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Ever since the engine dropped out of my bright yellow Astra van at the age of 18, i've been left with an empty void in my life. 10 years on and i'm about to try and fill it.
Now, I don't need a van. I work in an office, and throughout the week it'll be used to drive the 8 mile round trip to work and back. At the weekends it'll be used to cart round my bikes/motorbike/dogs/camping. Thats the ideal anyway.
I've had my eyes on some VW Transporters (predictably) for a while, but I can't be sure that a van will be workable. So before dropping £10k+ on a transporter i'm going to sell my current car and take that money +£2k (will probs come out with £4k total) and get myself a taster van, the idea being that i can sell it in a year when A) I know that a van will work for me, and i can get a transporter, B) I'll know that a van doesn't work and i can sell it at not much of a loss and get another car.
I've been looking at Ex RAC/AA Transits, some Vitos and some Vivaros.
Anyone tried it and it's not worked?
I've been driving various different T4's since 2007 as my everyday vehicle.
Don't like driving cars anymore really, just don't feel right for some reason.
My current German T4 Multivan II is the comfiest thing I've ever driven, have done the Alps from Northern England solo in one hit a few times, and Poland return trip from Rotterdam solo in one hit many many times.
Wouldn't consider it in a car, driving position just doesn't feel right for racking up that sort of mileage.
I had an Astra estate for 5 years, then somehow got dazzled by marketing hype and switched to an SUV (stupid...), which lasted a year, then plucked up the courage to buy a van a bit over a year ago on the basis of similar logic to you.
Got a white 07 plate LWB trafic, 40k for a bit over £7k. Turned out to have a dodgy alarm contact but a gaffer tape bodge put that fire out. It's been great and no issues otherwise. Put a removable bed shelf in the back for camping, and it's my weekend biking / kayaking vehicle ( I ride to work).
I stumped up that much since all the cheap vans looked like they blow up in my hands... And the van forums tend to put the fear of god into you with tales of problems...
I don't understand. If you want something you can just chuck a couple of bikes + kit in and not care about getting it dirty then buy a big estate which will be far nicer most of the time. If you need more space then get a large mpv and take the seats out. As a regular Transit user I can't understand why anyone would want one as regular transport. The only benefits I can see are you can get changed in the back and there's more space to chuck stuff in.
Thats because you drive a transit....mk6 and 7 Hardly the stalwart of the leisure van.....
Van driving position is generally comfier than most cars - most cars have me lying back like im in bed in order to see under the sun visor.
Mine seems to be working so far...
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Ex-AA vivaro, so it comes with the same engine and box as the sportives.
I've put about 60 hours of labour into mine so far, but now it's fully lined out and insulated so it is quieter than my old car inside. Big tip is to make a couple of plates up to move the passenger seat backwards by a couple of inches, makes a load of difference to the middle passengers knees!
Watch out out for RAC transits, they're 3.5T max weight which will cause issues for insurance and MOTs
I don't understand. If you want something you can just chuck a couple of bikes + kit in and not care about getting it dirty then buy a big estate which will be far nicer most of the time.
I have an r6 track bike, I'd struggle to get that in the back of a estate. I currently transport it around on a rickety old trailer.
I've gone from van to estate and am not at all happy
The last van ( master ) was a far nicer place to be than my current golf estate
As soon as the golf goes bang which won't be long it time for another van
But not a t5 just to much money and no better than anything else IMO
Thats because you drive a transit....mk6 and 7 Hardly the stalwart of the leisure van.....Van driving position is generally comfier than most cars - most cars have me lying back like im in bed in order to see under the sun visor.
You're either unusually tall or you've driven shit cars. My 9-5 is much nicer to do long journeys in than any van I've ever driven. Saying that I'd take a transit over plenty of cars. I've had to use a Lwb T5 as a hire van and I really didn't get why people seem to love them. It was much worse to drive than a transit in terms of enjoyment and the ergonomics weren't great. I can remember the hand brake being particularly awkward.
I have an r6 track bike, I'd struggle to get that in the back of a estate. I currently transport it around on a rickety old trailer.
That seems a much better reason to have a van.
Watch out out for RAC transits, they're 3.5T max weight which will cause issues for insurance and MOTs
3.3T, what's the issues re MOT and insurance? Class 7 MOT is no problem, and any insurance issues will be around insuring a van / commercial vehicle for personal use which main stream insurers don't like but plenty of specialist companies will quote.
