[Closed] using a van as your only vehicle.

I use a van as my only vehicle. It's only a Citroen Berlingo though, but it's still a van :o)

I prefer it to a car. I drive more relaxed and don't seem to be in a rush to get anywhere, so i'd so go for it.

Had a LWB transit as main car for 3 years ish, missus had a car we used for light/quick trips and to posh places 🙂

Driving position is fine and I preferred it to a car really. Fuel economy depends on engine etc. Probably from 30-35 for the diesel though post the year/engine for better idea from others.

You know the ups so i'll give you the downsides
Supermarket car parks - you'll be over the back in any with tight spaces
Petrol Stations - You will be there a lot 🙂 (Compared to Diesel Estate for me)
Without anything to pop small things in your shopping will roll round the place
People may think you are coming to tarmac their drive.

Oh and it is limited to 50 on Main Roads and 60 on Dual Carriageways -be warned

I have had a renault trafic for ten years. Prefer driving it to car. Low insurance, ride and handling are good (its less harsh than a transit and a bit narrower too). Car parks are fine, parallel parking can be a bit of a challenge though.Over 100 quid to fill it up though!!

Car drivers will usually give you right of way but you'll feel a constant pull of the McD's drive-through 🙂

T4 here. Love driving vans. 5yrs now.

Mine pays for itself in free wood for my log burner and the occasional bulky item that someone needs rid of, ie, free wardrobe or couch which I might use or sell 🙂

Yep I'm just selling mine but all above is correct....trannys do rust quickly...my renaults dearer to fix but four yr old and no rust...

Not great going to a funeral/date/wedding in them....

I have a Citroen Dispatch LWB HT. Great van and dose not look to out of place in Silver. Its ok to drive for day to day stuff but does drink the fuel a little.

Be carfull of height restricted car parks and so on. A small parking camera makes tight car parking spots alot easier.

I belive its worth it for what i really use a van for, most small journeys and going to and from work i just ride any way.

I have a LWB renault trafic. Its at the limit for a supermarket car parking space, but a swb would be fine. I'm pretty sure a SWB would be shorter than the bigger 4x4s.

I get 35mpg plus, but that is mixed usage - longer trips with me bikes and boards and I can get over 40. I do take it easy with the right foot though.

You will need to fit something in the back for smaller loads, I have a couple of storage boxes, or it will rattke about - I'm thinking supermarket shopping.

The ride/drive is fine, a bit noisy, mainly the cheapo bulkhead rattling when empty in mine - but to be honest much more relaxing to drive than some of the hot hatches I used to drive with rock hard suspension and all.

.... But make sure you understand the servicing/maintenance costs and understand than the van may have had seen a bit of life before you got it. It may be that the previous owner is getting shut because expensive work on the way - engine belt, dual mass flywheel etc

and be careful when reversing

Multi storeys can be done but the aerial on my traffic needs to be dropped...you just need to remember the height!

Oh and it is limited to 50 on Main Roads and 60 on Dual Carriageways -be warned

no its not a simple weight limit

its "car based van" & a weight limit

kangoos and berlingos DO fit the criteria (although its a grey area with the popo and ive had to argue once)

Connects despite being a similar size DO NOT

Your allowed to do 70 on the motorway

I used to try and keep it under 80 mostly due to the 100 quid to refill the tank. I have heard of manned speed checks pulling vans every do often.

Another point worth remembering is that most insurance companies will let you transfer your car NCB to use on a van insurance policy but very few, if any, will allow you to go the other way and transfer van NCB back to a car insurance policy.

no its not a simple weight limit

its "car based van" & a weight limit

kangoos and berlingos DO fit the criteria (although its a grey area with the popo and ive had to argue once)

Connects despite being a similar size DO NOT

Your allowed to do 70 on the motorway

It's a strange system, my Caddy is on the logbook as a car derived van but as it's over 2 tonnes gross weight it's classed as a 'proper' van regarding the speed limits.

