Small van for me + kit??

[Maxnaggle]

morning!

We (me and my girlfriend) are going to be moving to devon at the beginning of june, so i need a small van that will fit me + arb kit, surfboards etc and have enough space to kip in overnight...

I've been looking at escort vans, although they are apparently slow as hell (though I'm not bothered as long as it will do 70 on the M-way) and have rust problems..

 

not that interested in the newer common rail diesels as they look as though they are an expensive fix when they go wrong...

 

anyone got any ideas?

 

thanks!

[TheHungrySquirrel]

Stay away from combo vans.

 

The best vans in that size I had had are the older vw caddy vans, a little tight to sleep in but great vans. Also Astra vans are great.

[Maxnaggle]

as in vauxhall combo?? ta!

[TheHungrySquirrel]

Yeah I had two which both detonated at around 40k miles and a friend had the same problem.

 

They have a 1.3 diesel that's to powerful and kills itself. If you can find the larger Diesel engines I believe they are ok.

[AlexB]

If you're looking at escort vans I guess your budget is tight. Go for a berlingo, get a multispace for a bit of extra comfort. Plenty of room.

[Maxnaggle]

yeah haven't got shed loads to spend! I've been keeping an eye on the dispatch models as well.

[caswell321]

Go for a citroen dispatch/fiat scudo HDi, great little vans. They have plenty of room and 3 seats

[Suffolk-Matt]

^^^As said

 

Go for a Disptach/Scudo/Expert, all the same van

 

Best with the HDI engine, excellent mpg.

 

3 front seats and lots of rear room.

 

Cons - Locks are poor and wear out, gear shift is like stirring porridge, not the prettist of things

[Robert_S]

Why a van? get an estate diesel car, plenty room to sleep easy to fix cheap to insure, peugeot or vw passat. tint or get a sign company to colour code the windows so no one can see in.

[Goaty]

I still run an escort 1.8TD van as its all Ive ever had . Legally I can pull about 1.2 ton behind it depending on how empty the van is. The turbo version is fast enough, I spend alot of time stuck behind slow drivers or overtaking them. Excellent cheap to fix easy to repair.

I have driven berlingo vans and they are probably the best small van and excellent off road when driven with good technique. For a 2 wheel drive.