Sorry I know its been done a fair bit, but are there any recommendations other than the VW (which is too expensive for me). I spend more cash on repairing my Vito than I do in fuel so it is time for a new one.

Want something with 6 seats (3+3) to double for family duties. Don’t know if the newer Vitos are any better, but mine is 03 which has only just done 100k but still falling apart!!

Any experiences with the Vauxhall Vivaro or Renault Trafic?

I’ve got an 11 plate Tourneo 9 seater today. The rear three seats lift out as one. Drives really well for a gentrified van and has ac/heated screen/seats etc. I think I’d happily trade my daily driver for it!

I’m interest to hear about Renault Traffics. We’ve got a Bongo at the moment, converted so it doesnt meet your requirements, but a Bongo / Friendee might do with its original configuration.

When it’s time to move on to a new van, we’ll probably have about £12k or so to spend.

My brother has a Traffic, he rates it… Reckons it drives and parks much like a car, and it’s been reliable. Over the years I think he’s had pretty much every van on the market as hires. It’s not massive in the back, mind. His is the standard 3-seat van but I think a crewcab is available.

Ah, the Toureno could be good actually, thanks. My previous transits have always been reliable.

Never been attracted to Renaults before, but interested to hear of anyones experiences.

edit thanks Northwind.

Good luck with getting anywhere with sourcing a Vauxhall.

I’ve been into two Evans Halshaws locally and not one person has been interested in helping us. Eventually got commercial vans guy on the phone who said to pop into see him… wasn’t there when he said he would be, no one else could/would help.

We’re going to try and get to see another dealer instead tomorrow and hopefully get somewhere. Also trying a van specialist who seem to stock both Vivaro and Trafics new and used (but with v.low mileage). The Trafic and Vivaros are identical, I think the Nissan Primastar are too.

How many people you interested in catering for on the bike trips?

Maybe one of these, takes 6 people in the week, & 3 with bikes & kit at the weekend.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Multipla-1-9JTD-Eleganza-/230864546942?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item35c0996c7e#ht_1038wt_1156

Not sure what part of the country you are in? but Baylis Vauxhall were spot on with buying a new Vivaro. They are based in a number of locations in the West Midlands. Got a new Vivaro sportive crewcab LWB this summer – looked for the cheapest we could find from an online broker + they matched it.

AFAIK Vivaro + Trafic sportive/sport crewcabs are 99.8% the same. Main diff is Trafic has arm rests in the rear, whole front bumper is painted and sat nav as standard otherwise they are the same (in the summer when I was looking). Best Trafic Sport price was still £1000 more than a Vivaro Sportive – plus at the time supply of Trafic Sports was very poor.

Thanks Zangolin. Am I ok to drop you a quick e-mail?

One call (and a prompt call back) has seen me get further with the company I’m visiting tomorrow who stock both Trafic and Vivaros than many visits/calls to Evans Halshaw.

I also looked at the Fiat Scudo and Ducatos previously. But they seem a PIA to sort out too. Apparently Fiat UK/dealers order normal vans in to this country and use a company to put in the rear seats. I’ve been waiting for an idea on price for over a month now!

Apologies for hijack singletracksurfer.

Mazda Bongo?

yes no prob email in profile.

vivaro ,traffic and primastar are all gr8 apart from gearbox problems affecting both 5 & 6 speed versions,Slightly wider than vw but short in the load area,so I would prefer long wheelbase model.drive really nicely and not bad mpg.plenty about to choose from aswell,just beware of that gearbox though

Thanks people thats been really helpful. Going to go van hunting tomorrow hopefully.

Really don’t need any more (expensive) gearbox issues. Hoping to get an automatic.

I have a Trafic. Love it. I bought a standard van and got it converted to 3+3 (the 2nd row of seats are split into 1 +2 and can be removed easily).
Passenger windows fitted, with security film.
Fully insulated and lined.
6 folk and 6 bikes will fit in easily, though knee room on the front-middle seat is a bit tight.
I camp in it using a camp bed and usually reverse the 2 nd row of seats whilst doing this for a bit more room/convenience.
Does 40mpg.
Comfy to drive and quiet now due to the insulation.

