After MrsJ said today "just buy a ****ing van" i think i have the ok 😉
What van have you got?
what have you done inside to improve it?
how many miles?
Problems?
cost?
Running costs?
recommended?
comboooooo
big transit
nice and empty
fits loads of bikes in it
and a nice big airbed when i want to sleep in it.
and cos it is empty it dont matter if the bikes a filthy.
Loads of folk will say t4's but try looking at the traffics for a cheaper more reliable option.
Medium transit double cab van mmmmmmmm
super comfy for long drives for the family ALL the toys for long summer holiday
No, no, no, no, no! Please stop this thread now!
I've recently found myself looking at modern VeeDub vans with a lustful eye. Please stop.
PICS ARE NEEDED
VW T5. Happy days!
Sadly, mine isn't the white one.
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Beware leaky side windows on t5s
PICS ARE NEEDED
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🙂
only have £4k 🙁
We bought a 2005 1.3cdti combo with 50k miles about 3 mts ago for 2.5k, just for mtb duties. Have not looked back since.
Fits our bikes in + spares and camping equipment + much more secure when you call in pub after ride.
Recently put £47 in to fill her up and got 540 miles which is better than the 250 miles my Audi does for £50.
My GF loves the drive as it feels like a go cart.
Once you get a van you'll wonder how you got on before.
And I'm a car crossing the Severn:-)
but a van at a French peage 🙁
VW vans are massively overvalued, imho. That's not knocking them, we have had couple of VAG cars in the house for 7yrs. Thing is, you could get a Vito of equivalent miles and age for half the price. Transits are cheaper still.
Here we go again....
Vans of choice are:
T3
T4
Hiace lwb
Transit
Vito
Traffic/primastar
in that order - all diesel btw
You can get quite a lot in a berlingo, 5 bikes in here.
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In my t5 i have taken the single rear seat out and strap the bike to the side of the double, 2 will fit there.
With all the seats in 6 blokes 6 bikes can be done.
Toyota Hiace - like a vee dub but without the costs or breakdowns, sold it at 200,000 miles with no major parts replaced, just tyres, pads, exhaust and some bushings
not sure why I got rid of mine
LWB allowed for bikes, cook kit, luggage and sleeping space, just ply lined mine as had a variety of things to shift around and kitting it specifically for one would make it useless for t'other
Not exactly a van but it holds 5 bikes with wheels on and 4 people (legally)!
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Any Hiace owners out there?
Vans of choice are:
T3
T4
Hiace lwb
Transit
Vito
Traffic/primastar
T3's could well be described as "choice".
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5 seats, room for a lot of bikes, bull bars (cool...), side rails. Banging engine. Cheap. Shitheap to drive and will be dead in 4 years.
Avoid Vitos at all costs, once you get to 4K if you can shift gears you won't be able to soon.
Vauxhall/Renault vans are pretty nice.
Transporters are good but the values are silly. 10 year old t4's with 200k on can be 2.5 to 3k often.
Hiace's main problem is RWD which means lots of getting stuck at the slightest thing but very reliable vans generally.
Vitos all rust badly, old style ones are FWD and the newer shape isRWD so same problems as above with those. Engines are pretty bombproof but interior build etc is dire.
At £4k look at transits and vivaros. Should get yourself an 05 trafic with under 100k on. Nice to drive, 35mpg and servicing is cheap. Only big problem with them is the gearbox so walk away if it feels at all rough or dodgy.
If you could stretch to £5k then t5 transporters enter your price range (wihtout silly mileage) and are great vans. Of the 7 vans i've owned in the last 3 years the t5 was by far the best.
I dropped my van off today for the beginning of it's journey from van to campervan but with a bike twist, should be ready just before Xmas and will post pics then.
For now here it was yesterday before it went under the knife.
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Hi Rob, dont really want to tell you but a pretty cool well sorted T4 is up for sale in the NW in your price band - link here
http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=56385
we wanted to go for it but still not ready, short of cash after the crash!
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by far the comfiest seats and I've driven a lot of different vans
RWD can be a laugh and if you tow, far better than FWD and they pull like a tractor and I was always able to keep with any other van on the motorway
most of all though at least 1/2 the cost of it's VW equivalent
for a fast and flimsy, used to have a 180hp 6 speed Iveco Daily, huge Sprinter eater, even when loaded 'til we had to kick the doors shut
Avoid Vitos at all costs, once you get to 4K if you can shift gears you won't be able to soon.Vauxhall/Renault vans are pretty nice.
