LOL all you ‘fast car’ guys need to ride a 190bhp Ducati Panigale. When you can’t even focus quickly enough to work out what the hell is happening, then you know ‘fast’

Sounds safe and very practical for the public road.

edit – that fast van might not have as big a load area as you’d hope.

Loadsa room! 😀

911 and a roof rack for bike here.

Its not about going fast. Its about the subliminal balance, the connection between driver and road, the engagement. The 6 cylinder pinnacle of internal combustion roaring away. The thing feels alive.

You either get it or you don’t. You couldn’t pay me to drive a van.

Get that Subaru now. You’ll love it, you can always sell it if the compromises become too much.

Its not about going fast. Its about the subliminal balance, the connection between driver and road, the engagement. The 6 cylinder pinnacle of internal combustion roaring away. The thing feels alive.

Is it 29er ?

Its not about going fast. Its about the subliminal balance, the connection between driver and road, the engagement. The 6 cylinder pinnacle of internal combustion roaring away. The thing feels alive.

Is it 29er ?

It’s also about peeling out elevens. 😀

Its not about going fast. Its about the subliminal balance, the connection between driver and road, the engagement. The 6 cylinder pinnacle of internal combustion roaring away. The thing feels alive.

Good lord, is that copied and pasted straight out of the brochure?

legend – Member
Its not about going fast. Its about the subliminal balance, the connection between driver and road, the engagement. The 6 cylinder pinnacle of internal combustion roaring away. The thing feels alive.
Good lord, is that copied and pasted straight out of the brochure?

The thing is, I’ve heard mates say things like this about their cars, then finally had a go on one (on some deserted twisty roads) and kind of wanted to say exactly the same.

Wobbliscott
nail on head there.
I have a focus ST Estate, luxury speed handling the lot.
that I don’t use. I just put more petrol in it.
Get a van.
If you need a blast. Buy a 2 grand 330i/328i or similar and spank it round a track occasionally.

sbob – Member
edit – that fast van might not have as big a load area as you’d hope.
Loadsa room!

Hmmm, I stand corrected – there was another fast “van” I saw a while back where they’d made it 3/4 scale and spaceframed it, with no cover on the engine.

but why on earth would you want to sleep in a van when a BnB can be had for 20 quid

Any BnB that costs 20 quid will be less pleasant than a sleeping bag in the back of a camper. Plus you might want to get off the beaten track. Driving into the middle of nowhere and waking up surrounded by mountains and lakes is unbeatable if that’s what you’re after. You can spend days in the middle of nowhere but carry everything you need. The first time I drove my van to Europe to meet some mates for a week long riding holiday I ended up driving around for two months. It was the best summer ever.

Comparing the driving experience is pointless. Cars can be fun and exciting, vans are slow and wobbly, end of debate. Vans are about the stuff you can use it for. If you’ve got no interest in travelling and camping and being self sufficient you’re absolutely better off with a car.

But…If you really want to make some choo-choo noises and surf the turbo tsunami, then you have to get it out of your system. I’ll just leave this here…

sharkattack

you might want to get off the beaten track. Driving into the middle of nowhere and waking up surrounded by mountains and lakes is unbeatable if that’s what you’re after. You can spend days in the middle of nowhere but carry everything you need.

Is this the same world of heavy, slow moving traffic, packed roads and frustration that you can’t enjoy a fast car in? Put a tent in the car and go anywhere a van can (far more actually – Subaru’s AWD is bloody brilliant). Just saying.

Comparing the driving experience is pointless. Cars can be fun and exciting, vans are slow and wobbly, end of debate.

In a nutshell. OP has always wanted a Subaru, so he should get one. Saying that, there’s a big difference in fit and finish between a WRX, Forester and a Legacy. And none of them are tail happy “fun” cars. An Evo is a bit more playful.

Saying that, there’s a big difference in fit and finish between a WRX, Forester and a Legacy. And none of them are tail happy “fun” cars.

I dunno; a 22mm rear arb on a Forester makes it pretty tail happy. 20mm will make it pretty damn neutral. The Foz definitely has a more hard wearing interior than a leggy. I had mine ten years, toting dogs, logs and sprogs. Cleaned it up before selling, at fourteen yrs old, and it looked good as new!

Is this the same world of heavy, slow moving traffic, packed roads and frustration that you can’t enjoy a fast car in?

I’ve never been in that camp. There’s plenty of places to wring a cars neck if you want to. But speaking from my own experiences, I’ve had extended trips to the Alps every summer since I got the van and absolutely loved it. Bikes, tents, camera gear and room to sleep in and hide from the weather is amazing.

