You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Let's see if the STW hive mind GoogleFu super search function can provide!
Further to my earlier post: https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/talk-to-me-about-old-merc-vitos-as-campers/
I have '73 Bay that is being restored and probably won't be finish until shortly after the heat death of the universe.
My current plan is to use £2.5-3.5k of the restoration funds to buy a stop gap measure until the bay is finished.
Ideally im looking for something vw transporter, Merc Vito etc sized. Doesn't need a full camping interior but a fold out / pull out bed for two and a bit of storage and space for a bike or two inside around the bed would be ideal.
Needs a long MOT and preferably be feasible to keep on the road for a year or two for minimum expense and resell for a reasonable value.
Preferably not French.
Moon on a stick I know. I'm sure some off you are both bored and sufficiently knowledgeable to googlefu this!
Bite the bullet and put a transit on the list, though if you want us to search for you a location might help....
Surely the french vans, like Peugeot Boxers, that are in your price range will be the ones with the classic Peugeot indestructable diesel engines?
Also, as per the recommendations in your previous post, just hire a van and put a camp bed in it when you need one. It'll save you the cost of insurance, tax and any repairs.
https://www.gumtree.com/p/campervans-motorhomes/citeroen-berlingo-multispace-micro-camper/1304632474
French, but it should do the job...
Also, as per the recommendations in your previous post, just hire a van when you need one.
Yeah that is 20+ weekend of hire
They problem with hire vans is as the future Mrs O_H_H is only 25 the hire rates / ability to hire vans means usually only I can drive it.
Plus I think a mattress in the back of a windowless box might get frowned upon by the boss...
The aversion to french vehicles comes down to my experience of being parked on the side of the road in a series of French work vehicles and my fathers Xantias that were awful to drive and maintain.
Im based in the Midlands but have no problem driving 150odd miles for the right van. Transits would be considered. Had those for work before and never had to get recovered in one of those.
Most of the proper hire companies do 25 as the minimum age now so should be fine with that ( the how old box normally stops there)
But if that is a no then find the best van and put some stuff inside you, wanting something half set up will cripple your choices, even a door with a window from a breakers could get you going on the right van
I am looking to move my Citroen Dispatch 2008 L2H2 stealth camper on. Rock and Roll bed, Ebber night heater and loads more. 85000 miles. looking for £4000. Let me know if you want more details.
Rich
vivaro/traffic/primastar can be had for 2-3k. we have a posh vivaro and its dead nice to drive.
alhough my shout if you dont mind looking at it would be a transit/tourneo as it will be virtually indestructable. I nearly bought a metallic blue one but the vivaro was a bit posher/nicer to look at on the drive.
I ve just got a 71 t2 to restore. I'm so excited. and scared - as i've just strippped it out and now i`m looking at welders and por15 paints...
Renault Trafic is probably the nicest van to drive (Transit owner and have driven T4, T5, Hiace, Berlingo, Master, Ducato, Bongo etc).
Maybe over budget, but you could take the rear seats out of one of these
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201801283172528
Looks like a pregnant whale, but not a bad van for £4k.
what about a large MPV - galaxy etc? Should be cheaper/newer/better specced/nicer to drive than a van, and still be big enough for your needs? Front seats flip round in the era you'd be looking at, I recon you could easily DIY something that went over them and still had room for a bike underneath
There are some decent Toyota Hilux campers around and can be picked up reasonably cheap (at the right time of the year!).
I’ve just bought a Mercedes Viano for £2500 and It’s gonna cost about a 1k to add furniture, a bed and electrics so that’s your budget.
look for any sort of minibus style van with windows allready fitted itt’ all save you a load of hassle and all you need is thermal blinds or curtains to make it cosy😀
Cutting and bonding windows is a piece of piss. Certainly l less hassle than trying to keep thermal blinds on the window ....they never want to stay up. Watched many a person do the suction cup dance in their bus
Sorry, my post should have read Hiace (not Hilux)
The aversion to french vehicles comes down to my experience of being parked on the side of the road in a series of French work vehicles and my fathers Xantias that were awful to drive and maintain.
A lot of the larger vans are the same, just with a different badge on the front. Renault Trafic is a Vauxhall Vivaro and a Nissan NV300 and a Fiat Tolento, and a Toyota Proace is a Citroen Dispatch and a Peugeot Expert. Just saying. 😉
Well seeing as I've been broken down in two different Traffics, a Dispatch, some Peugeot thing and a selection of ages of Berlingo vans I'll avoid anything that's the same but in a different frock.
