7.5t transporter with living, worth it?
Discussion
I've run a 96 merc 814 for the last 5 years, and wouldnt go back to a trailer...
i do have the advantage of being able to park it out of sight ( well not obvious) at home which makes a big difference..
you can get something half decent for less than the cost of a new covered trailer..
i do have the advantage of being able to park it out of sight ( well not obvious) at home which makes a big difference..
you can get something half decent for less than the cost of a new covered trailer..
I currently run a transit van and trailer, the draw of a warm bed, workshop and kettle is huge, I have to work out how to get around losing the van, it's a great method of transport when the Mrs as the car and I want to pop somewhere else.
That's the con for me buying a truck would probably mean buying a runaround cheap car also.
What's the maintenance like on a truck that doesent do too many miles? Don't they mind standing for long periods?
That's the con for me buying a truck would probably mean buying a runaround cheap car also.
What's the maintenance like on a truck that doesent do too many miles? Don't they mind standing for long periods?
I've been running a 7.5 t truck for many years now.
Maintenance is simple and cheap
Periods of inactivity are fine so long as you keep the batteries full
Insurance is not too bad
you need to find somewhere safe to park it
Fuel costs are more than a trailer combo ( though not if you use a RR)
It's great having somewhere to sleep, relax, hide
It's a lot easier with an awning
once you get to the track you are there, unless you take a cycle, scooter etc
loads of room for spares, tools, BBQ etc etc
Electric hook up and geni make life a lot easier
Compressor is a useful addition
Overall if you are running formula of Sports prototype I would recommend it
Maintenance is simple and cheap
Periods of inactivity are fine so long as you keep the batteries full
Insurance is not too bad
you need to find somewhere safe to park it
Fuel costs are more than a trailer combo ( though not if you use a RR)
It's great having somewhere to sleep, relax, hide
It's a lot easier with an awning
once you get to the track you are there, unless you take a cycle, scooter etc
loads of room for spares, tools, BBQ etc etc
Electric hook up and geni make life a lot easier
Compressor is a useful addition
Overall if you are running formula of Sports prototype I would recommend it
I've been running 7.5 tonners since 2005 - prior to that I had a double cab pick up and an uncovered trailer.
My current truck has pretty much everything I could want. Living area with insulated walls and floor, suspended ceiling with downlights, flat screen TV, kitchen units with microwave and full sized fridge, all wired for 240v. It has a large L shaped seating area that folds away when transporting the car but seals off the living from the car area when the car is out. Also has a permanent double bed in a bulkhead above the car bonnet area, storage racks, tyre rack and belly lockers. 2 stage hydraulic tail lift with fold out ramps and a side door at ground level with internal steps. It doesn't have a sink or a shower/toilet, but I don’t really want to be messing about with water tanks and containers of chemicals/poo – and I don’t really think there is room in a 7.5 tonner for this and a full sized car
Pros:
Gives us somewhere warm, dry and private at circuits. We don’t stay in it but easily could. We prepare food for a team of 10-12 out of it (and keep the beer/wine cold!), use it for driver changing, debriefs and so on. Also has a toaster, proper coffee machine etc… We always have pit garages so we never bother with the awning, and we hook into the garage electrics, so don’t use the generator. We’d be in it all the time if we weren’t in garages.
We can carry everything we need – pit perch, compressor, scooter, tables and chairs for 20 people, tea urn, heater, spares, wheeled tool cabinet. This all lives in the truck rather than needing to be loaded/off loaded for each race weekend.
It is far more secure than a trailer. With hidden immobiliser switches it is far more difficult to steal. And you can lock gear inside it overnight at circuits. You feel much happier that the car is safe when you pop
Car stays clean and dry when transported.
When I get home from a race weekend I just park it up and plug in the electrics to keep the fridge cold – and offload when it is convenient. With the trailer I always had to offload the car and lock it away in the garage immediately – which is never fun if you get home at midnight in the rain.
Can store the car in it if I need workshop space
Useful if we ever need to move big non race stuff around – sofas, fence panels etc…
Cons:
Something else to tax and insure – though tax is minimal - £165 a year for a private HGV.
Annual MOT is a pain as it has to go to a commercial test centre. You have to book months in advance and it needs to be steam cleaned before you take it in.
You need somewhere to keep it. I’m lucky I have somewhere at home where it is screened by trees and locked behind 6 ft gates.
