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Best van for the job.

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recman
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PostPosted: 18:08 - 05 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Polarbear wrote:
How come there are so many vans common with different manufacturers? Do they share factories or something?


Can't speak for Ford, Toyota, etc but we've built vehicles with a few different brand badges on over the years.
The current Vivaro is the Renault Traffic, although that's now built in France.
We'll be knocking out Peugeot wagons soon.
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stevo as b4
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PostPosted: 21:25 - 05 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you want a modern van with car like driving experience and electronics/gadgets then your leaving yourself open to the lottery of expensive possible faults and electrical failures.
As has been said modern vans are so similar or model/factory shared that any brand is much of a muchness IMO.

But a van that's not a daily driver and is just used to transport bikes for events or weekends does not need to be posh or loaded with spec and gadgets. It needs to be solid, not battered like an old builders van, and generally in good condition.

An older more agricultural van like the mk3 Transit is as simple and basic as they get. The hardest thing to do when buying these age vans is avoiding pikeys or getting there before they do. A simple mechanical diesel engine has much less to go wrong.

Remember some people buy electronically controlled modern common rail vans and have them chipped with dodgy maps or nasty eBay tuning boxes. They sell them on when it starts playing up, lighting fault codes or the clutch starts slipping. This is another reason why I'd never shy away from a petrol van as they don't attract much interest or messers.

If you buy a classic van in good condition, they are always appreciating now, so you might protect your investment better with such a van if you don't have to pay a huge amount of scene tax in the first place that is.

Unless your driving for business or doing daft miles, don't look at a van as you would buying a car, i.e creature comforts, spec, air conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity and sat navs etc.
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adam277
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PostPosted: 21:55 - 05 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Toyota Hiace seems to tick all those boxes Stevo.
Really basic but still relatively new. Don't think many have been sold in UK though so will have to research them a bit.
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Current Bike: Honda CBF 125: current
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ScottT
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PostPosted: 22:11 - 05 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

No matter what van you get, you'll need to camouflage it.

Put a "no tools are left in this van overnight" sticker on it and it will get broke into.
Put any motorcycle type sticker on it, it will get broke into.
Put any builder/electrician type sign on it, it will get broke into.

Have it sign written with the name of your local florist, no one breaks into florists van.

Or use plenty of hi-viz stickers and a few big 'Polite' stickers.
https://s22.postimg.cc/6s1jc89mp/Polite.jpg
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suburban myth
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PostPosted: 16:59 - 06 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Polarbear wrote:
How come there are so many vans common with different manufacturers? Do they share factories or something?


In a word, yes. Van sales are so low for the smaller manufacturers that the development and tooling costs would be crippling - already even in cars there is a huge degree of platform sharing. Take the V.A.G group as an example - A4/Passat/Octavia/andwhatevertheseatone is. Essentially you're paying for customer service and one of the manufacturers may have a unique product such as an electric drive train or something. The French manufacturers have also always worked together going back through time, and Renaults 1.5dci engine was developed in conjunction with Nissan (Renault has a 50% share in the Japanese moniker, the frogs also outright own Dacia which is usually Renault chassis/electrics and Nissan drive train).

The bigger manufacturers of vans (Ford stands out) will develop themselves but sell the technology on - the 2.4 Banana engine could be found in everything from a London cab to LDV minibuses.
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MattEMulsion
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PostPosted: 08:12 - 07 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not too sure why there are so many mentions of a Merc Vito. I have a standard size Vito as a work van and in reality there is not enough roof height for wheeling bikes in and out of it.

You can get a lot of bikes in them, a big crosser will actually just fit through the aperture height wise but its not pretty trying to wheel it in there. Also with even some 'little' 125's you have to spin the mirrors round on them to get them through the back doors.

My advice, don't get a standard height Vito.
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Copycat73
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PostPosted: 08:46 - 07 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well i bought a mk7 for movin my bikes around and other "duties" .. last one on the forecourt on a 14 plate .. 140ps lwb.. mhr.. fitted a wheel chock and bought a removable ramp.. and frankly it does exactly wot it says on the tin .. i do run the turbo down after use... Thumbs Up
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G
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PostPosted: 13:38 - 07 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Polarbear wrote:
How come there are so many vans common with different manufacturers? Do they share factories or something?

