dont exist in the uk, and afaik in RHD
ah i'm wrong about the RHD bit it seems
This thread has got me looking at all kinds of weird nonsense. Now that I can't drive my van from one side of Sheffield to the other I need to start thinking outside of the box.
Early Stepwagons look cool but I bet they're a thirsty beast. Couldn't even consider running an Elgrand.
I like the look of this but don't know anything about them...www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/657075219110150/
People seem to get 25-30mpg. ut of early Stepwagons in 2.4l guise which is about what I'll average in my 2l CVT 2011 version.
Kamakazie
Full MemberPeople seem to get 25-30mpg. ut of early Stepwagons in 2.4l guise which is about what I’ll average in my 2l CVT 2011 version
That's not bad, that's 2015ish Transit custom mpg, plus petrol is cheaper and less smelly, clattery awfulness.
I've never owned a diesel and never will. Had plenty of company diesel vans though.
Has anyone ever been stopped for using a van at car speeds?
My Mrs got done for doing 70 in a 70 (dual carriageway) by a camera van. So there’s one for you
ah i’m wrong about the RHD bit it seems
I thought they were USA (LHD) only so that’s kinda interesting. Always had a bit of a soft spot for them too
Just catching up on this thread.
Regarding the pre-heater, I’ve picked up a second hand Eberspaecher (from a Vito like mine). I’m having to botch it a bit as the van isn’t coded and doesn’t have the dash button or Mercedes remote receiver but I’ve sussed out a way to install/control it. Total cost will be around £300.
I’ll update in here when it’s all installed.
I've been checking autotrader/VW approved used website/eBay daily and today is the first time a caravelle has come up with the 'right' spec of LED lights, Adaptive cruise control, and the ultra rare secondary diesel air heater...
2016, so a bit older than I'd have wanted, 150ps and 4motion (probably the perfect combo), low 17k miles and only £32k which is very cheap for any T6 Caravelle! Nice colour too. Interior colour could be tricky to find the single seats for, and tricky seeking the rear bench as most have the black interior.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/202303125166025?atmobcid=soc3
But... it's a private seller, 5hrs drive away in Merseyside! 🤣
That'll be snapped up by a dealer within a few days and back up for sale at £5k more, I guarantee it.
Pfft, 5hrs is nothing - get it bought!
Or is it more the Merseyside aspect rather than distance?
(I accept it's not the same for everyone, but where I am I've usually got to travel for the best cars - furthest was a 960-mile round trip to Torquay and back)
Looks a nice van. That side step though... how are you supposed to fit the mandatory sidebars with that in the way? 🤣
Agreed 5 hours for such a large purchase isn’t that big a deal. Set off at 7, you’ll be there by lunchtime
Jump on the train and go get it man. I've done solo trips to the ends of the UK for daft stuff like Opel Manta's and a £400 Volvo 240. It'll be a good day out.
Yeah the distance isn't that much of an issue, it's more the private seller thing, I want a warranty and will need to part ex my car, so private is just a no-go.
If it was a VW approved used vehicle then I'd have no issues with travelling that far, or further! Happily do a road trip up to Scotland for the right car.
On closer inspection that car doesn't have the intake vent in the drivers footwell for the heater so it might not actually have the factory specced heater option, might just be the control panel has been retrofitted.
Worth considering a non-erbesbacher vehicle as I believe the heater emissions will count towards the VED category and may bump you up a class if fitted. T5 174 I had was 2grams CO2 below the next banding. With a diesel heater, it would have been in the next VED band.
Worth considering a non-erbesbacher vehicle as I believe the heater emissions will count towards the VED category and may bump you up a class if fitted. T5 174 I had was 2grams CO2 below the next banding. With a diesel heater, it would have been in the next VED band.
Cheers, I think that only applies to cars registered pre-April 2017, and even then it means £220 a year Vs £265 (I think) so not a huge amount. Post April 2017 (I'm aiming to get something no older than my 2017 car) it's a flat rate of £165, plus the extra £355 for 5 years from end of year 1 (so if it was registered 1st April 2017 it'd be back to £165 by now, £520 due in 2018, 19, 20, 21, 22).
