What car for a gardener?

What car for a gardener?

Author
Discussion

eltax91

Original Poster:

9,866 posts

206 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Hi guys

My brother in law, for several childcare related reasons has quit his job at a local plant nursery in order to look after his kids. He is hoping to pick up some regular gardening work and the odd bigger gardening job, basic landscaping etc. He urgently runs an Audi A3, but needs ideally to get something a bit more useful to him.

His max budget is £3k. He has no preference on petrol or diesel but the car must have a reputation for reliability.

His day will now look like this:-

  • drop two kids at school (one in a booster, on a baby seat)
  • drive to houses, cut grass, trim hedges etc
  • collect kids from school
So, as you can see, the vehicle needs to be versatile, able to carry the two kids and then all the gardening kit, ideally the kit needs to be isolated from the kids, not good having it in the cabin!

One further complication is they live in terraced housing so a trailer is a no go as it ant be secured anywhere.

Toaster Pilot

14,619 posts

158 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Kangoo or similar?

Loads of room with the seats folded, sufficient room with them up too


wemorgan

3,578 posts

178 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Saab 9-5 estate has a big boot and is cheap.
Also a Citroen C5 estate.

Rawwr

22,722 posts

234 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Nissan Leaf?

boxedin

MajorMantra

1,291 posts

112 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Depending on how big the kit is (mower etc.), an estate with a massive boot? £3k will get you in a decent Mondeo.

BigTom85

1,927 posts

171 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Honda Accord Estate.

eltax91

Original Poster:

9,866 posts

206 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
doogz said:
Isuzu or Mitsubishi crew cab pickup?

If he can really only have one vehicle and no trailer, and doesn't want his kids arriving at school smelling like compost, it's not a bad plan. Not saying there bad to drive, just different.

And bad.
This was my first suggestion, but his main concern is being able to secure the stuff in there overnight and of course fitting it in under a flat load cover.

MDMA .

8,884 posts

101 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Lotus ?

sun.and.rain

1,649 posts

139 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Mitsibushy crewcab.

Slow

6,973 posts

137 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
eltax91 said:
doogz said:
Isuzu or Mitsubishi crew cab pickup?

If he can really only have one vehicle and no trailer, and doesn't want his kids arriving at school smelling like compost, it's not a bad plan. Not saying there bad to drive, just different.

And bad.
This was my first suggestion, but his main concern is being able to secure the stuff in there overnight and of course fitting it in under a flat load cover.
One of those metal covers for the load area, need keys to get in.

battered

4,088 posts

147 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
My first thought was a Kangoo or similar, the suggestions of Japanese crewcab affairs are good, or maybe a Transit Connect, if these come with 3 seats for him and (presumably 2) kids.

DrTre

12,955 posts

232 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Hitch78

6,105 posts

194 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Galaxy with one of the middle seats removed to allow long stuff so that he can always fit both his gardening gear and two kids seats without having to mess about

xRIEx

8,180 posts

148 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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eltax91 said:
He urgently runs an Audi A3,
Sounds like most Audi drivers.

jayemm89

4,025 posts

130 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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One of many many flavours of MPV available? They usually have cavernous boot space, and often can have dog cages installed etc... to protect the little ones from flying gardening kit in the event of an accident

oceanview

1,511 posts

131 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
For a 3k budget, he would be able to get a tidy Ford Ranger and go for one that has a lockable canopy on the back.
With the crew cab, he'll have a load area that is completely separate from the cab area, so no horrible rotting gardening smells will get into the passenger area- unlike a car and/or small van.

I have had a couple of Rangers over the years and they're generally tough as old boots.


hairyben

8,516 posts

183 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
jayemm89 said:
One of many many flavours of MPV available? They usually have cavernous boot space, and often can have dog cages installed etc... to protect the little ones from flying gardening kit in the event of an accident
^exactly my thinking, get something reliable in budget, remove last row of seats and fit cage.

Alternatively a minibus with the last row of seats out can be useful, my dad used VW microbusses this way long before it was lifestyle or cool, problem is for £3k you're probably looking at tired examples or crap like LDV's

crewcabs are all well and good but will cost more to buy and run, less practical in the real world away from cowboy fantasies and at 17-18' are often a PITA parking wise

Slow

6,973 posts

137 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
hairyben said:
jayemm89 said:
One of many many flavours of MPV available? They usually have cavernous boot space, and often can have dog cages installed etc... to protect the little ones from flying gardening kit in the event of an accident
^exactly my thinking, get something reliable in budget, remove last row of seats and fit cage.

Alternatively a minibus with the last row of seats out can be useful, my dad used VW microbusses this way long before it was lifestyle or cool, problem is for £3k you're probably looking at tired examples or crap like LDV's

crewcabs are all well and good but will cost more to buy and run, less practical in the real world away from cowboy fantasies and at 17-18' are often a PITA parking wise
They do keep the smell of all the gardening equipment seperated though, most landscapers use a pickup of some sort.

PositronicRay

27,006 posts

183 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
A trailer and a lock-up.

eltax91

Original Poster:

9,866 posts

206 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
PositronicRay said:
A trailer and a lock-up.
Won't work. The guy is working between school runs. There's an hour wasted prattling about with a trailer straight away.