What Van (or maybe a Shogun)
Discussion
Hi All,
Please be nice to me.
Anyway i need a van. A small van. Something the size of an Astravan but not an Astravan as it is no better than an estate.
I don't do many miles, mostly local journeys and maybe the occassional motorway jaunt.
I was looking at the Ford Transit connect as it is the only one that doesn't look like a breadvan. I need something economical, with enough space to fit a washing machine and a couple of bikes in the back.
Or should i just buy a Shogun. If i do buy a Shogun it will be a 3.0 Petrol which i can run on LPG. I can also utilise the extra seats with trips around the country.
My budget is upto £2.5k not factoring in any LPG conversion as it is as cheap as chips for me to get done.
Please be nice to me.
Anyway i need a van. A small van. Something the size of an Astravan but not an Astravan as it is no better than an estate.
I don't do many miles, mostly local journeys and maybe the occassional motorway jaunt.
I was looking at the Ford Transit connect as it is the only one that doesn't look like a breadvan. I need something economical, with enough space to fit a washing machine and a couple of bikes in the back.
Or should i just buy a Shogun. If i do buy a Shogun it will be a 3.0 Petrol which i can run on LPG. I can also utilise the extra seats with trips around the country.
My budget is upto £2.5k not factoring in any LPG conversion as it is as cheap as chips for me to get done.
What exactly do you need to do with it ?
How many miles do you do ?
Will customers see it ?
Cheap polish LPG conversions are from £800 but I know friends who were in the trade and they strongly advised me to go for a better kit (BRC) and a better fitter so it cost me £1500 for a 4 cylinder conversion last week.
That would leave you with £1000 for a shogun - not enough IME.
Or you wait and see what pre converted cars / vans come up.
How many miles do you do ?
Will customers see it ?
Cheap polish LPG conversions are from £800 but I know friends who were in the trade and they strongly advised me to go for a better kit (BRC) and a better fitter so it cost me £1500 for a 4 cylinder conversion last week.
That would leave you with £1000 for a shogun - not enough IME.
Or you wait and see what pre converted cars / vans come up.
redgriff500 said:
What exactly do you need to do with it ?
How many miles do you do ?
Will customers see it ?
Cheap polish LPG conversions are from £800 but I know friends who were in the trade and they strongly advised me to go for a better kit (BRC) and a better fitter so it cost me £1500 for a 4 cylinder conversion last week.
That would leave you with £1000 for a shogun - not enough IME.
Or you wait and see what pre converted cars / vans come up.
I don't do many miles and i already have a cheap LPG car which is too small for my purpose. If it is cheap to run then i'll find a lot more miles to do How many miles do you do ?
Will customers see it ?
Cheap polish LPG conversions are from £800 but I know friends who were in the trade and they strongly advised me to go for a better kit (BRC) and a better fitter so it cost me £1500 for a 4 cylinder conversion last week.
That would leave you with £1000 for a shogun - not enough IME.
Or you wait and see what pre converted cars / vans come up.
I'm going to go with the cheap Polish kits as that's what i'm running now and it has been absolutely fine for the last year and a half. I know you get what you pay for but when a decent Polish kit costs nearly half the price of a British unit then it's a no brainier. The British kits are simply a rip off IMO. With regards to the shogun my budget is £2.5k. LPG installation costs aren't an issue, it will cost me very little to install.
Remember HID kits that used to cost £££.
Customers will be seeing it so it cannot look too scruffy.
A Connect 90bhp will be quick enough and on a gentle run do 55mpg. Expect figures around 45mpg to be more normal although mid 30s are possible when loaded and going a bit quickly. I ran one for 100k as a courier so got to know the thing too well. Passenger seat is a folding job so not overly comfy and not adjustable.
Room for a couple of bikes in the SWB, the LWB high roof is big enough to make it useful to sleep in.
They do handle very well though
Room for a couple of bikes in the SWB, the LWB high roof is big enough to make it useful to sleep in.
They do handle very well though
busmonk said:
Did the Connect drive like a van or a car? Or better phrased when driving the Connect did it have that van feeling when you are driving it?
Ah now that's the best bit. To me, having had 2 Foci previously it felt like a big wide Focus. The front suspension set up is Focus based. It can be hustled around corners with confidence and not once did it run out of handling. It was also great in snow with standard van tyres.Compared with other vans I've driven I'd say it's very car like.
But you cannot escape the fact it is a van and needs a bulkhead to keep the noise down. Driving position again is more van than car. The SWB will just fit into multi storey car parks too...
Final thing, the windscreen is massive for a smallish van. It gets bloody hot so I fitted a graduated tint over the factory graduated tint. Mine had air-con too which was fab. Aftermarket armrest for about £20 was worth it but will cover the rearmost cup holder.
doogz said:
PaperCut said:
Have you considered an MPV, like a SEAT Alhambra/VW Sharan/Ford Galaxy with the 1.9 TDi engine?
Surely you meant the 2.8VR6?On the Shogun note, I have a LWB 3.5 V6 GDi Pajero. How does 13 MPG sound? (To be fair, I'm not exactly light footed with it.) If you're intent on a Shogun though, don't get a GDi as you can't fit LPG to them, stick to a MiVec which come in 3.0 and 3.5 forms, you can fit LPG to them.
doogz said:
Big Rod said:
+1! Cracking cars and almost infinitely versatile!! I have one that I'm meant to be taking to Italy in August.
I sat my B+E in one, seemed like a pretty handy big bus. Didn't exactly feel too spritely, but then, i only ever drove it with a box trailer on the back.Also because it's old it gets used for all sorts. It's being a skip right now but it's great for tip runs as it's cavernous with the seats out. It's also taken us the length and breadth of the country on many occassions. Kids in the back, SWMBO in the middle with her legs stretched out on the reversed pass' seat and me up front.
Update...
I went to see VW and Nissan and found for less than £200pcm i can lease a brand new van for three years which seems very tempting.
I've got my heart set on a Shogun Sport now. I'll be selling my MX5 and Daewoo Matiz to fund it (with a little more cash on top). I'm sure i'l be able to find a good'un sooner or later.
I went to see VW and Nissan and found for less than £200pcm i can lease a brand new van for three years which seems very tempting.
I've got my heart set on a Shogun Sport now. I'll be selling my MX5 and Daewoo Matiz to fund it (with a little more cash on top). I'm sure i'l be able to find a good'un sooner or later.
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