To be honest is might have been a combination of the lack of care taken but the drillers that predominantly drove them and the no expense spent maintenance program by the in house fitters...
The current Leader is a £2.5k 99 plate Vito with a conversion and £400 of recent welding...
The current Leader is a £2.5k 99 plate Vito with a conversion and £400 of recent welding…
Wow people do pay a lot for some MFI fittings in van 😉
It's less the fittings and more finding a Vito for <£2.5 that isn't spares or repairs or has a quarter of a million miles on it and/or doesn't look like it's been repeatedly driven in to a skip!
I'll admit to being a bit out of touch with the market but I paid that for an 01 transit with 200k back in 2009!!
It’s less the fittings and more finding a Vito for <£2.5 that isn’t spares or repairs or has a quarter of a million miles on it and/or doesn’t look like it’s been repeatedly driven in to a skip!
One word.....rust!!!
A 99 Vito ? Didn't realise there were any of them still on the road.
A 99 Vito ? Didn’t realise there were any of them still on the road.
Its Ex-RAC Orange and its MOT history is surprisingly unexceptionable. Either it's been well maintained or it's all about to fall apart...
Or option x. Covered in thick underseal...
£2.5k on a 20 year old van? seems a bit excessive......
this:
and a 2nd hand mattress would be far better
...no expense spent maintenance program by the in house fitters…
That'll do it!
Arrgghh, pain linking copy pasting on a mobile, I'll try on PC later. There's a vivaro, bongo and tourneo on autotrader that look like the sort of thing you're looking for.
What's your daily driver? If it's big enough how about 7-800 on a cheap caravan to tide you over?
What’s your daily driver? If it’s big enough how about 7-800 on a cheap caravan to tide you over?
The daily is a 2006 Volvo S60R, which while it has tons of torque, there is absolutely zero chance I'm putting a tow bar on it. Plus the fuel 'economy' is about 23mpg at the best of times...
Indeed spending 3500 quid on an end of life camper to gain about 10mpg is the economic choice.
It's more that I really don't want tow a caravan with my R. It's like towing a caravan with an BMW M3. I love the S60R too much to do that too it!
Im leaning towards mugging the proto-wife for wedding fund and buying a slightly newer VW Scene4/5
Being a Mk7 Transit owner my choice would be a Fiat ducato. Certainly not a Transit - I hate it with a passion it's only that I hate it very slightly less than changing vehicles that I keep it.
At your budget the biggest issue is rust, anything Merc or Ford will be disolving- I can't keep on top my 07 despite gallons of waxoyl, paint and Por15. It just finds new places to rust.
Your Vito with £400 of welding should tell you to walk away, once it starts unless it's been bare shell media blasted it will still be rusting away merrily behind over plating and pigeon shit.
Fiat ducato have the iveco 2.3 engine and a galvanised body. Our works 11 plate van was scraped to bare metal in its first week and it still hasn't rusted. My choice when my Transhit blows up.
How about a Mitsubishi Delicia 4x4?
Bet you couldn’t do this in a Berlingo...
This one’s a bit s****ier...
A bit over your budget but my Hiace in the classifieds
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/fs-toyota-hiace-280-d-4d-95-swb-panel-van/
If you want a stop gap van you can have mine for very little. I've just bought a new one, so my old High Roof Long Wheelbase Transit is just sat on the drive. I was going to photo it and start to put it on for sale, but can't be bothered at the moment.
what about a large MPV – galaxy etc? Should be cheaper/newer/better specced/nicer to drive than a van, and still be big enough for your needs? Front seats flip round in the era you’d be looking at, I recon you could easily DIY something that went over them and still had room for a bike underneath
As a large MPV owner - not this. They really aren't that big. My C8 does all of the above but you would be hard pushed to sleep two with bikes neevr mind the rest of the kit. Fine for solo or camping mind.
There's a cat N write off red transit on eBay at the moment for about £2.5k.
Although £3k buys 40+ nights in some fancy B&B's. A ropey camper looks like more of a moneypit than a VW T2!
In fact just buy another T2 and you can practice your happyface whilst broken down on the hard shoulder.
Yorkshire ripper pm me about the van