Are vans better offroad than cars ?

[Taipan]

Mate had starting problems with his Picasso and it turned out to be a fuel filter. Despite the s/history saying it had been done, it certainly hadn't. The Mechanic told him a HDi should turn over once and fire up, if it doesn't there's a reason for it and often it's fuel and often it's because of the fuel filter. Never given it much thought until he said that and now it's something I'll make sure is changed on any diesel I own.

Same issue as when i had the other battery replaced, it then started instantly, for months....

I suspect it's the battery.

After being run it's then an instant start, it's only the cold start.

Unusual for a battery to go in these temps though? Normally winter that kills them. Not saying it isn't the battery, but Id get a scan of the OBD as well just to see if its logged any charging fault codes, although I suspect the RAC will do that if they're coming out, or at least they certainly should do!?

[weeksy]

RAC said battery was ok, not brilliant but ok. It still struggles a little bit with first start of the day.

Some Google Fu says maybe fuel filter, it's £40 and 10 mins to swap so maybe that's on the cards.

I did consider
https://mtcbuyonline.co.uk/listing/2012 ... co-ss-fsh/

Yes I know it's a Mondeo and we decided the Mondeo was too long and low, but in its defence, they're very effective at carrying stuff and I do like how they drive.

I also thought about a Focus estate which ticks many boxes too

Then a Kuga, a CRV and I even went to look at a Vivaro.
https://www.mandtmotorcompany.com/detai ... .0/677347/

Local and not crazy money. But it is very very Vanish. It's just well, a functional item and I'm not sure day to day I'd cope. The clutch pedal weighed a bloody tonne which instantly put it in the No pile.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DODGE-DAKOTA ... ect=mobile

[weeksy]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DODGE-DAKOTA ... ect=mobile

Well, I guess it'd do off-road. It ends there though

[KungFooBob]

Some Google Fu says maybe fuel filter, it's £40 and 10 mins to swap so maybe that's on the cards.

We (I) told you it was fuel related.

Diesels need fuel pressure.

If you leave them over night and the fuel drains back into the tank, the first start of the morning will mean it turns over until the pump gets fuel pressure back at the injectors... then it'll start.

If there's an air leak in the fuel system, be it a hose or the fuel filter, etc.. then it'll leak back.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DODGE-DAKOTA ... ect=mobile

Well, I guess it'd do off-road. It ends there though

It's very manly in a check shirt and took belt way, it'd be a bargain to run at £2 a litre for petrol, the Durango we had in California struggled to get 20mpg, 15 was more realistic.

[Pirahna]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DODGE-DAKOTA ... ect=mobile

Pickups are a bit shit for this application, a van would be a far better choice. The load space in a van is secure, you can stop at motorway services and know the bikes will still be in the back of the van when you return. It's easier to load a van. You can get changed in the back of a van. Get a cab with a tailgate and you've got an instant dry space to work in. Get a crew cab van and it doubles as a family car. A van is far more useful for just about everything.

I've tried putting bikes on roof racks, towbar tracks, inside estate cars, a van is so far ahead for usability I wouldn't consider anything else.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

It was a joke, I don't for one minute think Weeksy would be buying a pickup truck that does 15mpg

[weeksy]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DODGE-DAKOTA ... ect=mobile

Pickups are a bit shit for this application, a van would be a far better choice. The load space in a van is secure, you can stop at motorway services and know the bikes will still be in the back of the van when you return. It's easier to load a van. You can get changed in the back of a van. Get a cab with a tailgate and you've got an instant dry space to work in. Get a crew cab van and it doubles as a family car. A van is far more useful for just about everything.

I've tried putting bikes on roof racks, towbar tracks, inside estate cars, a van is so far ahead for usability I wouldn't consider anything else.

Yes, 100% agree.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274903559145



This is local. Its stunningly nice inside and out. Drives lovely, the seats fold down insanely well.

However, they're very very low in terms of ground clearance. I'd have bought it 2 weeks ago, but the wife pointed out the fact it's very low. More research didn't help

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

But it, you'll look cool in a pimp van.

[KungFooBob]

I can imagine Weeksy in a Bedford Rascal / Suzuki Supercarry.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall-Ras ... ect=mobile

Yeah, I know it's a pickup, but the colour is comedy

[weeksy]

So Friday before the broken arm of despair I went into town and test drove this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255470840428 ... SwedViaiyI

I was really impressed with it actually. Drives like a car mostly. It was comfortable, quite, nice. No clunks, knocks, bangs.
Only downside is, it's £10,500 for a 15 plate with 135000 on the clocks.

