I want to hear some thoughts and experiences re small vans / estate cars. Want to be able to sleep inside it and take either a few surfboards or bikes.

Currently have a mk4 golf 1.4, very boring but cheap insurance / servicing and as I drive less than 10k miles a year the relatively poor fuel economy doesn’t hit too hard (30 – 40mpg). But I can’t sleep in it so looking to change.

Had ideas of buying an lpg converted Volvo but maybe I’m dreaming (lots of lpg stations near me in brizzle). Also considered lwb ford transit connect. I’m still a student so insurance is big consideration, seems that vans are more expensive here.

Do you cross the bridge into Wales a lot? See what qualifies as a van as its a big jump in price from memory.

Van. Much better for storage and sleeping. Done the estate car option it was rubbish.

B9 Berlingo / partner, not that there’s owt wrong wi m49/ m59’s, estate or van both do the job, 16hdi estate is cheaper on the Ved tho

DO NOT buy a connect unless you want to keep your local mechanic and welder in beer tokens.

re Berlingo – I have a 1.6 hdi(car version) – imho – very good for what I want(I have the rear single seat perma out, so two bikes with fronts out down the side, leaving 1/2 the rear area for dirty luggage, and 2 rear seats/footwells for clean luggage), you can get a Beta Alp 200 trail bike in the back, it does 50mpg(I pretty much stick to speed limits) but in mine(2008 model) the front seat does not fold that low which limits long object storage options – luckily gf is a shortarse, so I can get an 8ft 6 board in with it sitting on her raised headrest diagonally to rear corner and is strapped there(*this allows the 2 bikes on the other side) – might also impact flat sleeping area – so I’d check that, newer models might be better. In my 306 pug I could get 9ft 2 board in using the passenger footwell as seat back went right down.

at bit ot – http://www.smallmotorhome.co.uk/

also look at nu venture and romahome – they do berlingo based motorhomes

2008 is a B9, i’ve had a suzuki bandit fit in the back of an m59’s (2002 – 2008) with the passenger seat forward

I had a Kangoo 1.5dci van for all my windsurfing gear and bikes whilst the family car was being used by the wife. It’s small enough alright, could get two bikes in with wheels on easily and three no problem if you top and tailed them. When filled with windsurfing gear it would take 2 wave boards 230/240 length, 4 sails and booms/masts when the passenger seat was flat.
Overall it was pretty good, cheap to run but the tax was £250 IIRC, it was an 04 plate and it’d done 130k bless it. I’d never sleep in it, but it was big enough to do if you wanted.

I’d say, what size boards do you have? I’m not sure I’d get my 8’10 paddle wave board in it if I think back..

Would I recommend one? Probably yes.

B9 Berlingo / partner,

Great van. I have one that I use for windsurfing and putting bike in. For me it was the 3 front seats and the fact that the 2 passenger seats collapse down into the front of the vehicle. Couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

Vw caddy maxi life. Loads of room to fit in bikes and windsurf gear. We have one. If possible go for a 2010 model. Last with the 1.9 pd engine. No common rail issues and no dpf

Depends how big your surfboards are and whether you will be taking passengers.

If you are by yourself you can just about fit a longdoard by reclining the front seat and putting the board from the foot well through to the back of the car. I could fit a 9 2 but not anything bigger in a Seat Leon. One of my friends could fit bigger in an people carrier with all the seats out/flat

Even smaller boards don’t really fit in a car if you are taking passengers, maybe one squeezed in behind the driver. I have boards from 6 6 upwards and always easier in the front seat.

Anything else you are looking at a roof rack for the boards so the car size is more about carrying bikes.

In terms of vans, again board size is important, you may find the length of the load space of a van is less than you think, if you have to put boards in diagonally it eats up space. This why surf vans tend to be bigger panel vans, also so you can skip in them. But you still see a lot of longboards on van roofs because they don’t fit

I have a new Trafic, easily fits multiple surfboards of various lengths and 4 bikes without any fuss when me and Mrs OD go on a trip

Thanks for replies

Hadn’t thought about the toll on the bridge to Wales. Don’t cross it enough to make a big difference.

