for bikes and camping equipment (for the 4 of us); no need for a towbar mounted theft magnet.
The van is nicer to drive than the big 4x4 it replaced (IMHO) and cheaper on fuel, tax, and insurance which is nice.
Picked up two friends to go biking last night with the van. Could have done the same with the car but the van was so much easier with no bike dismantling required and somewhere to change out of the rain and faff with bags etc... we could easily have piled in another couple of bikes and people if required and probably will in the summer.
No regrets so far and I'm looking forward to many more van adventures in the coming years.

*sing* van adventure, its an adventure in a van *sing*

Has anyone driven the new Transit Custom, smaller version.

How would that be to like with?
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1440&bih=808&q=ford+transit+custom&oq=ford+transit+custom&gs_l=img.3.0.0l10.683.9152.0.11823.25.15.3.7.7.0.148.1752.0j15.15.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.img.e3oUW_L50lg

DrRs****, is it the new Transit your looking at? This one?
[img] [/img]

Only got a van now, MWB medium roof Transit Crewcab (6 seats). As a community nurse it does look a bit unusual to turn up in a big white van, but who cares.
Also, as I technically use it for commercial purposes (driving at work)I have to have proper van insurance although through the NFU it was the same as the cost of insuring my Mondeo.
No real problem using it day to day, more likely to use the bike or walk for short local journeys so thats a plus as well.
Measure economy tank by tank and getting around 30mpg at work, all stop/start short journeys, 38mpg on a run at 60-70mph.
Looked at a little run around car as well but the cost of running wouldn't cover the fuel saving.

I am seriously considering getting rid of my car and getting a combi.i cycle to work most days so do not use a vehicle much in the week, my wife has a car so the van seems sensible. I am constantly putting the tow bar rack at the moment to cart my bike and my 2 lads bikes to various events.

The question is though, how much do you need to spend to get a half decent second hand van? I would ideally like a swb combi transporter.

Come promotion time you'll be the bloke with a van.

You won't get to see the inside of the executive bathroom.

One of these? You could probably even remove those seats:

[img] [/img]

Yeah it's the brand newTransit. They are really nice to drive and has more toys than my Mondeo.

Torn....

I love driving my old Berlingo and see the benefit of owning a van. But quite a few people have said I'd be nuts to ditch the car.

We've a LWB Ducato based horsebox, and while it drives well and is surprisingly economical (Luton style but still averages 35mpg) there is no way I'd want to have it as my only vehicle. Insurance is cheap at £220 comp (any driver, over 25).

And tbh surely a better compromise would be a people carrier with the rear 1/3 blacked out. That way still 5 seats but plenty of bike and other space - plus you could remove seats for more space.

Come promotion time you'll be the bloke with a van.

You won't get to see the inside of the executive bathroom.

Very true if your van looks like this (i.e. a bit rapey)

[img] [/img]

Not so much if it looks like this (although this perhaps is a bit blingy).

[img] [/img]

Few people I've met have an iLoad / iMax which is Hyundais offering in the Transit size segment.

Their cars come with a good level of kit as standard, worth a look maybe?

Owned a Vito 120 Extra Long since 2006. I can fit 7 bikes in the back fully built up - just roll them in, and there are still 5 comfortable seats with loads of legroom. Auto box, does 0-60 in a bit over 8 seconds.
Economy is usually around 30mpg, maybe up to 34 on a long run.
I'll be getting another in a few years, wouldn't even consider a car again. Whenever we go anywhere as a family, we take the Vito rather than my wife's Lexus as it's just more comfortable in the end.

Just like this one:

[img] [/img]

It seems as though you working in an office seems to be the only barrier to you only having the van: stuff your colleagues, do it!

Transporter/vito sized vans are that bit narrower than transits (mine often parked nose to nose with my neighbour's transit and I reckon his sticks out 8" more into the road than mine), fit in 'normal' parking spaces without upsetting colleagues too much, and pretty good on fuel.

Our only vehicle is a t4 2.5 tdi caravelle and you can insure it as a car, it has 8 seats if we want (but usually rear bench is in the garage) and is quieter and comfier than the panel van version. We have a t5 "shuttle" (ie big people carrier) on loan at the mo whilst ours is at the menders, and it is even quieter/comfier still, and according to the computer it seems to do very resonably on fuel given that it is the lwb and full of seats, trim, gadgets etc.