I have a T5 myself but a friend has a Vivaro crewcab which he rates highly. Drives well and with a rear bulkhead seperating the crew area you aren’t in with all the dirty bikes.

Loads of nice vans, especially Druidh’s Traffic. I’m looking for a dirt cheap van for next year, mainly for carrying myself and a mate, plus 2 bikes. Also needs room for me to sleep in the back.

Budget is tiny, so wont be anything as nice as the ones above 🙂

I’ve driven loads of vans and the Vivaro sticks in my mind as being memorably better than average. I have a Transporter T30 and if it blows up I’ll be looking for a Vivaro. So nice to drive, loads of poke, good on juice. Bit bigger than a Transporter without jumping up to ‘massive van’ territory.

The main thing I remember was that the Vivaro has amazing cup/can holders. Really. You notice these things as a Transporter driver because they have the worst cup holders in the business.

druidh – Member

I have a Trafic. Love it. I bought a standard van and got it converted to 3+3 (the 2nd row of seats are split into 1 +2 and can be removed easily).
Passenger windows fitted, with security film.
Fully insulated and lined.
Was all the work done commercialy?
Please can you post the details of who did the work. as this could be useful.
Simon A

Seats and windows were fitted by Seafield Coachworks in Edinburgh. I know that some folk DIY but my experience is that getting insurance is easier if they’ve been done by professionals.

The van came with ply lining but I’ve modified it in places – particularly around the offside window. I used bendy plywood to get the curves.

Insulation and carpeting was all done by yours truely. It took a while, and I was working in some bloody cold conditions, but it looks fine.

I also put in a couple of additional speakers, 3 x 12V accessory sockets and a 3W LED spotlamp at the rear door. At the moment, these are running straight back to the battery (not through the ignition as was my original plan) that seems to be working out pretty well.

Have the Trafic LWB Crew, 2.5 Auto, good fuel economy, goes like stink, drives like a manual, will take 6 people, have had 4 adult and 2 kids bikes in the back too!
Racking reduces load space quite a bit though if you use it for work.
Oh – go for the Trafic over the Vivaro – seats are better, rear has cup holders, storage, etc that Vauxhall don’t have for some reason?
Pay attention to the rear seats too as there are 3 differents sorts for some reason.

Vivaro is a good van and well priced as well. Same as the Traffic, but cheaper. Same factory, different badge

2009 Trafic sport here, have done 45000 miles in two year with no problems,plenty of room for the bike,gear and the odd overnight kip in the back…keep it another year and I’ll def get another one, think the gearbox problems were on the earlier models

2005 swb transit. Bit more van like than the Renault/Nissan/vauxhall or the merc I drove but it felt exactly as it should after 70k. All the others felt like gearboxes and clutches were a bit tired. Renault was a battle to select first and vauxhall clutch was slipping.

Had it 9 months now. Has done 5 people + 5 bikes, 3 still fully built, 2 with front wheels off, and would have taken another rider plus bike no bother. I’ve taken 3 bikes plus full camping/event gear in it loads of time with loads of space left.

Benefit of the transit (for me) is its slightly wider so I can fit a single air bed in the back seats. Have slept down to -5 in it and in areas where I’m sure no one would have expected ‘stealth’ camping and I haven’t had a bad nights sleep in it. Can genuinely say I’ve woken up later sometimes in it than I would at home! Plus the sun rising at 4 doesn’t have the same affect as in a tent.

Downside, well it’s noisier than other vans but not uncomfortably so, less refined and probably slightly thirstier – oh and it rusts quicker than some but not as quick as the mercs. Up sides are as above plus ford quick clear windscreen, huge amount of spares available and I think transits are still the most popular commercial vans.

If you’re buying new the gearbox/clutch issues won’t be as bad especially since you’ll know it’s taken care of not ragged by a different team of people everyday for its first few years.

Looks good,Druid. I was looking at Trafic/primastar’s last night so to find this thread with your van like that makes me jealous!

So what’s the deal with insurance as far as changing the inside of a van goes? Does plain old ply lined with nothing else done to it have any effect? Between an empty van, and one like yours.. with a fold down bed/matress,how much would you expect the insurance to rise?

Martin – glad you like it. I’m up in Aviemore this weekend should you wish to make a closer inspection (going to Reveal the Path at Glenmore tomorrow night).

