A van for Europe road tripping. what to go for?

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Thu 28 May 2015 13:40
A van for Europe road tripping. what to go for? - Smaltze

The plan is to drive down to Barcelona from amsterdam stopping along the way then back again more directly. Whole thing should be about 3000 miles or so.

I planned on getting a panel van.

There will be 4 of us, so 3 seats in the front and one in the back can be put in. Needs to be long enough load space to sleep in lengthways, the plan was to put 4 beds in, or maybe a wide one across the roof to sleep 3 etc. either way a load length of ~2.5m+ atleast.

Not particularly worried about comfort, but ofcourse its nice. were young guys so can handle it.

Main concerns are reliablity, mpg, and space.

What shall i go for?

Current obvious options have been: high top mwb+ transit, LDV maxus, Sprinter (but have been told i wont get anything good for budget), Citreon Relay.

Im pretty capable of repairs and whatever we need.

Budget is about up to £1500, could be stretched potentially. Also what should i look for on each option.

THANKS!

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Fri 29 May 2015 00:02
A van for Europe road tripping. what to go for? - daveyK_UK

citroen relay / peugeot boxer / ford transit

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Fri 29 May 2015 01:02
A van for Europe road tripping. what to go for? - Avant

At your budget level, condition is more important than make or model (although the LDV Maxus has a bad reputation, so best to avoid one of those).

The advantage of the Transit is that there are lots of them about, so see if you can find one with some service history.

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Sat 30 May 2015 11:33
A van for Europe road tripping. what to go for? - dacouch

Have you looked into hiring a proper motorhome instead, I went to Munich Beer Festival in a Motorhome with 4 friends.

The vans are excellent, with power showers, airconditioning, tv, toilets etc etc you can literally just park up anywhere for the night and sleep in comfort.

Much more comfortable for all involved especially for the passengers on a long journey as they can play cards and drink JD on proper tables.

You're looking at about £500 a week for a motor home so if you're going for a few weeks it may be cheaper.

If you're converting a van into a motorhome it's not standard Insurance, the Insurers who will provide cover will require the van to have certain things eg a sink and cooking facilities so I recommend you look into this.

One word of warning, if you drive a van especially a motorhome at the type of speeds you drive a car on a motorway you will be constantly refueling. At these speeds you can get as low as circa 15mpg at 55/60 mph you'll get nearer 25mpg which makes a massive difference on a long journey.

Expect customs to have a good look around the van when you return to the UK.

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