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Post by Forum Cat on Dec 28, 2013 23:48:15 GMT
As most of you know I drive a fish van.
Practical but lacking in comfort.
I am wondering what car I should have to fit my personality. I was considering a VW camper van like Will Greens. Would this be a wise choice I wonder? They do seem a bit pricey for a nice one.
My cash limit would be circa ten thousand, though seven would be more comfortable.
A van sized conveyance is desirable as having it sign written is a plus due to my line of work (professional mouse catcher).
Please do advise, I know next to nothing about cars. (Cats seldom do)
All the best
Mister Cat
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jb052
Full Member
Posts: 70
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Post by jb052 on Dec 29, 2013 18:46:38 GMT
Mr Cat,
How many miles will you be doing in your new wheels?
JB
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 1, 2014 10:55:35 GMT
Oh, quite low.
About 6000.
I work from home so main use is shopping and weekend trips.
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Post by millstonebarn on Jan 1, 2014 11:21:51 GMT
Oh, quite low. About 6000. I work from home so main use is shopping and weekend trips. You could cut down even further if you get supermarket deliveries and/or Amazon Prime. I don't pay for Prime myself, but have just finished (another) 1-month trial. It really is very good, but I don't buy enough from Amazon on a regular basis to justify the normal annual cost - I'm usually happy to wait for the free deliveries. It was great over the xmas period though - avoided all those busy shops! I know you're a bit more central than me, but the Tesco £3 delivery charge is less than the cost of petrol it would be for me to go shopping there! And you can carefully plan all the special offers. When I Googled vans it came up with this: www.vans.co.uk/ (not quite what you're looking for). Maybe have a browse around: vans.autotrader.co.uk/
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 1, 2014 14:28:00 GMT
If I were not such a lazy puss, then I would cycle to the shops.
Still the van does act as a nice advert.
;D
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 1, 2014 23:35:55 GMT
I am still interested in the what the group thinks as to how sensible it is to by an old VW camper. They look cool but seem pricey for what they are.
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Rob
New Member
Posts: 17
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Post by Rob on Jan 4, 2014 12:09:40 GMT
There's no such thing as a cheap VW camper. They rust like buggery and will cost a small fortune to weld up once the tin-worm has set in. Being so big, the cost of repainting them is huge. From what I have seen the budget you mentioned in your original post would probably get you a potential money pit, certainly not a well sorted rust-free example One alternative might be to look for an imported Brazilian one. They only stopped making them in Brazil at the end of last month and I'm pretty sure that there are companies in the UK that will find one for you and deal with all the import hassles, then do any necessary work to get it UK road legal. Almost certainly it won't be cheap... The later Brazilian vans used a water-cooled engine rather than the old air-cooled unit used in the 'classic' ones. Could you live with a left hand drive one?
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 6, 2014 19:00:56 GMT
I suspect that LHD would be a PITA I thank you for the feedback re rusting and running costs though. Campers are indeed cool, but cool at a price. A transit style van is another option. My mechanic has one that he uses to pick up my Harley. I quite like the idea of going on holiday and taking the bike with me in the back of the van. Best of both worlds.
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eddy
Senior Member
Posts: 201
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Post by eddy on Jan 8, 2014 12:25:44 GMT
Waitrose offer free delivery if you order £50 worth of groceries. (I have no connection except as a satisfied customer)!
The best fun car you can buy currently IMHO, although no good for transporting a Harley, is the Fiat 500 TwinAir. A bit pricey but good fuel economy and zero road tax, a future icon too.
My two pennyworth, for what it is worth!
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 9, 2014 0:55:12 GMT
You think?
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Post by CyberChimp on Jan 9, 2014 20:28:29 GMT
re. Brazilian Type2 vans - DanburyMotorCaravans.com used to be main importer (and also offered them with RHD conversion).
For what it's worth my advice re. purchasing camper van is to alocate enough of your total funds to an emergency savings pot so that if / when engine &/or gearbox give up the ghost then the money is available to replace promptly. For a VW van you'd probably be looking at an emergency fund of 2 to 3 grand (so when this is subtracted from the 10 grand total this will give you 7 to 8 grand for van purchase). With that sort of money you might be better looking at T25 (wedge) or T4 vans rather than the older bay window Type 2s (like Will has got).
There are a number of companies scattered around the UK who hire out Type 2 and T25 vans so it might also be worth considering a short break sometime to try one out.
Mazda Bongos (RHD Japanese grey import) / Ford Freda (same vehicle but UK spec) vans are probably worth looking at. These should be within your price range and might be more practical.
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 10, 2014 1:40:36 GMT
Mazda Bongos (RHD Japanese grey import) / Ford Freda (same vehicle but UK spec) vans are probably worth looking at. These should be within your price range and might be more practical. Ooh, I like the look of that. Certainly worth some investigation.
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Rob
New Member
Posts: 17
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Post by Rob on Jan 10, 2014 17:42:09 GMT
The Mazda Bongo uses what is essentially the same engine as the MX5 two-seater sports car (in 1.8/2.0 litre petrol format), so getting mechanical parts for one shouldn't be a problem.
I used to own a MX5 and can attest that the engine is virtually bullet-proof as long as it's looked after (regular oil changes etc). It does have a cam belt, but is a non-interference engine - i.e. if the belt goes, it doesn't mash the valves into the pistons.
There are loads of Bongos around so getting Bongo-specific bits shouldn't be too much of a problem and there's bound to be specialist dealers around who will be able to source new/used bits quickly.
I don't know how rust-resistant the Bongo bodywork it - MX5s are very prone to rusty sills (instant MoT failure), so check bodywork carefully.
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 11, 2014 15:09:35 GMT
Now the MX5 IS a nice car. Sadly not enough seats for my needs. I have an MOT coming up on the Fish van. She is a 1998 model so fingers paws crossed that she does not cost me too much.
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Rob
New Member
Posts: 17
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Post by Rob on Jan 14, 2014 23:41:12 GMT
Now the MX5 IS a nice car. Sadly not enough seats for my needs. I have an MOT coming up on the Fish van. She is a 1998 model so fingers paws crossed that she does not cost me too much. I had to sell the MX5 when we got a dog ( a Cocker Spaniel called Ozzie). When she was a pup there was no problem fitting my wife, myself and Ozzie in the MX5. As Ozzie got bigger there was a simple choice - the dog or the wife as a passenger. My wife got rather pissed off so the car had to go... I'm now very happy with my Volvo V40 estate car which has plenty of space for both dogs (we got another Cocker Spaniel to keep Ozzie company) Have you considered an estate rather than a van? You can take a load of rubbish down to the dump without having to have (and pay for) a permit to take a van to the dump. (is this something peculiar to Shropshire or is it nationwide?) Dragging this back on topic, if you can find a rust-free Mazda, the mechanical side should not be a problem.
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