Ply lining doesn’t appear to affect the insurance costs. I did have a couple of companies refuse to quote for having had the windows installed, though they didn’t seem to care about the number of seats.

As long as it’s not a “camper”, I don’t think there’s much you can do to further affect the insurance costs – no one cared that I’d insulated it.

I had a few difficulties getting insurance quotes when I was thinking about putting a bed in the van. If you get a full camper conversion it becomes cheaper but there are a lot of hoops to jump through for that. Running water, seating, cooking, table etc

For a normal van you’re technically not insured sleeping in it so having a bed in it would need to be explained away as a bench or something. I may have picked this up wrong so by all means do your own checks but as I understand it you really shouldn’t be sleeping in any vehicle unless its built for that purpose.

I have a 2007 Vito sport Long and so far it been great, I have been on several roadtrips with six bikes x Luggage x 5 passengers.

Its more like a big car than a van to drive but I do like its smoothness and ability to chat when on the motorway,

Down sides? Its a nightmare in Winter conditions rwd (17 alloys) but on the whole its been great for me

We have two 2012 Tourneos at work. I don’t like the sharp brakes, the fact they stall instantly when your not quite in the perfect gear and the fact they are fwd.

Compared to a 96ish Transit its a lot more enjoyable to drive on the road, but thats no suprise

Ahh, I forgot about that. I won’t be heading down for it. Hope it’s a good one.

A 2005 Primastar might be coming up soonish. If it does, I plan to have it lined with a drop down hinged shelf (for a bed) and a DIY bulkhead. The extra seats look good, I’d be wanting at least one to sit on/get changed/possibly make sliding out of a wetsuit a bit easier!

Reading about them last week I found folk talking about problems with lack of power along with puffing out black smoke. Something about an egr? valve gone wonky. I suppose every vehicle has it’s problems but as long as it’s not going to get costly with one thing after another,I’m not too bothered about the odd mishap.

The high roof version that you can stand up in is a topper.

High roofs are harder to come by – and are an absolute arse for getting a kayak on (the main reason I didn’t want one).

As you can see in the photos, my seats are just bolted in and can be turned around which is how I normally have them for “camping” and so on. As you say, it’s a damn sight easier getting wetsuits on and off if you can sit down.

The fold-down bed thing would work but I’m happy with one of those tubular/canvas camp-bed things. It takes 2 minutes to assemble and leaves the sides of the van free for racking/hooks etc. If you had it fold down onto the wheel arch cover, that would give you a nice stable base.

I still have the bulkhead out of mine if you need one 🙂

If you’re after something cheap (and definitely not fashionable) then what about an old LDV Convoy?

too drunk to read this so sorry if i’m repeating but a vito isn’t a van get a sprinter. faster than a t4 prickmobile and its a real van. i know they rust but unlike a vw it doesnt matter as they are built on a chassis

With most of my old vans I’ve just built a removable platform/sheet of ply that sits on some bolted down blocks and put a foam mattress on top (a million times nicer than an inflatable mattress). It lifts out and lies flat against the wall/floor if you need to use it as a proper van. And because its removable the insurance isn’t a problem.

Tom kp

Wow thanks for all the comments. Off to see some Vivaros and Trafics ASAP.

I see what you mean about leaving the sides free. I was looking at a double side door van and wondered what I’d do about a drop down bed. Depending on how it all goes.. I’ll keep that bulkhead in mind!

Singletracksurfer – I found searching for Trafic and TrafFic quite handy ;O)

You’d likely have to buy a crew-cab or minibus version for double side doors. The vast majority of plain vans come with the nearside door only – and with the bulkhead fitted.

I have recently brought a van that is over looked by just about everybody when this comes up. It’s a Citroen Dispatch Long wheel base, High Top. 58 plate so the new shape. 3 seat up front and retro-fit able 3 in the back. Drives a treat and is plenty high enough in the back for standing up ( I am 5.11).

I have it in a nice silver and in the near future will be colour matching the bumpers as well as doing a little camper conversation in the back. More importantly it’s a Citroen so it was cheap!

a mate in southern france has this one, short wheel base..
very good !!…. and right now really good prices..