This clears it up a little:

https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

Had a Peugeot Partner for a couple years, got another car, back in a T4 now. Never used the rear seats in the car, car constantly full of wet bike/dog, interior getting wrecked.
The T4 is great, plastic floor helps cleaning and i've ended up with rear seats i can get changed in and make a brew with the bike in one piece in the back while everyone else is doing a wee dance in a car park in the rain. Wouldnt be without it now. Fits in parking spaces, elevated driving position, tend to cruise round at a nice sedate pace which suits the dog too as he's not getting thrown about.
Only downside I have found is if you do park it in a car park, people tend to think 'oh, only a van' so use the sides to rest their door/pram/trolley against... 🙄

I drive a T5 camper as my everyday 'car'. Its SWB so fits in standard parking spaces and most multistoreys. I get high 30's MPG, but most of my driving is 50+mph A-roads and motorways, not urban stop-start.

It grates a little after a while and it's a nice change to drive the little lady's Mazda2 every so often, but it's fine.

I had a huge Renault master lh35 as my daily drive for ages
Loved it just have to be a bit carful where you park but soon get used to it

Mot cost more and less places to get it done but that might not apply for a lower weight limit
It would return 32-35 if you kept to 80 or below on the motorway

Best thing I did was bolt a plastic storage tub in the back for small stuff to go in

I'd get a couple of insurance quotes before you buy as well. I drove a Vito for a while as my work vehicle whilst I was converting it into a camper, and unfortunately as I'm a civil engineer and need to visit sites you pretty much get classed as a tradesman which can be pretty expensive (despite turning up in a suit!).

T4 here as a daily. Love it. Much prefer vans.

Oh and I used to have a t2 1969 van. As an engineer rocking up on site in that was brilliant. Spent half my visits talking vans

Nobody has mentioned tolls. If I had a van in Bristol the occasional trips over the Clifton Bridge and in to Wales would be a lot more expensive.

I've also had the tollbridge pleasure, sitting in a smallish van with just a bike as cargo, and paying double the cost of the Discovery loaded with 7 people doesn't rankle in the slightest, honest.

I've had a van as my daily drive to commute to the office for about 10 year now - T4, Mk1 Vito and now a smarter Mk2 Vito, black, lowered, alloys, looks less trade-like when I arrive at the office. I have the 4X bike in the back today for a lunch time street ride!

I do have the benefit of borrowing the Mrs' car, but rarely do, really like driving the van. Fuel cost is the only downside for me.

I drive a Vauxhall Vivaro, and although I prefer driving it to cars. I must be honest and point out how expensive fuel is nowadays and that vans are a lot less fuel efficient than cars, normally due to weight and height. They're not cheap for short urban journeys and use a lot more fuel than even my old car with 2 bikes on the roof and a tow bar rack as well.

Also as said above, insurance can cost a lot (mine's only £100 as it's on a multi van policy for the farm)

And it costs a fortune to drive it over the Severn Bridge.

I've gone 4x4 to van and love it the heigher ride positions in both IMO make you feel much less tired on long runs than in a car I would never go back to standard car now 🙂

Nobody has mentioned tolls. If I had a van in Bristol the occasional trips over the Clifton Bridge and in to Wales would be a lot more expensive.

I've also had the tollbridge pleasure, sitting in a smallish van with just a bike as cargo, and paying double the cost of the Discovery loaded with 7 people doesn't rankle in the slightest, honest.

This is the main reason I haven't got a van

Love it....and you can turn up at weddings in them:

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You'll get shafted on ferries as "freight" although you can sometimes pull the "sporting goods" line if you have a bike(s) in the back! Used t have a T4 which was brilliant, a bit battered so people gave you a wide berth in car parks and let you out of side turnings 🙂

[quote=jerseychaz ]You'll get shafted on ferries as "freight" although you can sometimes pull the "sporting goods" line if you have a bike(s) in the back! Used t have a T4 which was brilliant, a bit battered so people gave you a wide berth in car parks and let you out of side turnings I've been OK with the ferries. For the IoM, I had to fill in a declaration of goods (i.e. zero) and CalMac just book you on as a people carrier.

