The Student Room Group

Car or Van?

Right so I am having a mini dilema. Should I get a car or a van? I work in events so a van would be great to ferry gear from gig to gig, plus it makes a good place to sleep however with there only being 2/3 seats it would make me a useless designated driver when I am not working, whereas a car would be well, a car. Lifts and friends and roadtrips and ****.

Practicality with a van with the drawback of being a 20 year old white-van-man, or a more social car where I would end up being a minicab driver for my friends.

Thoughts?
Reply 1
A car with seats that fold down/remove?
Reply 2
Original post by average_student
Right so I am having a mini dilema. Should I get a car or a van? I work in events so a van would be great to ferry gear from gig to gig, plus it makes a good place to sleep however with there only being 2/3 seats it would make me a useless designated driver when I am not working, whereas a car would be well, a car. Lifts and friends and roadtrips and ****.

Practicality with a van with the drawback of being a 20 year old white-van-man, or a more social car where I would end up being a minicab driver for my friends.

Thoughts?


i am 20 and i have a vw t4 van that i have converted in to a camper van and i use it as a daily driver. you could do something cool by getting a same size van and having a removable rear seat so you can get people in on a weekend and take the seat out to get all four equipment in during the week.
Original post by stevepegg
i am 20 and i have a vw t4 van that i have converted in to a camper van and i use it as a daily driver. you could do something cool by getting a same size van and having a removable rear seat so you can get people in on a weekend and take the seat out to get all four equipment in during the week.


Thats cool man, I was looking at one of those. How much was it and how much to insure and convert? Is it a good drive?
I've got a mk7 transit swb that I've insulated, carpeted and got a folding bed / sofa in. There's plenty of room for the race bike and all my kit, as well as sleeping room for me. If the bikes not in the sofa folds into a double bed and a couple of us can comfortably sleep for a few nights so for proper road trips it's a lot better than a car. I use it as a daily driver as well and it's no problem.
If I was going to give mates a lift I could shove at least 8 in the back so there's plenty of taxi opportunity.
Other thing is with new vans they drive just like cars anyway so providing you don't mind having a diesel they're perfect.
Reply 5
Have you considered an estate car? Some of them are cavernous, and may be cheaper to insure than a van with a modified interior?
Reply 6
Another thing is that vans will drink a lot more fuel than a car. I'd go for an estate myself, but I'm biased. You get the best of both worlds then - five seats when you need them, or a small van when you fold the seats down. You also get the fuel economy and handling of a car, rather than the slow and boat like drive of a van.
Vans can be noisy and thirsty but not as bad as they used to be. Not being a free minicab can be an advantage as non drivers don't "get" the running costs of a vehicle and think that it should always be offered and for free.

if you are shifting gear then consider business insurance as a mate was stopped and had his van impounded because he had social and domestic insurance but had tools in the back.

You our need to fit proper seats, even if they are removable, if you carry passengers.
- bulkhead is more secure but then makes the back a big metal box. You can retrofit windows in the side at the risk of lack of security.
Original post by average_student
Right so I am having a mini dilema. Should I get a car or a van? I work in events so a van would be great to ferry gear from gig to gig, plus it makes a good place to sleep however with there only being 2/3 seats it would make me a useless designated driver when I am not working, whereas a car would be well, a car. Lifts and friends and roadtrips and ****.

Practicality with a van with the drawback of being a 20 year old white-van-man, or a more social car where I would end up being a minicab driver for my friends.

Thoughts?


How about an estate car?
It has enough seats to carry people in, but it also has plenty of boot space (plus folding down seats) to store all your stuff for your job.
Get an estate car or a midi-mpv. A commercial van is a poor choice of a vehicle for everyday use especially if it isn't being used to ferry goods around on a daily basis, fuel consumption and maintenance will be higher than your standard estate or mpv. If you are buying one that is used chances are some dodgy polish plumber had driven it :smile:
Reply 10
Original post by Nuffles
Another thing is that vans will drink a lot more fuel than a car. I'd go for an estate myself, but I'm biased. You get the best of both worlds then - five seats when you need them, or a small van when you fold the seats down. You also get the fuel economy and handling of a car, rather than the slow and boat like drive of a van.


I've always wanted one of those old school vw camper vans though!
Original post by samba
I've always wanted one of those old school vw camper vans though!


Unfortunately it's gunna cost you a bit of cash for one of those these days. You either shell out up front for one that's been sorted out, or you buy a shell and restore it yourself. Neither is cheap. The cheapest VW van these days is a T4, but they're nowhere near as cool as even a T3.
Although the very last generation of (golf engined?) water cooled vw buses made in Brazil were apparently quite good. But they are still a 1950's concept cab wise with almost zero levels of comfort and handling. Also about as aerodynamic as a brick.

they look like the tad buses but have a "spare wheel" on the front that is the radiator.

vans don't have a higher maintanence cost than cars as many are based on car technology. But they tend to be noisy . A mate has a sharan/ Galaxy / and seat do the same vehicle. He used to take the seats out but his new one means that the seats fold flat. He gets a lot in it but it isn't as secure as a van due to the glass. He carrys band gear but needs to be careful about loading it and parking up

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