Looking for a family car/crew van recommendation

[lknights1987]

I am looking to buy either a car or a crew van but not sure which one to go with

I’ll be doing quite a bit of driving across Europe during school holidays so need something reliable

Will be for 2 adults and 2 kids

Spec will need

Parking sensors
Automatic
Apple car play
Big boot for carrying camping gear/tent
ULEZ compliant

Budget is £10k

Ideally looking for something with a low tax band aswell

[Davie]

That's a pretty broad brief... any preference on manufacturer? Power? Anything you specifically don't like or want? Pretty much any modern, reasonably sized estate, SUV or hatch would do. But those are a very different ballgame to a crew van... which also can have implications, like lower speed limits etc so need to research that one.

[paul_c123]

For 10k I'd go for the Stellantis Vivaro/Expert, or the Stellantis Berlingo/Combo/Partner. If you had more money, there's Transit Customs but they're not as reliable I don't think. And VW Transporters are nice but just sooooo overpriced at the moment. I'd not bother with a Merc Vito, they're a bit rough.

Does it really need to be auto? It hugely cuts down the numbers of vans available to you, but they exist.

[lknights1987]

Davie said:

That's a pretty broad brief... any preference on manufacturer? Power? Anything you specifically don't like or want? Pretty much any modern, reasonably sized estate, SUV or hatch would do. But those are a very different ballgame to a crew van... which also can have implications, like lower speed limits etc so need to research that one.

Ideally want something German. 2 litre engine max

[lknights1987]

paul_c123 said:

For 10k I'd go for the Stellantis Vivaro/Expert, or the Stellantis Berlingo/Combo/Partner. If you had more money, there's Transit Customs but they're not as reliable I don't think. And VW Transporters are nice but just sooooo overpriced at the moment. I'd not bother with a Merc Vito, they're a bit rough.

Does it really need to be auto? It hugely cuts down the numbers of vans available to you, but they exist.

What websites have you seen vivaro available under 10k with middle row seats ?

Unfortunately yes it needs to be auto the mrs passed her test on an auto so can only drive auto vehicle. I’ll be the main driver but she’ll be using it when I’m at work.

What year plate do you recommend getting ?

[Gtom]

You aren’t getting a crew van for 10k that meets your expectations.

You will need another 5-8k to get something reasonable.

If you fancy a gamble and have got another 2k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/2024123076...

[Quattr04.]

I don’t get the appeal of a van, they’re all awful to drive and have far less kit and refinement than a car does,

What will a transporter do for you that a MPV with a roof box or even a vast 4X4 like a mercedes GL won’t?

[Gtom]

I have got a transit custom, it’s got heated seats, air con and cruise control. You sit fairly high up and it has just enough power to keep up with traffic at a decent speed. Vans now are designed to keep someone comfortable for a 4h drive before they do a full shift at work, which I have done plenty of times.

[Gtom]

This is probably about the best you are going to get for your budget

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2024123176...

Or maybe this

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2024121472...

[Quattr04.]

Gtom said:

I have got a transit custom, it’s got heated seats, air con and cruise control. You sit fairly high up and it has just enough power to keep up with traffic at a decent speed. Vans now are designed to keep someone comfortable for a 4h drive before they do a full shift at work, which I have done plenty of times.

I’ve had 2 transit customs a connect and a transporter, none of them are anywhere as near comfortable as the Octavia that I have now. Luckily all my tools fit in the boot of that.

[Cakey_]

I had a caravelle for a couple of years, fuel consumption was horrific, high tax band and lots of noise at motorway speeds.
I bought it for European adventures with the kids as a family of 4, the space was nice but we were always kidding ourselves about the comfort, it was nowhere near as well refined as a well put together car

I've got a superb estate now, heated leathers are incredibly comfortable, more leg room than the van, costs half to tax and gets approx double the mpg with all the mod cons.

[Davie]

Quattr04. said:

What will a transporter do for you that a MPV with a roof box or even a vast 4X4 like a mercedes GL won’t?

This is brought up every time a van is mentioned and the answer is quite a lot...