4k? 4krpm? Don't understand that.
Vauxhall/Renault/Citroen/Fiat. Bluergh.
VW T2 early bay crossover 1971
Decent stereo
round the clock a few times
Yep starter motor X2 and refurbed gearbox recently
£7900
Cheap insurance and Tax excempt but she guzzles
Hell yeah!!!
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Takes two or three bikes in the garage.
T4 2.5 TDi here, builders van, 3 seats, 80,000 miles, lined with ply just fling what you like in the back doesn't matter how dirty. Easy for changing out of dirty gear. Just used to drive to work and ship bikes about. Got a boring avensis for family duties.
Caddy would be my choice as I don't do camping. 4k would be tight though.
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My loverly T4, now with alloy wheels.
2.5 turbo diesel, bought it with 40,000 on the clock.My dad's has 230,000 and still going strong
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Merc Vito, 18" alloys and lowered! Nice van but gone to make way for something bigger, which I have no pics of yet.
I really did not need to click this link 8) trying to convince mrs smudge into a van, would have to be the cabin type with seats behind.. "just think of all that extra shopping you can get into the back" 😉 😆 keep em coming 8)
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VW t4 - 2.0 petrol, 60k on the clock. Cost me £3100 but spent ££ on having windows, ply lined, kitted out.
Inside are swivel seats, have a bike rack on the back
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Next thing is split charge kit and 2nd battery.
Best thing i've ever bought. Had it over 9 months. No problems at all. Very cheap to service and engine is solid (yes i know it's a petrol but i only use it weekends)
I meant if it costs less than £4K a Vito will be waiting to die. I'v driven a few now and one was so bad you had to lean on the door to shove it into reverse.
FWIW my favourite vans are Vauxhall Vivaro/Renault Trafics. They're fast, powerful, economical and comfy. They're not the most spacious but one of the easiest to live with I reckon. Also a decent quality interior.
superstar_opponents - Member
I meant if it costs less than £4K a Vito will be waiting to die. I'v driven a few now and one was so bad you had to lean on the door to shove it into reverse.FWIW my favourite vans are Vauxhall Vivaro/Renault Trafics. They're fast, powerful, economical and comfy. They're not the most spacious but one of the easiest to live with I reckon. Also a decent quality interior.
The student is an expert on vans now 🙄
How long have you had your license for?.... You learnt to shake hands properly yet? A stonger arm and hand will help shifting into reverse..
superstar_opponents - Member5 seats, room for a lot of bikes, [b]bull bars (cool...), [/b]
If exponentially increasing the likelyhood of killing a pedestrian/other cyclist then yes bullbars are cool. Otherwise no, no they're aren't cool, they're very not cool.
I've got a 2000 model Merc Vito 110CDi with the single, flip-up rear door and 2 seat cab. Mechanically it's bomb proof but the doors (particularly the front ones) are very rust prone.
It's a private van and it's getting harder and harder to insure. H&R insurance found a policy for me that insures it pretty much as a car. Everyone else said it had to be used in conjunction with a business. Even so, it costs me £540 per year to insure for me and any driver over 30. I'm 43 with well over 5 years NCD and live on the Surrey/Hants border.
Tax is £160, I think. Fuel consumption is around 32mpg. Parts are pricey for some stuff and cheap for othet bits.
One problem with old Vitos is the glow plugs - they die and are impossible to remove. Merc dealers allegedly soak the plug in penetrating oil, disconnect the fan, run the engine until it's boiling hot then drive the plug out with a 3/8 drive air gun on its softest setting. Any more torque and the plug breaks leaving the thread in the head, then it's head-off time.
Ian
PS First post!
What van have you got? VW T4 2.5tdi SWB
what have you done inside to improve it? Camping conversion (insulated, ply lined, carpeted, windows, rock and roll bed, swivelling seats, table, lighting, cupboards, sink, fridge, hob etc.)
how many miles? 165k now, done 15k in 1.5yrs
Problems? only a few age-related fixes
cost? £4k 1.5yrs ago (not converted)
Running costs? approx. 35-40mpg
recommended? I love it, like driving a big car. I've had T2 and T25's previously.
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T4 here. 150k on the clock. still pulling like a train.