You need a dehumidifier or proper ventilation to combat condensation and mould during the winter
You end up acquiring two sets of tools – a set that live on the truck and another set in the workshop. Mind you, you can never have too many tools
Tail lifts vary massively in quality and safety – and need regular servicing.
Both my trucks have required very little in maintenance. I have race-style battery cut offs – so even if I leave it for a couple of months it always starts first time. Had two breakdowns in 9 years - a fuel pump (split rubber diaphragm) and an alternator fail (pretty sure the latter was due to someone welding the tail lift and not disconnecting it first). Apart from that I’ve had rear brake callipers need attention – the sliders get sticky if it is not used much – but nothing else I can think of. Current truck has only done 175,000 km which is nothing for a commercial vehicle – they are built to do massive mileage.
My first (1993) Iveco suffered very badly from cab rust - chassis was great but the cab just disintegrated – the more recent ones seem much better. You also get more car-like features on later trucks - my 2004 Iveco has electric windows, cruise control, ABS brakes, but is limited to 56mph (older truck had no limiter).
I modified both trucks extensively inside to suit my needs even though they were both well equipped already. You have to use the space cleverly and design things around the car and gear you want to carry. Once the car is out of mine it takes a couple of minutes to fold down the bench seats and seal off the load area – the living area is then warm and toasty. It’s worth having a look how others have configured theirs for ideas.
Things to watch out for… cab rust, rusted under-floor spars, unexplained warning lights, evidence of roof leaks/water ingress in the box (or cab), dodgey home made tail lifts. Have a look at the last MOT report and get the checklist which will show any advisories.
There are some truly awful homemade extended tail-lifts around, secured with removable bars, steel ropes, chains or ratchet straps – albeit some are well made just not very pretty. The doors can be immensely heavy and difficult to lower and raise - I’ve seen one dropped on someone once and the chap was lucky not to be seriously hurt . I fitted a 24v winch to lower the door on my old truck, then had to fit bars and ropes to the ramps to support it and lift the car. The current one has a proper two stage lift (hydraulic rams to lower the door and support it) – massively better and safer and makes loading a doddle, even at somewhere like Brands where the paddock slopes down from garages and without a tilt facility your tail lift is a foot off the ground at the back.
Check the tail lift works properly and will actually lift your car. With a light sports prototype you should be ok – a heavy saloon car could be a challenge. If the lift judders when it goes up and down under load then the bearings are likely to be worn and will need replacing. Check also that the lift columns (the vertical columns either side) are not splayed from being overloaded.
Check the payload (seller should have the brake test report from the last MOT with the weight of the vehicle). With a heavy tail lift, awning and poles, lots of spares and tools you could be bumping up against 7.5 tonnes even before the car goes in. There are some beaver tail trucks with ramps which give you more payload but are more hassle to load, especially if you have a car with very little ground clearance. You also have less flat floor area to use inside the truck when the car is out.
Be wary of ramp systems on non beaver tail trucks that don’t have a lift – make sure they are properly engineered. Some friends had to load a Mustang race car at Spa using jacks and fuel drums after their aluminium ramps folded themselves in half under the weight of the car.
A side door is really useful and one that has internal steps with a low level door is much easier to live with than a door at load level height and external steps. Decent belly lockers also v useful – my first truck had a compressor and generator built into the lockers and a full width one at the rear for awning poles. Windows are nice to have and if you race in Europe are very helpful in convincing the ferry/tunnel check-in staff that your vehicle really is a motor home not a commercial vehicle (much cheaper rate!).
There are plenty of crap trucks on offer – but if you get a reasonable one and look after it they keep their value and shouldn't be hard to sell.
I’d never go back to a trailer.
My current truck has pretty much everything I could want. Living area with insulated walls and floor, suspended ceiling with downlights, flat screen TV, kitchen units with microwave and full sized fridge, all wired for 240v. It has a large L shaped seating area that folds away when transporting the car but seals off the living from the car area when the car is out. Also has a permanent double bed in a bulkhead above the car bonnet area, storage racks, tyre rack and belly lockers. 2 stage hydraulic tail lift with fold out ramps and a side door at ground level with internal steps. It doesn't have a sink or a shower/toilet, but I don’t really want to be messing about with water tanks and containers of chemicals/poo – and I don’t really think there is room in a 7.5 tonner for this and a full sized car
Pros:
Gives us somewhere warm, dry and private at circuits. We don’t stay in it but easily could. We prepare food for a team of 10-12 out of it (and keep the beer/wine cold!), use it for driver changing, debriefs and so on. Also has a toaster, proper coffee machine etc… We always have pit garages so we never bother with the awning, and we hook into the garage electrics, so don’t use the generator. We’d be in it all the time if we weren’t in garages.
