Discussion
Does anyone run a van as a car?
I.e. the likes of:
or this
or even this
We're looking at new people carriers to throw the family in, for buying next year, and a chap i've done work with has a Vito and it's very nice. Nippy enough, comfy inside, DVD screens and a boot bigger than my car! Would make the idea family-wagon but just wondering if there are any obvious disadvantages? i.e is road tax a lot higher, car park problems etc etc?
If so, will go down the conventional family-wagon option rather than the van type one!
I.e. the likes of:
or this
or even this
We're looking at new people carriers to throw the family in, for buying next year, and a chap i've done work with has a Vito and it's very nice. Nippy enough, comfy inside, DVD screens and a boot bigger than my car! Would make the idea family-wagon but just wondering if there are any obvious disadvantages? i.e is road tax a lot higher, car park problems etc etc?
If so, will go down the conventional family-wagon option rather than the van type one!
Yeah I have a T5 VWTransporter that I use as my everyday transport, it's a 130bhp SWB model, that's been remapped, so it's plenty quick enough and simply it's the best daily driver I have ever had, it's immensely practical and no bigger than a 3 series BMW in length
My OH has a 1 series and even if I have to nip to the shops I automatically jump into the van, and this was the reason we got rid of our 335d as I never used it after buying the Transporter
My advice is don't buy a Vito (rust) or a Trafic (it's French) and go with a VW T5, they have their faults granted but they are IMO the best medium sized van on the Market at the moment
My OH has a 1 series and even if I have to nip to the shops I automatically jump into the van, and this was the reason we got rid of our 335d as I never used it after buying the Transporter
My advice is don't buy a Vito (rust) or a Trafic (it's French) and go with a VW T5, they have their faults granted but they are IMO the best medium sized van on the Market at the moment
We have a vito travelliner (the one with 8 seats and windows all round) for work, one of the best all rounders I have come accross does distances well, will sit with motorway traffic all day, handles well for a van, fits in most car parks, is decent on fuel, not as quick as some of the more powerful models but a great thing.
Rust is only an issue on older Vitos and MB will fix most under warranty anyway.
Ours is in the classifieds at the minute
Rust is only an issue on older Vitos and MB will fix most under warranty anyway.
Ours is in the classifieds at the minute
Chris_w666 said:
Ours is in the classifieds at the minute
Have you got a link to that Chris?As i said, it'll probably be next year, but would be keen to have a look.
There appear to be a few 09 or 59 plates on Autotrader for around £13k+ vat and the Merc van dealer opposite our unit has an 06 plate for £15k+ vat which seems expensive, but i might have a look just to get an idea on size and feel of it etc.
I do like the VW's though, there are a few specialists that will 'barry' them up too - some look good!
sider said:
Chris_w666 said:
Ours is in the classifieds at the minute
Have you got a link to that Chris?As i said, it'll probably be next year, but would be keen to have a look.
There appear to be a few 09 or 59 plates on Autotrader for around £13k+ vat and the Merc van dealer opposite our unit has an 06 plate for £15k+ vat which seems expensive, but i might have a look just to get an idea on size and feel of it etc.
I do like the VW's though, there are a few specialists that will 'barry' them up too - some look good!
t.sider said:
Thanks Chris - looks good. How long does it take to remove a row of seats? Is it a 2 minute, no tools required job or a bit longer?
Rear row takes about 2 minutes but is a 2 man job unless youre feeling strong as it is a full bench, front seats are the same time to take out and once you have put them back a couple of times you can do that quickly too. The front row removes as a single seat then a double, so you can have a 2, 4, 5 or 8 seat varitaion of the van. 
Recently I used a brand new 180PS Transporter Combi LWB for a week and it was fantastic.
Performance wise it was great, 10 seconds or so to 60, huge mid-range punch and a top speed in excess of 110mph. 40+ mpg when driven hard, 50+ at all other times. Handled well too.
The cabin is well equipped with navigation, leather wheel/ gearknob, air con, elec folding mirrors, nice hi-fi, steering wheel from a Golf and nice comfortable seats with armrests. This one had parking sensors too, along with tinted side glass.
The rear bench seats three, and is as comfortable as the rear seat in a Fiesta.
Loadspace was generous with the seats in place (we threw some bikes in there with ease) and I used it to move house after removing the rear bench altogether.
We said (as did everyone else who got in it) that if you needed a van that doubled up as family transport, it would be hard to beat
Poor quality camara phone pic:
Performance wise it was great, 10 seconds or so to 60, huge mid-range punch and a top speed in excess of 110mph. 40+ mpg when driven hard, 50+ at all other times. Handled well too.
The cabin is well equipped with navigation, leather wheel/ gearknob, air con, elec folding mirrors, nice hi-fi, steering wheel from a Golf and nice comfortable seats with armrests. This one had parking sensors too, along with tinted side glass.
The rear bench seats three, and is as comfortable as the rear seat in a Fiesta.
Loadspace was generous with the seats in place (we threw some bikes in there with ease) and I used it to move house after removing the rear bench altogether.
We said (as did everyone else who got in it) that if you needed a van that doubled up as family transport, it would be hard to beat
Poor quality camara phone pic:
Well, definitely not that Renault Trafic.
Mother in law has one. 1.9 auto. 115bhp (maybe). Its quite possibly the most unpleasant vehicle I've ever had the misfortune to drive.
The most horrendous automatic gearshift I've ever known - takes seconds to shift between gears. A/C that is pathetic at best. And with all 3 rows of seats its got practically no rear load space.
Utterly, utterly horrendous.
Mother in law has one. 1.9 auto. 115bhp (maybe). Its quite possibly the most unpleasant vehicle I've ever had the misfortune to drive.
The most horrendous automatic gearshift I've ever known - takes seconds to shift between gears. A/C that is pathetic at best. And with all 3 rows of seats its got practically no rear load space.
Utterly, utterly horrendous.
I once drove a 6-speed Renault Trafic 130 and that was slow and sluggish - for a van of that size and power!
I've heard a lot of bad things about the Trafics and more specifically the Movanos!
It'd have to be a Transporter or Vito i reckon.
Not sure on the Ford ones as theirs are more van-like than the rest - i.e. very limited creature comforts and are just a workhorse to get 6 lads to a big job rather than 3.
Could always get a Transit Sportvan and add a 3 seat and window conversion to it i suppose.
I've heard a lot of bad things about the Trafics and more specifically the Movanos!
It'd have to be a Transporter or Vito i reckon.
Not sure on the Ford ones as theirs are more van-like than the rest - i.e. very limited creature comforts and are just a workhorse to get 6 lads to a big job rather than 3.
Could always get a Transit Sportvan and add a 3 seat and window conversion to it i suppose.
I also drove a 160PS Transit crew cab at the same time I had the Transporter.
It had A/C, Nav and electric everything as well as a decent turn of speed, but it felt like a van. We liked it for that as we don't get to drive vans very often, but it was nowhere near as refined as the VW and would only be considered as 'nice' work transport rather than an alternative to a car/ MPV.
It had A/C, Nav and electric everything as well as a decent turn of speed, but it felt like a van. We liked it for that as we don't get to drive vans very often, but it was nowhere near as refined as the VW and would only be considered as 'nice' work transport rather than an alternative to a car/ MPV.
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