I’m considering getting a bike van…. probably nothing massive  and this has been buzzing in my head for a while.

I currently load the FS on the back seat (usually me and Jnr) and if we take HT’s away as well stick em on a Saris.

The current car is a BMW 3 series (2005) … and it’s only 160k on it so had no plans to change it.  I damaged the roof ages ago (height restriction barrier) which wrecked the Thule bars and footpads… though I’m unsure if I could still fit but that episode really put me off roof mounts anyway… and the byproduct is the car is not worth much… although its cosmetic

I’m reluctant to spend getting a tow bar fitted … in case the car becomes a money pit and I change it anyway.

(I wish I had one fitted 5+ years ago but hey ho)

Then we rented a Kangoo on holiday… (new one I used Hertz) … other than needing a 5th gear and having no brakes or all brakes (compared to BMW) it was pretty decent.  OH caught me putting the rear seats down and measuring up and surprisingly didn’t disapprove.

Short term I feel reluctant to get rid of the car…. if only because resale is bugger all (and other than the cosmetic damage it still feels lie new) so that would mean new insurance…

I should probably ditch the car and get over it… 90% of its use is carrying bikes in a saloon…. (even visiting my mum the bikes come along)

Kangoo?  or something else???  I’m aware the older ones are a bit smaller and needs to fit at least 2 bikes… tools etc.

What’s the deal if I bought a wheelchair accessible one and then ripped out the ramp and sourced a replacement bumper?  (How would that affect insurance either way?)

If you get a panel van you will have to get commercial insurance and your current no claims discount will not count. If you have a high no claims a commercial insurer may take it in to consideration and give you a small discount . If it isn’t for work I would consider a window van that is classed as a car.

Berlingo is the go-to vancar around here. Thay are an actual car so insurance is easy and the speed limits are same as your BMW. (proper vans are 10mph lower on single and dual carriageway).

As to keeping the BMW, it’s up to you, but that means more road tax, insurance, maintenance. I’d not have 2 if I didn’t need them.

@mikedabear by panel van, you mean even the smaller vans like  vw caddy need commercial insurance?

i ‘ve been considering a van too, but it would be purely for pleasure.

i hadnt realised that..

I insured my van with Brentacre, while I didn’t have any ‘van’ no claims they took in consideration my 11years on my car as the van was being used for social, domestic and pleasure only. Change out of £400 for me and the Missus who is only 25 and tends to increase the premiums…

What about a van-like car? Something like a Sharan or a Galaxy or many others. Loads of room in the back. You can unbolt the seats from some vehicles making them huge in the back. We’ve got a Delica (mostly as we need a 4×4 for other hobbies) and can happily camp in the back. It’ll take 4 bikes without taking the wheels off. Can even get 8×4 sheets in the back for DIY work. No complications with insurance and counts as a car for tolls, low emission zones, etc.

As I understand my current no-claims won’t count anyway if I keep the BMW??

I’ve got as much as the insurers take into account .. (nor any points) so that’s a good point if I did ditch the car and had to get commercial insurance.

@tthew

Yeah, your right…. the car doesn’t owe me anything.. I’m just somewhat emotionally attached and despite the age/milage just much nicer to drive than the Kangoo or the OH’s newish car.  It feels more like I owe the car….

If you get a panel van you will have to get commercial insurance and your current no claims discount will not count

Neither my T5 nor my Caddy needed that, used Aviva for both, and my NCB was fine as well.

I run a 2006 Vauxhall combo as my only vehicle, it takes multiple bikes without a problem and is insured with Aviva who had no problems with it being my ‘car’ with SDP+Commuting cover.

Not exciting but it is cheap to run and I’ve put 30,000+ miles on it in 15 months with a bit of work for the MOT (brake pipe + spring), new pads and discs and a pair of tyres, it is basically a Corsa so parts are easy to find and jobs easy to do.

edit: wtf does that odd formatting come from?

If you get a panel van you will have to get commercial insurance and your current no claims discount

Worng!

If you get a panel van you will have to get commercial insurance and your current no claims discount will not count.

Absolutely incorrect

The current car is a BMW 3 series (2005) … and it’s only 160k on it so had no plans to change it.