It's prevalent across a lot of the car and van industries. And occasionally with bikes too - for instance a KLX400 is basically just a DRZ400 in green.

With vans there's often very little difference between them apart from the badges. Useful for parts and general knowledge.

For the OP: at that price range, I'd probably buy purely on condition.

I'm really liking my new shape SWB Boxer. It won't fit in multi storey car parks like my Vito would, but for the same length van (similar to a bigger estate car), it has 50% more volume - it's the widest van you can buy in this size.
Does make tight parking (and roads) more of a hassle, but the extra space is definitely nice.

If it was something for occasional use, I'd be tempted to go for a bit longer an higher just to make it really easy to move around inside. But your economy will suffer a little.
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Riejufixing
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PostPosted: 18:33 - 10 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

u33db wrote:
My dad has a 2.0 57/08 plate Peugeot expert (later style, not the REALLY old experts) that we use to shift bikes about.

Mainly older bikes like GT750, VF750 etc (i.e. stuff that would dwarf a modern sports bike) so has the height and length to cover most things thesedays

Its relaible as those engines are used in everything (vans, fords, citroens etc) but occassionally gets an "anti pollution warning" when hammered then drops into limp mode with max of 2/3k rpm...god knows why as its seems near impossisble to find the fault, and its fine once reset with a code reader!

You'd get one of them for well under 3k, probably well under 2k depending on mileage.


They have the advantage that pars are interchangeable (apart from the badges)... Citroen Dispatch = Fiat Scudo = Peugeot Expert. The 2.0 JTD 16V versions go like stink and are economical.
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stevo as b4
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PostPosted: 21:18 - 10 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

G has just answered why there's so many loves for the too small for bikes Vito. Its a lower smaller van and will fit in more spaces and height restrictions than a proper van will. I'd personally rather have a Combo/Kangoo size van if this was important to me.

If you regularly want to cary bikes you need a high roof transit size van. Most of which are mwb and lwb as it's very hard to get a high roof swb van.

If your short on space, and have a decent workhorse car with a tow hook, then a collapsible trailer is probably a better bet for most people. Owning a van would need to make it work and pay for itself to justify IMO.
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MarJay
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PostPosted: 11:14 - 11 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

stevo as b4 wrote:
G has just answered why there's so many loves for the too small for bikes Vito. Its a lower smaller van and will fit in more spaces and height restrictions than a proper van will. I'd personally rather have a Combo/Kangoo size van if this was important to me.


The Vito will fit bikes in it. It's hard to get them in, and you have to duck, but they fit. Stuff like a Combo/Kangoo can fit a bike in if you remove the passenger seat.
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G
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PostPosted: 11:34 - 11 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Only particularly tall bikes struggle in the Vito.
For instance, I had to take the mirrors of my KTM690 Enduro, but otherwise it fitted in okay.
Sports, commuters and motocross bikes fine.

I certainly had tens of different bikes in mine.

The vito also drove quite 'car like', while the wide and high Boxer feels more akin to my truck if anything!

Trailer certainly worth considering - I do really like having a van and have had at least one continuously for 14 years now. However, it can easily be £1k extra a year on top of owning a car for maintenance, consumables, tax, MOT and insurance. Which could be spent on trackdays, or even hiring vans Smile.
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Copycat73
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PostPosted: 10:12 - 14 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

G wrote:
.
However, it can easily be £1k extra a year on top of owning a car for maintenance, consumables, tax, MOT and insurance. Which could be spent on trackdays, or even hiring vans Smile.


really ?
whilst i do not dispute they are more expensive .. a grand more over the year ? ..

£500+ in my case .. mostly Insurance £300 (was 100ish.) & road tax £250 (was £120 ish.)



unless your taking depreciation into the equation ...
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G
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PostPosted: 11:01 - 14 Jul 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I did manage to get my Vito insurance down to £220 or something which I thought was really good. Boxer is £450 or so.
MOT £45
Road Tax: £250

So that's £745 if nothing wore down at all, just to have it sitting there.

I spent £320 or so on some tyres last year. Sure that won't be every year for light use, and that's partly due to tarty alloys so not getting part worns and fitting myself...
Mine was serviced before I got it and has long service intervals - but fluids, filters, pads and occasional discs all add up too.

Cheap vans hopefully shouldn't depreciate too much - or will only do so that much if you don't spend the money keeping them in good nick.
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