Day Van/Support Van project recommendations

[Hudson1984]

Hi all, new here and just after a little help. Was recommended to ask here as I posted in Gassing

The wife and I...and the Dog, get up to the peak district a few times a year for walking. We don't camp (the mrs hates camping) so we generally drive to the start/finish of long circular walks, then drive back to the cottage we rent.

Trouble we have is that the boot of the car is full of the dog and the backseats don't really hold much, which for a week away is a pain.

We're going to have an addition to the family too which means we're looking into a bit of a project.

I was thinking of getting an older minibus and converting it to a day van of sorts, main reason i'm thinking minibus is they're generally cheaper and have more windows.

So, minibus, rip the seats out all bar the last row. Keep a rear bench seat and remove the middle, make an area for the dog in the middle (always hate having the dog in the boot - a rear ender and he's gone. The rear behind the seats i'd put up a bulkhead to allow for all bags and stuff in there, few shelves so we can put boxes of stuff ontop of suitcases. Potentially a fridge in there too (nothing worse than warm water at the end of a walk) I'll change the front seats so they're both captains style (bit more comfy and don't need a bench front seat)

I've also considered chaging the rear bench into two further captains chairs but still working on that.

So, the question is, what base model? I don't want to spend £40,000 on a newer Caravelle, it's an occassional vehicle just no need - I have a company car and my wife has her car so it'll only be used for holidays or day trips. We want to stretch our legs a bit too and start adding scotland and wales to the mix perhaps even europe so we want it to be comfortable for all occupants.

I definitely won't be needing a bed in there - we like hotels and a toilet that doesn't need emptying! so it really is just going to be a support vehicle to carry all the gear and keep us comfy enroute and at pit stops.

On the list at the mo:

Caravelle T4
Viano
Tourneo

I do want a little "cool factor" don't really want it to look like i've been at a work yard before hitting the hills, so annoyingly VW is winning that race - very annoying when you consider their price! as suggested on my other thread, they are expensive for what they are.

I want something reliable, something that's fairly cheap to work on and something where parts are available. I'll be intending to keep the van for YEARS and will probably take 18 months to get it to how I want it anyway.

my main desires are Aircon and cruise control but think the latter is pushing it abit.

Any thoughts?? anyone done something similar?

[agent006]

Not too clear which seats you're looking to remove, but it sounds like a Vito Dualiner might be what you want out of the box.

[addsvrs]

I have a 2012 Vito Dualiner (W639), it has aircon / cruise and more, rear seats are foldable and can be removed. Mine is a LWB which fits into normal car park spaces. Model wise Sport adds different wheels etc and full fat Sport X gets nice engine, leather seats and toys like electric sliding rear doors. Plus cheaper than the equivalent Transporter. My local mech has no problem getting parts / servicing it, had the rear discs and pads plus handbrake kit done yesterday for £207

[addsvrs]

Forgot to add if you do look for a Vito, mine has the extended rear glass which makes a world of difference

[Foliage]

Bongo

[Essel]

We've recently bought a motorhome which is Peugot Boxer based. Its a very common base for motorhomes, but can be bought as a minibus straight out of the box. Ours has aircon and cruise. Reading the manual, the minibus can come with some nice options. I'd guess as so many are around as base vehicles, parts/service should be ok. (Also the same as Fiat version)

Not the VW tax either, but maybe not as cool - choices eh!

Edit: As its a base for so many conversions, captains seats and other fittings should be fairly easy to source.

Edited by Essel on Wednesday 11th July 16:06

[sjg]

Look at the Japanese import MPVs like the Toyota Alphard and Nissan Elgrand - as they're not based on panel vans they're a lot more comfortable, generally have very flexible seating arrangements (sliding rails like a Caravelle, and seats that can turn and flip out of the way), and things like aircon and cruise control and proper sound deadening are a given.

Most get imported at 10 years old as that's when the requirement for an IVA goes away and it's a simple MOT instead, but there's a good supply of very well looked after ones - and you could go newer if you wanted it just costs a bit more to get it tested and registered. They're all petrol and autos, generally super reliable as you'd expect a simple NA japanese petrol engine to be. Most of the mechanical bits have been used in UK market cars, easy enough to find specific parts.

http://andrewsjapanesecars.com/toyota-alphard-revi...

Seating arrangements - you can easily have dog in middle (unbolt middle seats if you wanted) then have rear row slid forward and space behind for carrying stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9PLozANtpQ

[Chicken Chaser]

I know its tempting to buy a cheaper van, but bare in mind that VW residuals are incredibly strong and a well converted van which has been looked after will see far less depreciation over a Transit. They're expensive, but at the other end of ownership, it works out cheaper to own.