Hi all As we're a family with children (and their bikes) a wife who is always at the garden centre with bags of compost etc I am looking to swap my 2014 VW Passat for a van, but I haven't a clue where to start. Are there vans to definitely stay away from because of faults, rust issues etc? I have never bought a van so don't know what to look out for. My car is worth around £7k part x perhaps £8k privately. I can put £3-4k to it if need be. Would I get a half decent one for that price? Oh, and I need 5 seats because of the kids. Many thanks in advance Li
Here's one thing you might not have realised before you rush out and buy one. Unless it's a 'car derived van', the speed limits are lower than for cars on certain A roads and dual carriageways. Nobody seems to take much notice though - especially Mercedes Sprinter drivers or the police (except one day a year when they publicise what they're doing just to make a point). I would have a better look at some of the people carriers if it's just for family use....
What about a trailer for the Passat? Your extra 3k could buy you a decent fully enclosed box trailer.
And I think you'd better check the insurance situation... I considered buying one some years ago when I had a building project at home where I was going to be doing a lot of the work myself... I thought a van would be useful for the period. A pal suggested I check the insurance situation, and sure enough because a van was considered a "commercial" vehicle the cost was significantly higher. I can't remember the exact numbers, (it was back in 2005), but it was enough for me to abandon that plan. And I only intended having it for the fews months of the project. Good luck, anyway, Regards, Cando
Commercial insurance is a funny old thing. Hugely expensive when taken out first. Incredibly cheap when a few years in. Just renewed my Relay. Fully comp, protected ncb, 10k miles less than £200.
Thanks everyone. Not confident reversing a trailer s may look for a combi van of kinds. Thanks for the replies, food for thought.
If you need any free advice on commercial insurance or commercial vehicle finance let me know - not looking to sell, just to help where needed.
I towed a caravan for maybe 10 years plus. All over Europe as well. Reversing at first was a nightmare. After some practice in an unused car park. I got better. Maybe give a HGV driver a few quid for lessons. It does just take practice Johnny M
There is another thing to consider when buying a van that may be for dual use is the insurance. I own and only me drives my van, the insurance though in big letters says that only ME is insured to drive it. If it was a car with fully comp, then anyone can drive it of course (yes TPFT), but not a van. Unless you lay out a lot more for insurance, swapping drivers in a van (husband, wife, son , daughter) can be very expensive.