Didn't realise they included the optional heater in the emissions totals though.
That blue one might even be a 204 going by the all red TDi lettering.
checked it on gocompare and its returning as a 150. I didn't think they did a 4motion 150 though. Wouldn't be the first time VW have incorrectly registered a vehicle.
checked it on gocompare and its returning as a 150. I didn’t think they did a 4motion 150 though. Wouldn’t be the first time VW have incorrectly registered a vehicle.
On DVLA website it shows as 172g co2 emissions which equates to a 204 4motion of that era, so yeah it's registered weirdly!
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Quite enjoy my 2006 Subaru Outback for bike transport when needed. It’ll 3x cx bikes inside along with 3 adults and kit if needed. Or our tern gsd and a kids bike and camping kit. Actually more practical than the t3 Doka due to covered over aspect. Also 26mpg from the Subaru vs around 22mpg for the t3. It’s also really satisfying when an ignorant motorist harps on at me for cycling on the road and ‘road tax’ to point out that I pay around a grand a year in VED so they can take their outdated ideas and do one.
£32k and this is all he could be bothered writing about it;
"Blue, 2 owners, £32,000
Vehicle registered: 26/05/2016"
and it's in Merseyside and the seller is wearing white AirMax and trackybottoms.....*
*Other stereotypes are available
£32k and this is all he could be bothered writing about it;
“Blue, 2 owners, £32,000
Vehicle registered: 26/05/2016”and it’s in Merseyside and the seller is wearing white AirMax and trackybottoms…..*
*Other stereotypes are available
Yeah there is something not quite right about the ad. The first owner was obviously a little old lady as it was doing 3k between MOTs!
So if Merseyside isn't too far, how about Northern Ireland? 🤨
For a bloody lovely T6.1 in an awesome blue, maybe not! LED's, check. ACC, check. Digital dash and 6.1 upgrades, check! *Checks ferry prices
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/202303155269748?atmobcid=soc3
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I've got a history of buying vehicles from NI, my Aprilia motorbike came from there too...
^ooooh that's nice!
Those photos of the one in Merseyside were taken in New Brighton about 10 minutes from me.
I don’t mind popping to have a look if that’s any help?
Those photos of the one in Merseyside were taken in New Brighton about 10 minutes from me.
I don’t mind popping to have a look if that’s any help?
Cheers for the offer - logistically I'm going to need to buy a car from a dealer and part ex mine so anything private isn't going to be any good. Someone else might be interested though - it's a very decent price and could be genuine...
Update/non update on this, I'm still looking 🫤
Also this thread might be interesting reading for @jonba
Haven't actually managed to find a caravelle local to me to have a look round/sit in/measure up but there's one (out of my price range) that I'll hopefully be able to look at this weekend.
There are 2 vehicles that have come up at the same dealer (2 hrs away) with the spec I want (no 2nd heater, I'd be waiting months for one to come up with that specced) - a 2019 150Tdi with 38k for £45k, which is right at the very limit of what I can spend, but is the age and mileage I'd want. And a 2016 204BiTdi 4Motion with 60k for £40k which is a bit older and higher mileage than I'd want...
Part ex price they've given is £16k which is about £1-1.5k less than I was hoping for too.
If the older one was £36/38k I'd be very tempted but at £40k it makes little sense to save only 11% to get something 7 years old Vs 4 years old. That's a big age difference.
I'm slightly tempted to hold out and (unless something perfect comes up) wait until autumn when prices (which are already falling a bit) should have dropped by a few k, I'll have more money saved up, and I might be able to get a 2020 t6.1 for a grand or 2 more than the 2019 t6 above.
You could hold out till the Autumn but you need to factor in that you will have missed a summer of using it. 😉🤔
You could hold out till the Autumn but you need to factor in that you will have missed a summer of using it.
Yeah, that's another issue! I've got 26 days holiday still to take this year (before Dec 31st) which I'm holding off booking anything because if I get a van I
1. Won't be able to afford 2 or 3 £500-£1000 trips this year, and
2. I'll be using it to go away camping a lot
But if I don't get a van this summer I'll want to book a few trips away to use up my holiday...