OP has always wanted a Subaru, so he should get one

That’s what I finished with. He should absolutely get one. I always wanted a Cosworth powered Ford Capri so I got one. Did burnouts and drifts all over the place. Left loads of expensive, modern stuff wondering which way I went. Did the whole classic car meet thing. Spent whole weekends on my back fixing the bloody thing.

All experience has value. Just do what you want and call it done.

As a result, we now have a T5-based campervan and a Mini.

[quote]TBH that sounds like a good set-up. We’re in a similar family situation and I’d be very happy with that.
[/quote]
Exactly what I have too: 13yr old T5-based campervan plus a new(er) Mini.

Always had an interesting car – not necessarily fast but always fun. Got increasingly quicker and van was added alongside which allowed a silly MLC 2-seater roadster. Once kids arrived I swapped for an equally quick family car (330i) but eventually got rid as it barely got used. Cycle to work most days and was happy plodding around in the van as required. But after a year of exclusively van life I felt the urge for fun so got a Mini Cooper S. Easily capable as a 2nd family car with a 4yr old and 2yr old both in car seats, fun at low speeds rather than big-engined stuff I’ve had before, and far cheaper to run than the T5. Recent tyres for the Mini (unfashionable 16″ers) were marginally cheaper than the 29×2.5 Minion DHF 3C EXO on my Enduro 😆

I’d say to OP given lack of ‘need’ for a van 365 day/yr then get the fast car and enjoy it while you still can. Alway time for a van later.

OP, I think this is where you’ll find your answer… 🙂

Gallery – Engine Conversions and Much More

A big plus for a slow van is that you mellow and stop giving a shit about folk holding you up.

Some folk get so uptight when they drive it’s unreal MUST over take at alllllllll costs how dare it hold me up.

My van can’t overtake so I accept that I’ll just waft along in my own bubble and others can deal with my presence.

So some stupid stupid stupid over takes . Usually by folk in fast cars making progress by any means possible.

a big plus for having had a fast car is you mellow and wait for folk to move over when they’re ready. 😉

trail_rat – Member
A big plus for a slow van is that you mellow and stop giving a shit about folk holding you up.

+1…

+2 to sharkattack….

The old saying is there is no substitute for cubic capacity.

So obviously a van is much better than a car because you can get more bikes in.

And fast, in a car, in the UK? Hardly worth the bother. Get a proper fast vehicle (hint they have 2 wheels).

philjunior – Member

Hmmm, I stand corrected – there was another fast “van” I saw a while back where they’d made it 3/4 scale and spaceframed it, with no cover on the engine.

That will be the Ford Supervan 3, if you fancy a google. The van I’ve pictured is a Transit with Jaguar XJ220 running gear. The wheels are the giveaway.

epicyclo – Member

The old saying is there is no substitute for cubic capacity.

There ain’t no replacement for displacement.

You’re not even a proper hill billy, are you?
I bet you don’t even like tractor pull, do you?
Ya posh bastid!

you need a supergramps….. silly-fast subaru

Cheers for the link batfink, viewed all of the 14 episodes over the past couple of days, addictive viewing and right up my street 😀

.Sounds safe and very practical for the public road.

It was at the nurbugring.

A big plus for a slow van is that you mellow and stop giving a shit about folk holding you up.

I’ve adapted to this way of thinking since I had the Escort van with all of 69bhp. Overtaking took a lot of planning and joining motorways on uphill sliproads was character building. The clutch started slipping on it ( last thing you need with 69 bhp ) the diesel tank was leaking but the worst part was the rust was getting the chassis rails so it had to go.

Now got a Vivaro 115 bhp and it feels well fast after the Escort but I still take it easy and mainly stick with the LGV’s on the motorway. Think I’ve done too much rushing about when I was a white van man to get involved in the 80 mph fight for position in lane 3. Nice having the acceleration of the Vivaro going uphill though.

Going back to insurance, mine is due in May so I’ve been looking but just putting April in the comparison site. Coming back at about £625 with 3 years no claims but they are taking into consideration 20+ on my car. Obviously going to look around, but my car is about £420 per year on insurance as a Driving School car….

