Advice on Van or Pickup

[silky666]

I have been ummmin and arrring for the past few months .. and have finally decided to buy a van or pickup to carry my off road bike about in.

Just looking for some advice and ideas really.

Here are my rough requirements.

1) It will end up being my sole transport to and from work .. and the odd shopping trip ... so I didnt want some huge long wheelbase transit type thing.
2) Needs to be able to take 2 bikes max .. and kit and some tools... but will be mainly for my bike alone.
3) also needs to be able to fit a road bike in (R6) for track days.
4) Thats about it ... I have never owned or used a van before ... so have no idea what I am looking at etc.

The usual things apply of course - reliable, cheap to fix, etc etc .... I am not bothered by comfort or air con or how fancy it looks.

oh! Price ... 3k max
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There's nothing that shouts "Poor Workmanship" more than wrinkles in the Gaffa tape.

Gaffa tape is like "the force" - it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

[G]

I was pretty happy with my SWB transit. Low enough to fit into 'standard' low car parks, about the same length as my Laguna and pretty nippy as it was the turbo model.
Luke and Cassy slept in the back of it a fair bit when racing.

Managed to just squeeze three road bikes with all kit and some tools in.
There are narrower options available that will do the job too, but I'm not too up on them.

[b-f-c]

I've had a couple of pickups in the past as daily cars.

Firstly, it will more than likely be insured as a commercial vehicle (for private use only), meaning your NCB might not count towards insurance discount. This can mean re-insuring a car at a later date might get awkward. Toll roads will charge you twice what you pay in a car. Tailgates act like brakes, I removed mine and ran with a pro-net (https://www.shadetreeonline.com/tailgate/nets.htm)

Commercials get hammered, body and engine wise. Look at the bed condition, can be rot traps if not looked after or badly covered up with ply to hide a knackered bed. Also tend to have starship mileages.

I'd had the skoda/polo pickup (https://katalog-automobilu.cz/img/skoda-felicia-pick-up-1-9-d-1.jpg). More than capable of carrying one larger bike with the tailgate down, might carry 2 smaller ones. Also, all your mates will want you to fetch and carry for them.

If I was getting another I'd go for a 2WD like a mazda / vauxhall type thing (https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1312/1044678988_bbf57d6e8f.jpg?v=0), you'll want it as low as possible for loading bikes, having that kind or weight too high up makes it prone to falling on you!

Personally, I'd now rather just have an estate car & a trailer.

[silky666]

This is exactly why I thought "I will post it on BCF" ... some good advice and things I hadnt thought of before .. cheers

Trouble is... I am still in a state on confusion (no real change I guess) ... but I have a couple of months before I buy it, so hopefully I will have made my mind up.

I did think of the trailer option ... but I need to buy one that folds up small enough (and easily enough) to fit in the back of the estate/car.... I will be using it to take my bikes to green lanes as well as tracks etc.
Plus, once I have bought an expensive trailer and then an estate car .. I will be hitting the cost region of a decent van I think ?

Van wise ... I am starting to look at the ones that are smaller than a transit, but bigger than the old escort vans.... something like a HiAce ???:
https://www.auto-rent.com.au/Hiace_1.jpg

Will I get 2 off roaders .. or 1 road bike in that ?

The only other thing I forgot to mention is the fact I need 3 seats in front ... in case I need to ferry the kids about.

For that the estate +trailer .. or the pickup option seems the best.
The worry is that my 3k budget is suddenly seeming a little small
____________________
There's nothing that shouts "Poor Workmanship" more than wrinkles in the Gaffa tape.

Gaffa tape is like "the force" - it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

[G]

A £3k budget should do you fine. Trying to remember what my transit cost me - was £1k or under, but it was a bit tatty, I admit.

You can get fold-up trailers, but only single bike ones as far as I know.
Could the trailer not be stored where the bikes are stored?

You can get two sports bikes in an appropriate Hi-ace (think they might come in different lengths), but I'd check the heights for off-roaders.

I'm not sure a pickup offers much over a van - they don't seem to be any better to drive, be much smaller and have the disadvantage of usually being higher and you can't just chuck other stuff in the back (tools etc) because of the weather as well as having to tie everything down properly. Usually use one strap in my van to hold an off-roader.

Transit sized vans will usually have three seats in the front, but often the smaller ones don't; and it'll be cramped if they do.

Of course, for £3k you could probably get a half decent van and a cheap run-around car for daily commute, but that'd mean more ongoing costs.

[michael j]

Make me an offer!

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Ducati 996

[silky666]

[michael j]

The van
The Gasser is currently being restored top its former glory. Should be ready some time next week, so if anyone's out that weekend I'll be there
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Ducati 996

[silky666]

[michael j]

Looking forward to it already
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Ducati 996

[silky666]

I may have found the perfect van ... thoughts and opinions welcome.

Toyota Hi Ace.
3 seats in front.
Not as big as a transit (I dont think)
Big enough for 2 bikes (I think)
Modern ish looks.
https://i13.ebayimg.com/07/i/001/2c/37/2240_1.JPG
____________________
There's nothing that shouts "Poor Workmanship" more than wrinkles in the Gaffa tape.

Gaffa tape is like "the force" - it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

[ben350]

Looks good.

Dont get a pick-up unless you want to go off-road to collect / drop off your bikes.

I have an old lifted Hilux which is great to look at and mess about in but rubbish to get a bike all the way up onto the bed which is approx 3 ft off the ground. Plus shopping is a pain in a single cab if you have a passenger
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Ducati 996 Biposto
Suzuki Goose 350
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