Hello everybody,
i am looking for suggestions for my next vehicle. The budget is 8k max. My kids are into canoeing, and want to be going away for long weekends this summer camping, so will need something that can carry 4 people plus gear (canoes on roof),clothes and tent etc etc, plus reasonable fuel economy if thats possible.
Have thought about a van, but have been told i might not get insured ? and you can't get 4 people in the front of a van,so what else can you think of please.
thanks for your suggestions. Blondielocks
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Maybe a Citren Berlingo or a Renalt Kangoo, peaugot do one as well called the Partner, these are all based on the same thing and are classified as a car. Ford also do the Transit Connect which is similar and Fiat do the Dioblo which is also similar.
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Citroen Berlingo or Renault Kangoo?
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They asked for a van/car.
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'Spose any small estate would do but the van based cars are probably more flexible.
HJ roadtest of the Berlingo here -
www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=68
Have a look at the Auto Trader (link on the left) car finder if interested - loads of then in budget.
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You haven't said if you're considering new and/or used but £8k'll buy you quite a lot of used 7 seater MPV. There are loads around depending on what your preferences and criteria are and they'll probably carry all the stuff you want inside (except the canoes) plus the kids. I gave up trying to get all our stuff in our Volvo estate and went for a Mazda MPV - haven't regretted it!
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You haven't said if you're considering new and/or used but £8k'll buy you quite a lot of used 7 seater MPV.
How about the previous model Zafira? Now that the new one is set to replace it, I imagine the old models could be picked up relatively cheaply.
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With 4 people plus all the gubbins you need lots of boot space. A Volvo estate sounds ideal, and for your particular purpose better than an MPV. Not all that economical, so you might have a look at a diesel Mondeo estate or Passat estate. There should be plenty around in your price range.
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What about a crew cab pickup? A Mitsubishi 4 life? Or a Toyota Hilux.
Or a Ford Transit - plenty of room inside for the canoe. With a budget of about 3k you'll have a lot of money left over for the extra diesel costs. Get a 'White Van Man' version & install an extra line of seats behind the driver's seat.
Subary legacy?
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Forget about an mpv or van conversion. As a former part-time kayak instructor I can assure you that you won't want to be trying to lift a kayak or canoe onto the roof of one, far less trying to secure them.
Estate cars are the transport of choice at every canoe club I've belonged to. Focus, Mondeo, Passat and 850/V70 (all estates) have always been popular choices.
All the above are available in your price range in one form or another and can be had with a diesel engine, useful for getting all that weight up hills (torque) and better for economy.
No Do$h. Moderator and participant in more adventure sports than is reasonable for a grown man.
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Primera, Vectraaargh* and Avensis estates will also fit the bill in your price range.
(Not my personal favourite, but there's enough around to suggest they aren't all bad)
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I found my Volvo 940 estate just wasn't big enough and I never carried all the stuff listed above. In the end I had to buy a roof box which is a bit of a pain really. Economy wasn't good as you've said - I get about 40mpg out of my MPV though which I think's great for such a big car and over 10mpg better than the estate it replaced.
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ND's point about the height of these vehicles is a good one but IIRC he's only 5'2" or something (only joking ND :)) but I've carried heavy hardwood doors on top of mine with not too much of a problem. If you're short, getting stuff on/off might require that you carry something to stand on.
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In all the years I've been kayaking I only know of one person with an MPV and that was a new shape scenic, not the tallest one of the bunch.
I hold my hand up (it helps me get seen) to being a mere 5'6" but that's neither here nor there. Hoisting a couple of kayaks up and down from the roof of a high vehicle is no laughing matter, even for the (many) paddlers I know over 6' tall.
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ND's point about the height of these vehicles is a good one
I'd agree. I've a Berlingo,the roof is pretty high. Even at 6'1", I'd not fancy trying to put things on a roof rack.
Follow ND's advice - go for a 2nd hand estate. Personally, I'd look at a Mondeo TDCI. Lots of space, good fuel economy, fairly inexpensive 2nd hand.
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Thankyou for all your suggestions,
I quite like the idea of a secondhand transit, they are under my budget, and should be able to accomodate all the gear we need to carry about, but, will i get insured as i have been told that insurance companies are suspicious of joe public suddenly buying a van for so called recreational activities, any thoughts please, and how can i get round carrying 4 people in one, or can you get seats in the back?
thanks everyone.