Gaaaargh!! 😬🤣
2019 150Tdi with 38k for £45k, which is right at the very limit of what I can spend, but is the age and mileage I’d want. And a 2016 204BiTdi 4Motion with 60k for £40k which is a bit older and higher mileage than I’d want
There's 2000 miles difference? That's like 1 trip to France and back or a few weekends away.
There’s 2000 miles difference? That’s like 1 trip to France and back or a few weekends away.
38k miles Vs 60k miles, 22k miles difference 😉
There’s 2000 miles difference?
22,000 miles or over 50% by my maths.
£40k for a leggy, 7 year old van is absolute madness imo - it's got to be halfway through its serviceable life and will have some big bills on the way, but there you go.
Sorry I read the 40k as miles 😁😁😁
£40k for a leggy, 7 year old van is absolute madness imo – it’s got to be halfway through its serviceable life and will have some big bills on the way, but there you go.
Yeah, whereas the 2019 one is priced about right (for the current market) the older one I'd expect to be a few grand less - the fact it's a rare 4motion does mean it's a bit more valuable, but I think it's about £2k too much. VW main dealer though.
And I'm looking to keep whatever I buy for 5 years, minimum (current car I've had for 3.5 years, bought at 2.5 years old) so I don't really want something that's going to be well over 10 years old within the time I own it.
I managed to install my second hand Eberspaecher engine pre-heater. It’s -7c overnight here in Austria at the moment and the heater is on a timer to come on for 30 minutes every morning. Works brilliantly.
It’s definitely a doable retrofit.
For the prices you are looking at now, you could keep the skoda for when you have accommodation sorted, and buy an older van for when you want to sleep in it. You are well and truly into mission creep - especially if you are spending so much money that you won’t be able to do the trips you wanted to do.
Spend 2k on a posh pop up roof tent thing for the car you have, leaving lots of spare cash for trips.
For the prices you are looking at now, you could keep the skoda for when you have accommodation sorted, and buy an older van for when you want to sleep in it. You are well and truly into mission creep – especially if you are spending so much money that you won’t be able to do the trips you wanted to do.
I considered this, buying a cheap 4 or 5 grand Berlingo XTR/Partner Teepee, but it would mean driving pretty much everywhere in it, as I honestly only a thousands miles a year, if that, on non MTB related driving. So I'd end up driving the 10hrs to Scotland in a 20 year old car. And the Skoda would be used once a month to drive to the office and back, and the occasional shopping trip.. it would literally get used once every 3 weeks.
And it's not that I won't be able to afford the trips, it's more than I will have just spent 40 grand and so will want to save the coffers for a while afterwards!
Spend 2k on a posh pop up roof tent thing for the car you have, leaving lots of spare cash for trips.
Also considered this, but it didn't solve a couple of issues I want to solve, that is a lack of accommodation with bike storage, and camping with the bikes out in the open for any scrote to try to nick. A single bike will go in my car with the front wheel off, but with kit it's a ballache.
Nah, I'm pretty much sold on a van, and I know for a fact I won't be able to live with one without adaptive cruise control, which basically limits me to either a Ford Tourneo Custom, or a VW Caravelle. Just need to find the right one!!!
Is ACC really worth the 10-15 grand mission creep? I have it on my car and it is good, but it’s not the end of the world (to me at least). I don’t know your personal situation; maybe you are swimming in cash with mortgage paid off etc, in which case perhaps 10-15k is no big deal to you, but that’s a serious chunk of money. Especially when you have a really nice car sat there with a towbar rack already.
Vito Tourers from 2020 could be specced with Distronic (ACC).
