hi all – change of circumstances coming up for me means new vehicle required.

not huge mileage, will primarily be used for transporting bikes (inside ideally), with a bit of commuting (about 40 miles a couple of times per week at most).

not fixated particularly on car, van or estate. wondered what the go to suggestions for this sort of thing are just now?

budget around £5k, but if there’s anything hovering a bit over that price that’s worth the extra I could be tempted.

suggestions gratefully received! cheers

Unimog

glad you took the time to post that, as it was both insightful and hilarious.

Sorry it’s just been the comedy answer on all of the car and van threads recently 🙂

I like my c-class petrol estate, plenty around near 5K and can get 2 bikes in front wheels off easy enough unless they are XL’s

cheers mate, appreciate the suggestion

Berlingo obvs.

Fantastic cars.

Get yourself a Breton jersey, a beret and one of these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Renault-4-GTL-1986/264819428732?hash=item3da877cd7c:g:J-IAAOSwmxlfKb4V

If you’ve already got another family vehicle, get a smallish van like a Berlingo or Transit Connect. So bloody useful for all sorts of reasons as well as carrying bikes.

Eg. This weekend, fence panels from a supplier and all the rotten old ones, plus a boat load of Ivy and other waste to the tip. No delivery charges, no skip hire and just sweep out all the filth and dust up once done.

I used to run a Berlingo van for my work, 2 and 1/2 seats up front and plenty room for bikes and changing room in the back. When the lease was up I bought a Yeti, no private changing facility (which I do miss) but sturdy little car which can have all 3 rear seats removed and bikes installed, feels van size when they are out. I have had 3 bikes in and 3 seats in bit of a squeeze but it worked. It has a tow bar as well so my rack can do all the carrying when the weather is iffy keeping the inside tidy

EDIT: Agree with what tthew says about flexibility and tips runs for small van, although my Yeti has been doing just that since the local tip opened again.

Berlingo or transit connect

I vote buy a car with removable seats rather than the van derivative.

I’ve had 3 berlingos/partners over the years.

Started with a van variant and moved to a car as it’s simply more versatile.

The only downside is rear windows…..mines have mesh blinds and a dark (factory)tint which helps.

But the seats coming out individually , the twin sliding doors , the tailgate …..vans are commonly single sliding and twin barns at the rear. No bulkhead in the car (which stops countzeros favourite complaint of the seat not going back far enough for his gammy knee )

I vote buy a car with removable seats rather than the van derivative.

Civic, seats concertina flat into the footwell, gives a great big loadbay. Sold mine yesterday, 2008, 98000 miles for under 2 grand, you’ll get a really nice one for 5k.

Liked this style so much I’ve replaced with a XLWB Merc Citan, 3 rear seats do the same, giving a cracking sized van, loads of room – 2.1m length is great for the bikes.

the new bingo does that but like every other vehicle that does that – its at the expense of load space/ Cabin space for driver….as someone who needs their seat almost all the way back to get my legs in it was no bueno thats why i got the last of the facelift old shape

thanks all! erring towards a berlingo/partner at the moment but some stuff in there i’d never have even considered. cheers.

the new bingo does that but like every other vehicle that does that – its at the expense of load space/ Cabin space for driver….as someone who needs their seat almost all the way back to get my legs in it was no bueno thats why i got the last of the facelift old shape

Both my civic and the Citan can have the seat fully back with rear folded down, only needs to go forward slightly to actually fold the seats forward, I’m 6’2″, so defo would’ve been an issue for me.

It does mean you lose a wee bit of load space (ie the footwell, where the seat folds into) but it’s worth it to me to not have to howf seats in and out. And it’s handy for sleeping in, having a fully flat load bay.

At 6’1 I never had any trouble with legroom in my (2007) civic. The magic seats were great – the load area is truly massive with the seats down AND the boot floor can fold down even lower. As far as bike-carrying hatchbacks go they must be pretty near the top of the tree.

Reliability is really good too, IIRC. On the other hand, although very comfortable, the cabin is a bit low rent compared to German cars and the petrol engine is underpowered (Type-R notwithstanding 😀 ).