We can carry everything we need – pit perch, compressor, scooter, tables and chairs for 20 people, tea urn, heater, spares, wheeled tool cabinet. This all lives in the truck rather than needing to be loaded/off loaded for each race weekend.
It is far more secure than a trailer. With hidden immobiliser switches it is far more difficult to steal. And you can lock gear inside it overnight at circuits. You feel much happier that the car is safe when you pop
Car stays clean and dry when transported.
When I get home from a race weekend I just park it up and plug in the electrics to keep the fridge cold – and offload when it is convenient. With the trailer I always had to offload the car and lock it away in the garage immediately – which is never fun if you get home at midnight in the rain.
Can store the car in it if I need workshop space
Useful if we ever need to move big non race stuff around – sofas, fence panels etc…
Cons:
Something else to tax and insure – though tax is minimal - £165 a year for a private HGV.
Annual MOT is a pain as it has to go to a commercial test centre. You have to book months in advance and it needs to be steam cleaned before you take it in.
You need somewhere to keep it. I’m lucky I have somewhere at home where it is screened by trees and locked behind 6 ft gates.
You need a dehumidifier or proper ventilation to combat condensation and mould during the winter
You end up acquiring two sets of tools – a set that live on the truck and another set in the workshop. Mind you, you can never have too many tools
Tail lifts vary massively in quality and safety – and need regular servicing.
Both my trucks have required very little in maintenance. I have race-style battery cut offs – so even if I leave it for a couple of months it always starts first time. Had two breakdowns in 9 years - a fuel pump (split rubber diaphragm) and an alternator fail (pretty sure the latter was due to someone welding the tail lift and not disconnecting it first). Apart from that I’ve had rear brake callipers need attention – the sliders get sticky if it is not used much – but nothing else I can think of. Current truck has only done 175,000 km which is nothing for a commercial vehicle – they are built to do massive mileage.
My first (1993) Iveco suffered very badly from cab rust - chassis was great but the cab just disintegrated – the more recent ones seem much better. You also get more car-like features on later trucks - my 2004 Iveco has electric windows, cruise control, ABS brakes, but is limited to 56mph (older truck had no limiter).
I modified both trucks extensively inside to suit my needs even though they were both well equipped already. You have to use the space cleverly and design things around the car and gear you want to carry. Once the car is out of mine it takes a couple of minutes to fold down the bench seats and seal off the load area – the living area is then warm and toasty. It’s worth having a look how others have configured theirs for ideas.
Things to watch out for… cab rust, rusted under-floor spars, unexplained warning lights, evidence of roof leaks/water ingress in the box (or cab), dodgey home made tail lifts. Have a look at the last MOT report and get the checklist which will show any advisories.
There are some truly awful homemade extended tail-lifts around, secured with removable bars, steel ropes, chains or ratchet straps – albeit some are well made just not very pretty. The doors can be immensely heavy and difficult to lower and raise - I’ve seen one dropped on someone once and the chap was lucky not to be seriously hurt . I fitted a 24v winch to lower the door on my old truck, then had to fit bars and ropes to the ramps to support it and lift the car. The current one has a proper two stage lift (hydraulic rams to lower the door and support it) – massively better and safer and makes loading a doddle, even at somewhere like Brands where the paddock slopes down from garages and without a tilt facility your tail lift is a foot off the ground at the back.
Check the tail lift works properly and will actually lift your car. With a light sports prototype you should be ok – a heavy saloon car could be a challenge. If the lift judders when it goes up and down under load then the bearings are likely to be worn and will need replacing. Check also that the lift columns (the vertical columns either side) are not splayed from being overloaded.
Check the payload (seller should have the brake test report from the last MOT with the weight of the vehicle). With a heavy tail lift, awning and poles, lots of spares and tools you could be bumping up against 7.5 tonnes even before the car goes in. There are some beaver tail trucks with ramps which give you more payload but are more hassle to load, especially if you have a car with very little ground clearance. You also have less flat floor area to use inside the truck when the car is out.
Be wary of ramp systems on non beaver tail trucks that don’t have a lift – make sure they are properly engineered. Some friends had to load a Mustang race car at Spa using jacks and fuel drums after their aluminium ramps folded themselves in half under the weight of the car.