I don't get the adaptive cruise control at all. The number of times I need to change my speed when on cruise, well it's honestly not that often. Certainly not often enough to restrict my choices. Maybe it's something you need more when you've used it a lot previously. But out of all the possible add-ons, this is one I really don't get
I don’t get the adaptive cruise control at all. The number of times I need to change my speed when on cruise, well it’s honestly not that often. Certainly not often enough to restrict my choices. Maybe it’s something you need more when you’ve used it a lot previously. But out of all the possible add-ons, this is one I really don’t get
I do a lot of motorway miles and it's a godsend - one of the first things I look for. Not a deal breaker, but I'll get it if I can
I don’t get the adaptive cruise control at all. The number of times I need to change my speed when on cruise, well it’s honestly not that often. Certainly not often enough to restrict my choices. Maybe it’s something you need more when you’ve used it a lot previously. But out of all the possible add-ons, this is one I really don’t get
I had a post written out and then the site crashed, but basically yeah it's an absolute must have for me. If I lived in Scotland with few motorways and even less traffic then maybe not, but I live in the congested south east where traffic is constant and heavy, and anywhere hilly is 3-4 hrs drive away.
Just driving on the M25 without ACC would be annoying on its own, traffic is normally so heavy that you're always behind someone, or waiting for a gap to overtake, or limited to 60/65mph by just the amount of traffic. It's very rare you have an empty road ahead and can actually sit at a constant speed. Manual CC is a no unless you want to be adjusting the speed every minute, which then distracts you from driving.
Then there's slow moving queues, and stop start traffic.. again, normal CC just isn't suitable for that. ACC You can turn on and only need a tap of the throttle if the car completely stops, otherwise you're free to concentrate on what the other traffic is doing, watching out for motorbikes filtering etc.
I've only had it on my Skoda but it's a revelation. I still remember driving back from collecting it, a 2.5hr drive in heavy traffic and torrential rain, half of that on the M25 - it felt like I'd done 30 minutes in the car, not the best part of 3 hours. It makes stuff like 10hrs up to Scotland so, so much easier.
Is ACC really worth the 10-15 grand mission creep?
ACC is one thing but over a £32k Peugeot Traveller you are getting more than just that with a £42k Caravelle. And cost wise, it's about £200 a month extra, over 5 years (loan monthly cost) which I'm lucky enough that I won't really notice that extra. I'm not swimming in money by any means but I have a decent amount of disposable income left after all my bills have been paid. I'd be looking to clear down any loan within 3-4 years realistically with overpayments. I am aiming to have another 40k saved up in the next 4 years, which this won't really affect too much, so that probably gives an idea of my financial state. "Comfortable" would be an accurate description. 👍
This has been useful!
I need to play with some vehicles. How the seats fold or can be removed seems key to space. Probably need to measure some bikes too.
This has been useful!
I need to play with some vehicles. How the seats fold or can be removed seems key to space. Probably need to measure some bikes too.
Good, thought it might be! The last couple of pages has turned into a bit of a blog by me, but then I've considered probably every single 'ultimate MTB transport' out there!
And you're right - especially in a van based MPV - how the seats can be arranged is crucial, especially if you want to be able to sleep in the van alongside a bike or 2. Of course you could remove them all to be left with basically a van, but that's neither practical nor easy with some vans. The Caravelle rear bench seat is 100kg+ for instance so that's a 2 person job, unless you have a trolly made for the job.
I bought my caravelle from these guys several years ago. Mine was 3 years old at the time but with moon and back milage so it was a bargain - it’s probably worth what I paid for it still now - motoring doesn’t get cheaper than that!
Anyway, I found them great to deal with and they’ve specialised in caravelles for years so probably worth a call to see if they can sort you out.
https://www.motors.co.uk/car-65464100/?i=3&m=ds
helicopter. be great for the lakes.
I bought my caravelle from these guys several years ago. Mine was 3 years old at the time but with moon and back milage so it was a bargain – it’s probably worth what I paid for it still now – motoring doesn’t get cheaper than that!
Anyway, I found them great to deal with and they’ve specialised in caravelles for years so probably worth a call to see if they can sort you out.
https://www.motors.co.uk/car-65464100/?i=3&m=ds /blockquote>
Interesting, cheers. They don't have anything with the right spec at the moment but I'll keep an eye out - they do seem to have more Caravelles in stock then the entire south east put together!
