Small van recommendations

[RedSparrow]

Hi gang.

I am in Finland at the mo, love it but it's impossible to find work. I'm back home next month and then either coming back here or going to Slovakia. Sooo, I am thinking of getting a small van/camper that I can sleep in when necessary. I kind of wanted an LDV Pilot but need something a bit more reliable considering the milage I'll be doing.

Any suggestions? Kind of something with more character than a Transit!

[Pete-M]

 

Try and get one of the later VW powered ones. The aircooled ones are painfully slow.

[Cavcraft]

Bedford CF?

 

Mk3 Transits have a bit of character though so don't discount them altogether.

[Rod/b]

As a nonshite suggestion, early Fiat Doblos are good. A friend has one and has done many thousands of miles in it, and has slept in it fairly frequently too. Probably could do with some vents knocking in it and / or proper ply lining unless you want to wake up in a pool of condensation mind.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Why don't you buy that nice little number from the ebay tat thread? Are you afraid of Americans and their WAR ON TERRA?

[dollywobbler]

 

Try and get one of the later VW powered ones. The aircooled ones are painfully slow.

 

Um, aren't all Barkas vans water cooled? Triple-cylinder Wartburg engines aren't they?

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

They're 2 stroke.

[RedSparrow]

Yes 3 cylinder, 2 stroke. I would love a Barkas, but I feel something more reliable would be best.

 

I will have a look at Doblos I think, if it's possible to sleep in one as you say.

[MK5 Escort]

I thought early Mk3 Transits had some character to be honest, particularly the pre-91 jobbies. Sadly because of terminal rot problems, few are left these days. If you're after a camper van, you’ll find these will be cheaper than the VW Transporter 'wedges'.

 

As discussed in another thread, LDV Pilots really aren't that bad if you take into consideration the age of it’s design. Can be an acceptable budget buy if you can find one that’s been reasonably well cared for. They are painfully slow and comically unrefined though – even by 90's van standards.

 

If you can manage with something a little smaller (i.e – car derived van types), I recommend the Renault Kangoo. The S-plate 146k I picked up a six weeks or so ago has been faultless in the short time I've had it and the few hundred miles I've covered in it so far. I've been very pleasantly surprised with it. It's okay performance wise for a n/a diesel and reasonably comfortable in a slightly bouncy sort of way. I even like it's gawky front end styling. Once I'm done with it as a van and providing nothing goes wrong in the meantime, I'm considering patching up / replacing the offisde sill for it’s October MOT and turning it into a little cheapo mini-camper/day van.

[Alexg]

There was a wheelchair accessible Maestro van (tall roof and windows) on eBay

[Geep]

What about a Mitsubishi Delica?

 

 

Rugged, good for sleeping, good for transporting tat and diesel. Should get you most places you want to go and you can kip out if it doesn't

[eddyramrod]

My dad did exactly this when I were a nipper. He bought an Anglia van. This was the 60s, of course...

[RedSparrow]

Hey those Jap day-vans are a good idea actually.

 

BONGO FRENDEE!!!