A side door is really useful and one that has internal steps with a low level door is much easier to live with than a door at load level height and external steps. Decent belly lockers also v useful – my first truck had a compressor and generator built into the lockers and a full width one at the rear for awning poles. Windows are nice to have and if you race in Europe are very helpful in convincing the ferry/tunnel check-in staff that your vehicle really is a motor home not a commercial vehicle (much cheaper rate!).
There are plenty of crap trucks on offer – but if you get a reasonable one and look after it they keep their value and shouldn't be hard to sell.
I’d never go back to a trailer.
Yea, thank you for taking the time out to reply so in depth, appreciated. I'm lucky parking wise plenty of space at our unit, the guy next door runs a HGV recovery and repair service so MOT time is easily covered, I have been eying a few up for a while think its time to view and take the plunge.
The guy next door tells me to expect 15, 20mpg at absolute best is this what your seeing ?
Anyone want a high top transit and tilt bed trailer?
The guy next door tells me to expect 15, 20mpg at absolute best is this what your seeing ?
Anyone want a high top transit and tilt bed trailer?
If you guys were at Brands on Wednesday - that's a really nice truck you got there 
if it wasn't you should check out that Holden racing truck that was at Brands on Wednesday !
if it wasn't you should check out that Holden racing truck that was at Brands on Wednesday !
teamHOLDENracing said:
I've been running 7.5 tonners since 2005 - prior to that I had a double cab pick up and an uncovered trailer.
My current truck has pretty much everything I could want. Living area with insulated walls and floor, suspended ceiling with downlights, flat screen TV, kitchen units with microwave and full sized fridge, all wired for 240v. It has a large L shaped seating area that folds away when transporting the car but seals off the living from the car area when the car is out. Also has a permanent double bed in a bulkhead above the car bonnet area, storage racks, tyre rack and belly lockers. 2 stage hydraulic tail lift with fold out ramps and a side door at ground level with internal steps. It doesn't have a sink or a shower/toilet, but I don’t really want to be messing about with water tanks and containers of chemicals/poo – and I don’t really think there is room in a 7.5 tonner for this and a full sized car
Pros:
Gives us somewhere warm, dry and private at circuits. We don’t stay in it but easily could. We prepare food for a team of 10-12 out of it (and keep the beer/wine cold!), use it for driver changing, debriefs and so on. Also has a toaster, proper coffee machine etc… We always have pit garages so we never bother with the awning, and we hook into the garage electrics, so don’t use the generator. We’d be in it all the time if we weren’t in garages.
We can carry everything we need – pit perch, compressor, scooter, tables and chairs for 20 people, tea urn, heater, spares, wheeled tool cabinet. This all lives in the truck rather than needing to be loaded/off loaded for each race weekend.
It is far more secure than a trailer. With hidden immobiliser switches it is far more difficult to steal. And you can lock gear inside it overnight at circuits. You feel much happier that the car is safe when you pop
Car stays clean and dry when transported.
When I get home from a race weekend I just park it up and plug in the electrics to keep the fridge cold – and offload when it is convenient. With the trailer I always had to offload the car and lock it away in the garage immediately – which is never fun if you get home at midnight in the rain.
Can store the car in it if I need workshop space
Useful if we ever need to move big non race stuff around – sofas, fence panels etc…
Cons:
Something else to tax and insure – though tax is minimal - £165 a year for a private HGV.
Annual MOT is a pain as it has to go to a commercial test centre. You have to book months in advance and it needs to be steam cleaned before you take it in.
You need somewhere to keep it. I’m lucky I have somewhere at home where it is screened by trees and locked behind 6 ft gates.
You need a dehumidifier or proper ventilation to combat condensation and mould during the winter
You end up acquiring two sets of tools – a set that live on the truck and another set in the workshop. Mind you, you can never have too many tools
Tail lifts vary massively in quality and safety – and need regular servicing.
Both my trucks have required very little in maintenance. I have race-style battery cut offs – so even if I leave it for a couple of months it always starts first time. Had two breakdowns in 9 years - a fuel pump (split rubber diaphragm) and an alternator fail (pretty sure the latter was due to someone welding the tail lift and not disconnecting it first). Apart from that I’ve had rear brake callipers need attention – the sliders get sticky if it is not used much – but nothing else I can think of. Current truck has only done 175,000 km which is nothing for a commercial vehicle – they are built to do massive mileage.