I agree just do it, the new Transit is very good, as is the Vito, for me I would want the flexibilty of more than 3 seats so the Vito dualiner & the new Transit with seats would rock but I think the fully trimmed bus Transit is 34k or so, so not cheap.

Haiundai I800 is about 22k new or 16k 1 year old. Might be an option.

VW's, are again OK, but seem overpriced for some kind of placebo/throwback to camper van cool...

Too much for me, I am looking at 2nd hand Dualiners (have been a long time looking though)

Get a van in anything but white and you'll be fine.

Interesting stuff folks and does anyone know which of the options allow for two rows of seats and bikes to go in complete behind? I quite like the look of the Vito Dualiner and Hyundai appeals on price.

mt sisters ex had a galaxy, was great for three people (two front seats and only one stea clipped into the back) + three bikes. seemed best all round of car/van/size

One vehicle household (well except the motorcycles...) and its a whooping Mercedes Sprinter MWB high roof camper conversion. Driven almost sensibly it is doing 33mpg which isn't too bad. Its comfy and easy to drive but parking can be tricky. Wife likes driving it too and so far it has not suffered from one of her usual bodywork restyling exercises.

I don't drive to work or for business and get away with my pushbike for those duties. I'd rather not commute in the big Merc.

If I were to be buying a more modest size van just for regualr family and biking use and not as a camper I'd got for a new Vito or maybe the happy halfway house of a VW Caddy MaxLife as they are perfect for big biking trips and don't carry the office car park stigma of a panel van.

No surprises... my VW short wheel base T5 Kombi allows for bikes to go in complete behind the second row of seats. They sit at an angle and so far I've had 2 adult + 2 kids, or 3 adult with no problem.

If taking four or five adults I might have to pop off a wheel or two to get it all in but I'm absolutely sure it will fit.

Hmmmm,

Food for thought. I've only taken Bingo into work once and it was met with fits of laughter. Sitting there amongst the Mercs and Audis he did look a tad out of place.....

But I'm paying to insure, tax, MOT and service two vehicles at the moment - which is annoying. The Mondeo is a good bike car but I got fed up with folding seats down, taking wheels off, and general muck getting into the car everywhere. I really like being able to chuck the bikes into the back of the van complete and still have a sensible place to sit up front.

The problem with the Berlingo is it's only two seats and it lacks a certain amount of creature comforts (AC for instance).

So this is why I'd been toying with selling both and getting a three-seated van. I don't need more than three seats - I live on my own and it just needs to be able to handle the occassional passenger or two.

May wait for the new Transit Connect to come out. Smaller and will apparently be a three seater and as nice in the cabin as the new Transit.

Older Rav4's you can remove at seats to provide van like space whilst still having a car, regret selling ours. Practicle reliable comfortable, not quick or that economical but it was petrol auto.

Personally I would be concerned with transit / transporter size vehicle as sole car as its more troublesome around multi-story car parks etc. If it was to be van only I'd say go for Belingo or equivalent and one that had only been a private vehicle

i have a rattly old vw t4 lwd with an extra row of seats. because it is a bit batter i don't worry about people opening doors on it and so on, and i can fit huge amounts of stuff in the back. it's a bit noisey compared to a car, and it only does 35mpg is you take it really steady. other than that i love it. once you have had a van, you will probably wonder how you ever managed before.

I've only taken Bingo into work once and it was met with fits of laughter

About the 3 seats of the new shape Connect. You can get the new Berlingo with 3 up-front, but the 3rd looks mighty cramped and a Connect would probably be the similar*, don't think passengers on a long journey would be thanking you.

*obviously just a guess as it's not out yet, but it's bound to be narrower than the transit

I am in a similar quandry. The wife hates vans so I am looking for a stealth van. Currently we have a Meriva which she ,rightly, says is crap but it is so like a van for shoving stuff in the back. I fancied the new Berlingo but she immediately wrote that off as a 'VAN!'.
So I am looking for a van disguised as a car! Suggestions welcome.
Incidentally I would like something cheap to run for long trips. I can only get 50mpg out of the Vauxhall 1.7 CTDi engine by absolute pussying about. Normal careful , watching the gauge type driving only gives 45mpg. Have I been spoiled by an ancient non-turbo Astra diesel that would do 50mpg easily and 65 if you were careful? It was also incredibly slow and needed a calendar to time acceleration.

