Spec me a 5 seat van please.

broona

broona

broona

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Hexham
The more I get into mountain biking, the further afield we go, and the more people that want to come along, so I'm tempted to sell my VRS estate and get a crew cab van!

Got around 7 or 8k to spend, and my favourite so far (for price anyway!) is the Vauxhall Vivaro, looks reasonably well specced, the SWB still has 2m of storage length behind the rear seats, and it's also got a bulk head fitted, so anything in the back's hidden from prying eyes!

Any recommendations please?
 
I have a Vauxhall Vivaro and its a great van!

Lots of fun for family days out etc and you can put the push chair in the back without even putting it down! The kids love it and its surprisingly good on fuel!
 
Thanks for the replies, a double cab pickup could be a good shout!

Is your Vivaro the crew cab variant? Mate's got a 2011 SWB standard van and it's a decent bit of kit, driven it a few times, quite carlike for a van, ha ha!
 
Mines the standard SWB and I took the bulkhead etc out and put seats in myself. A crew cab would fit you perfectly or find a decent SWB and buy the crew cab seats separately. Lots come up on ebay all the time and companies also sell them with everything you need.

It does drive very well and I really enjoy it! Its not as quiet or refined as my wifes Mercedes B class but with the insulation I fitted its surprisingly quiet!

I really enjoy driving it and my wife laughs because I get more excited about my vivaro than some of my previous cars Z4, TT, C class, E90 3 series etc.

viv62.jpg
 
Yeah they are x5 wheels. 19x9 front and 19x10 rear.

I've bought lots from those guys on eBay. Give them a ring if you are buying a few things for a better deal.

My original plan was to buy that combo but we ended up changing things a bit.

I fitted the windows myself but you can get both sides fitted for £300. I paid £215 for a pair of tinted windows with full fitting kit.

Depending what you want to do you could always fit the triple bench seat and not a bulkhead and ply then carpet the back out. :)
 
I would go with a Nissan Navara for a crew cab, but not sure if that would have enough room in the back for you.
 
I'd go for a pickup type as if your into mountain biking you'll probably be needing to drive up fireroads etc, also very handy to do uplifts in.

Nissan Navara or a Mitsubishi L200 would be my suggestions.
 
sovietspybob said:
I'd go for a pickup type as if your into mountain biking you'll probably be needing to drive up fireroads etc, also very handy to do uplifts in.

Nissan Navara or a Mitsubishi L200 would be my suggestions.
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In the 2 years or so since I started biking, we've never needed anything other than a standard car to get us anywhere, and we've been to a few trail centres and out in the wilds to do natural stuff, although it could still be an option if the load area's big enough for 3 or 4 bikes and kit, I need to go and test one out.
 
Insurance can be fun when you are trying to convince them its for private use. Many insurers simply assume everyone with a private van is a liar and set premiums appropriately :(
 
Peugeot expert?


Big enough and plenty of varieties in trim length and spec NAND more importantly they seem to be reasonably priced
 
[TW]Fox;24784385 said:
Insurance can be fun when you are trying to convince them its for private use. Many insurers simply assume everyone with a private van is a liar and set premiums appropriately :(
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True enough, you should see what they wanted to charge for a minibus!
 
broona said:
In the 2 years or so since I started biking, we've never needed anything other than a standard car to get us anywhere, and we've been to a few trail centres and out in the wilds to do natural stuff, although it could still be an option if the load area's big enough for 3 or 4 bikes and kit, I need to go and test one out.
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http://www.upcountry4x4.co.uk/nissan_navara/bed-steel-crossbars.asp

Much nicer drive than a van as well, good compromise between estate and pick up I think. Should average in excess of 38 mpg on a run as well.
 
broona said:
The more I get into mountain biking, the further afield we go, and the more people that want to come along, so I'm tempted to sell my VRS estate and get a crew cab van!

Got around 7 or 8k to spend, and my favourite so far (for price anyway!) is the Vauxhall Vivaro,
Click to expand...

The same van is also sold as the Renualt Traffic and there's a Nissan version as well.

I've driven a couple of them, the 120ish BHP engine is much better then the 90ish.

Vitos and Transporters are nicer, but hold their value very well. You could also look at smaller Transits.
 
I'd love a VW Transporter, but they go for stupid money, although I appreciate they're a better vehicle.

As for a crew cab pickup with the bikes in the back, I'm trying to get away from having the bikes outside on display, as I currently carry mine on a roof rack, but would prefer to have them hidden away inside if possible.

As for insurance, I've only done a couple of quotes on the comparison sites, but they're coming back dearer than my modified VRS!
 
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