Been toying with the idea of getting a small van to lug my bike(and mates bike) around and was thinking along the lines of Berlingo,Partner or Connect type of van but not sure which to go for,any thoughts?
They're ok, but don't expect to get a couple of full bikes in the back easily. They only seat 2 also.
Go for a dispatch, scudo, expert van. Get the 1.9 turbo or HDI version tho. The non turbo is unbelievably slow! They come in 3 seat versions and have just over 6ft load length in the back. Ok to drive too
I've a Berlingo and can get three fully built bikes in stood up plus load of gear. Partners are identical.
The Connect is a bit bigger and I think your limited to doing 60 on the motorway.
Vauxhall Combo. Flippin' brilliant.
can take 3 full(non 29er) bikes in a partner (06 shape) with loads of room for kit or 5 bikes i the back with front wheels off ( one large 29er and one large cross bike with full length guards and rack ....) and 2 26" mtbs in 16inch
i have a 1.9 non turbo - goes quick enough to loose licence
connect,dispatch,skudo etc are subject to the lower speed limits , partners/berlingos/kangoos are not . also look at combos
i agree do get the 1.6 HDI or 1.7 CDTI engined versions - just dont expect to find decent low milage ones for sensible money - was more economical to buy a brand new van than to get one with less than 40k on the clock..... i test drove the 1.9d and figured it would be fine , perfectly happy with it ! will retain my licence anyway !
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my partner with a large 29er and a 26er in the back
Vaxuhall combo - excellent van, pretty cheap to buy, easily fit 4 or 5 bikes in the back, 6 or 7 with a bit of trying, so good for trips with a car and several others..... also about 5 inches longer in the back than a Berlingo etc so long enough to sleep in (I'm 6'2) if there's no bulkhead. 45+ mpg around town/occasional long journeys from the 1.3 cdti engine.
Might be selling a 54 plate one in a few weeks, I'll post it on the classifieds if so!
60 on dual carriageways in a big van and 50 in a 60 don't know about the small vans though
"Car derived" vans such as the combo, berlingo etc are car limits.
But ever seen a slow Transit size van anywhere?
could be 5 inches longer or it could be 84mms(3.3 inches) .... what you been telling your missus 😉
was a major concern when i bought mine - im 6 foot 3 and can sleep in the back of the partner no bother , just leave the front windows open a crack and have got the back insulated and a curtain hung in the front 😀
vauxhall combo van
though quite impressed with our caddy maxi at work, got the space and the seats, but not old enough to find many 2nd hand to consider one for myself yet, it's quicker than the land rovers with its bottom of the range diesel, but that doesn't say much, twice as economical though - combo is still a better drive for a van
VW Caddy.
Great fun.
new-shape berlingos (car version) fit 3 folk and 3 bikes, wheels on. And my bikes aint small (I'm 6'4"). Here's it with 1 in
old shape ones are slightly smaller mind.
If you want cheap to buy then the Berlingo is better than the Partner - same vehicle but the Berlingo has fewer 'luxuries' - like a Passenger airbag and ABS are both not standard features - they are on the Partner.*
* This is based on the previous style version of the Berlingo.
Berlingo can fit 3 complete bikes in the back (up to about 130mm travel full bouncers) and still carry 3 people and all the kit for a 4 day trip - this is on the car-based version rather than the van based version...I reckon the van-based could fit 4 bikes in complete but then you are limited to 2 people.
Berlingo would be by suggestion...
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Personally I'd rather get a big estate.
Vans are great if you need one for your business and use it on the side for biking. Otherwise WHY?
hora - i dont have a van - its a 2 seater utility vehicle 😉 2SUV
Estate = leave nothing in the back in view - last sunday i parked up in a public carpark after a race with 4 bikes in the back out of sight and went to the pub for tea .... didnt feel worried in the slightest.
Dickbarton -that maybe on he car versions - my partner(van) has neither of those things on an 06 plate but i bought the base model - few electricals as being french i expect electrics to be **** !
duplicate
MG Express 160.
I'd reccomend combos, ex post office ones are very cheap (05 with about 50k for just over £2k), 1.3 engine is pretty nippy and nearly 50mpg. 2 bikes go in easily.
caddy or transporter...
Caddy or Transporter?? Over priced and thirsty.
Partner (or Berlingo) HDi old shape - great fun to drive and cost buttons. 1.9D if you must, great old mechanical fuel injection engine that will run and run. Make sure you get blanks for the rear window and fit a ply bulkhead to keep the thieves off. No prob fitting bike(s) in the back.
New Partner (or New Berlingo) all HDi engines, some versions (NOT ALL) have 3 seats in the front and loads of room in the back. Interior loads nicer than the old ones. Lot more expensive than the old one.