Not great going to a funeral/date/wedding in them....

room in the back for a coffin/ bed/ suit though 😉

i love the high driving position, i love the space, i hate the passenger seat. fuel economy is 37-40mpg. parks fine in decent car parks, can be a nightmare in small spaces but so can a big car (mondeo estate is wider than a t5)

I drive a MWB High-top VW LT35 as my only vehicle. It does about 30mpg but I drive gently. I've converted it to a camper van so don't pay extra on the toll bridge. I love the high driving position but it is difficult to park.

I've done it. I wouldn't do it again.

Slow, noisy, thirsty and driving round in an empty box got 95% of the time seemed pointless.

We currently have a small car too, but I'd not go back to NOT having a van. If anything, its an encouragement to take the bike for shorter journeys into town etc.

I'd have one as a second vehicle, in fact when my wife's passat dies we'll probably replace it with a semi converted van

It's strange that people are complaining about poor fuel consumption.

My old Peugeot 308 diesel did about 50mpg on average. The Caddy I'm running now does about 48mpg on average whether it's got bikes and kit in or not. It also has cheaper road tax 🙂

I've got a T5 LWB Kombi; before that I had a T4 LWB Panel (with a window in the sliding door) and before that a T2 (bay) with a poptop.

Never paid more than a car toll on the severn bridge - used to be at Uni in Aberystwyth, so crossed the bridge a lot. Now live in Cheltenham and go to south wales a fair bit.

Ferry/tunnel does cost a bit more, but then I can fit more people and stuff in, so it divides by more people 🙂

Vans are awesome.

Dave

ps I now have a car as well, but used to use my T4 as daily driver.

thats a 100ps 5 speed vtx75 trans. this is a good thing because it does not have a dmf, or commonrail injection. it will do 34 mpg. as for ferries, it will not cost much more than a car. mate and myself took my t4 and his transit (100ps like that one) to the alps. the transit is defo nicer to drive.

my t4 is my daily driver. if you are used to posh cars then don't do it. i dont think i could go without a van now, had them for years. so practical. muddy bikes, dogs, motorbikes, etc not an issue. i get 34mpg from it, it's got 190k on it, and is an 88hp motor.

ps, window in the side gets you across dartford crossing for same cost as a car.

wisepranker,

Do you have to remove any wheels to get the bikes into the Caddy or a straight fit? looking at a Van and its clicking all the right buttons atm.
Thanks

You get charged for going to the tip.

Love love love my T5 Kombi, wish I'd bought one years ago. It's my only vehicle & replaced a rather nice Alfa 159 which I don't miss a bit. T5 drives just fine, in fact I'm more relaxed in it (probably because it's slower). I can chuck children/bikes/dog/wife in the back (ok maybe wife in the front) with room to spare. It seats six when I want it to, or I can remove the qr rear seats & move house with it. Air con, leather, electric windows, and it fits in a regular parking bay (SWB). If I look after it, depreciation should be lower than a lot of other cars/vans (although admittedly they cost a bit more in the first place).

You get charged for going to the tip.

i don't. I had to get a pass to allow a privately owned commercial vehicle in. It gets ticked off when i go, i'm allowed 12 trips in 3 years, or i can apply again.

the guys at the tip normally come and look at the van, look at the stuff and realise that it's a genuine (non business trip) then help me find the right bin.

My card is brand spanking new after 10+ trips to the dump.

I love driving my T4 SWB. As someone else said you do tend to drive more chilled out, and the best bit is that all lorry drivers and other vans let you out at junctions as they think your 'trade.' (little do they know I wear a suit to work).

Beware older vans cant go into london because of the emissions regulations, its £100 charge if you do want to take it in. Vitos tend to rust just looking at them so id go with a t4 or Trannie.

[quote=Rusty Spanner ]You get charged for going to the tip.
I don't