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Morning All,
I have a small inheritance coming my way and would like to buy a van. Should point out we're talking about £3.5k so second hand or a deposit on something newer without crippling finance if such a thing exists? It would be used for getting into work a couple of days a week when I'm not cycling, day off jaunts/overnighters and longer adventures in the holidays. Typically it would just be me and a bike with the option of sleeping in the back and a plan for a day van/stealth camper conversion as time goes by. Outside of that, having a seat (or two) in the back would be handy to accommodate extra people i.e. if a friend and her son are coming away with me and my son.
As far as the layout for the back goes I have a few loose ideas but nothing concrete; figure it would be best to get the van first and then decide what would work best. So that leads us onto the subject of what van to begin with... As much as a Transporter would be nice I suspect for the money available unless I'm very lucky it would most likely be a wreck. So next up is the Transit/TVP which seems to offer the most for your money if you get one that has been treated kindly and not run into the ground. From what I've briefly read Transits can be prone to rust and easy to break into and TVPs can have injector issues. That said all things have their foibles and depends how well they have been looked after.
Crew cabs seem more expensive to start with so am thinking a panel van would be the way to go and then add the extra seat/seats as needed. This would certainly give me more room to manoeuvre in the back while I figure things out. Would assume I need to inform DVLA/insurance of this? Likewise with adding side windows and a roof vent too?
So talk to me about what to look for in a van, where to think about buying them from, what to avoid etc. Presumably The AA etc sell off fleet vans, is there a site for this or luck of the drawer. A yellow van has always been a dream of mine so that would be great!
No expert but I bought a T6 panel van a few months ago after hankering after one for years. I am in the process of converting into a camper and enjoying the tinkering. Last weekend I installed a split charging system and leisure battery.
I would agree with your plan to get the van then make decisions about the layout later and I would even recommend using it to sleep in with some sort of temp bed arrangement. We bought a £100 Ikea bed which has been fine for about 10 nights so far and during those trips we have gradually come to decisions on what we would like. They are different decisions than the ones we thought we would make....
I've got an exAA Trafic and love it. You read some horror stories about them but my logic was they are regularly serviced and lots of motorway miles, ok they do lug a lot of kit while doing it. Had mine 4 years and no major problems, it's been to Italy, Spain and the Alps, I converted it to a camper. I found mine on autotrader, just filter for yellow vans and you'll find some.
I bought a first gen T5 panel van and converted it specifically for biking and kayaking purposes. Well, initially. It kind of changed into a general weekend camper and then a daily driver as time went on.
Anyway, panel van is cheaper to buy and, if you just change the door (or get a window put in the existing door) you can just change the door to make it back into a proper van. I think CG did that on her van(?).
Sleeping arrangements are always going to vary. I made my own bed platform and it kind of worked for most things I wanted. It had storage underneath for crates of kit and a cupboard at the front for other stuff. There was enough space at the back of the bed to store a bike with the front wheel off and I chose a tailgate so that I could have the back up and not get wet when it rained.
I started off with a futon bed in the back though. The dogs loved that. It was their favourite place to sleep when we were away.
£4-6k will get a decent used one, all fully converted.
The cost of a van, plus parts for conversion and your time will be a lot more.
Search for "race vans". They have a high up bed and a garage underneath for the bikes/kit
Look at a Hyundai iLoad. High spec vans e.g. air con etc.
Their van dealer network is nowhere near as prolific as the others so not many van fleet operators bought them - so they tend to have been bought by small operations / ones that are not so reliant on dealer backup for heavy use/high miles.
The i800 is the airport taxi minibus version, you could ditch the rearmost seats.
Also look at all the weird and wonderful big import Japanese MPVs.
No advice on the base vehicle other than: (1) the obvious, as it is the one thing you cannot change, don't scrimp. Less obvious is: (2) You don't need to have everything done from day 1. Do it in stages. Insulation and a basic bed is a start and will only cost a few hundred. This way you can spread the conversion cost over a few years, just keep adding more each winter, and you will end up with something you really want based on your experience, rather than what you think you want.
I liked this book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Build-Your-Dream-Camper-%C2%A31000/dp/1845845242
Go on the vwt4forum. Forget the fancy new conversions they are boring, look instead at the threads for converting T4s with less budget
Plus lookup miked's family camper thread on here it is the bollocks
Berlingo / Partner, not the commercial versions.
It's a car as far as insurers (and your local tip) are concerned so less hassle there. No bigger than a normal car so no parking hassles. You'll get a much better one for £3.5k than you ever would a VW van. Obviously has back seats for passenger use. For day trips with a bike just fold the seats down and wheel it in.
Amdro do great "boot jump" units to make it into a proper little camper, including a solo one that only takes half the room leaving enough space for a bike alongside. Easy to make a similar thing if you're handy, else they're not bad value as a complete kit from them. The boot is so big that you could leave it in there all the time and just put everyday stuff on top.
My advice would be if you need more than 3 seats, buying a factory Kombi / crew cab will give you less hassle with insurance, speed limits, window fitting, seat belts, general safety etc than buying a panel van and converting.
I sleep in the back of my kombi next to my bike - fine for the odd weekend away. I wanted bike carrying space, not cupboards in the back of mine but everyone's different.
You'd get a nice version of the Partner/Dispatch for that money. Full galvanised so no rust, (can vouch for that as I got rid of an 11 year old one last year, it was corrosion free). Long wheelbase, high roof would make a great camper you could stand up in. 2 litre engine is be the one to go for, there's no fuel economy penalty and it gets a 6 speed gearbox, the 1.6 can be problematical if the oil hasn't been looked after properly. The only regular mechanical issue is front anti-roll bar bushes wear out and knock. Cheap, (compared to T5 driveshafts and and Transit rust 😉 ) to deal with, or just put up with it.
You'd get a solid t4 at that money.
I know they're overpriced and can rust.....
but they hold their money and every thing is available off the shelf for them.
Depends on the size of the van you want I suppose
Whats a TVP?!
I'm guessing Traffic/Vivaro/Primastar. I had to think aboutbthat too!
For not much more than the OP's budget I got a 6yr old LWB medium roof Transit 125 with 79k on the clock. Halfway through conversion now.
Transits are mechanically very solid but yes, rust like buggery. I looked at all sorts of things, mainly Relays/Boxers/Ducatos (RBDs 🙂 ) but within budget they all had much bigger miles or were much older. Took about two months of searching to find something decent in budget, a lot of badly abused vans out there, don't rush it, take your time and find the thing in the best condition you can afford.
Full conversion will take a lot longer than you think, I'm on my second on 8yrs and had forgotten just how long!
If my Vivaro got nicked and I had your budget I'd get another TVP without a moment's hesitation.
I've got a Yellow Vivaro, I've had it a couple of years. Got it from a fleet van specialist garage on the outskirts of Leeds, really friendly family business. I like buying vehicle off someone in oily overalls. Sorry, I can't remember name of garage, found them on Autotrader.
Bought it with 78k on the clock and full service history, it's been faultless. Has cost me two indicator bulbs so far.
I've insulated and carpeted the back, with a rubber floor for easy cleaning. I've built a wooden bed that expands sideways, so I can still use the van as a van. It's brilliant for getting away with a bike or two.
My friends still make jokes like "who called the AA?" which is obviously hilarious......
You’d get a
solidold t4 at that money.
I'd look at a dispatch.
Berlingo is very small to sleep in with bikes. (I know I've done it)....if there's two of you. Forget it.