Van or Elgrand?
Discussion
On the search for new vehicle and want something to meet my requirements:
Carry large objects such as boxes and bits from IKEA etc
Pick up lengths of timber or possibly sheet wood
Transport bikes inside (1 regular MTB and a kids bike)
Be used to get changed inside
Sleep inside
Air con
I was initially looking at a van like a Transit or Vivaro etc. But they're all quite leggy, battered and expensive.
I'm now looking at Nissan Elgrands as they tick most of the boxes, are more refined and have more spec on them. So are better value for money. My budget is about £8500 max.
Anyone have a similar experience? Or any recommendations? Would I get two bikes like that inside of an Elgrand stranding up?
Any info appreciated. Thanks.
Carry large objects such as boxes and bits from IKEA etc
Pick up lengths of timber or possibly sheet wood
Transport bikes inside (1 regular MTB and a kids bike)
Be used to get changed inside
Sleep inside
Air con
I was initially looking at a van like a Transit or Vivaro etc. But they're all quite leggy, battered and expensive.
I'm now looking at Nissan Elgrands as they tick most of the boxes, are more refined and have more spec on them. So are better value for money. My budget is about £8500 max.
Anyone have a similar experience? Or any recommendations? Would I get two bikes like that inside of an Elgrand stranding up?
Any info appreciated. Thanks.
Edited by Chrismawa on Tuesday 28th January 20:40
Edited by Chrismawa on Tuesday 28th January 20:40
Have a look at the Toyota Alphard. It will be more economic to run than an Elgrand
The VW boys will be along in a minute to tell you that a T5 is what you need, but if you think a £7k transit or Vivaro is knackered then wait until you see the state of a similar priced T5.
The Elgrande/Alphard are classed as cars and therefore you can do car speeds,pay car rates of tax and go into your local council tip. They will most likely be automatic so very easy to drive .
The VW boys will be along in a minute to tell you that a T5 is what you need, but if you think a £7k transit or Vivaro is knackered then wait until you see the state of a similar priced T5.
The Elgrande/Alphard are classed as cars and therefore you can do car speeds,pay car rates of tax and go into your local council tip. They will most likely be automatic so very easy to drive .
Matt_T said:
Hyundai i800 / iLoad is a fairly robust and economical van / minibus wth a strong 2.5 diesel.
Are the Elegrands / Alphards only availabe with 3.0 or 2.5 petrol autos? I imagine the fule consumption to be high on these?
Thanks ill have a look at the Hyundai. Are the Elegrands / Alphards only availabe with 3.0 or 2.5 petrol autos? I imagine the fule consumption to be high on these?
Yeah they are thirty but then with the Transits you've got better economy but the wet belt and injector issues to deal with...
We have had an Elgrand for the last 7 years or so and it has been sooo useful. We have the 3.5l petrol which is nippy but quite thirsty. As a load carrier and at times 8 person people carrier it is superb. It has been abused by us but I would not be without it or a similar japanese successor.
I'll be interested in how you get on OP... I've been toying with the idea of a van for similar reasons to you (I hike rather than mountain bike).
I'm open to the idea of a VW Transporter, but as others have said, the price are just insane at the moment for used vans. I've got a mate who drives a Toyota Granvia (it's getting on a bit but still flies through MOTs) and I would have gone for one of them, but sadly I don't really fit behind the wheel (I'm pretty tall).
I do like the look of the Elgrands and Alphards. There is a Hyundai i800 local to me and it does look smart, as well as being a good size.
I'm open to the idea of a VW Transporter, but as others have said, the price are just insane at the moment for used vans. I've got a mate who drives a Toyota Granvia (it's getting on a bit but still flies through MOTs) and I would have gone for one of them, but sadly I don't really fit behind the wheel (I'm pretty tall).
I do like the look of the Elgrands and Alphards. There is a Hyundai i800 local to me and it does look smart, as well as being a good size.
Rightly or wrongly, whilst I think the VW scene tax is high they're not massively dearer than the equivalent Transit or Vito but the right VW will also have quite strong residuals so whilst buying in can be dearer, the flip side is resale should also be quite strong. Obviously I'm telling myself this as I bought a Transporter and I'm somewhat nervous the they suddenly go off a depreciation cliff. To the OP, I had a similar brief and roughly the same budget, have had a Shuttle for the past year - it's been a great addition.
Nissan Primastars / NV300s / Renault Trafics (all the same thing) are cheap and chearful. I looked at these for family duties but concluded that the Hyundai i800's were nicer - however I was looking at £16k budget.
However, if you can get the budget up tp about £10k there are quite nice ones:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17848458
However, if you can get the budget up tp about £10k there are quite nice ones:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17848458
Edited by Matt_T on Tuesday 28th January 22:55
For an E51 Elgrand £5k should be plenty to get a nice example. Look at completed items on ebay to see what they are really going for, e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/306051148752
I bought a 9 seat citreon dispatch and removed the rear 3 seats. Use it mainly for carrying mtb's and general work horse/family day trips out where kids want to take tons of stuff, cooking equipment etc.
Not very good for getting changed in as an adult but plenty room for kids. Sleeping in would be a bit crap too but I have thought about a tent box a few times but then I remembered I hate camping and requite a decent bed and a shower lol.
Not very good for getting changed in as an adult but plenty room for kids. Sleeping in would be a bit crap too but I have thought about a tent box a few times but then I remembered I hate camping and requite a decent bed and a shower lol.
Matt_T said:
Nissan Primastars / NV300s / Renault Trafics (all the same thing) are cheap and chearful. I looked at these for family duties but concluded that the Hyundai i800's were nicer - however I was looking at £16k budget.
However, if you can get the budget up tp about £10k there are quite nice ones:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17848458
Apart from that's closer to 12k when you have to add on the VAT...However, if you can get the budget up tp about £10k there are quite nice ones:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17848458
Edited by Matt_T on Tuesday 28th January 22:55
Now if you compare that van to an Elgrand the Elgrand offers so much more for a lot less. The vans are also in a lot poorer condition - as they are primarily work vehicles they don't get looked after.
Vans just seem massively overpriced for what you're getting.
Don’t forget if you go with a Van you’ll have to obey reduced speed limits.
Vans are expensive because of the rise in online courier deliveries and then they get broken into all the time because of tool theft
Some car parks won’t let vans in, in a transit you’ll struggle in many multi stories as the custom is 2.0m high plus the aerial which then scrapes on the roof
Underpowered and crap on fuel at the same time, lots don’t even have air con,
Wet belts on the custom are know to fail and ruin the engine.
Car every time for me
Vans are expensive because of the rise in online courier deliveries and then they get broken into all the time because of tool theft
Some car parks won’t let vans in, in a transit you’ll struggle in many multi stories as the custom is 2.0m high plus the aerial which then scrapes on the roof
Underpowered and crap on fuel at the same time, lots don’t even have air con,
Wet belts on the custom are know to fail and ruin the engine.
Car every time for me
Car every time... unless of course you want to carry large bits of furniture from Ikea, transport 2 bikes inside upright and not dismantled or you want to sleep in it or get changed... but apart from that, yes, car every time unless of course a motorbike would do, or a horse.
Why do such threads always go the same way?
A van, like it or not offers a hell of a lot more carrying capacity and thus practicality over a car, because you know... it's a van. So if you need that added extra space, you will use that added extra space and your ok with the compromises a van brings by way of cost, spec, driver comfort or whatever than you need a van... or something van sized with windows.
I'm not van biased, I have both a van and a reasonable sized estate car... and I've come from an even bigger estate car that ultimately, wasn't big enough. Like the op I wanted / need to move large things and I wanted to move several bikes and I wanted to be able to sleep in it and get changed in it... have picnics in it and if need be, transport 9 people. A car, a big estate, an SUV with a roof box... nothing can come close to the carrying capacity and practicality of said van, hence... I bought a van.
So OP, if you need the extra space and you'd use the extra space and you're fine with the compromises, then yes... a van is a good addition. When I looked I decided that a lot of van based compromises were too much, ie lower speed limits, bit unrefined, poorly equipped and so that's when something sort of Elgrand / Tourneo / Caravelle can make more sense, so less compromise but just as much space.