My first (1993) Iveco suffered very badly from cab rust - chassis was great but the cab just disintegrated – the more recent ones seem much better. You also get more car-like features on later trucks - my 2004 Iveco has electric windows, cruise control, ABS brakes, but is limited to 56mph (older truck had no limiter).
I modified both trucks extensively inside to suit my needs even though they were both well equipped already. You have to use the space cleverly and design things around the car and gear you want to carry. Once the car is out of mine it takes a couple of minutes to fold down the bench seats and seal off the load area – the living area is then warm and toasty. It’s worth having a look how others have configured theirs for ideas.
Things to watch out for… cab rust, rusted under-floor spars, unexplained warning lights, evidence of roof leaks/water ingress in the box (or cab), dodgey home made tail lifts. Have a look at the last MOT report and get the checklist which will show any advisories.
There are some truly awful homemade extended tail-lifts around, secured with removable bars, steel ropes, chains or ratchet straps – albeit some are well made just not very pretty. The doors can be immensely heavy and difficult to lower and raise - I’ve seen one dropped on someone once and the chap was lucky not to be seriously hurt . I fitted a 24v winch to lower the door on my old truck, then had to fit bars and ropes to the ramps to support it and lift the car. The current one has a proper two stage lift (hydraulic rams to lower the door and support it) – massively better and safer and makes loading a doddle, even at somewhere like Brands where the paddock slopes down from garages and without a tilt facility your tail lift is a foot off the ground at the back.
Check the tail lift works properly and will actually lift your car. With a light sports prototype you should be ok – a heavy saloon car could be a challenge. If the lift judders when it goes up and down under load then the bearings are likely to be worn and will need replacing. Check also that the lift columns (the vertical columns either side) are not splayed from being overloaded.
Check the payload (seller should have the brake test report from the last MOT with the weight of the vehicle). With a heavy tail lift, awning and poles, lots of spares and tools you could be bumping up against 7.5 tonnes even before the car goes in. There are some beaver tail trucks with ramps which give you more payload but are more hassle to load, especially if you have a car with very little ground clearance. You also have less flat floor area to use inside the truck when the car is out.
Be wary of ramp systems on non beaver tail trucks that don’t have a lift – make sure they are properly engineered. Some friends had to load a Mustang race car at Spa using jacks and fuel drums after their aluminium ramps folded themselves in half under the weight of the car.
A side door is really useful and one that has internal steps with a low level door is much easier to live with than a door at load level height and external steps. Decent belly lockers also v useful – my first truck had a compressor and generator built into the lockers and a full width one at the rear for awning poles. Windows are nice to have and if you race in Europe are very helpful in convincing the ferry/tunnel check-in staff that your vehicle really is a motor home not a commercial vehicle (much cheaper rate!).
There are plenty of crap trucks on offer – but if you get a reasonable one and look after it they keep their value and shouldn't be hard to sell.
I’d never go back to a trailer.
My current truck has pretty much everything I could want. Living area with insulated walls and floor, suspended ceiling with downlights, flat screen TV, kitchen units with microwave and full sized fridge, all wired for 240v. It has a large L shaped seating area that folds away when transporting the car but seals off the living from the car area when the car is out. Also has a permanent double bed in a bulkhead above the car bonnet area, storage racks, tyre rack and belly lockers. 2 stage hydraulic tail lift with fold out ramps and a side door at ground level with internal steps. It doesn't have a sink or a shower/toilet, but I don’t really want to be messing about with water tanks and containers of chemicals/poo – and I don’t really think there is room in a 7.5 tonner for this and a full sized car
Pros:
Gives us somewhere warm, dry and private at circuits. We don’t stay in it but easily could. We prepare food for a team of 10-12 out of it (and keep the beer/wine cold!), use it for driver changing, debriefs and so on. Also has a toaster, proper coffee machine etc… We always have pit garages so we never bother with the awning, and we hook into the garage electrics, so don’t use the generator. We’d be in it all the time if we weren’t in garages.
We can carry everything we need – pit perch, compressor, scooter, tables and chairs for 20 people, tea urn, heater, spares, wheeled tool cabinet. This all lives in the truck rather than needing to be loaded/off loaded for each race weekend.
It is far more secure than a trailer. With hidden immobiliser switches it is far more difficult to steal. And you can lock gear inside it overnight at circuits. You feel much happier that the car is safe when you pop
Car stays clean and dry when transported.
