No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear

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Sun 8 Sep 2019 13:48
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - M005E

Hi all,

I want to get a vehicle with a large enough load area for a dog cage (105 x 70 x 70cm) along with other luggage. Currently we run an Alhambra where the dog cage sits sideways across the load space, but it takes up most of the room so we need to use a roof box for luggage. Is there anything with a 1m+ long load bay that we could get instead, so I could mount the dog cage front-to-back instead of sideways across the load bay?

We don't need the 7 seats we have in the Alhambra, but it does need room for 4 adults in relative comfort. It must be petrol as we do lots of short runs (I've screwed up the DPF and Cat on our diesel Alhambra). Fuel economy is relatively unimportant.

I value reliability far higher than looks, and with the exception of e-windows in the front I am not fussed about any gadgets. I would prefer SUV style for easier access, I don't want to bend down to get into an estate car. Not bothered about age if it was something I would get 5+ yrs use out of, and I would hope to spend less than £20k - but if necessary I could extend that for the ideal vehicle.

I might be looking for a unicorn here, but is there something in the UK that fits the bill? We were in the US a couple of years ago and hired a Ford Expedition that I reckon would have been ideal, it had a cavern of load space, but I can't think of anything I've seen on UK roads that is similar in style with the large squared-off back end. Maybe a twin cab pickup with the load area covered would do? I could perhaps replace the rear cab glass with something that opens so we have a bit of contact with the dog, but I've not found any petrol versions of large twin cabs in my searches.

Any thoughts/suggestions appreciated, thanks.

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Sun 8 Sep 2019 14:19
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - RT

An Audi Q7 might do the trick - my VW Touareg is the same car underneath but with shorter wheelbase and has a 1m+ boot with the 2nd row seats right back.

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Sun 8 Sep 2019 14:29
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - corax

Your problem is needing a petrol, otherwise there are a whole selection of people carrier vans with varying wheelbase lengths.

Subaru Outback 2010 shape has a boot length of 104.5 with seats up, so you might just be able to squeeze the cage in, but you'd need to try it. Advantage is that you can pick one up with 2.5 petrol, and they are a raised estate so no bending. But they are pretty rare beasts.

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Sun 8 Sep 2019 14:33
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - gordonbennet

I believe the back window of some Mitsubishi twin cab pick ups opens up, but can't say as i've noticed anything else that does, however it shouldn't be too difficult to fit a sliding window in the rear of another pick up.

We had an 07 plate Hilux twin cab, 3 litre automatic, very comfortable very nice to drive, up till about 2010/11 no DPF to worry about so no worries about short journeys so long as you change the engine oil more often which any sensible person would...stand by for JohnF from the other team who think the oil should be like treacle and need digging out of the sump before changing...love you really John :-)

We also had a sliding front window fitted to the canopy, but that was to enable the cab rear and and canopy fronts to be cleanable as dirt does get in the gap.

You can get petrol engined pick ups, but they tend to be grey imports, the Hilux comes with a 2.7 4 pot, but if you are prepared for a grey then one of the many Toyota shooting brakes, similar in size to Hilux are available via the grey import dealers, the 3.4 V6 petrol engine is a diamond among these, it came here first of all in the 90 series (Colorado or Prado) Landcruiser in the 90's and was available in other markets in the 120 series Prado/Landcruiser, you might find the 4.0 litre V6 also available, another very good engine, but the 3.4 is good for running nearly 4 figure bhp via supercharging to give you some idea of how bomb proof the engine is.

You will struggle to find anything more reliable/durable than Toyotas 4x4's, but they do hold their values, the Mitsis can be found cheaply and though i haven't investigated have no doubt some petrol versions, possible grey alternatives under Mitsi badge, are out there

Be wary of older Nissan Navaras, the chassis are prone to breaking just under the rear cab section, rusting through from the inside, i have no idea if this affects Pathfinder shooting brake derivative, we test drove one of those SWMBO hated it and the demo went into limp mode on the test drive.

Big plus for pick ups is the sensible VED as commercial vehicles, this also applies i believe to grey imports that are shooting brake types but don't quote me, but remember picks ups now generally go on commercial insurance policies, as such you will not be covered for basic insurance driving other vehicles no owned by you, this may not affect you but thought it should be mentioned...this change happened under my ownership when NFU swapped it onto a commercial policy and notified me of the non cover for driving other vehicles.

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Sun 8 Sep 2019 19:24
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - Brit_in_Germany

What size dog do you have? It may be easier to find a different cage rather than a car to fit your current one.

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Sun 8 Sep 2019 19:49
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - badbusdriver

I would be looking at the LWB versions of the current shape Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Rifter or Vauxhall Combo Life (all three are essentially the same car). The LWB versions can have 7 seats, but i'm not sure if they all do as a matter of course. But even if there are 7, the rear two can be removed leaving a load bay which would easily be big enough for your needs. Your £20k should get you into a new example with the 1.2 turbo petrol engine, which may not seem overly endowed with power (about 110bhp), but has a fair slug of torque low down in the rev range. So unless you crave speed, it should be perfectly fine (and there is actually a 130bhp version for more money).Here is a link to a Vauxhall on Autotrader, this one is not brand new, but i have used it for the better pics of the interior and boot size.

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190802070...1

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Mon 9 Sep 2019 11:31
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - CHarkin

The 1.4 Tsi Alhambra / Sharan is pretty good only feeling a bit flat when loaded up and on fast A roads.

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Wed 11 Sep 2019 20:18
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - M005E

Wow. Thanks for all the replies... I didn't think I'd get much help as it was a weird question, so I appreciate the time you all took to help me out.