Such as carrying five blokes along with five fully assembled eMTB plus kit. Or move an assembled bench and table combo. Take a 3m length of work top. Allow two adults and two kids to sleep in it. Act as changing facilities for beach / bike activities.

As far as space / practicality goes, a Transporter will far exceed the carrying ability of a very big estate car along with a very big roof box and external big carriers.

However...

I'd agree, with the OP's brief and budget then you'll be extremely lucky to find a van that fits the brief. A big estate is likely to be easier to source be it a Passat, A4/A6, Superb, 3/5series... of which there are plenty out there.

[paul_c123]

lknights1987 said:

What websites have you seen vivaro available under 10k with middle row seats ?

Unfortunately yes it needs to be auto the mrs passed her test on an auto so can only drive auto vehicle. I’ll be the main driver but she’ll be using it when I’m at work.

What year plate do you recommend getting ?

Yeah I'll say you're going to have to compromise somewhere. The auto requirement really cuts things down and the Apple CarPlay means it needs to be quite new, there's nothing which ticks all your boxes.

[lknights1987]

Davie said:

This is brought up every time a van is mentioned and the answer is quite a lot...

Such as carrying five blokes along with five fully assembled eMTB plus kit. Or move an assembled bench and table combo. Take a 3m length of work top. Allow two adults and two kids to sleep in it. Act as changing facilities for beach / bike activities.

As far as space / practicality goes, a Transporter will far exceed the carrying ability of a very big estate car along with a very big roof box and external big carriers.

However...

I'd agree, with the OP's brief and budget then you'll be extremely lucky to find a van that fits the brief. A big estate is likely to be easier to source be it a Passat, A4/A6, Superb, 3/5series... of which there are plenty out there.

Do you own a transporter ? I'd love to own a transporter kombi but need to find out how reliable the DSG are and what year plate to go for that's within my budget and ULEZ compliment.

[Scootersp]

Would a Toyota Alphard work for you?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/56561168...

[Skyedriver]

Local garage owner who tends to be the go to for VW Transporters etc

"I'd rather push a VW than drive a Transit"

[Quattr04.]

Skyedriver said:

Local garage owner who tends to be the go to for VW Transporters etc

"I'd rather push a VW than drive a Transit"

What’s he going to do when he’s in the market for what is the brand new one?

[ACCYSTAN]

Needing an automatic adds serious cost; I would rather spend money getting your wife to redo her test for a manual which gives you a larger range of vehicles which will be younger.

[Davie]

lknights1987 said:

Do you own a transporter ? I'd love to own a transporter kombi but need to find out how reliable the DSG are and what year plate to go for that's within my budget and ULEZ compliment.

Yes I do. I started off looking at Kombi however most were subject to lower speed limits, pretty miserably equipped and were really just panel vans with a couple of windows and seats so after a bit deliberation, I ended up with a Shuttle and just removed the third row seats. Better equipped (cruise, DVD player, fully trimmed, Aircon and heaters in the back, sat nav, sunroof, parking sensors etc) and it's classed as an MPV so car insurance, tax, MoT and speed limits.

It's a very good if you need to utilise the huge amount of space and I / we do regularly therefore it's a great thing in that sense. It's not terrible to drive but it's a van and therefore a big estate will always be more comfortable / quieter / drive better but a big estate can't offer the space, hence it's a fairly easy choice... do you need the space, would you use it a lot? If the answer is no, buy an estate or SUV as they're nicer to live with day to day.

Mine is manual, father in law has a camper conversion on a 64 platform and his is DSG and hasn't given him any bother. He had been on top of the DSG servicing though. Car Play / Android Auto stuff could easily be added by swapping out the heading for a Chineseium one. ULEZ is the issue, mine is a 14 plate BlueMotionTec and even it's not allowed in the Scottish LEZ zones... yet matey in his 1995 straight 6 diesel Volvo with zero EGR etc, yeah that's fine. Mental situation but I have zero need nor desire to venture into such zones do for me, that's not even a consideration.

[Scootersp]

Would a Toyota Alphard work for you?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/56561168...