Civic estate might sneak in just above your budget, but most seem to be diesel which probably won’t suit your commuting habits from the sounds of it. Depends what other journeys you do with the car, really.

Something like this:

Civic Estate

I have a 2006 merc ml. worth about £4k. seats go down flat in the back and its like a small van, but with big comfy seats, auto, 3lv6 td engine, mercedes build quality and 33mpg on a long run though i dont do much mileage so mpg isnt a worry. depreciation is almost negligble, £550 a year car tax though. Looks like a baby unimog too so its a win-win 🙂

Unimo….never mind.

OK I hear all your ace car stores about carrying bikes, but in a van they stand UPRIGHT with BOTH WHEELS ON which leaves plenty of easily accessible room down the sides for all the other luggage and stuff you want.

As a second vehicle they can’t be beaten. Be honest you 2 car families, how often are both sets of seats occupied on different journeys at the same time?

They do that in my Berlingo multispace, or is that counting as a van? I just got a boot jump made for my berlingo, it’s class.

Same applies to honda jazz. I’ve found it a revelation as I normally fold the rear seats UP, fit two bikes easily through the side doors in the rear passenger area and still have a full size boot to pile with other stuff without it flying about. Assume civics do this too, and they’ll be quieter on the motorway at the expense of mpg and parkability compared to the jazz

OK I hear all your ace car stores about carrying bikes, but in a van they stand UPRIGHT with BOTH WHEELS ON which leaves plenty of easily accessible room down the sides for all the other luggage and stuff you want.

As a second vehicle they can’t be beaten. Be honest you 2 car families, how often are both sets of seats occupied on different journeys at the same time?

I hear ya, it’s why I’ve gone back to a van tbh, but just a suggestion given the OPs budget.

fit two bikes easily through the side doors in the rear passenger area

I’ve no idea how anyone does this, my Bronson wouldn’t go in the back with both wheels off, ditto the Soul I used to have (large, so not massive) – Both were far too long.

What’s a boot jump @grum ?

edit found it!

Nobeerinthefridge
Member
What’s a boot jump @grum ?

An autocorrected ramp, perhaps?

I imagine you’d bump your head trying to jump out or into the boot of a Berlingo….

EDIT – edit found it! – is it an actual thing, then?! Wowzer! I stand (auto)corrected 🙂

It’s great for family days out when you want to hang out and have a drink/snack or wait for it to stop raining. And really comfy for solo/couple overnights. It’s obviously not a proper camper but it’s pretty cool for a car that does 50-60mpg and can get 3 kids with car seats in the back along with the boot jump and a baby stroller.

The original one is £1k + and imitations are from about £500 but look a bit shonky – I got a joiner mate to make one for me. He’s based in Glasgow and happy to do more btw.

If you’re handy you could do it yourself easily enough.

I’d get a Berlingo Multisoace.  In fact, we did. Great car even if it does look like it should be parked outside the wool shop or M&S.

Caddy Maxi…..

Caddy maxi at 5 grand will be pretty poor.

I have a Berlingo, similar use case to the OP. It’s incredibly handy. I love the zero faffage after a winter ride. Stick bikes in the back and clean them at home with a warm drink.
We moved house last year and it’s been great for the tip run.
The only down side I’ve found is it can be a bit noisy on motorway journeys. At 70 there’s the odd panel rattling, loud road noise and you can hear the engine. I just turn the stereo up and forget about it.

Can get a decent SWB Caddy for 5k but not much Maxi-wise (was looking to upsize myself before covid kicked in) Not checked the prices but Skoda Roomster/Yeti?

I looked at both a few years back, roomster is small, yeti was nice, but the same size load bay as a fabia estate and double the price.

Skodatax. Never thought I’d say that 30 years ago 😂

I’d get a Berlingo Multisoace. In fact, we did. Great car even if it does look like it should be parked outside the wool shop or M&S.

Get the right colour and options and you have taxi spec.

Nearly every taxi in town looks the same as our Berlingo…..it’s the perfect crime 🙂