Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 68 total)
  • Bike / Day van options ?
  • ton
    Full Member

    currently i have Zaffira tourer, which has for the last 6 years been fantastic. but i / we fancy a van.
    both mine and the wife’s bike go in the zaffira without removing the wheels.
    we need something with 2 seats in the back, for collecting and transporting the 2 youngest grandkids. any when we decide to go off with the bikes, something that we can sleep in.

    any idea’s greatly appreciated.

    sharkattack
    Full Member

    What’s your budget? Because a 5k van from 2019 is now 10k.

    I’m in the same predicament but I’m sitting tight for now.

    ton
    Full Member

    not thought about a budget to be honest. but as it will be my vehicle for day to day, maybe £10k or near.
    something like a crew cab transit would be ideal i think.

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    steveh
    Full Member

    10k budget doesn’t get you a lot of van right now as Sharky suggests. Prices are through the roof, not going to come down in the next 12 months or so.

    5lab
    Full Member

    at that budget, perhaps a grand tourneo connect (van based car)? Massive in the back, easy to pop seats up/down. Not as big as a crewcab transit.

    remedyflyer
    Free Member

    Not much help but buying a van at 10K these days will take a lot of looking around so you do not get a shed I brought a MWB Citroen relay two half years ago which had 16miles on it from new from a dealer and some are going for the same price now secondhand if more of the same year crazy and Ford Transit customs with seats in back crazy money.

    snotrag
    Full Member

    but as it will be my vehicle for day to day,

    Toyota Alphard / Nissan Elgrand, Highway Star. Way nicer vehicles to use than a typical ‘van’.

    And Petrol powered too.

    doomanic
    Full Member

    And drink like a fish…

    vmgscot
    Full Member

    Keep the Zaffira and bung a roof tent on the top for sleeping when required?

    snotrag
    Full Member

    And drink like a fish…

    Which is the price to pay for not spending all your time driving round in a builders panel van!

    Honestly – I love a good Transit or Vivaro etc, friends have them, I’ve rented many, they are super useful but theres no way in hell I’d want one as my daily transport.

    For 7-8k you can get a really very very nice imported Japanese Day-van-camper-tourer thing with leatherm, electric everything, 7 or 8 foldable seats, electric curtains, good stereo, cruise, auto, 50k miles on the clock, etc etc.

    And I just looked on AT and the alternative at 10k plus cash is a 100k+ mile bottom of the range white transit crew cab panel van with a dag-dag-dag 4 pot diesel. Personally – i know what I’d rather have. 2 or 3 grand in the bank buys a lot of differecne in fuel cost too.

    Not to mentiom that half the vans for sale are plus VAT too!

    marksnook
    Free Member

    My 17 plate transit drives as nice as my wife’s golf estate. Almost better on the motorway as transit is 6 speed. I think a van is a compromise on daily use, one of those weird jap tourer would be a compromise on being a van 🤷‍♂️
    I personally have no problem as a van as a daily driver

    doomanic
    Full Member

    My 17 plate transit drives as nice as my wife’s golf estate.

    I always have a little chuckle at claims like this. It really doesn’t say much for the Golf if a Transit is as nice a drive.

    For 7-8k you can get a really very very nice imported Japanese Day-van-camper-tourer thing with leatherm, electric everything, 7 or 8 foldable seats, electric curtains, good stereo, cruise, auto, 50k miles on the clock, etc etc.

    Got any links? All the ones I’ve looked at recently look like a ‘70’s brothel with all the chintz and velour.

    simon_g
    Full Member

    Berlingo is the easy, low hassle option without going too big. Drop in an Amdro or Campal unit and you’ve got a handy little camper.

    I imported a Honda Stepwgn for pretty much this, needed 6 seats when family were over and the XL Berlingos were too pricey and very few petrols about. I unbolt the rearmost seats and store them most of the time so it’s a 5 seater with a huge boot for family camping, bikes and tip runs, electric sliding doors, and rear passengers get normal MPV stuff like own heat/AC, opening windows, etc unlike most vans.

    There are various classes of JDM boxy MPV things – Alphard/Elgrand are the top end luxurious ones normally with bigger engines (new they’re used like Range Rovers or S-classes for whisking important folks about), class below are more sensible family ones like Stepwgn, Serena, Noah/Voxy (typically 2l engine or less) then there are even smaller that don’t make so much sense out of Japan.