When I get home from a race weekend I just park it up and plug in the electrics to keep the fridge cold – and offload when it is convenient. With the trailer I always had to offload the car and lock it away in the garage immediately – which is never fun if you get home at midnight in the rain.
Can store the car in it if I need workshop space
Useful if we ever need to move big non race stuff around – sofas, fence panels etc…
Cons:
Something else to tax and insure – though tax is minimal - £165 a year for a private HGV.
Annual MOT is a pain as it has to go to a commercial test centre. You have to book months in advance and it needs to be steam cleaned before you take it in.
You need somewhere to keep it. I’m lucky I have somewhere at home where it is screened by trees and locked behind 6 ft gates.
You need a dehumidifier or proper ventilation to combat condensation and mould during the winter
You end up acquiring two sets of tools – a set that live on the truck and another set in the workshop. Mind you, you can never have too many tools
Tail lifts vary massively in quality and safety – and need regular servicing.
Both my trucks have required very little in maintenance. I have race-style battery cut offs – so even if I leave it for a couple of months it always starts first time. Had two breakdowns in 9 years - a fuel pump (split rubber diaphragm) and an alternator fail (pretty sure the latter was due to someone welding the tail lift and not disconnecting it first). Apart from that I’ve had rear brake callipers need attention – the sliders get sticky if it is not used much – but nothing else I can think of. Current truck has only done 175,000 km which is nothing for a commercial vehicle – they are built to do massive mileage.
My first (1993) Iveco suffered very badly from cab rust - chassis was great but the cab just disintegrated – the more recent ones seem much better. You also get more car-like features on later trucks - my 2004 Iveco has electric windows, cruise control, ABS brakes, but is limited to 56mph (older truck had no limiter).
I modified both trucks extensively inside to suit my needs even though they were both well equipped already. You have to use the space cleverly and design things around the car and gear you want to carry. Once the car is out of mine it takes a couple of minutes to fold down the bench seats and seal off the load area – the living area is then warm and toasty. It’s worth having a look how others have configured theirs for ideas.
Things to watch out for… cab rust, rusted under-floor spars, unexplained warning lights, evidence of roof leaks/water ingress in the box (or cab), dodgey home made tail lifts. Have a look at the last MOT report and get the checklist which will show any advisories.
There are some truly awful homemade extended tail-lifts around, secured with removable bars, steel ropes, chains or ratchet straps – albeit some are well made just not very pretty. The doors can be immensely heavy and difficult to lower and raise - I’ve seen one dropped on someone once and the chap was lucky not to be seriously hurt . I fitted a 24v winch to lower the door on my old truck, then had to fit bars and ropes to the ramps to support it and lift the car. The current one has a proper two stage lift (hydraulic rams to lower the door and support it) – massively better and safer and makes loading a doddle, even at somewhere like Brands where the paddock slopes down from garages and without a tilt facility your tail lift is a foot off the ground at the back.
Check the tail lift works properly and will actually lift your car. With a light sports prototype you should be ok – a heavy saloon car could be a challenge. If the lift judders when it goes up and down under load then the bearings are likely to be worn and will need replacing. Check also that the lift columns (the vertical columns either side) are not splayed from being overloaded.
Check the payload (seller should have the brake test report from the last MOT with the weight of the vehicle). With a heavy tail lift, awning and poles, lots of spares and tools you could be bumping up against 7.5 tonnes even before the car goes in. There are some beaver tail trucks with ramps which give you more payload but are more hassle to load, especially if you have a car with very little ground clearance. You also have less flat floor area to use inside the truck when the car is out.
Be wary of ramp systems on non beaver tail trucks that don’t have a lift – make sure they are properly engineered. Some friends had to load a Mustang race car at Spa using jacks and fuel drums after their aluminium ramps folded themselves in half under the weight of the car.
A side door is really useful and one that has internal steps with a low level door is much easier to live with than a door at load level height and external steps. Decent belly lockers also v useful – my first truck had a compressor and generator built into the lockers and a full width one at the rear for awning poles. Windows are nice to have and if you race in Europe are very helpful in convincing the ferry/tunnel check-in staff that your vehicle really is a motor home not a commercial vehicle (much cheaper rate!).
There are plenty of crap trucks on offer – but if you get a reasonable one and look after it they keep their value and shouldn't be hard to sell.
I’d never go back to a trailer.
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