What van do you work from?

[byrnie_2004]

As above really just wondering what vans people are working from, i have an astravan at the minuite but think its going to be too small if i set up as a sole trader.

 

[Sparky Ninja]

A ford mondeo ghia X estate.

I've worked out of a berlingo, partner, transit, traffic and connect.

I preferred the connect most of all and am hoping to get one in the near future.

 

[jon jordan]

yep ford connect here 230tdci 90hp 1.8 high roof with rack & tow bar bargain on a 06 plate 65,000 miles 5k

 

[LukeD]

Depending of what sort of work your doing. a estate can be great, less chance of getting broken into firstly !!

Still love the Vw's or the Nissans.

 

[Benny_Boy]

Had an astravan, couldn't deal with constantly reaching in to get stuff. Massive pain in the rear, especially when you're 6'4".

I've got an 05 plate toyota hiace now. Just the right size for me and you can still get an 8x4 sheet in the back vertically and diagonally (if that makes any sense) with my racking in there.
Will not win any medals for speed. But recently acheived 45mpg on a long run. Which is excellent for a 2.8 ton van IMHO.

 

[byrnie_2004]

yeah thinking of selling the astravan and getting a connect bit more room and not a bad size for me on my own.

 

[Amp David]

Berlingo, was about the right size for 2 weeks then found it way to small

 

[BLBelfast]

Combi. Perfect size for me, but think I will do as I have read on here and get a false floor fitted.

 

[Amp David]

Combi. Perfect size for me, but think I will do as I have read on here and get a false floor fitted.

Does help with the space. Get the small steps out of the way.

 

[Hawk81]

citroen dispatch and i hate it, going to get a new transit within the next 6months i hope.

 

[RogertheBodger]

Got a Jeep Cherokee 2.5 tdi, Its old but good, listen to a lot of VAN morrison. (Desperate to get in on any conversation .. sorry )

 

[mogga]

company van for me VW Transporter seemed great first couple of weeks but Im use to transit and the head height in VW isnt as good Iv racked it out but it still doesnt seem to have same load capacity as the tranny

 

[SirKit Breaker]

I am in a SWB low roof Connect with side loading door and full roof rack with pipetube. Good, reliable and well built van, but it is a tad heavy on the fuel around the houses. I have some ex british gas racking which sits across the back axle, and it is custom made for the Connect. Makes life a lot easier keeping things tidy and being able to find what you need. Thinking of selling soon and getting a VW caddy.

Cheers......Howard

 

[telectrix]

Got a Jeep Cherokee 2.5 tdi, Its old but good, listen to a lot of VAN morrison. (Desperate to get in on any conversation .. sorry )

nice motor. i had a 4.0l petrol. prefer jim morrison myself. think lenny's our current expert on the other morrison.

 

[mogga]

Try n get the Caddy MAX howard the caddy is a great wee van but when I had one I was finding I had to take stuff out to put stuff in if you get mny drift leaving having to leave some kit in the shed

 

[andekoch]

transit connect swb. find it great but not the lightest on fuel. may be small if you have a lot of kit and spares. I have mine quite well racked out and dont always carry all my gear in it but depending on the jobs I am doing. helps to reduce the theft risk but increases the risk of not having what i need. great van to drive.

 

[RogertheBodger]

nice motor. i had a 4.0l petrol. prefer jim morrison myself. think lenny's our current expert on the other morrison.

Jim was good . But my VAN's still going.

 

[Newsome3]

got a merc vito 56 plate lwb

nice and nippy and plenty of room inside it but bit on the pricey side though with fuel

thinking about down sizing to a connect or maybe a vivaro

-

 

[High Tower]

04 plate scudo, good van not bad on fuel and plenty of space. Build quality bit poor but engine and box strong as a ox as it's a pug engine.

Not the most comfy but all round not bad .

 

[lewlec]

53 plate renault master mwb 2.5 120....been an excellent van done 83k but starting to show sighns of wear now........ but its had a hard life!

 

[telectrix]

got a merc vito 56 plate lwb

nice and nippy and plenty of room inside it but bit on the pricey side though with fuel

thinking about down sizing to a connect or maybe a vivaro

-

vivaro's bigger! don't want to put you off, but i had one , a renault trafic with a differenf badge. worst motor i ever bought. spent more time in the repair shop than on the road.

i now got a nissan vanette. noisy , as engine is between seats, but reliable, economical, roomy, and cos it's a 1998, cheap to buy and no depreciation.

 

[Sintra]

Tranny connect SWB again the fuel economy is poor especially the way i drive it but then again i'm not paying.

 

[Festerfly]

Had an astravan when I first started. Outgrew it real quick too. Was a real faff having to unload most of the van to get something out from the back. So replaced it with a low mileage ex-bt vivaro. £5k +vat Inc all the bott racking etc. Best move I ever made. couple of mods to make it more ideal for my setup but its almost there!

Gotta love the racking! Lol

 

[byrnie_2004]

do love that racking thats amazing lol, i hope i have a van that well set out one day.

 

[Festerfly]

do love that racking thats amazing lol, i hope i have a van that well set out one day.

