Buying a van?

Still thinking of vans... now looking at the 07+ Citroën Dispatch, Peugeot Expert and Fiat Scudo. They seem a good bit more practical than the small vans I was looking at before (2 albeit tight passengers is a bonus) but still not totally uncar like.

Does anyone have experience of these?
 
One of my mates who does MTB bought a Ford Galaxy, does everything a van does and when the time comes where you may need to drive somewhere for a mates stag do or something the extra seats come in handy!!!
 
I had a new Citroen Berlingo for a month (hire van) and it's a world of difference from the old one.

I think it's based on the Citroen C4 so is a bit bigger than the old Berlingo, unsure on actual dimensions though.
 
Tesla said:
I had a new Citroen Berlingo for a month (hire van) and it's a world of difference from the old one.

I think it's based on the Citroen C4 so is a bit bigger than the old Berlingo, unsure on actual dimensions though.
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Yeah, the new Berlingo is a good size. They are just a little bit pricey still.
 
Dont buy a transit connect, they are crap vans and thats coming from someone that drives one day to day.
 
Sam said:
Dont buy a transit connect, they are crap vans and thats coming from someone that drives one day to day.
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Yeah... I hear what you're saying. It is pretty tricky to find a van that hasn't been slated somewhere. The New Berlingo, something like this is a possibility but it is a bit more than I wanted to pay really.

Failing that I'm still quite tempted by the Vauxhall Combo Crew Cab. Not easy to find a decent one though.
 
Would you not consider something like an L200 as an alternative?

Can sometimes be a bit tricky to insure a van on a non-commercial basis - at least, that is what I've heard.
 
I had an escort van years ago and couldn't insure it unless it was for business use. Was most odd. Also things to remember are vans aren't allowed onto tips, well not round here unless you've got a permit which you have to pay for.

As for vans i've driven numerous fords, vauxhall and citroen vans. I much prefer a transit swb over any van, but each to their own. I had a citroen dispatch with 376,000 miles on it for a few weeks to drive and it was good, engine didn't feel like the mileage, but suspension was worn out.
 
[Darkend]Viper;19119443 said:
...couldn't insure it unless it was for business use. Was most odd. Also things to remember are vans aren't allowed onto tips...
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Is there something like a "everything you need to know about vans but were afraid to ask" document/website anywhere that covers this kind of thing? Just what are all the differences? How hard is it for a regular person to run a small van as a day to day vehicle?
 
Not exactly a 'van' but something like this might fit the bill: Berlingo

Does the car version of the Berlingo fold down totally fat at the back to give the same kind of load space as the Berlingo van?

Going by this photo, the regular Berlingo Multispace car might be okay - and avoid the hassle associated with running a 'van'.
https://flic.kr/p/4XP2Wg
 
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[Darkend]Viper;19119443 said:
I had an escort van years ago and couldn't insure it unless it was for business use. Was most odd. Also things to remember are vans aren't allowed onto tips, well not round here unless you've got a permit which you have to pay for.
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When my Dad has his various vans the tips used to complain about it when he bought it in to drop stuff off that came out of our garden or house (never used it commercially).
He just persisted, showed them what he was carrying, and got in after a bit of talking.
Just don't take no :P
 
I tried to get in, but the tips round have now really clamped down on comercial vehicles. They won't even let in double cab pickups as they class them as a commercial vehicle. Madness.
 
I've driven a few vans, the newer Transits are pretty nice, the Connect is based on the Focus I think so it drives pretty well, but it is a little on the small side.

I'd be tempted to go for the next size up from the Connect if you can, but avoid the older RWD Transits though, gutless, noisy and horrible to drive! The newer ones are far better...
 
We used to have a transit connect pool van at work and even with the seat right back I was way too close to the wheel and pedals to drive comfortably (and I'm only 5'10" or so!) I can't imagine it'd be any fun driving far...
 
mnet674 said:
We used to have a transit connect pool van at work and even with the seat right back I was way too close to the wheel and pedals to drive comfortably (and I'm only 5'10" or so!) I can't imagine it'd be any fun driving far...
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You need to put the seat back vertically to get the most leg room, if you have it reclined then you can't have the base back as far.

Bit of an oversight really. I don't like driving with the seat reclined so its OK for me!

You have to put your foot down the side of the clutch pedal on the motorway to help stretch it out a bit, there is no foot rest and it can be a bit tight if you are wearing boots.
 
I'm thinking smaller than a Sprinter! Seeing three Berlingo Multispaces tomorrow. Seem like a pretty good size with the back seats removed but with them in you've got all the practicality of a normal car. The 1.6HDI 16V engine is also good economy without being dog slow like a lot of the low end small vans are.

Two bikes in a Berlingo:
https://flic.kr/p/4XP2Wg
 
I had a test drive in a Berlingo today, a 2007 Desire with the 75bhp (the guy said) 1.6 HDi. Overall I was impressed with the car, very practical. It's very different from my Fabia vRS though. In a word soft. Everything from the clutch, the brakes, the long throw gear lever... it will take a while to get used to, that's for sure. Should be driving another tomorrow.

Basically it's going to come down to how much it will cost to 'swap' my Fabia for a Berlingo. The Fabia is 04 with 62k on the clock - I'd like a Berlingo from 06-08 with under 40k really.
 
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