Discussion
Howdy Y'all.
I'm toying with the idea of buying a Berlingo/caddy van or similar and making a little day van out of it.
I've seen plenty of "micro camper" conversions but realistically I'm not going to sleep in it. More like a little mobile man-cave. Somewhere to pull up somewhere nice and make a cup of tea and bacon butty, somewhere to get changed/hide from the weather if me and the Mrs go out walking kind of thing.
Seeing as I don't need a bed I think I'm much freer than some of the camper build designs. Anyone done something similar or know where to look for inspiration?
I'm toying with the idea of buying a Berlingo/caddy van or similar and making a little day van out of it.
I've seen plenty of "micro camper" conversions but realistically I'm not going to sleep in it. More like a little mobile man-cave. Somewhere to pull up somewhere nice and make a cup of tea and bacon butty, somewhere to get changed/hide from the weather if me and the Mrs go out walking kind of thing.
Seeing as I don't need a bed I think I'm much freer than some of the camper build designs. Anyone done something similar or know where to look for inspiration?
chimmo said:
I bought a 2019 Ex AA Transit Custom for exactly this purpose. Day van, MTB carrier and sleep if absolutely needed. I bought it for £6k with wetbelt done and full service, clean mot etc. Its been absolutely trouble free over the last 12months and 3000 miles.
The wet belt thing terrifies me. Shame as a transit connect would be perfect. Then again the last transit connect I had also shat itself.crofty1984 said:
chimmo said:
I bought a 2019 Ex AA Transit Custom for exactly this purpose. Day van, MTB carrier and sleep if absolutely needed. I bought it for £6k with wetbelt done and full service, clean mot etc. Its been absolutely trouble free over the last 12months and 3000 miles.
The wet belt thing terrifies me. Shame as a transit connect would be perfect. Then again the last transit connect I had also shat itself.I got a free 2008 VW Caddy three years ago from my wife’s work as it had been sitting unused during covid and rats had chewed a lot of the wiring. I took it on as a project and it’s been a great learning experience as I’ve changed the clutch, suspension, exhaust, timing belt, repaired the wiring and fitted some second hand alloys. It owes me around £1300 in parts and I love it. I now plan on turning it into a day van/micro camper and there is so much information out there on YT.
I plan on sound deadening the rear, insulation and carpets, and fitting a side slide out bed with a slide out cooking tray. A caddy is a good choice as they do retain their value quite well. I wish it was the LWB, but for the odd trip away the SWB should be enough. It passed its MOT yesterday with only an advisory on the front tyres, which I replaced today.
Go for it; having a small van is great!
I plan on sound deadening the rear, insulation and carpets, and fitting a side slide out bed with a slide out cooking tray. A caddy is a good choice as they do retain their value quite well. I wish it was the LWB, but for the odd trip away the SWB should be enough. It passed its MOT yesterday with only an advisory on the front tyres, which I replaced today.
Go for it; having a small van is great!
Go bigger for a useable day van. The smaller vans are great for moving stuff, too runs, cycling etc but not great for humans to move around in.
I bought an ex motability MK2 Peugeot Expert 4 years ago. You can buy the same van with a Peugeot, Citroen, fiat or Toyota badge. They cost about the same as the smaller vans but you get the option of the 2.0hdi engine which although a relatively agricultural diesel, is pretty reliable. It's commonly seen in taxis hitting 400k miles. They also don't suffer the rust issues of Fords or the likes of transporters.
I originally bought mine when my son had a Motocross bike. But I now use it for going cycling trips, surfing, snowboarding where it makes an ideal changing shed and can stick the rear seats back in if I want to take a crowd to the rugby or anything.
Put it this way. I have 3 other cars I can use but if this died tomorrow it's the only 1 I would replace like for like.
I bought an ex motability MK2 Peugeot Expert 4 years ago. You can buy the same van with a Peugeot, Citroen, fiat or Toyota badge. They cost about the same as the smaller vans but you get the option of the 2.0hdi engine which although a relatively agricultural diesel, is pretty reliable. It's commonly seen in taxis hitting 400k miles. They also don't suffer the rust issues of Fords or the likes of transporters.
I originally bought mine when my son had a Motocross bike. But I now use it for going cycling trips, surfing, snowboarding where it makes an ideal changing shed and can stick the rear seats back in if I want to take a crowd to the rugby or anything.
Put it this way. I have 3 other cars I can use but if this died tomorrow it's the only 1 I would replace like for like.
I'd love a caddy. You did well to get that! Them holding their value certainly seems apparent!
One thing I didn't mention was that it's essentially be my only car, I'd be doing at least 12,000 miles a year commuting in it, so I'm thinking of erring more on the LWB Berlingo/Doblo/caddy type thing than something the next size up like an expert/transporter. Although admittedly they would be a better van.
One thing I didn't mention was that it's essentially be my only car, I'd be doing at least 12,000 miles a year commuting in it, so I'm thinking of erring more on the LWB Berlingo/Doblo/caddy type thing than something the next size up like an expert/transporter. Although admittedly they would be a better van.
As you don't need a bed, I wouldn't bother with a van- £360/yr tax is beatable with a conventional Berlingo type car, and they're a f
kload easier to sell a few years down the line. Early petrols (pre 1.2 puretech catastrophe) hold their money really well. Pug partner teepee similar. Qubo for a wildcard, hard to find petrol,
That having been said, I've seen a few Cubes with a kitchenette in the back, UK cars available, manual to avoid the disintegrating autobox (or get one done). Micra parts in the main. Or the Honda Stepwgn has a following.
kload easier to sell a few years down the line. Early petrols (pre 1.2 puretech catastrophe) hold their money really well. Pug partner teepee similar. Qubo for a wildcard, hard to find petrol, That having been said, I've seen a few Cubes with a kitchenette in the back, UK cars available, manual to avoid the disintegrating autobox (or get one done). Micra parts in the main. Or the Honda Stepwgn has a following.
crofty1984 said:
The wet belt thing terrifies me. Shame as a transit connect would be perfect. Then again the last transit connect I had also shat itself.
Nothing wrong with them, budget £1500 and get it done yourself, the last few that we have seen where people have changed the wet belt didn’t involve removing the sump, only changed the belt and tensioner and reused the timing belt cover - which then leaks oil all over and you end up doing it again.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff