£20k Family Van / Motability / Cheap Runaround
Discussion
Slightly different one...
Last year I sold my 330d after 10 years of ownership as we only needed one car at the time due to my wife's health issues and it was sat on the drive doing nothing or covering a couple of miles a day.
We now find ourselves needing 2 cars on occasion.
The "need" will be for me doing short journeys to the train station / gym a few days a week. All other family driving will be covered by a leased Model Y.
We would also like to have a family van for longer road trips and camping.The van won't be used as a camper, rather carrying up to 6/7 passengers and lots of stuff!
In addition, my wife is now eligible for Motability which represents decent value for money (I think)...
Originally we had decided to go for a long wheel case VW Transporter Shuttle via the motability scheme but there is a 6 month wait! I'm also wondering whether getting an older van would be more economical? The down payment for a brand new Transporter would be around £6.5k and £77.05 per week, which over 3 years is £18.5k or £514 per month. Although that does cover everything, tax, maintenance, insurance etc.
My options therefore are:
1) Put an order in for a VW Transporter and purchase a cheap runaround to cover whilst waiting. In terms of this cheap runaround, after reading a few forum posts, I'm thinking buy on condition rather than brand and go for something petrol non turbo to limit any issues. This caught my eye which is only around the corner from me https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601149...
2) Buy a used family van which can cover off all duties. Noted that this will almost certainly be a diesel and I'll need to give it a run to ensure no issues with dpf/egr etc. Not a huge issue as I had to do this with the 330d and will be much easier if we take on weekend trips with family. Main considerations for this van would be:
- £20k budget- ideally lower!
- Reliable (first and foremost as we'll be driving this to Europe)
- Air Conditioning / Climate Control
- Euro 6 / ULEZ
- Long wheel base as it will be carrying a lot of stuffl at times.
- Minimum of 6 seats
- 2 seats up front, don't want the non-reclinable double passenger seat
- Flexible layout would be great, similar to the Caravelle or Tourneo Custom.
Not overly fussed about brand etc. Something that looks nice would be good but again not overly bothered as most of these carry a huge premium (Transporter with a kit on etc), and this falls down the list.
Something like this seems like a decent option: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/202601229...
Although may be too high mileage?
Last year I sold my 330d after 10 years of ownership as we only needed one car at the time due to my wife's health issues and it was sat on the drive doing nothing or covering a couple of miles a day.
We now find ourselves needing 2 cars on occasion.
The "need" will be for me doing short journeys to the train station / gym a few days a week. All other family driving will be covered by a leased Model Y.
We would also like to have a family van for longer road trips and camping.The van won't be used as a camper, rather carrying up to 6/7 passengers and lots of stuff!
In addition, my wife is now eligible for Motability which represents decent value for money (I think)...
Originally we had decided to go for a long wheel case VW Transporter Shuttle via the motability scheme but there is a 6 month wait! I'm also wondering whether getting an older van would be more economical? The down payment for a brand new Transporter would be around £6.5k and £77.05 per week, which over 3 years is £18.5k or £514 per month. Although that does cover everything, tax, maintenance, insurance etc.
My options therefore are:
1) Put an order in for a VW Transporter and purchase a cheap runaround to cover whilst waiting. In terms of this cheap runaround, after reading a few forum posts, I'm thinking buy on condition rather than brand and go for something petrol non turbo to limit any issues. This caught my eye which is only around the corner from me https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601149...
2) Buy a used family van which can cover off all duties. Noted that this will almost certainly be a diesel and I'll need to give it a run to ensure no issues with dpf/egr etc. Not a huge issue as I had to do this with the 330d and will be much easier if we take on weekend trips with family. Main considerations for this van would be:
- £20k budget- ideally lower!
- Reliable (first and foremost as we'll be driving this to Europe)
- Air Conditioning / Climate Control
- Euro 6 / ULEZ
- Long wheel base as it will be carrying a lot of stuffl at times.
- Minimum of 6 seats
- 2 seats up front, don't want the non-reclinable double passenger seat
- Flexible layout would be great, similar to the Caravelle or Tourneo Custom.
Not overly fussed about brand etc. Something that looks nice would be good but again not overly bothered as most of these carry a huge premium (Transporter with a kit on etc), and this falls down the list.
Something like this seems like a decent option: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/202601229...
Although may be too high mileage?
Edited by siross on Saturday 7th March 22:12
I think in your position, I would be going for the new Transporter on the Mobility scheme.
Do you need a second car all the time or could you manage with hiring a car when needed or either public transport or a taxi to get you to the station.
If the answer to that is no, then the best little Japanese car you can find for your budget. Yaris, Jazz or Swift perhaps?
Do you need a second car all the time or could you manage with hiring a car when needed or either public transport or a taxi to get you to the station.
If the answer to that is no, then the best little Japanese car you can find for your budget. Yaris, Jazz or Swift perhaps?
ExBoringVolvoDriver said:
I think in your position, I would be going for the new Transporter on the Mobility scheme.
Do you need a second car all the time or could you manage with hiring a car when needed or either public transport or a taxi to get you to the station.
If the answer to that is no, then the best little Japanese car you can find for your budget. Yaris, Jazz or Swift perhaps?
Second car not needed all the time no. I'm in the office 2-3 times a week and the rest at home. Public transport would be a pain to get to the station but in a pinch it's walkable in around 25 minutes or I could cycle. Do you need a second car all the time or could you manage with hiring a car when needed or either public transport or a taxi to get you to the station.
If the answer to that is no, then the best little Japanese car you can find for your budget. Yaris, Jazz or Swift perhaps?
However there may also be times I need to be elsewhere for work, most of the time I try to do that via train as I hate driving long distances for work but there will be times where it's not practical to do that. I may also need to use the second car to pick kids up from school when needed.
How predictable are your out of office on site work commitments?
As long as it's not zero notice same day stuff, could car hire cover them? This should, of course be a business expense.
If you're planning to leverage motability, I would prioritise what best fits the requirements of supporting your wife.
£500+ out of pocket per month strikes me as a hefty sum for vehicle that sounds like it isn't "needed" the majority of the time.
If assumed (based on the Motability eligibility) you're eligible for the higher rate of PIP, if you took every instance of explicitly needing a second car, and amortised both across a year, how much are you exceeding the PIP payments by to hire something appropriate as and when necessary?
Is it more than six grand?
As long as it's not zero notice same day stuff, could car hire cover them? This should, of course be a business expense.
If you're planning to leverage motability, I would prioritise what best fits the requirements of supporting your wife.
£500+ out of pocket per month strikes me as a hefty sum for vehicle that sounds like it isn't "needed" the majority of the time.
If assumed (based on the Motability eligibility) you're eligible for the higher rate of PIP, if you took every instance of explicitly needing a second car, and amortised both across a year, how much are you exceeding the PIP payments by to hire something appropriate as and when necessary?
Is it more than six grand?
InitialDave said:
How predictable are your out of office on site work commitments?
As long as it's not zero notice same day stuff, could car hire cover them? This should, of course be a business expense.
If you're planning to leverage motability, I would prioritise what best fits the requirements of supporting your wife.
£500+ out of pocket per month strikes me as a hefty sum for vehicle that sounds like it isn't "needed" the majority of the time.
If assumed (based on the Motability eligibility) you're eligible for the higher rate of PIP, if you took every instance of explicitly needing a second car, and amortised both across a year, how much are you exceeding the PIP payments by to hire something appropriate as and when necessary?
Is it more than six grand?
Fairly predictable, very rarely short notice. Unsure on hire cars to be honest, whether it's expendable but taxis to stations etc are so it's manageable. As long as it's not zero notice same day stuff, could car hire cover them? This should, of course be a business expense.
If you're planning to leverage motability, I would prioritise what best fits the requirements of supporting your wife.
£500+ out of pocket per month strikes me as a hefty sum for vehicle that sounds like it isn't "needed" the majority of the time.
If assumed (based on the Motability eligibility) you're eligible for the higher rate of PIP, if you took every instance of explicitly needing a second car, and amortised both across a year, how much are you exceeding the PIP payments by to hire something appropriate as and when necessary?
Is it more than six grand?
The cost of the Motability car does seem fairly high. The van would suit needs well and other benefits.
A van certainly isn't needed all the time but the idea is to go on more day trips, particularly in the summer.
I'd have to do the sums on hiring vs motability. There's also the convenience factor of utilising a van for day trips on short notice etc...
Does it have to be a transporter?
There are some very good options out there the Vivaro/Proace etc
As others have said go for the van & second car combo,
For the second car I'd look for the nicest Insignia/Astra/Astra GTC you can find & yes buy on condition.
Insignia, the one below looks great value:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601239...
Astra:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507214...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512158...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202504101...
GTC:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511117...
There are some very good options out there the Vivaro/Proace etc
As others have said go for the van & second car combo,
For the second car I'd look for the nicest Insignia/Astra/Astra GTC you can find & yes buy on condition.
Insignia, the one below looks great value:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601239...
Astra:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507214...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512158...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202504101...
GTC:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511117...
ZX10R NIN said:
Does it have to be a transporter?
There are some very good options out there the Vivaro/Proace etc
As others have said go for the van & second car combo,
For the second car I'd look for the nicest Insignia/Astra/Astra GTC you can find & yes buy on condition.
Insignia, the one below looks great value:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601239...
Astra:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507214...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512158...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202504101...
GTC:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511117...
Hi. Doesn't have to be a Transporter no. Motability is fairly limited on vans / people carriers and the Transporter Shuttle is one of the few options. There are some very good options out there the Vivaro/Proace etc
As others have said go for the van & second car combo,
For the second car I'd look for the nicest Insignia/Astra/Astra GTC you can find & yes buy on condition.
Insignia, the one below looks great value:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601239...
Astra:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507214...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512158...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202504101...
GTC:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511117...
If I were getting a van outside of motability I'd probably not be able to afford a Transporter with the spec wanted. I'm leaning more towards the Ford Tourneo as a balance between function and decent looks.
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