Why don't you want to get a tow-bar rack for your car? Security?

How about hiring a Transit for a few days to see how you get on with it?

it's a bit of a weird question IMO..

If you want to get a van, get a van..

Despite not needing one for work, I've always driven a van cos they are more practical, although I am much preferring only having a bike and trailer for transport these days

Wife and i went from two Alfas (147 and GTV) to a single Mazda Bongo between us. both of us have office jobs and no problems here. Bongo has more useable seats than both previous cars put together, with the fuel consumption on one of them! (unfortunately its the fuel consumption of the GTV!) Insurance is cheaper than either of teh other two as well...

Easy to transport bikes in and as its the tin top will still get into most car parks (1.96m high). we use ours as camper and people mover and can transport 5 people plus bikes (3 inside, 2 on the rear rack*

If you weren't fussed about having 8 seats/bed its easy to remove the rear bench to fit bikes easily in to the rear and some of them come with split folding rear seats which makes best of all worlds.

*bikes that is not people, all people go inside

My van at Bala last Friday night en route to the Dyfi
[img] [/img]

If you want creature comforts and van practicalities I do think the VW Caddy MaxLife ticks all the boxes.
[img] [/img]

I've only taken Bingo into work once and it was met with fits of laughter. Sitting there amongst the Mercs and Audis he did look a tad out of place.....

[IMG] [/IMG]

I got rid of a Nissan 370z to get our T5, its converted to a camper so we can get away for nice weekends camping (read: biking!). Drives just like a car for the most part, easily fits in car park spaces and can get into multi-stories easily enough. Interior pretty much the same a a standard Golf/Passat/Polo, so nice enough place to be.

I have a berlingo (called bajingo of course) and its ace. Ok, being a 1.4 petrol its slow AND crap on fuel, but i can fit 3 bikes with wheels in teh back, its got aircon, cheap to buy, cheap to insure, and who in their right mind would want to steal one?!

Next on my list is a Mazda Bongo, as its a bit longer, so i could sleep in the back with a bit more space.

I've only taken Bingo into work once and it was met with fits of laughter. Sitting there amongst the Mercs and Audis he did look a tad out of place.....

They are probably laughing more at the fact you've called the damn thing Bingo.

Love the Sportline grill Chrisl 8)

Looks like a bigger meaner VAG and will blend in with the other Audi's and Mercs

Choose your colour wisely and have a few bling looking bits/bobs on it and instead of being the laughing stock of the car park you will be the talk of it.

[img] [/img]

Not a cheap option but it has the kudos of the badge to punch above (many a car) any other van.

double 😳

Not a cheap option but it has the kudos of the badge to punch above (many a car) any other van.

And that's the most important thing, after all.

Could be for some. If its the one thing that is stopping you buying a van then it could be the answer 🙄

I have an L200 Double Cab pickup like a car inside and drive nicely...

Great for dirty bikes as I just hose out the load bay and re-attach hard cover.

Plus it doesnt look out of place as its not got animal stickers or dents etc all over just normal met grey with alloys...

Si

We've lived with a van (Peugeot Expert) for the last 3 years or so. It's been great. Only need to take passengers occasionally so got removable seats fitted in the back. When the seats out can easily get 4 bikes in no trouble. Also built a removable bed for it so we can sleep in there too. About to trade up to a camper now though...

Just a point about Transporters. For a variety of reasons they are popular. Bought wisely in the first place, although sometimes seemingly more expensive than others, yet there are bargains to be had, they do seem to hold value very well.
My first one bought 7 years ago, sold last year for more than what I'd paid for it, even though I'd added 90,000 miles to the 50k it had when I bought it.
Just hoping my T5 works similarly.

They are probably laughing more at the fact you've called the damn thing Bingo.

and refer to it as him..

macb - Member
Interesting stuff folks and does anyone know which of the options allow for two rows of seats and bikes to go in complete behind? I quite like the look of the Vito Dualiner and Hyundai appeals on price.

Vito Dualiner Extra Long Wheelbase.

As well as fitting MTBs (fully built) and still 5 seats, I can fit a crosser in diagonally, or if I tip 1 of the rear seats forward, my Ducati track bike.
Take the rear seats out and you can fit in 8x4 sheets of ply too.