My thoughts wander from "do I need a big van" and "will a smaller one do the job"

The answer is, apart from trackdays, not really.

There's things like the Toyota Proace, which is essentially a Citroen Despatch and Peugeot something, they'd do the job 99% better 99% of the time I think.

[Taff]

I really quite like the newer transits, some of them really do look pretty nice, however, chatting to folk who have them i at their dog Vans it seems that they have more than their fair share of problems unfortunately.

One of our mates has a new transit connect which is really really smart and would probably be perfect size for you

[weeksy]

Connect you can't get 2 people and a motorbike in.

[demographic]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DODGE-DAKOTA ... ect=mobile

Pickups are a bit shit for this application, a van would be a far better choice. The load space in a van is secure, you can stop at motorway services and know the bikes will still be in the back of the van when you return. It's easier to load a van. You can get changed in the back of a van. Get a cab with a tailgate and you've got an instant dry space to work in. Get a crew cab van and it doubles as a family car. A van is far more useful for just about everything.

I've tried putting bikes on roof racks, towbar tracks, inside estate cars, a van is so far ahead for usability I wouldn't consider anything else.

Absolutely that ^.
Pickups are great for pulling trailers, not much else.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I think everything after the first 5 words of Piranha's reply is redundant.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

So Friday before the broken arm of despair I went into town and test drove this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255470840428 ... SwedViaiyI

I was really impressed with it actually. Drives like a car mostly. It was comfortable, quite, nice. No clunks, knocks, bangs.
Only downside is, it's £10,500 for a 15 plate with 135000 on the clocks.

My thoughts wander from "do I need a big van" and "will a smaller one do the job"

The answer is, apart from trackdays, not really.

There's things like the Toyota Proace, which is essentially a Citroen Despatch and Peugeot something, they'd do the job 99% better 99% of the time I think.

My mate has one and loves it, I hired one in 2020 and I thought it was very good, nice to drive and enough room in the back for two motorcycles and all the track day kit.

[Count Steer]

So Friday before the broken arm of despair I went into town and test drove this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255470840428 ... SwedViaiyI

I was really impressed with it actually. Drives like a car mostly. It was comfortable, quite, nice. No clunks, knocks, bangs.
Only downside is, it's £10,500 for a 15 plate with 135000 on the clocks.

My thoughts wander from "do I need a big van" and "will a smaller one do the job"

The answer is, apart from trackdays, not really.

There's things like the Toyota Proace, which is essentially a Citroen Despatch and Peugeot something, they'd do the job 99% better 99% of the time I think.

I know people sat that diesel vans will last umpteen thousand miles (if well maintained) but what are the service costs like in the second and third 100,000? The usual bits that wear out can't be that much more durable than car parts can they? (Don't know what typical commercial service costs are, only ever owned one van and that was basically the same as the car version but with tin sides).

[mangocrazy]

So Friday before the broken arm of despair I went into town and test drove this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255470840428 ... SwedViaiyI

I was really impressed with it actually. Drives like a car mostly. It was comfortable, quite, nice. No clunks, knocks, bangs.
Only downside is, it's £10,500 for a 15 plate with 135000 on the clocks.

My thoughts wander from "do I need a big van" and "will a smaller one do the job"

The answer is, apart from trackdays, not really.

There's things like the Toyota Proace, which is essentially a Citroen Despatch and Peugeot something, they'd do the job 99% better 99% of the time I think.

I know people sat that diesel vans will last umpteen thousand miles (if well maintained) but what are the service costs like in the second and third 100,000? The usual bits that wear out can't be that much more durable than car parts can they? (Don't know what typical commercial service costs are, only ever owned one van and that was basically the same as the car version but with tin sides).

I'm not up on comparative costs for diesel vs. petrol on new(ish) vans, as my T4 is 20 years old... But you can always reckon that a diesel motor will comfortably outlive a petrol one, as the diesel motor is basically running on light oil, whereas the petrol one is running on an aggressive solvent. One lubricates the bores, the other washes them. Pitched against that are the fact that diesels use very high tech and complicated pumps and stupidly high delivery pressures in the fuel lines to basically pulverise the fuel and make it atomise. Having said that pretty much all vans these days, diesel or petrol, need specialist attention when they go wrong and there is little if anything the home mechanic can do to fix them.