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I'd urge you to reconsider. Transit crewcabs are available with additional seats behind the first row. You won't get the economy or comfort of a car. Sitting in the back of a panel van is not a pleasant experience, particularly at motorway speeds.
If even an estate won't cut it, then an estate with a small trailer is still a better option. You really won't enjoy using a Transit or similar for this purpose.
If you do go down this route, have a look at some of the ex Post Office vehicles. Many LDV vans at our local depot with seating for 6 (3 abreast, two rows) and huge load area. Also have a look at minibuses.
But I really would urge you not to.
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Things i would consider would be something like a Transit Torneo with the back seats removed so you have a 5 or 6 seater with lots of luggage space - a much better proposition than a basic van conversion.
One other possible idea is something like a Fiat Scudo Combinato which is similar to the Post office van in that it's got two rows of 3 seats and a big boot at the back. They share the same basic underpinning as the Peugeot 806/Citreon Synergie so don't drive too bad and the also have a few electrics so they're not a basic spec. There are also pug and citreon varients of the vehicle.
www.poultonvans.co.uk/vandetail.aspx?reg=Y%20609%2...B
Also bear in mind if your purchasing a van/minibus there may well be VAT to pay on top of the purchase price
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If you live anywhere near to Sunderland and can wait until the beginning of July you can have my LWD Nissan Terrano 2 for the trade-in (basically auction value) that I have been offered. Around £6000 but the best mpg you would achieve would be 30 and less with canoes on the roof. Could throw in roof bars and a spare tyre mounted cycle rack for nowt as well.
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ok, so the van is out.I couldn't use a trailer,remember i am a blonde.Next best is a big estate car with roof bars for the canoes.There would always be 2 people to put them on and off so it shouldn't be too bad.
Volvos spring to mind but they are bad on juice aren't they,can you get diesel volvos. My budget is 8k max and that is it, what could i get for that much.
There are ex-police volvos which you can get, but where from and won't these be on there last legs.
Have seen on of those berlingos and they seem quite small with a high roof so i don't think they would be any good.
What is the next biggest estate.
thanks for suggestions so far.
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I'd suggest you don't need to worry too much about the longevity of Volvos. The engines seem to go on forever and have you ever seen a rusty one? Can't think of anything much bigger than the 940/960 series estates (the 850 & V70 series are smaller) except perhaps the Omega but buying one of those opens up a whole new can of worms! I guess it depends how much interior space you need and whether or not you want to spend all your budget on the most recent model as you can get or would be happy spending less and buying an older car.
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Mondeo used to have a greater luggage capacity than the 850/v70. You may be surprised .....
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Ex-police Volvos are cheap but are probably variable in quality, to say the least. £5k will get you a Y-reg example.
Any current shape Volvo V70 with a diesel engine for £8k is going to be into six figure mileages. They are quite economical and also pretty fast, for a big diesel and make a good buy if you've got £10k to spend (or more). If the right one came along for £8k I'd obviously jump at the V70, but a diesel V70 under five years old is a big ask at this money.
www.tradecentre.co.uk/cars/search3.asp?Id=243865
You haven't commented on the Mondeo, but they are good, plentiful and cheap.
www.tradecentre.co.uk/cars/search3.asp?Id=239312
You might also consider a Vauxhall Omega (you should get a three or four year old diesel estate for that money) and a Citroën C5 for size (not looks though).
www.tradecentre.co.uk/cars/search3.asp?Id=242475
Low mileage VW Passat diesel estates barely exist and the ones that do are expensive; you should get a three year old with 80k up (and hopefully something a bit newer with less mileage on) on budget.
www.tradecentre.co.uk/cars/search3.asp?Id=243320
Finally though there's the Peugeot 406 - I have a nine year old saloon version, but £8k would get you just about any 406 you wanted. It's an old design but it's economical, good to drive and practical.
www.tradecentre.co.uk/cars/search3.asp?Id=238741
Incidentally I have no connection with CarGiant but they're a good way to find used cars that fit the bill and hopefully the dealer's profit margin is fairly similar on all of them.
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thanks for all your suggestions.
I will take your advice and look for a volvo or Mondeo, i'm thinking that i could get a much newer mondeo than volvo for my money, so i will look at these first.
You have all been very kind, thankyou.
Blondielocks.
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