2.5tdi for ultimate grunt.
5 Seats.
Pretty much as many bikes as you like in it! I have never properly filled it on a biking trip.
Sink, stove and a small bed.
Cost me 4k 18 months ago (its a 2003)
[i]How long have you had your license for?.... You learnt to shake hands properly yet? A stonger arm and hand will help shifting into reverse..
[/i]
genuine chuckles 🙂
getting a hi ace (probably) - but it will be predominantly for work duties...
Im trying to think of ways to fit it out so its useful for work and biking - thinking some shelving i can put a small mattress type thing on if i want to sleep in it...
bump
04 T5 1.9TDi 6 seat kombi
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Next steps... insulation, electric hookup and bed
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VW T4 bought it 18 months ago wasn't cheap but it will hold its price well
it's the 2.5 tdi and is better than my old car(honda accord 1.8) on juice.
It has 5 seats with a bulkhead to keep the dirty stuff away from the clean etc.
Will not go back to a car as long as I am riding bikes, the kids love it and it's a pleasure to drive on long trips.
Rob.
Another T4 - ours is a 1995 Westfalia Poptop with LHD - comfy, well kitted out, will do 75 all day and get about 30-35 mpg. Second vehicle AND holiday home. Love it.
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Heres ours. Vauxhall vivaro. Factory fittedn bulkhead brill as can just fill up the rear with kit. 6 seats so good for taking kids +friends. If was to get another might consider lwb version.
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Mmm, seems to have turned into a bit of a vw frenzy, dont understand at all, have these people never driven a transit ?
2001 Specialist converted MWB Merc Sprinter. Nothing changed inside except some fleecy seat covers 8) , 6,000 miles this year 4 weeks and various weekends. New injectors + bits @ £900. 30mpg. I wanted something a bit bigger and more comfortable than a simple van, and I love this. Has double bed, cooker, oven, fridge, freezer, hot water, bathroom, loo, central heating plus plenty of space; took 4 or us plus bikes inside to the alps no bother.
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(last one courtesy Dr P)
Mmm, seems to have turned into a bit of a vw frenzy, dont understand at all, have these people never driven a transit ?
Yes.
Didn't like it.
Bought a T4.
Sorry
Mmm, seems to have turned into a bit of a vw frenzy, dont understand at all, have these people never driven a transit ?
Yes.
Didn't like it.
Bought a T4.
Sorry
I am fancying a transit
owt to look out for?
Iveco Daily! Wouldn't necessarily recommend it for a bike/camper van as it drives like a truck, unweildy and bumpy, but it spends more time towing a horsebox and apart from the Merc Sprinter, its about the only 3.5t van that will tow the box legally.
Bodged up a quick interior for a summer holiday, but now being done 'properly'. The rear is split 70:30 into toilet and bike garage but not got any pics of that.
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If I didn't need the towing capacity, I'd choose Ducato/Relay/Boxer. Transits are OK but there are the flywheel and injector issues to be aware of. Also, the LDV Maxus is worth a look as prices are low for a relatively modern van...although it doesn't look very sleek and modern, once fitted with windows etc they look quite smart. (just remembered, SuperstarOpponents has posted a pic of his silver one already)
I use a small wheel base Vauxall Vivaro now looking for a Long wheel base
What about something like a Citroen Dispach? I'd need something as a daily driver as well as bike transport, so economy and ease of use for things car parks handy.
An alternative to Despatch/Skudo is the Transit Connect, though it seems to have a love it or hate it driving position so make sure you get a good test drive.
No pics sorry, but had a FIAT Scudo Combinato(like the eurotaxi) so it has windows, for 4 years.
Been to the south of France 4 times, Lots of solo camping, no problems other than it had a big appetite for brake pads and pins, when working in Kielder
Holy sh1t - £7900 for a wee 37 y/o VW you couldn't swing a cat in. What was it brand new - about half that?
ok they look the (retro) part but waaay overvalued imo and I'd guess they need a lot of tlc.
Looked at the smaller VW seriously in the past(for commercial use) but always too small, high load area, overpriced. Had several LWB Hi Top Traffics / Masters - 35k a year for serious work / hauling duties plus another 5k leisure on top - never missed a beat up to 200k and even after this nothing horrendous. 2.5dti 3 seats in the front, 2+1 in the back, twin sliding doors, car like - could sit at 85 all day fully loaded. Would make a superb camper conversion
T4 converted commercial van. From Mr Clink up there ^ at 50k on the clock.