    I don’t do enough miles to worry about fuel cost too much. Plus petrol imports from 2006 or later are clean enough for ULEZ, etc while much newer diesels aren’t.

    benp1
    Full Member

    I don’t think a van is as refined as a car. I’m comparing a 2019 T6 with a 2014 A3. Car is quieter and arguably nicer to drive in pure driving terms (less roll, better suspension)

    But the van seating position is higher and mine has a DSG box. Has all the normal mod cons as it’s a highline but it’s definitely noisier inside. All moddable if you cared enough about it (sound deadening, lowered suspension, ARBs, rear speakers etc). As nice as as the van is, it’s ultimately still a commercial vehicle. I like it for that reason, not worried about dog/kids/dirt

    A3 is my wifes car, T6 Kombi is my car. Not a daily driver as I don’t drive everyday but it’s my car, if I need to pop and do something i’ll use the van, not the car.

    Ton, can you be more specific about what you’d want that’s different from a Zaf? The JDM MPVs might offer a bit more than the Zaf, but if you want a van you want a van

    jamesfts
    Free Member

    Standard recommend what you’ve got reply, was in a similar position…

    Sub £10k, bonkers ugly looking, 8 leather seats (fold up, swivel and fold flat into a good sized bed, electric and heated fronts), every possible gadget/option, 3.5 v6 from the 350z, switchable 2wd/4wd with dif lock, electric everything including both sliding doors, 3 zone climate control, tailgate with work lights, drives like a big luxury car but has nearly space of a van – just feel bad using it as one when you do.

    Pretty much perfect apart from the mpg but a lot run lpg if they do the miles to justify the conversion.

    You can fit an xl enduro bike with wheels on in the back or 3/4 with front wheels off inc passengers and kit easily.

    Keep looking at new vehicles but nothing ticks the boxes that this does…

    Elgrand

    Elgrand

    sotonkona
    Free Member

    I have been wanting to do the same. Have a super economical Golf that I bought to do my 300 mile a week commute. My commute now involves walking down stairs and will never be 300 miles again, so I’ve been looking around at van options to use as a daily driver, day van with the bike and weekends away with my wife and dog. Prices for anything reasonable are astronomical at the moment, plus anything that is ULEZ complaint (Euro 6) is even more ridiculous in price and more places are adding ULEZ restrictions. I’ve always wanted a VW Transporter, but a basic Euro 6 panel van, without any internal work with about 100k miles is still the best part of £20k. Been looking at Vivaro/Trafic’s instead as they are much more reasonably priced, but they are quite difficult to track down too. I’m now tempted to wait for a few more months to see if the situation improves. Fleets are holding on to older vans as the new van market has a massive stock issue (a lack of!) and more vans are needed as the delivery market has gone nuts!

    jamesfts
    Free Member

    ULEZ complaint, no commute… get an Elgrand 😉

    snotrag
    Full Member

    Ace that @jamesfts !

    sotonkona
    Free Member

    Your Elgrand looks awesome, what’s the road tax like on one of them with a 3.5 v6?

    jamesfts
    Free Member

    Cheers guys, it very rarely looks that good this time of year unfortunately – currently covered in a thick layer of mud and filth.

    Tax is about £280/290 I think, due to be JDM import it avoids the mental £500+ category even with the engine size.

    marksnook
    Free Member

    I’m not saying my van isn’t louder inside than the car, suspension is probably not as smooth but it’s still nicer to drive. Comfier seated position, better vision, better on the motorway. Those are all things that make it better to drive in my eyes. Most people I know that have driven new transit vans do say they are just like driving a car.
    If it was just going about town then I wouldn’t pick a proper van. But for distance and throwing bikes in the back it’s a better vehicle in my eyes than something like those elgrande things (I partly can’t see past their looks!)
    Buy whatever you like the most surely?

    nwmlarge
    Free Member

    Transits are pretty uncomfortable.

    I would say a Hyundai vans are much more comfortable.

    Comparing them to a car is foolish.

    My money would be on an elgrand or similar.

    franksinatra
    Full Member

    I could never justify a van but permanent move to WFH meant I looked seriously at an office van. My idea was drive over to the wood / hill / beach and do my work from 4g router whilst looking at nice views. Run / paddle / ride / surf at lunchtime then a few hours work in the afternoon. Then head home or sleepover, and repeat.

    I even planned out the interior with big desk up against rear door to maximise the view when working.

    Prices just don’t make it viable for now.

    zilog6128
    Full Member

    I’m not going to claim it’s more refined, etc, than a modern car, but I have a top-spec Custom with all the extras, heated leather seats, etc and

    I personally have no problem as a van as a daily driver

    This

    I’m not saying my van isn’t louder inside than the car, suspension is probably not as smooth but it’s still nicer to drive. Comfier seated position, better vision, better on the motorway.

    and very much this… ended up getting rid of my car as just much prefer driving the van 😀 Just got to repair my old leaky Nespresso machine now & I’ll stick that in the back… don’t get that in most cars 😂

    remedyflyer
    Free Member

    Having driven lots of vans over the years and still do the new shape Transit is one hell of a drive they do shift lucky for me I only used by van to carry bikes etc commute by cycle.

    gordimhor
    Full Member

    Bought a van last year Peugeot Expert. It is medium size fits 3 bikes with wheels on plus tools etc. It only sits 2 really 3 at a squeeze. It was 5 years old with 27000 miles diesel. 2l engine not bad on fuel £11000 at that time.

