Its looking like the company car will be going back soon so it will be time for me to force open the wallet and pimp up my ride. Can a van (Transporter / Transit size) really be considered an alternative for a car in terms of practicality and running costs? I don't need top performance or comfort from whatever I drive but I do need some practicallity (parking etc) and reasonable running costs (mpg , insurance etc). Can any of you van owners offer any advice / opinions?

Once you've owned a van, you'll always own a van

I use a Renault Trafic 115 for work, the Nissan, Vauxhall and Renault are all the same van with a different badge. I would not advise getting an older one because the gearbox's are made from Kinder suprise...it's a fkn suprise they go at all...mine didnt...twice! This newer one has been ok so far, sits at 80-90 all day in sixth gear and feels more like a high up car than the very agricultural older transits.

Mine is full of work gear so it's heavy. I'm not sure about mpg in an empty van I think it's around 40 on a run but if you've got it rammed full of gear and doin 90 the juice goes pretty quick. If you've had a company car doing 50plus mpg you will notice the difference. I filled mine up the other day at Dick Turpins Diesel Emporium and the pump clicked when it hit £97.26

I like the lwb versions better, that extra foot and a half is more usefull than you think.

I've driven the Merc vito's and sprinters. The VW Crafters and T5's and all kinds of things in bigger and smaller but the VW's will always look the part for watersports though. You get road tax benifits and mine goes through the business so its all good.

I'm looking to change my tarty family car for a T6 Kombi for trips away this year so I've been looking at them this week.The VW's come with 2,3,5,6,9 etc seats and a million of different layouts. AC and parking sensors etc etc etc. The double clutch DSG gearbox is good and the 5 seat 140/180ps vans will definatley replace your car.
Very pricey but they hold their value very well.

The 84ps 5 speed is the cheapest to buy and run. If you get the swb it's just like driving a boxy people carrier.

T5 man iv got 1.9 tdi 102bhp remapped to 160bhp and it costs 30 to barrow gunning it at 80/90
worth ever penny the remmap

Moby7 wrote:T5 man iv got 1.9 tdi 102bhp remapped to 160bhp and it costs 30 to barrow gunning it at 80/90
worth ever penny the remmap

160bhp!!! from just a remap?????? WOW

Love my van, I changed from a 2000 audi a3 1.6, so there was little difference in fuel efficiency. Of course new cars can put the van to shame in this regard tho. For a kitesurfing mobile, going to competitions etc its great. Can just sleep over in it whenever, loads of room for all your kit, to get changed etc, and its a nice little project if you want to customise it.

Not having rear visibility is a bit of a pain at first, but you soon get used to this, and the big side mirrors on the T5 make up for it. Insurance isn't too bad, but be careful if you're gonna convert it, as I invalidated mine the second i put the rock and roll bed in, and needed specialist insuarance whilst undergoing a conversion. I understand James pays next to nowt for his tho, now its fully converted.

The gf moans a bit about the bench passenger seats on long journeys, but as a driver its totally fine.

If it was just to store my kit in and to be used as my main drive around I would have stuck with an estate but if you enjoy camping holidays and like a bit of a project it is an excellent choice. It drives well, costs a bit more than a large estate to drive around (but not by much) and the option to sleep in it in relative luxury (compared to a tent) right near the beach is the icing on the cake.

If you do start converting it you will be suprised how quickly it can swallow money. There are so many things you can do and so many convertion options. If you hunt around a bit and are willing to do a lot of it yourself then you can saving a lot of money. They do hold their value very very well. I recently got my re-valued for insurance purposes and it is now valued at more than what I paid for it (including conversion costs) even after being 5 years old!

Be very careful with insurance. As a van it is easy to ensure and most major insurance companies will cover you. As soon as you modify it you can get yourself in trouble. I went through Volksworld once my van was complete and now I pay £280 / year with Katie on the insurance as well which I think is pretty good.

If I was to convert one again I would go for a LWB, I would like a bit of extra space. I would also avoid the barn doors. It gives you far less options for bike racks. As horrible as they look I would also consider a high top. The extra space in side and the permanent option to stand up would in my opinion outweigh the ugly looks and slight increase in fuel consumption. I got a pop top fitted and whilst it only takes a few minutes to pop up and down it is still a small hassle and in really windy conditions I prefer not to put it up. A high top would avoid this and would be warmer than a pop top when up.

Let me know if you want to know anything more.....

Van is definitely the way to go.

Had the T5 full Autosleepers hightop camper and it was pure luxury, especially coming off the beach to get changed in the comfort of hot blown air heating. Mind I'd go the opposite to James. Having the hightop was great for storage, standing, etc but for day to day use in and out of town, carparks with height barriers it is a pain. Also fuel economy was down to low 30's.

Got a lwb T5 kombi now and it's brilliant (do miss the camper stuff though, but I need practical space for work as well now). Passenger space and tons of room for kit. Have a platform built in the back which when I fold the rear seat down links up to make space for a bed but still leaving gear space underneath. Getting about 38 mpg for a 104 bhp and insurance is about £295.

Get a van. You won't regret it. Only thing I keep thinking is why didn't I get one years ago.

Thanks everyone, very useful info.