My master was 3.5 gvw and had no problem with it as my daily "car"
Mot fee is slightly more but not much and never had a problem with Insurance ( direct line )
Upto 3.0 £54.85
Upto 3.5 £58.60
Mot free from gov web site
RAC and AA/BT have Towing Diffs which are little tedious in daily use but occasionally very useful if you need to pull someone out a ditch.
My 9-5 is much nicer to do long journeys in than any van I've ever driven.
Sounds like you've driven some shit vans 😉
Huge 3.5t van here, it's a camper so qualifies for Class IV mot but needs a class VII capable mot bay due to the size.
The towing diff on Transits can be a pain, 60mph is around 3000rpm so fairly noisy, although the more powerful models may have a better diff for mile munching.
It may be a good ratio for towing people out of ditches, but the clutches don't seem meaty enough and usually end up burning if not smoking!
throughout the week it'll be used to drive the 8 mile round trip to work and back
Can't believe nobody has picked up on this yet 🙂 Driving an 8 mile round trip - why not bike that?
Sounds like you've driven some shit vans
Well it's got a big comfy seat, loads of power, compliant suspension, cruise control, climate control and is pretty quiet. What more could you want? Vans tend to lose out on at least 2 of those, usually 4.
buy a Transit..........dont bother with the overpriced overhyped VW.
Remember the amazing residuals on the VW is offset by the premium you pay for it.
01 Transit driver until 2 years ago, did about 120k miles in it, not the most refined place but it was 150k to the good when I got it and it was on £2.5k then. LWB/Med High 3.5t and the insurance was less than the A4 it replaced and less than the Octavia, no issues getting insurance you just have to understand that some insurers don't cover vans before chucking toys around on here.
MOT was fine done at the main dealer and work done at my normal garage.
Part conversion with bed etc. Driven everyday and it was only the 32mpg that got annoying.
Sold it for £750 when I was emigrating in 47s on ebay.
Well it's got a big comfy seat, loads of power, compliant suspension, cruise control, climate control and is pretty quiet.
The current transit? If it's not got climate it's got proper air con.
This caught my eye earlier:
Advertised here:
Well it's got a big comfy seat, loads of power, compliant suspension, cruise control, climate control and is pretty quiet. [b]What more could you want?[/b] Vans tend to lose out on at least 2 of those, usually 4.
I would want all those, plus...
Heated leather seats
Heated mirrors
Full double glazing
Curtains and flush fitting thermal blinds
Factory fitted 13 speaker Bose sounds
Thermostat controlled engine preheater (on a timer)
Independent warm air heater for cold mornings (on a thermostat/timer)
Factory fitted seating for between 5 and 7 people, all adjustable on rails and swivel for different layouts.
Oh, and a full size double bed for proper long journeys obviously 🙂
Not all Vans have a cement mixer in the back, and a pile of old coffee cups and newspapers on the dash 😉
I loved my Transit, but this winter killed it. An attack of the voracious snow tinworm meant it failed its MoT last week.
I prefer driving it to a car, especially for long distances. The ability to see over most traffic removes a lot of the hassle of driving in places you don't know.
The ability to just chuck stuff in and go is priceless. No SUV or estate car can compare, and you don't need the frills.
So now I'm bereft and looking to replace it.
Get a post 2002 Toyota Hiace D4D, you won't have any issues with it
5 years of various vans, most recently a T5.5 Kombi with all the toys. My 8 year old Passat is better in 'nearly' every way for 99% of the time.
Done with vans. Going up to Innerleithen in one in a few weeks time, and I'm dreading it. Cars are a much better place to be 🙂
Thankfully I don't have to drag a track motorbike around either.
Switched from a peugeot 308 estate to a SWB Vivaro with crew cab. Best move ever. Cycle to work more or less every day, only ever drove to go somewhere with the bike and was just trashing the inside of a the car. Expanding family (2 kids + dog) meant even for short camping trips the estate car was rammed when we took the bikes along. So an opportunity came to get a van, and its been superb. Insurance costs the same, tax is a bit more and it gives around 43mpg on average. Comfortable to drive, quiet and hugely practical for us. I doubt I'd ever consider a car again.