Expert (or Dispatch or Scudo) old shape feels woeful with 1.9D engine and restricted to 60mph on dual carriageways. HDi 110 is dead fit tho, and you get mostly 4 seats in the front and all have 2 side loading doors.
New Expert (or Despatch etc) lot nicer than the old shape but pricier too.
Peugeot & Citroen (& Fiat too on the Expert sized vans) are identical in terms of spec - come out of the same factories with the same engines. Just buy on the condition and spec of the one you're looking at - if it's not great just walk away, there are plenty to choose from........ And if you're really desperate get a nice red Vauxhall Combo from the Post Office, some are looked after well and not a bad 1.3CDTi engine.
correctly priced IMO. less like a van than any other van. decent following (for a reason), good reliability, bodywork that will last as forever, solid build quality.
buy cheap, buy twice.
you wouldnt skimp on your bikes. buy a proper van.
all!! the caddys i looked at were falling apart .... interiors are terrible - was willing to spend 9k on the right vehicle. french stuff was all in much better nick - even the higher milage stuff VW aint what it used to be
transporters are just grossly overpriced - still want a california one day
The only thing to be wary of is if you have an old style berlingo with full ply-lining then you will struggle to get more than 2 bikes with wheels on in the back. But they are cheap and good fun!
newer caddy? TBO i've never owned one, but seen plenty all in great nick and still going. really smart vans.
ive got a transporter. it fills my life with joy. best vehicle ive ever been in, let alone owned.
no bigger than an estate car for parking etc, but i can sleep in it, it has 5 seats. it fits 5 peeps plus bikes plus kit for 2/3 weeks away. does 40mpg. is quite quick. is bright yellow.
man i love me van.
hang on i mean TBH
Yup, it's fair to say that the French stuff doesn't rust - when you look at Merc Vitos and Ford Transits they're always 2-tone - white & rust, or silver & rust.....
vito's are a joke for rust. ALL of the ones ive seen have patches.
transit connect incidently 'won' the award for highest percentages of MOT failures after 3 years in the recently published MOT stats IIRC...
something like 50 or 60% of them failing after 3 years.
BAD.
03-07 were what i was looking at
looked at 01 plate berlingos with 100k on the clock with nicer condition interiors - now i know alot of that comes down to how you treat it but surely i should find at least 1 or 2 nice ones given i looked at about 10 of the ****ers. Just little things like window winder knobs missing , gear knobs being broken , sun visors falling off - seemed to be a common theme across all the vehicles i looked at as multiple dealers. Normally id earmark such items on a low milage vehicle as clocked but i really dont think these were - all were sub 40k miles
i can see why you love your transporter - hell id have one too BUT i just dont see 6-8 grand in a vehicle with more than 100k these days . 6-7 years ago with the older engines which would keep going till the cows come home no bother. Too much resting on old reputation for me to sink money into it !
aye my dads 08 transit is a joke - not even out of the 3 year mot period. Its starter , window washer , brake servo all failed
crap eh?
my t4 was a lot less than 6k. its a 2003, but bought it nearly 3 years ago now. VERY happy with it. been tidying it up of late to look a bit more fun and a bit less commercial..
problem with 80% of vans is that they are vans, and a lot of van drivers treat them like mobile skips.
ive seen vans for sale with no door linings and molegrips as window winders... surely not a good sign for the rest of the vehicle!
not much chance of that these days trackonicko
fashion brigade have hold of them !
true story.
not sure if i fall in the brigade or not... i dont 'surf'. so at least it isnt parked on a cornwall coastline while i pose in the back with a cuppa.
think thats where 90% of all transporters are now...
Thinkgs kep going wrong with my berlingo, but for some reason I still love it!
suspension snapped (possibly overloaded while being driven "spiritedly")
instrument cluster died
water pump failed (luckily it was fixed at the same time as getting the cam belt replaced)
rear windscreen wiper died (yesterday in fact)
oh and the brakes were sh1t, then I got them replaced...and they're still sh1t 😀
the joy of just throwing bikes in the back, without having to worry about taking bits off/scrubbing stupid carpeted interiors afterwards seems to make up for it
suspension snapped (possibly overloaded while being driven "spiritedly")
having seen daves method of loading i know this above in brackets to be FACTUALLY correct .....
dave goes by volume method - not the weight method ...
If you can see out the back it's not full 😉
I ran out of stuff to take last time...and still had a clear view behind me!
(ps spirited driving in the berlingo can be done at 30mph - it's all about the comedy body roll in the corners 😀 )
your car must have soft suspension
dont think my partner has suspension ..... corners really well (for a standard van)
goes round nearly all corners flat out* !
* flat out is about 60mph
Been told that reliablity is pants for Berlingos,how about Combos or Connects.Which are the nicest to drive?