As above has anyone got one of these, am tempted as seem the ideal bike van/car with the option of 5 seats and van style capacity with the seats folded down. There seem to be a constant flow of 3-4 year old ex post office and the like vans knocking around with reasonably low mileages. Anyone got one and therefore have some real world experience of them? They also claim 55+ mpg so would be interesting to know if this is actually achieved?

Thanks in advance.

Right then…

I bought one recently for the very reasons you've stated. I was lucky enough to pick up a white one with sliding door windows on a 56 plate for £3K!!!

It's a CDTi, and very economical (55mpg+); I drive from Wadhurst to Crystal Palace and back every day (94 miles)on £44 worth of gas. You can fit 5 bikes with wheels in the back with the seats down, or three broken down and keep the seats up. It's a very nice drive, but quite gutless and in no way a race car…

I bought it because we decided to take bikes and the dog up to Scotland this summer. I'm converting a Fiamma rack to hang off the back, so that the dog and bags are comfortable on route. I'm absolutely stoked with it; all my mates like the idea, and its the best of both worlds.

Hope this helps!

Great – many thanks for that, do you have the 1.3 or 1.7?

Presumably it was ex post office or BT etc…? Do you mind me asking where you got it from as seems like a bargain!

I've owned a 53 plate 1.7DI for the past year for business. Not used it as a bike transporter other than taking my 6 year old and his bike to the local woods.

We have just bought a 2005 combo to run along side our car. Our car was getting 24mpg with the bikes on the roof plus I didn't like been in a pub after a ride with bikes on the roof.

Now we get an avg 49 mpg for everyday driving and 55mpg on long runs. It makes it easier when we go away with bikes and the dog.

We have the 1.3cdti version and it's ace for what I bought it for. Drives just like a car which is a bonus. Look around to find a decent one- we bought a ex tv production co's with only 58k an fsh for 2.3k. I was told to avoid ex post office as there is slot of stop start driving.

1.7; although you wouldn't know it. The turbo is a low compression number which is supposed to aid overtaking, not going quickly. My other half has a 1.4 TDCi Fiesta which is a brick-load faster, and I've been told that the 1.3 is a better engine.

The van was previously owned by a coach company up north, but if I were you I'd look at either ex-Network Rail or BT vans. The GPO vans have usual had the sh*t kicked out of them, which is why they're so cheap. Trust me; it took me over 6 months to find the right one, and the price was a fluke. For the same reg van with 82K and FSH you'd be looking at between 4-4.5K

The 1.3 is a better engine as it uses a newer Fiat powertrain. The 1.7 is a lumpy old Isuzu engine which I am not a huge van.

If you are going to get one I would avoid an ex Royal Mail one unless you check it very thoroughly – they destroy things like seats, door check links and locks because of the amount they are in and out despite the mileage being low

Thanks all – at the risk of asking (another) silly question where is a good place to start the hunt apart from autotrader and ebay?! Am based in the south east…

Got mine on Gumtree. Always worth a punt…

Good Luck!!

**** off, I'm out for one of these.

avoid the isuzu engine imho – that's why I'm looking for a new van- knacked injector pump on my 2.0 DT astra, after 110k. not worth even the rebuild cost.

merthyr auctions look good if you're local enough/know what to check out for.

I had an 03 ex PO van. Got it cheap as I bought it with the usual body damage that most of them have. Repaired and sprayed it at work. Had to fix the rear door lock as they disconnect the central locking by cutting the activator bar. The biggest problem I had was that it didnt have ABS which made it very interesting in the wet or ice.

Personally I wouldn't buy an ex-PO van because I know first hand what they go through. You could get lucky and get a van thats had an easy life in a town.

I tend to fill the van up every 250-300 miles and a fill costs ~£40 or so. Not sure how economical that is? No idea what engine it is though, I just jump in a drive 🙂

I've often wondered how useful it would be if you removed the bulkhead. If the seats can fold flat or are removed easily then it would good.

cool – so am ideally looking for a non-PO 1.3…

Sounds like it…

They are also used regularly as scaffolder vans (more men than kit) and although that doesn't initially sound like a good thing, when you consider they are generally driven a short distance, then parked on a site all day, things seem mire promising. We run hundreds, leased from Newtown Vehicle Rental – try them as Im sure they have a glut at the moment due to construction industry slump and associated redundancies.

Their website is down – doesn't bode well…!

Hmm, did hear some rumours…

any other possibilities??

There a load of Combo's for sale in the 'Friday AD' a south east freebe paper, mostly trade, but lot's of ex Gas Board etc.

Think they have a website…..

Let me know how you get on, I'm thinking alons similar lines.

Will do – most available don't seem to have windows in the sliding side doors but all the ex-PO ones mostly do.

Rear door windows will be special order-looks like el were only big fleet to spec these

When I was looking for a Combo Crew van, the main priority was for windows in both the sliding doors and the rear doors. As mentioned previously, it took me over 6 months to find one. Worth it though; all the light of an MPV, so much nicer in the long run….

Thanks petesgaff – did you get it from a trade seller on gumtree?

got mine 😉