Van insurance is expensive. I think they all think you are doing foreigners disposing of waste etc as numerous times I’ve been asked by insurance do I need it for work and when I say no they ask ” why do you need a van then ? ” well it’s easier to get dirty bikes in, wet Labrador in and all that stuff is not going into my car as it has to be kept really clean at all times.

if you haven’t already, i would recommend trying direct line. they will copy across NCB from car to van and back again, and they were also competitive on price for me. IIRC my pug expert was cheaper to insure than the bogging leon tdi it replaced, and as i wrote above, changing from the van to car took a few minutes on the phone and buttons. they assume business use and also sd&p.

Instead of dealing with insurance companies who think you’re a human trafficker or fly tipper, speak to Brentacre. They’ve got an office in Wales and you can speak to people who go camping and ride bikes. They know exactly why normal people want vans for personal use.

My T5 was expensive to start with but a fraction of what other companies wanted. I didn’t have any NCD as I was coming from classic car insurance. It’s since gone down by a fair chunk every year.

But, I’ve got a normal full time job now and I haven’t been able to take off anywhere for months. When I’m not cooking and sleeping in the van it feels like I’m wasting it. I’m starting to wonder if I’d be better off with a Scooby myself. But why have one turbo when you can have twins?

Just been round the houses with this one as our great (but not very fast) 4X4 Renault scenic is reaching the end of its life. Looked at vans, Subaru Foz, Isuzu Trooper, even a Dacia Duster – but ended up buying another used Renault scenic. Quite fast enough for my needs, you can completely remove the rear seats and fit bikes in with the wheels on. For my woodworking business it also serves as a van but is a lot more comfortable and quieter to drive. Also, only £30/year to tax.
Still quite fancy a Foz though.

sharkattack

I’m starting to wonder if I’d be better off with a Scooby myself. But why have one turbo when you can have twins?

I can think of a few thousand reasons……this was mine

Fun cars with mental power delivery. STI engine, STI gearbox, STI diff. So much nicer not to mention quicker than any impreza of that area. Sound better too. Roughly 330bhp is the most you can extract from them with the twin turbo setup, for more you’ll need to switch to a larger single turbo setup.

Lots to go wrong though, mechanically pretty complicated and an absolute pain to do any work on because the engine bay is full to bursting point.

I recommend Chris Knott everytime for modified car insurance : they have always been good as gold with me (not that I’ve had to claim).

If you want fast the Mercedes 3.0l Vitos will be as quick as a moderately hot car in a straight line. While you can hustle a van through the corners, you cannot hide from the weight, height and suspension designed to cope with the 1 tonne off difference between being laden and unladen.

I have a 150bhp Ducato Maxi camper. For a very large heavy van it can shift and motor down the lanes. But it is limited and is not in the least nimble.

I also have a wee Honda Jazz pensioner-mobile with 83bhp and in relative terms it feels fast and handles quite well. In reality it is slow as shite and the suspension gets totally overwhelmed if you ask too much of it with bends dips crests and enthusiasm.

Search on autotrader for sub 8 seconds 0-60 cars, estates or hatches and fuel type along with your price range and see what you fancy. It is definitely possible to buy an unmolested hot Subaru that has been owned by a dentist or someone sensible for reasonable money, as opposed to something that has been thrashed and modified, or by someone that couldn’t afford the maintenance.

personally I’d avoid those with WRC graphics… plus they sound like tractors around town. Rev out ok though, fun on a rally course and they feel fast as hell off road…

Proper vans can be pretty quick on back roads seeing over hedges and all that. A big van with anything over 150bhp is going to be fairly quick in real world terms. My t4 2.5tdi was a bit slow and used to get frustrated by its lack of overtaking ability but my 190k LT35 158bhp has no such problems. The extra height of a big van over a transporter or vito also makes them alot more useful (in my opinion). I can stand up in my cab and the extra height for getting changed and having a bed (with decent headroom) on top of a bike garage is what really makes it.

I dont have any windows in the back of mine so it looks like a builders van til you see the curtains behind the front seats, but have a fixed bed, bike garage and sink, hob, porta potty etc in the back which is all nicely lined out. Its great to be able to rock up anywhere and climb into bed for bit of stealth camping. Making a cup of tea or a bit of food anywhere you like is also pretty priceless… opens up so many more opportunities for days out/adventures that a car wouldnt really give you. Dont think my van is any cheaper than a sports car to run though ~ 28mpg at around 75-80 on motorway but I run mine as a daily, go rwd and the turning circle is much better, easy parking with a camera.

How is your LT35 158bhp? My sprinter 413 is 130 ish and I cannot be bothered to get it mapped. My outgoing 330d was close to 300bhp, that could overtake and it handled.