Thanks, I'm formulating a shortlist here which so far consists of the Vito Dualiner, Hyundai ILoad and some form of Transit. I'm gradually unravelling the blurb from manufacturers sites and the most detailed or easiest to translate so far has been the Vito stuff. With the second row of seats in place then you have lengths of 1405mm, 1650mm and 1880mm for the standard, long and extra long wheelbase varieties.

As you've mentioned to fit complete bikes in behind two rows of seats then it would need a capacity along the lines of the Vito extra long wheelbase. But I do seem to be struggling a bit to get that dimension out of the various sites I've been looking at.

Like others we're looking at changing the makeup of our two vehicle household. So it would be a change to a small run around and then the combi vehicle. My wife used to drive a Kia Sedona which had an overall length of 4.81m which isn't a huge amount less than the extra long Vito which comes in at 5.238m.

I'll keep doing searches, scanning this thread and others and narrow down a shortlist to arrange some test drives. Any suggestions of what to look for or avoid gratefully appreciated, especially around reliability and economy.

Just googled the new Connect, wow. Don't see how they are doing to do 3 front seats comfortably though

I have a silver VW T5 as my only vehicle, works for me no probs, go for it!

2007 Vivaro here, fitted a window in the side door & a double seat with built in seatbelts behind drivers seat. It is my perfect vehicle. Wanted a vw but couldnt afford or justify double the price. It was a little bit Sluggish, a remap totally changed that. Fits my bike built, 4 extra bikes with 1 wheel removed and 5 people.

Very interested in the Vivaro remap therag.

How has it affected fuel consumption? What size engine do you have? Where'd you get it done?

Cheers 🙂

Look at vantuner for van remaps, great service , loads more power for around £300

will do, ta

I've got a Transit mid top, SWB as my only vehicle. I used to park in a secure corperate car park next to Porsches, Aston Martins, Audi r8s... Never bothered me, or anyone else.

Transits are brilliant, cheap to run, repair and buy. In 60k miles I've replaced two bulbs and wiper blades. Passed every MOT. Its quick, nimble, amazing turning circle, and a proper good size in the back and comfy to drive.

chakaping - Member
Very interested in the Vivaro remap therag.
How has it affected fuel consumption? What size engine do you have? Where'd you get it done?
Cheers

You can get an economy or performance remap, I had the performance. From 90bhp to 130bhp 🙂
Cost £150. Its a 2L & had it done at a local garage in Pontypridd
I've done 45k now since having it done & will have my next van done too.

righto, mine's a 2litre too and could do with a bit more pep.

Have you noticed much impact on MPG?

It does about 425 miles to £100
Not sure what it did before tho & I've got a heavy foot.

Vito Dualiner ELW

[img] [/img]

I have a Transporter 5.1 Kombi as my only drive and it does everything I need it to. Fuel economy is pretty good if I'm careful (40mpg generally and 700 miles out of a tank if I'm careful) and it drives surprisingly well. Servicing is fairly cheap as are the running costs.

The biggest negative with owning a van is how it is perceived by some people. To some it is just a van and therefore at the bottom of the car park top trumps. If this is a concern to you then don't bother getting a van. Personally, I don't really care too much what other people think of my daily transport so I'm very happy with the VW and would have another.

The Transit Custom looks very nice.

Has anyone got direct comparison of a Vito Dualiner ELW against a Transit Custom L2?

Looking at the picture of the Vito above it hasn't got a bulkhead which I assume would reduce the space a bit. But that comes as standard on the Transit doesn't it? I would certainly have a requirement for the rear of the van not to be visible from the outside.

I think my test drives will be Vito, VW and Transit

Van only and loving it!

well I've got a VW and a Traffic test drive lined up for this weekend. I'm also pulling various bits of info together on a spreadsheet covering the Vito Dualiner, Transit Custom L2, VW Kombi, Vivaro and Traffic. I've been poring over reviews trying to whittle things down around the variables that wouldn't present themselves via test drives...so reliability and longevity.

Has anyone any back to back experience of the differences between a standard VW Kombi and the Sportline version? There's about a £10k or 50% uplift in the starting prices of the two. But I'm figuring that I'd be adding bells and whistles to a basic Kombi anyway that may be included with the Sportline.