UKC

Looking for advice about a family van as the estate car has reached its limit with multi activity holidays despite roof boxes bike racks etc.
VW transporters are out of running due to cost and possibly size, budget is around £6000-£8000 and size would have to be around the Mercedes Vito SWB.
There is no intention to use it as a camper van as my wife would refuse to spend a weekend cooped up in something the size of our bathroom with 3 kids
Trailer is not an option due to storage and impracticality of impromptu post school trips out.
Needs to be able to fit 5/7 bikes, 1 kayak, 1 paddle board, 3 kids 2 adults , occasionally 1 dog and a mother in law
All the above plus a full car camping spread and climbing,hillwalking kit, so the ability to take roof bars, boxes and bike racks is quite high.
Anyone got any experience of Mercedes or any of the fiat, Citroen, Vauxhall type vans

In reply to jethro kiernan:

buy an old RAC van, make the inside what you want. then it will fit your needs.

In reply to jethro kiernan:

While I have limited info on vans (very good experience with VW Crafter, but that's Mercedes Sprinter size so probably too big) I did want to say that your life/family sounds awesome!

In reply to jethro kiernan:
I had a renault trafic LWB until recently (mine was a high roof version) I really rated it and it was a comfortable ride. I converted it to a camper van, but before that took out the bulk head and had rear and side windows fitted which made it much easier to park and made it feel less van like. It didn't cost too much to have the bonded windows done professionally, and you can find rear seats online and on the usual sites at a reasonable price.

2L diesel version, 6 speed box. I'm not saying it would be right for you, but doing the bulkhead and the windows, would be good for any van where you intend to have passengers, and makes it easier to manoeuvre if you aren't so used to doing the van thing!

I've seen roof cages for sale for these quite often so that might help matters.

I've driven a vito and a sprinter and they go really well!.

Renault trafic is same as Vauxhall vivaro, Nissan Primastar.

Plenty of wheelbase options on the Sprinters.

In reply to Bellie:
Cheers

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Your life is badass. Vans are badass. Your life will be even more badass with a badass van.



Bit you won't get a fraction of what you want in/on/around/under a van of Vito size. You're going to need seats behind the standard 3 front seats and it's surprising how much room these take up. I think it would be a struggle even in a LWB vivaro/traffic/master. They're big old beasts but sound 's like a Vauxhall movano size van is what you're after. Happy adventuring mate

In reply to jethro kiernan:

You will need a roof rack.













For the mother in law.

Too warm for a coat.

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Fiat Multipla

I don't understand why the size of a Transporter is an issue but not a SWB Vito. They're the same?

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Avoid German shit at that price point. I would seriously not go there due to reliability issues. Ford Transit is probably your best option - many options on roof and wheelbase. Of everything the Renault probably drives the best (Vauxhall, Nissan and Renault traffic are all the same).
For long term utter dependability the Toyota is hard to beat.

In reply to radddogg:

Didn't really mention parking is a bit of an issue were I live so the extra few centimetres a transporter has over a more compact SWB van could be all the difference between having all the panels scratched and dented and not, our parking spot would take a Vito but not a transporter (not without falling out with the neighbors and bashing the panels)

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Sounds like to you need something like this:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/vans/2012-hyundai-iload-comfort-116-2.5crdi-6-sea...

lots of building firms use vans like these as they get a bunch of guys in them to travel long distances and have all the tools in the back

Just search for crew cab vans and I reckon theres loads of choice.

You just then need to rack out the back to suit

In reply to DanH9883:

I've got a Caddy - it's the Maxi Life with seats & windows. Car-like enough to be a good daily driver, enough room for bikes, boats or sleeping in. I really like it.

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Why are you discounting VW Transporters? The best van by a country mile, available for your price range, SWB or LWB. I have the LWB and no probs with using it as a car. They have a galvanised body so no rust issues, unlike the Vitos.

In reply to WaterMonkey:


Whatever the price range, you will get a younger, lower mileage van if you buy almost anything else.

In reply to WaterMonkey:
VW transporters rust, see the VW T4/5 forum for examples.

In reply to WaterMonkey:

Because they are unreliable lumps of rubbish - perhaps that's the reason.

Sorry, you probably love yours, but working in the trade, I have seen so so many of them so really significant issues, I would never touch one with someone else's barge pole.

In reply to bearman68:



Well mine has done 153k with no issues. Oh sorry one issue but a £45 sensor fixed it. Maybe tradesmen don't look after their vans.

In reply to baron:


There's your first mistake, believing what you read on forums! T5's don't rust.

In reply to WaterMonkey:

http://www.vwt5forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=993090#/topics/993090

In reply to baron:

Well mine hasn't rusted, neither have my mates' vans and many of them spend a lot of time parked on beaches!
Note VW won't repair so clearly they think something is amiss with his claim.

In reply to jethro kiernan:

I have. a Citroen dispatch not the current version. Good size (touch smaller than traffic) and the l2 version is pretty long. Good value and available with a Toyota Peugeot or fiat badge. There are eyelets for racks on the roof.

In reply to WaterMonkey:


I don't believe you!

In reply to jethro kiernan:

OK, you might be interested to know that contrary to previously stated, the Renault Traffic 2.0 dci 115, on an 08 plate does actually have a chain drive on the cam.
As it turns out, it's the chain drive that has failed, causing damage to the valve rockers. This has occurred at 189,000 miles.
When we've stripped the engine,the bearing surfaces on the cams are in a pretty bad way - no bad enough to replace, but certainly not as good as I'd like to see. I suspect these engines need more maintenance than Renault / Vaux suggest. In addition, I suspect that timing chain life on these engines is going to be around the 150 - 160k mark.
Mind you only about £700 to fix, so not terrible terrible.
Cheers

In reply to bearman68:
Thanks