Seems that vans are much more expensive for same mileage? Interested in Caddy maxi but budget is ~£2500, maybe £3k and they seem to be more than that. Keen to hear if they’re as reliable as I’d assume from a VW? Heard that the T5s are useless beyond 100k miles.

Often take passengers so at least 3 seats is a must.

I wouldn’t touch a vw 2.0 diesel, timing belt tensioner bolts stripping, service items like diesel filter needing obd software to purge or the hp pump will go west, hp pumps going west from supermarket diesel
Bag o s***e

Mondeo Estate.
Had Mk2 and Mk3. Windscreen to back window is a long way, my car has been used to lock everyone’s boards in when staying in town, all sizes, 8 or so boards. Fitted about a dozen bikes in for bike trips. Slept in a couple of times, but prefer the tent. Preferred the tent when I had a van too.
They are cheap, plentiful and big.

Seems that vans are much more expensive for same mileage?

Some are some are not, VWE has a scene tax added so it doesn’t help.
Student? What about a battered old transit?

Unless you are doing big miles, I’m not sure why you’d consider LPG conversion?

Got a mate who has been priced out of the VW surfer scene but still wants the same sort of van, he got a Hyundai iLoad which looks pretty smart, 3 seats and a fair size. Looks even better in a colour, but if you can push your budget… (and this has rear seats I think which are probably worth a fair bit to sell on)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201609017317365?make=hyundai&search-target=usedvans&radius=100&postcode=bn90np&page=1&quicksearch=true&sort=suppliedpriceasc&logcode=p&adPos=1

DO NOT buy a connect unless you want to keep your local mechanic and welder in beer tokens.

Pish, mine was bomb proof. You’re doing that thing where you have a bad experience, and assume all other trannys are the same. I just sold mine last week.

Tranny connect is perfect for your needs op. Cheap, decent mpg – I’d get 400 miles from 55 quid worth of diesel – and if you get the LWB high roof one, you can sleep in there too.

You have got that in reverse, I’m a trader, I see em every day…
Drivers door falling off, rusty sills, rusty rear spring mounts, diesel pumps are the first things I check before I either reject or bid the owner in the balls.. Granted they will run for ever as apart from hi pressure pumps they’re mechanically bomb proof, but a transit of any style without rust is a rare beast.
My fleet is Scudo/ Dispatch / Expert and an M59 berlingo,,.. Which as a rule don’t rust and have bombproof engines, especially 2.0hdi and non turbo dw8. If people ask for the most reliable I’ll always recommend dw8 over the hdi, but a 2.0hdi scudo is used for breakdown /recovery due to the extra power and economy- and no small fact I know how to screw them back together on the odd occasion the electronics /ecu/ bsi goes down 😉

An aside, when head gaskets have gone on PSA group engines, even the ones in the very high 200000 and 300000 mile range still have the manufacturing cylinder bore honing evident, unless cooked. Standard head rebuild procedures and test and they’re good to go again

I had a b5 1.9 130 passat estate for years. Great cheap motoring, well built, comfy and would do the journey to Chamonix and back without flinching! Sold it for buttons and new owner is about to hot 180k on the clock. They are brilliant old buses. But as soon as its not just you AND kit, it often means roof racks or rear racks – and i get carpark paranoia! My 7 6 mal would fit in the back with passanger up front.

Now have a t5 1.9 with remap and goodies. Love it. Its not as comfy as the old bus but for everything else wins hands down. Mine has had windows kombi style put in so is car price over the bridge to Wales. (But a van on M6 toll).

Vans are great, wish i’d done it sooner.

I have the 130 mk 4 golf estate same engine as that passat^

Seats fold down flat which is nice.

220000 miles so far and still replacing maintenance parts.

Not sure of the mpg but its high enough for me to not worry too much!

Must say drive a Transit Connect as my work van. Battered it for 2 years and no problems though I did get it from new.