I need a car I can occasionally move my family of 4 about in but at weekends be bike transport.

I was wondering if anyone has used a Citroen Berlingo ?

Pros seem to be they’re cheap, have a van like boot, sliding doors and roof bars for days I wanna do the 3 bike thing.

Cons – shoe box on wheels

Any other thoughts peeps?

It’s basically the perfect bike and people mover if your not image conscious.

Got a peugeot partner …. my third of the platform in 11 years – had the first one for 7 years  (bought at 38k and got rid at 140k – as it was a van and we needed a car ), the second for 4 (bought it at 80k and got rid of at 130k so we could get something with more safety features due to wifes job)

cant see it when your driving it.

perfect bike car , people may take the piss but when its raining cold and i arrive at the trail head load up and roll in seconds while hiding under my tailgate im the one laughing at the bikes being loaded onto racks.

FYI take front wheels off and three bikes and three people in a mk3 is easy. Took a bit more effort in the old mk2.

I’ve yet to experience the unreliableness of french cars but then i do avoid the bells and whistles all gadgets that people tend to load their french cars with because the higher spec models seem better value than adding a couple of options and anyone that buys a french autobox is an mental pure  and simple – they are well known to be crap and expensive to work on/hard to even find a replacement for at a dealer…..

I know someone off here who had one, he turned up in it to pick me up & he had his MTB, all his camping gear, a stepladder (didn’t get on with his real ladder) & a Honda 90 in it.

You should be ok with one.

Perfect biking motor.. I regularly had 3 bikes in back(wheels piled in after) only 2 rear seats down so carries 3 bodies no probs

I was wondering if anyone has used a Citroen Berlingo ?

you new here? It’s the go to STW vfm vehicle for bike carriage

Buying one is one of the best things I’ve ever done biking wise. You can even get a stupid long large 29er in with both wheels in I found out today (which is good as there’s a good chance I’m going to be buying one).

It is a perfect biking vehicle. However, whether or not to get one depends on how you answer the following question.

Do you enjoy driving, or is it just something you do to get from A to B. If the latter, then crack on. If the first, then look elsewhere. My dad has had a couple and a more dull, uninspiring, box on wheels I have never had the misfortune to drive; and I have driven hundreds of cars over the years.

*If the first, then look elsewhere. My dad has had a couple and a more dull, uninspiring, box on wheels I have never had the misfortune to drive*

dont you have a vw t5 ?

It’s not that dull to drive. It’s not got the T5 dublife style though. Or price tag.

I’ve got a 2009 xtr.

Xtr has the air con and a few extras.  Xtr also has the three split seats in the back which are each removable individually. Sub xtr has a 1 and 2 split combo. Heavy to pull out.

Seats come out in seconds.

Don’t go for the fancy roof glass and overhead lockers. Takes up room for bikes. Pretty rare on the 08+ anyways.

Bikes will roll in stood up with a rear seat taken out.

I keep my middle seat out for this purpose. Kids in it mon-fri, bike at weekend etc.

With all rear seats out you’ll easily get four full suss bikes in it with wheels on.

I’ve been to bike park Wales and Snowdon etc with four adults and four full suspension bikes in it. And our bags. No leg room taken. For this I used the interior roof bars (xtr and optional on others) for some wheels.

Can sleep a 6ft adult in it with a bike. Easy.

Rear door is good for shelter. Can stand under it just fine.

1.6 hdi 90bhp. Pulls ok. Handles well enough for a van based vehicle. Ours gets ragged and does 44mpg will do 50+ easy enough.

Look out for injector seals. Sound like a train chuffing.  Can cause sludge build up and potential turbo failure. Ideally oil needs changing every 6k to prevent turbo issues.

I spent £3400 on a 09 plate with 90k miles a year ago. Ours is now on 109k and has had one injector seal done and that’s it in 19k miles.

Go for it.

It isn’t ideal weapon of choice for biking. With removable seats I can get 2×27.5 + 1×26 bike in and 3 bodies…it is a squeeze but doable. Normally for 3 I put a towball rack on. Have roof bars but don’t use them due to height of vehicle – I laughed at shorter mates using a step to load up their cars and I now find I should use one to load the roof.

Can sleep my 6′ 1″ body and bike in rear.

It is a very suitable car and worked very well. Like trail_rat, I’m yet to experience any real issues from my driving and ownership. I did have 1 but it was down to lack of use and not giving the engine a good run to clean, but fixed easily (had done 14k in 3 years).

yep we got an 15 plate outdoor(lifted 20mm with steel belly pan and curtain airbags rather than just dash airbags). on 5k miles earlier this year for 8900 quid.

its certainly no less dull than a dubtastic t5 for sure.

our old 1.9Ds could be described as dull if your a roy bacer but it did 80 on the french toll roads all day long.

“Berlingo as mountain bike transport” Mrs Davesport uses an L2 van as her daily and this was bought specifically for transporting bikes. Can’t find much negative to say about it really. Easily enough space for three fully assembled DH bikes plus gear. Not the fastest or most accomplished transport but ticks most of the boxes and it didn’t cost a mint to buy. It’s returning 45mpg, bought new and now three years old, no problems so far.

I miss my old Partner version. First one was a long stroke TD engine. Second was a short stroke TD. Wow what a difference like a rat up a drain pipe.