Mine has air con throughout, electric windows, nav, sunroof, parking sensors, alloys, isofix, sun blinds, fully trimmed and insulated... has 140bhp and will sit at 80mph around 2000rpm and long term averages 37mpg, never had height issues to date, zero desire to be anywhere near a multi-storey and we've slept in it, carried five eMTB's and five big lads, moved furniture, got changed in it and was a shade over your budget, but as my old man pointed out... you've not burned that money, you have an asset that hopefully will depreciate slowly thus when I sell, I'll hopefully get a decent chunk of that back. Having checked, older / higher mile ones are still being listed for +£2k over what I paid last year.
My advice would be to try a few out, see what works for you, what you find the best package, what drives well... and take it from there.
Why do such threads always go the same way?
A van, like it or not offers a hell of a lot more carrying capacity and thus practicality over a car, because you know... it's a van. So if you need that added extra space, you will use that added extra space and your ok with the compromises a van brings by way of cost, spec, driver comfort or whatever than you need a van... or something van sized with windows.
I'm not van biased, I have both a van and a reasonable sized estate car... and I've come from an even bigger estate car that ultimately, wasn't big enough. Like the op I wanted / need to move large things and I wanted to move several bikes and I wanted to be able to sleep in it and get changed in it... have picnics in it and if need be, transport 9 people. A car, a big estate, an SUV with a roof box... nothing can come close to the carrying capacity and practicality of said van, hence... I bought a van.
So OP, if you need the extra space and you'd use the extra space and you're fine with the compromises, then yes... a van is a good addition. When I looked I decided that a lot of van based compromises were too much, ie lower speed limits, bit unrefined, poorly equipped and so that's when something sort of Elgrand / Tourneo / Caravelle can make more sense, so less compromise but just as much space.
Mine has air con throughout, electric windows, nav, sunroof, parking sensors, alloys, isofix, sun blinds, fully trimmed and insulated... has 140bhp and will sit at 80mph around 2000rpm and long term averages 37mpg, never had height issues to date, zero desire to be anywhere near a multi-storey and we've slept in it, carried five eMTB's and five big lads, moved furniture, got changed in it and was a shade over your budget, but as my old man pointed out... you've not burned that money, you have an asset that hopefully will depreciate slowly thus when I sell, I'll hopefully get a decent chunk of that back. Having checked, older / higher mile ones are still being listed for +£2k over what I paid last year.
My advice would be to try a few out, see what works for you, what you find the best package, what drives well... and take it from there.
I went for a Van and never looked back.
The trade offs are well known and understood. The only thing I'd add to the above posts it Vans don't seem to deprecate to the point where you need to scrap them. Someone will always buy it because there will always be demand.
And the other only thing I'd add is you're stuck with diesel and EGR valves etc.
All other things being equal it would be van for me every time. Of course all other things aren't equal becaise of the difficulty of sourcing a cheap, clean and tidy one. They all seem to go on sale dented and filthy. But you'll be glad of that at resale time!
The trade offs are well known and understood. The only thing I'd add to the above posts it Vans don't seem to deprecate to the point where you need to scrap them. Someone will always buy it because there will always be demand.
And the other only thing I'd add is you're stuck with diesel and EGR valves etc.
All other things being equal it would be van for me every time. Of course all other things aren't equal becaise of the difficulty of sourcing a cheap, clean and tidy one. They all seem to go on sale dented and filthy. But you'll be glad of that at resale time!
Edited by BikeBikeBIke on Thursday 30th January 09:33
Ssangyong Turismo.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501238...
Avoids the drawbacks of imports like Elgrands and Alphards. The 2.2 diesel is the Merc engine from the E220CDi, milliojns of taxi drivers can't be wrong, and of course the Mercedes Sprinter, fastest production vehicle on UK motorways.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501238...
Avoids the drawbacks of imports like Elgrands and Alphards. The 2.2 diesel is the Merc engine from the E220CDi, milliojns of taxi drivers can't be wrong, and of course the Mercedes Sprinter, fastest production vehicle on UK motorways.
Thanks for all the responses.
I've decided its definitely going to be a van. An Elgrand would be great but I cant get passed the fuel economy. Big size cars and SUVs wont meet my requirements so a van is what I need!
Now to just find something in good condition, with reasonable miles that doesn't cost the Earth!
I've decided its definitely going to be a van. An Elgrand would be great but I cant get passed the fuel economy. Big size cars and SUVs wont meet my requirements so a van is what I need!
Now to just find something in good condition, with reasonable miles that doesn't cost the Earth!
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