Day Van/Support Van project recommendations
Discussion
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?
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?
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