Would carry a FS 29er standing upright no need to take the wheels off.

The one thing that drove me mad was the tin foil wrapper heat shield for the turbo and exhaust.

Cost £30 for the part and £300 to fit as most of the engine had to be dismantled to fit it.

I just turned the radio up.

I would get another though or the Citroen version although the new Peugeot is lectric.

Everything above is true. But don’t buy from a Carmarthen based Citroen dealership is my advice. The worst customer service I’ve ever had- repeatedly. Now the issue is resolved (lack of AA cover) all is good.

Taken ours to the Alps many times, four or five bikes, two or three people and all their stuff.

I walked into the dealership with the request for a vehicle that would carry two bikes, two people, two dogs and two BoB trailers. Air-con too, to help dry kit. The Berlingo XTR ticked all the boxes. The 90bhp version is OK but I prefer the 110BHP version we have now.

Hi,

Friend of mine used to own old Berlingo. Fond memories.

Bucket-loads of space, 3-4 bikes inside without removing wheels and still plenty of space for uddles of kit.

No issues negotiating twisty and steep as heck single track roads of Lake District.

Cheers!

I.

It’s basically the perfect bike and people mover if your not image conscious.

Rubbish, it’s nowhere near as suitable for the non image conscious as my Doblo 🙂

Every time this comes up in regard to this type of vehicle I always post the same thing – they are the car no one wants and everyone needs. I honestly can’t imagine ever buying a different type of car.

Thanks for all that.

I don’t give a damn about looks allthough the new ones are outstandingly ugly

The one I found isn’t quite the right spec so will keep looking.

My son is image conscious but I told him it has doors that open like a Huey so he can play Vietnam Door gunner. He may be at least open to the idea.

How does the Kangoo stack up against the Berlingo? Are they basically the same?

Kangoo is narrower I believe.

I absolutely love my 2002 Berlingo. Wouldn’t consider any other car to be honest.

Proofread needed! I meant IT IS rather than isn’t…!

Ive had a 02 and an 03, great for biking. Both of mine had the 1.9 straight diesel engine which are pretty bombproof. Rear axles go on them, had the trailing arm bearing go on one and torsion bar on the other

I got a Berlingo last year as a bit of stop gap after getting shot of a T5. It’s grown on me massively to the point where I can see me keeping it a few years and replacing with another. Just a really practical car and a bit of a bargain.

Little things like the high tailgate, removable seats, internal storage, full width 3 seats in rear, sliding door are great. Driving wise it’s quite soft which hinders handling but makes it great for rattling around back roads. Plenty fast if you avoid the lower powered ones. It’s also cheap enough not to cry when it’s spewed in, drawn on with crayon etc.

I had a 2003 2litre Hdi for a couple of years. My partner referred to it as the “Pope mobile”,  it was a bit like driving around in a giant fish tank with all that glass! But I actually tinted all the rear windows, to deter nosey potential thieves when parked up on the street with my bike in the back, with the added benefit that our daughter could avoid being seen by her friends when sat in the back. The shame! Lol. “performance” was adequate, fuel consumption adequate, spares and repair bills adequate….   You get the idea… What it does is move things from A to B, and it does it well and with no fuss, ideal bike transport imo.

Good choice for what you want it for.

Try to avoid the 1.6HDi engine if you can. The 2.0HDi is much more robust. The 1.9D and petrol engines are said to be a bit more sluggish (no personal experience but they’re obviously less powerful/torquey than the turbo diesels), but more reliable than the 1.6HDi.

new versions out in all PSA makes

“Try to avoid the 1.6HDi engine if you can. The 2.0HDi is much more robust. The 1.9D and petrol engines are said to be a bit more sluggish (no personal experience but they’re obviously less powerful/torquey than the turbo diesels), but more reliable than the 1.6HDi.”

Historically this was the case but even the newest 2.0hdi is ancient now.

The newer 1.6s are modified oil pick ups  compared to the early ones with and are grand so long as you actually keep em serviced.

I wouldn’t buy an old 2.0hdi just to avoid a 1.6hdi.

The new models also have a ‘long version’. The Pug Rifter looks very smart.

Ace bike transports. I’m 6’4” and can get me, two other and all three bikes in wheels on – just remove two seats and they wheel right in.

Changing priorities mean I’m looking to swap for an estate soon. Not got around to advertising yet but maybe I should try on here when I do.

I like this one- https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F253841202346

It’s near me, I really don’t want rear seats or windows and bonus points.. it’s not white.

Should I buy it?

I really wanted a car for a while but we’ve been without a van for 3 months and the amount of times we’ve really, really needed a van already is ridiculous. Don’t want another Transporter unless I find a suitcase full of money.

I like this one- https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F253841202346

It’s near me, I really don’t want rear seats or windows and bonus points.. it’s not white.

Should I buy it?

I really wanted a car for a while but we’ve been without a van for 3 months and the amount of times we’ve really, really needed a van already is ridiculous. Don’t want another Transporter unless I find a suitcase full of money.

Have a look for an “L2”. Longer in the body, same wheelbase. Much more space for no extra dosh. IE the front wheels can stay on the bikes.

L2 has no rear seats by default (as far as I remember)…