Right, ‘only’.

“Neither my T5 nor my Caddy needed that, used Aviva for both, and my NCB was fine as well.”

It will still be van ( commercial vehicle ) insurance and as I said your insurer may take your NCB into consideration.

“Worng!”

In what way? I have only been insuring vans for over Thirty years. Also I can spell.

In what way?

Because I, and no doubt loads above, have used NCB earned driving a car on a van policy with no problems. In fact the insurers don’t even ask what you earned the NCB on.

are you sure you’re not getting confused with the ability to use your NCB on more than one vehicle (ignoring multi car policies)

Worng!

Well, I guess it might limit insurers … (even if you do a <<fav site>>> search some of them may just not quote….???)

and is insured with Aviva

Last insurance renewal Aviva were triple the “not lowest” I paid (No idea why but same search)

Don’t know if it was the car, my age, postcode or???  … or once having used Aviva for a 5? day cover thing when I bought the car but it was staggeringly high….

Oh blimey OP, I thought you were considering going from being a 1 car household to 2 cars. 3 vehicles between 2 drivers is madness. Maybe get rid of the OH’s car, if she is as attached to the Beemer as you are.

Why is it madness?  If only two of them drive, they can only drive two at any time.

Why is it madness?  If only two of them drive, they can only drive two at any time.

Precisely! All that extra expense to own 3 vehicles, all the functions of which can be preformed perfectly well by 2, just because you like one of them! If you’ve go money to burn, and the space to store them all crack on, but….

Obviously my argument is somewhat hypocritical as the owner of 1 pair of legs and 4 bikes, but I like bikes, cars not so bothered about and bikes are cheaper.

No problems with insurance changing from an audi to a vito for me, even though the vito is taxed as a commercial vehicle. All insurance terms stayed the same and the premium even went down a bit

<span style=”color: #222222; font-family: ‘Open Sans’; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.390625px;”>If you get a panel van you will have to get commercial insurance and your current no claims discount will not count.</span>

As above, incorrect. Vans can be insured for private use, mine was until it became a camper and was insured as such.

Difficulty might be using NCD on two vehicles at once, could be an either or case, seems daft to me but I’ve had this trouble when changing cars and briefly running two.

Second cars are usually much cheaper to insure though, especially if it’s a classic (father pays less than £250 for an XJS!) Does a smiley transit count as a classic?

PS. Didn’t get ‘drive other cars’  on modified van policies though, but do on a camper even though it’s the same vehicle.

You probably just dropped lucky with the camper van policy, driving other vehicles as standard is an exception rather than the rule these days.

Only need commercial insurance for a van if your using it for commercial purposes or are buying a private use van in 1992.

10years in vans and never had commercial – transit / Peugeot partner and now an Iveco daily —though it’s n1 camper classified so is cheating and only 180 quid a year to insure 🙂

Plus one for Berlingo. Van versions are cheap as chips but for sheer versatility id buy a multispace . Just black out the windows if you must .

There was a little huffing and puffing about using car NCB on a van and vice versa going back from certain insurers but when I called their bluff on that by saying I’d go else where it was always accepted.

Lots of good input thanks.

tthew makes a really obvious point… just one I’m emotionally fighting.

I need to do the maths over what the extra cost is of 2 cars vs new bikes, wheels and such.  I’m sure that will help.

I’m even worse getting rid of excess bikes…. though partly the same reasons that I buy older ones and by the time I think of selling they aren’t worth much… in fact that might be a Bike Thread…. I should get rid of 3/4 bikes but which ones?  

trailrat:  Again, now you say calling their bluff it’s obvious but I wouldn’t have thought about that at this point.

I ended up getting £50 off my present usurers just saying fine… I’ll get it elsewhere.

I reckon it costs a grand a year to run a car, before you factor in any fuel or depreciation.

insurance – £300 or so

tax – £200 or so

MOT/tyres/routine servicing – £300 or so

repair kitty – £200 or so (might not be used this year, might be double next year)

obviously this isn’t an exact science, but on an old car like yours its probably not far off. Personally I’d rather have just the van and a decent, brand new bike every 2 years than a car + a van..

@5lab

That’s pretty much correct … now I just need to make it sink in.