Plenty to think about there. I'll look into all of it, but I'm intrigued about the grey import suggestion - has anyone here got any experience of this? A few web searches seem to suggest that it can be very much a case of "pay your money, take your chance", and I'm sure there are more bad import brokers than good ones. Not sure how to pick the right one if I was to go down that route.

Thanks again, Phil.

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Fri 13 Sep 2019 17:57
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - ZP

Hi Phil,

I run a medium-sized farm and looked into importing a basic work truck from Japan in some detail. Diesel doesn't suit us for lots of short runs and there is a good selection out there. Rather than deal with a UK importer, I would recommend dealing directly with a Japanese exporter; they are honest and will do everything except sort out the paperwork at the UK port.

A 5 year old Hilux with sensible miles would set you back about $12,000 and the pound is not strong against the dollar as I'm sure you are aware. Add on shipping ($1500). import duty and tax (which is calculated on price-of-vehicle + price-of-shipping - yes, you pay tax on a tax!), registration, SVA test, plates and UK port fees and it's not really that viable unless you absolutely *must* have a petrol engined Hilux.

It's worth it for classics or JDM vehicles if you're an enthusiast, but not for basic, work-a-day transport in my opinion.

Retgwte suggests a Dacia Logan Stepway which I heartily endorse. Buy one new for £13500 or an ex-demo, pre-registered one and save £1000 to £1500. Extended warranty to 5 years is £350. Bargain.

Costs you nothing to see one and have a test drive before you plunge into the byzantine world of car imports!

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Fri 13 Sep 2019 19:58
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - gordonbennet
It's worth it for classics or JDM vehicles if you're an enthusiast, but not for basic, work-a-day transport in my opinion

Good post that and valid points.

The thing about vehicles direct (or recently imported) from Japan is that they won't have seen any road salt, a vehicle say 7 years old from Japan will be in similar condition underbody to a year old UK car, chassis corrosion is a big consideration with these types of vehicles.

You don't need to go this far though, a well bought previously well cared for Hilux pre DPF will handle all the short runs you want to throw at it, they are out there, we sold one that had been meticulously maintained (incl pro rustproofing) at 3.5 years old, it wasn't sold cheaply mind, lost only £6k in depreciation from new in that time, i'd have another Hilux without a moments thought.

The grey import route gives you different engine and transmission options to the rather basic boring offerings we get, all depends what you want, you could go as far as a Tundra with the 5.7 V8, be enough room in that :-)

Edited by gordonbennet on 13/09/2019 at 20:13

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Fri 13 Sep 2019 23:57
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - ZP

Hi GB,

I think we've had a similar discussion before. I tend to approach this with my business head on, looking for value, but it's rare for private buyers to make this a number one priority when it comes to their own personal vehicle. People say they don't care about styling or fuel economy, the badge or the features but that's often not entirely the case when it comes down to it!

Some JDM-spec vehicles can be problematic, although not impossible of course, to service and find spare parts for. If the savings are massive, this inconvenience can be offset by the financial gain but when I ran the numbers it just didn't work out.

There have been some excellent suggestions in this thread - the van-based MPVs are probably exactly what the OP is looking for - but with financial uncertainty on the immediate horizon I'd be loathe to throw £20k at a vehicle right now when the same functionality can be had for a lot less.

We buy vehicles nearly new and run them until they fail the MOT or parts become unavailable at which point they become off-road, farm-only tools. We'll patch and weld, duct-tape stuff back on until they're assessed to be unsafe at any speed and even then we're not done with them. Glass, headlights, tail lights, anything usable/not mechanical is stripped and sold. This isn't the case for most people!

I wouldn't care if the info screen was in Japanese but the OP might. Oddly, all the switchgear and stalks on Japanese cars are labelled in English but any screen will almost certainly be in the native language. Some will happily scream at you in Japanese non-stop if you exceed 60mph, and the sat nav (if there is one) will almost certainly not cover the UK. Minor/non issues for a work truck, but it could become irritating for a family car.

None of these on their own is a deal-breaker but, if you add them all up, it might be enough to put you in a Euro MPV or a mildly-lifted Dacia estate rather than going through all the hassle to import something you may find you lose a lot of money on after five years.

If we're still in business in five years (thanks, de Pfeffel) I might treat myself to something odd and Japanese as, once you start trawling through the exporters' vehicles lists, there are some cracking cars to be had. Bit of a rabbit-hole once you get started!

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Thu 12 Sep 2019 10:08
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - retgwte

I would just get a Dacia Logan.

Or Logan stepway if you want a higher one.

New one well within budget.

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Sat 14 Sep 2019 20:37
No idea - Large load space for dog cage and other gear - notagoodname
My immediate thoughts are:

Cheaper route:

Keep the Alhambra..

(Like Brit_in_Germany said) get a new dog carrier. I have a Sharan and two dogs. I use a foldable dog carrier that can be opened at the end or the side so you can choose where it goes in the boot. About £30 from Amazon.

2. Give your Alhambra a weekly run to get it hot.

3. Grey imports - when I lived in NZ most of the cars were Jap imports - while some had a service history most of the ones I looked at had little or none. As I was told a lot of Japanese will run a car from new for a few years and then trade it in having not had it serviced. Before someone says they’ve got an import with a full service history I know some do.

- Check insurance costs and if the car you’re looking at isn’t sold in Europe ask yourself how long you’re happy to wait for spares.

Edited by notagoodname on 14/09/2019 at 21:00

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