    DaveyBoyWonder
    Free Member

    People who say Transit/Transporter/Vivaro sized vans drive like cars must drive some really crap cars. My T5 has 5 grand of suspension and ARBs bolted to it but in now way does it drive like a car!

    I’d normally suggest getting a van but you’d be mental to buy one these days – as people have said, £10k in the Transporter world which is what I know will get you a 10 year old base van with 150k+ miles. I’d rather have an Elgrand like the one above. I think that looks mega…

    RustyNissanPrairie
    Full Member

    its a pity the Honda Stpwagon evolved into a glitzy chrome covered Elgrand wannabe – the original/MK1’/earlier ones were quite utilitarian but they dont seem to be as common in the UK.

    zilog6128
    Full Member

    My T5 has 5 grand of suspension and ARBs bolted to it but in now way does it drive like a car!

    that’s a T5 though, you could spend 50 grand on it and it’d still drive like shit 😀

    damascus
    Free Member

    Most vans are plus vat so your £10000 budget is £8333 plus vat unless its no vat.

    Also with the clean air tax coming in you really want a euro 6 engine if its your daily drive unless you don’t go into a town centre.

    Some vans like the vw shuttle and caravelle are not classed as panel vans on the v05 so don’t get charged even if they aren’t euro 6 engines so worth checking the reg on this site.

    https://vehiclecheck.drive-clean-air-zone.service.gov.uk/vehicle_checkers/enter_details

    Apparently the market will sort its self in late 2022 early 2023 and all the big companies will dump their vans into the market when the new ones arrive and prices should fall. How much they will fall no body knows.

    I’d hold onto what you have now and wait and see what the market does.

    Having said that, have you valued your car recently? Might be worth more than you thought. 2nd car market is up too.

    steveh
    Full Member

    @sotonkona you’ll need to wait more than a few months, correction is 12 months out or more. Order a new van today from most companies and that’s a standard lead time. until new van supply sorts itself out used prices will stay high.

    doomanic
    Full Member

    @snotrag thanks, I was looking on Autotrader.

    seventy
    Full Member

    Another vote for an Elgrand here. Had mine for 2 1 /2 years and it’s been awesome. Something like this would be my goto for £10k :

    https://www.japanglasgowmotors.co.uk/listings/2005-fresh-import-nissan-elgrand-xl-3-5-auto-7-seats-mpv-4-grade-low-miles/

    simon_g
    Full Member

    its a pity the Honda Stpwagon evolved into a glitzy chrome covered Elgrand wannabe – the original/MK1’/earlier ones were quite utilitarian but they dont seem to be as common in the UK.

    RG (that I have, 2005-09) did shift focus from camping/sleeping/utility to everyday kid moving ability, plus a softer shape.

    RK (2009-15) are quite boxy and utilitarian again, and do the neat trick of rearmost seats disappearing below the floor.

    RP (2015 on) went a bit blobby again and fussy with the weird rear tailgate/door.

    Newly announced generation is back to boxy, its like a modern retro take on the old RF shape.

    https://www.honda.co.jp/news/2022/4220107.html
    https://www.motor1.com/news/559510/2022-honda-step-wgn-minivan/

    yourguitarhero
    Free Member

    Ton, have a look on eBay at ex speed camera vans.

    There’s one from a company in Hope that is a good buy.

    High top transit van. 12 year old, 31k miles for £9500.
    Straight from police so 1 owner and service history. Guess it spent most of its life parked.

    Has insulation, heating, cooling, windows and electrics in the rear and is carpeted, but essentially a box van so easy to build a sleep platform.

    Best you’ll get for £10k these days

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-TRANSIT-SWB-HI-ROOF-POLICE-SPEED-CAMERA-VAN-CAMPER-1-OWNER-31-000-MILES-/284505832375?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

    ElShalimo
    Full Member
    ta11pau1
    Full Member

    Between 2-4k miles a year? What was that being used for?

    ton
    Full Member

    thanks for all the idea’s everyone.
    just been showing the wife the Elgrand and she like the look of it.
    so going to try and source one to go and look at.

    cheers

    ta11pau1
    Full Member

    Those elgrands, the seats look better than my sofa at home!! They certainly do come with a lot of kit, and as a plus you’ll learn to read japanese! 😀

    What’s the performance/mpg like with the 3.5l V6? Any hope of anything over 25mpg?

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 68 total)

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