75,000 on it now. Love driving it.
Have fitted an Eberspacher diesel heater for winter trips - bit of a money pit of an upgrade - I think Ive got an unreliable one. But great when working.
Takes 4 bikes if wanted, although we take 2+ kid trailer/kid bike.
Love it to bits. Live in it for 2-3 months of the year on the continent.
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55 reg Transporter LWB. Had it since earlier this year. Why we never bought a van before, i'll never know!
Ex parts van from work, done over 100k but it was very cheap (employee benefit for a change!)
Full metal bulkhead, ply lined inside, seperate 'garage' under the tailgate for the bikes (will take 4 DH bikes comfortably) and space down the side for all the essentials for a race weekend (camping equipment/gazeebo/bike spares/tyres etc)
Front has over garage storage for riding gear, seperate shelving down the offside for a few other bits. Still plenty of room for toolkits, food storage and the like, and still space to get changed inside. Built the insides ourselves, its still work in progress at the moment as we refine through use, but its getting better. Would like to remove the bulkhead and chuck a single seat in the back so we could carry 4 people properly then, along with a full side zip awning.
100% recommended. Transporters tend to cost a bit more to buy, but even if I didn;t get lucky with mine through work I would have stumped up for one I think.
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T3 Westfalia, sleeps four, fridge for cool beer, hob for tea, stereo and speakers.
What more do you need?
And yes Brown is sooo the colour 😉
stoner - what awning is that and is it on a Reimo Multirail? (sorry to OP a bit off topic)
I had no idea i needed a van until i read this thread.
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213bhp of T5 lovliness. 5 People, loads of bikes, drives like a car. Proving brilliant for biking through Scottish weather.
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Oh boy, that's my dream ride but in long version 🙂
forge - Its a reimo Charly on a reimo multirail. Not easy to get now from Reimo UK I dont think, but easy to fabricate your own by sewing some piping cord into a seam on a tarp for sliding in the rail and stamping some brass eyelets in the corners for some poles.
just been delivered a VW Caddy Maxi at work, looks ideal apart from having carpet in the back, but 5 people and bikes with just front wheels off I reckon, no worries
won't beat our Land Rover 130 for uplifts though
What do you guys use to insulate and line the inside of the walls of your vans
need to warm it up and has anyone added a Leisure battery in the
van?
just got my hi ace today 🙂 i'm going to start building shelfing/ seating etc over the next few days. I'll put some pics up when i am done.
which did you get? price, spec, miles, etc?
[i]What do you guys use to insulate and line the inside of the walls of your vans[/i]
http://www.spray-insulation.co.uk/product%20range.htm
The SL 420 pack will do a LWB van.
Seems expensive, but if you want a camper its miles better than rockwool/fibreglass, which absorbs water and encourages rust, and can slump to the bottom behind the ply lining. The foam adheres to the metal so no chance of condensation.
Don't consider using spray foam of the canned variety...impossible to use, absorbs water and is flammable!
stoner - that looks spot will look out for that, would prefer a commercial solution as it will be more in keeping with conversion 🙂
Leisure battery and a load of ciggy lighter sockets in the back. Insulated and carpeted throughout. LED lights run forever without flattening the battery.
If my redundancy comes through and I set up on my own, it will be one of these for work/family/dog/bike duties.
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Not [i]the[/i] most practical, but suits my needs enough to justify me getting one (just).
they are wicked!
Running a Trafic 9 seater minibus here, with the back row of seats removed it takes 6 and 6 bikes easily (ok front wheels removed)and plenty of kit. Couldn't sleep 6 though!
any issues with Traffics, i know vivaros are prone to shit bits
navaras are ace, but lots of niggly probs. nothing major just small issues. had mine about 2.5 years now, if it's near the end of warranty it's defo worth the extended warranty. paid for ours(800 quid for two years extra) then door locking system went, it should have cost 600 notes.
if you get a back cover (snugtop etc like shown in the pic above) don't expect it to be water tight though.
trafic are ace to, had mine about 4.5 years now and only small problems like bulbs gone and a small issue with the radio whilst under warranty, had a service last week and needed a new track rod end, but thats the only thing major(ish) for a 5 year old van (about £120)