Thanks mate. Must admit everytime I open it I'm really chuffed. If something ever happened to the van which required it's replacement I would definitely go for the same again Inc the racking. Just about to invest in some new pipe tubes as the STD BT items are too small at 2.6m long (bott cut them down at bt's request!?!?!?) so I have to keep cutting conduit and trunking down by 40cm to get it to fit. :-( lol

 

[SirKit Breaker]

Try n get the Caddy MAX howard the caddy is a great wee van but when I had one I was finding I had to take stuff out to put stuff in if you get mny drift leaving having to leave some kit in the shed

I've had a measure up and my connect racking with a slight couple of mods will fit into the normal one, but I will take your advice anyway as i hate having to mess about getting stuff out of the van. I also want one with the auxiliary heater fitted, i am too old for our cold winters now.

Cheers.............Howard

 

[DurhamSparky]

Berlingo, was about the right size for 2 weeks then found it way to small

yeah me too!!

 

[Guest123]

Transporter T5 130bhp........loves it!!!

 

[jaresquire]

Just seen the photo, I've never had a workshop that tidy let alone a van!

 

[telectrix]

Had an astravan when I first started. Outgrew it real quick too. Was a real faff having to unload most of the van to get something out from the back. So replaced it with a low mileage ex-bt vivaro. £5k +vat Inc all the bott racking etc. Best move I ever made. couple of mods to make it more ideal for my setup but its almost there!

Gotta love the racking! Lol

is taht a van or a stand at elex?

 

[Festerfly]

is taht a van or a stand at elex?

Lol

Something like that. Must admit it does look like a rolling advert inside!

 

[Festerfly]

Just seen the photo, I've never had a workshop that tidy let alone a van!

Thanks. Not always that tidy tbh. I do enjoy spending a couple of hours tidying it up though now and again.

Sad really. But rewarding.

 

[tony mc]

Transit Connect limited addition in a special colour.

!!!! Dirty WHITE !!!!

 

[mydigitalhome]

It dont matter how big our van is we are all guaranteed to fill it with really useful stuff that we havn't used in the last 3 months. Land Rover for me gos anywhere and great ladder racks.

 

[Festerfly]

I would love to change mine to a landy. Just didnt think it would be practical enough for me?

Is yours racked inside or anything like that? Which model do you use?

 

[mogga]

I saw an ex SSE landy for sale at Lix Toll luvely box rear with roller doors ect 2 winches ladder rack n ladders to roof

 

[SirKit Breaker]

Transit Connect limited addition in a special colour.

!!!! Dirty WHITE !!!!

Just like mine then eh.......Gonna wash it today though, and tidy it up a bit, but not to the extreme that festerfly has gone to. Them tools are all far too clean, what does he use to work with? If my van was that tidy i wouldnt be able to find owt.

Cheers.......Howard

 

[telectrix]

mine's that good, the pikeys dump their scrap in it

 

[Festerfly]

Just like mine then eh.......Gonna wash it today though, and tidy it up a bit, but not to the extreme that festerfly has gone to. Them tools are all far too clean, what does he use to work with? If my van was that tidy i wouldnt be able to find owt.

Cheers.......Howard

I have a cheap set of everything for working with... Lol. Nah. I just always try and keep things really tidy. Means they last longer and looks neater when you go to a new clients for the first time.

First impressions and all.

 

[SirKit Breaker]

I agree with you, if you turn up in clean van, clean "ish" clothes then you come across as the caring type, and it does get more work.
Anyway, thanks for the inspiration, i have just washed and leathered the van, tidied it out, got rid of all the crap. Much better, i have even sprayed some air freshener in it as well. I even sorted out the toolbags cos i was on a big rewire all last week.

Cheers.......Howard

 

[mattyevz]

Iv got a transit connect. can get plenty of stuff in it , and the drives not bad either.

 

[Damon]

57 REG VW CADDY with fuel card

 

[sythai]

57 Astra 'Sportive' .... nice drive, but way to small, worked out it costs me at least a couple of extra hours a week loading and unloading with gear, everything has to go in it's exact place... bit of a nightmare really, then every Sunday or Monday morn have to re-load with my stock items.

Still dreaming of a T5.... hopefully (fingers crossed) this year

 

[Amp David]

What engine spoertive is it sy?

 

[topquark]

Citroen Relay L3H2, no problems with space

 

[sythai]

What engine spoertive is it sy?

Only the baby one.... 1.3cdti, those 1.9cdti 150bhp's are the nuts though...
​

 

[davelerave]

vivaro's bigger! don't want to put you off, but i had one , a renault trafic with a differenf badge. worst motor i ever bought. spent more time in the repair shop than on the road.

i now got a nissan vanette. noisy , as engine is between seats, but reliable, economical, roomy, and cos it's a 1998, cheap to buy and no depreciation.

i've had the traffic and primastar(same van)-they are a walking piece of dog turd

 

[byrnie_2004]

57 Astra 'Sportive' .... nice drive, but way to small, worked out it costs me at least a couple of extra hours a week loading and unloading with gear, everything has to go in it's exact place... bit of a nightmare really, then every Sunday or Monday morn have to re-load with my stock items.

Still dreaming of a T5.... hopefully (fingers crossed) this year

yer mines a sportive 1.7cdti older shape than yours though, really nice to drive just a pain fitting everything in having to take stuff out to get to stuff. need something bigger really.

 

[Festerfly]

i've had the traffic and primastar(same van)-they are a walking piece of dog turd

What was wrong with yours?

 

[telectrix]

engine management stopped engine. went in under 3 year warranty to main agents. took them 2 months to get it sorted, then it went again after 6 weeks. had it fixed again, lasted 2 months, then another month, same thing. then to the auction, lost 3 grand on it .