thanks, had no idea how much risk this introduced. so relieved i asked.
Which van should I buy? Value vs Premium
- Thread starter sam_glasgow
- Start date
-
- Tags
- valuation
It would be option B for me. I like the LV look so would be prepared to pay extra for it but it isn't a subtle style so you need to decide it you like it.
I would also try and get the best base spec van you can. Highline all day long.
Also the mods you talk about for option A (replace the heater and change to a captains passenger seat) will cost well over £1000 where as you can probably downsize the rims on option and save a bit.
I would also try and get the best base spec van you can. Highline all day long.
Also the mods you talk about for option A (replace the heater and change to a captains passenger seat) will cost well over £1000 where as you can probably downsize the rims on option and save a bit.
thanks! do you mean downgrade by selling the rims ? if so thats an interesting point
There's a constant trade in wheels on the forum - some looking to up-size, others to downsize and lots just looking for a refresh/something different, so downgrading could generate some cash for you, though I'm not sure how an aggressive, LV-styled van would look if you tried to maximise that amount by replacing your wheels with the standard 17" Davenport.
maybe a curve ball but what exactly do you need the van for? are you camping long trips, day van or just weekends away.
both those vans are quite expensive and your paying a big preimium for the coversion, are you sure you want the whole conversion and does it suit your needs? the camper is only as good as the van underneath.
if its just an occasional weekend caming then a small kitchen pod might be much more suitable giving you massively more room in the van for a bigger bed and general space.
admittedly you might want the whole hog with pop top and units.
for the sort of costs above I personally would be much more inclined to look at a more newer panel van or kombi with more around 20-30k miles on the clock and as a blank canvas, £30-35k should easily get you that, compared to the £45k van that still leaves you to get a bed, pop top and electrics which you could just about do for the spare 10k and bingo you have a much better base van. If you find yourself needing more coversion bits add them when you need to later and they will be more tailored to your needs. I wouldnt be suprised if you find yourself in these vans as less is more as its only a small van.
Only my opion though, there is no right or wrong answer and good luck!
both those vans are quite expensive and your paying a big preimium for the coversion, are you sure you want the whole conversion and does it suit your needs? the camper is only as good as the van underneath.
if its just an occasional weekend caming then a small kitchen pod might be much more suitable giving you massively more room in the van for a bigger bed and general space.
admittedly you might want the whole hog with pop top and units.
for the sort of costs above I personally would be much more inclined to look at a more newer panel van or kombi with more around 20-30k miles on the clock and as a blank canvas, £30-35k should easily get you that, compared to the £45k van that still leaves you to get a bed, pop top and electrics which you could just about do for the spare 10k and bingo you have a much better base van. If you find yourself needing more coversion bits add them when you need to later and they will be more tailored to your needs. I wouldnt be suprised if you find yourself in these vans as less is more as its only a small van.
Only my opion though, there is no right or wrong answer and good luck!
We rented a few times mostly experimenting with rock and roll vs RIB vs u shaped layout
Quite keen on the whole conversion, whilst we would do a lot of weekends etc we also want to do longer trips around Scotland (north coast, islands etc) and also I surf so down to Cornwall, SW France, northern Spain etc. That is our aspiration at least, but reality could be different.
I do like the idea of buying a van and getting the conversion done, although I thought it would end up more expensive. Our wisdom was to buy a pre-owned converted van to save money but the feedback seems to suggest these options I have narrowed it down to are not really great value for money compared to whats out there. I'm struggling a bit to find better options (SWB, Euro 6, particularly RIB bed narrows it down A LOT but we both agree that's important for comfort and storage). Lots of food for thought. And back to trawling the 'for sale' subforum to see if there is anything I missed.
Whoop whoop it’s da wheelbase police!
On these threads I tend to pop up with my preference for a LWB unless there is an unmovable object that forces SWB. I’ve never been inside my van thinking ‘if only I had less space to get changed here’. I can still park it in a regular bay, and get around narrow lanes to biking destinations. Personal preference though.
Yes, sorry meant downgrade the wheels on option B
We have a very small car so its already a big jump for us, and this will be our daily driver. Our streets are very narrow in places, the metal fence at the end of our road is half demolished by turning vehicles and deliver vans normally reverse down the wrong way to avoid this. However, you're right I'm sure we could adapt if required.
Been there done that! We took the plunge in March this year after what sounds like a very similar process to your own. We started actually viewing vehicles in December (after plenty of online research), so first of all I would say if you only started viewing this month - take your time! Other options will become available.
We started with a 2016 on around 35k miles, then checked out a 2018 with ~30K, then a 2020 with ~20K, gradually stretching the budget further and further. It became obvious to us pretty quickly that our preference was for newer / lower mileage, and a reputable converter, so based purely on that I would go for your option B. But I think the LV package is reflected in the price. I would be looking for a T6.1 Highline base, 2020 onwards and with much lower mileage and preferably some kind of warranty. I just did a quick search on AT and found this, for less than option B. Obviously too far away for you, but since you're willing to travel 4 hours, I'm sure other options will come up. (We almost traveled from Merseyside to Devon to view one, but waited - and eventually found ours only an hour or so away)
We had a similar "must have" list, which narrowed the search down too. We were insistent on the RIB bed, and also a single front passenger seat - we were quoted around £1500 by a couple of sources for swapping out a double. An awning can be added later (or better imo, an awning rail for ~£200-£300 plus a sail awning like the Debus), as can roof bars etc. Expect to fork out probably into 4 figures for bits and pieces to kit your van out anyway, as others here will no doubt testify to, so it's important not to stretch your budget to the absolute limit - but I'd still try for newer / lower mileage if you can.
We also swapped our car for the van as our daily, so SWB suits us (a LWB would stick it's nose out of our driveway!)
Yep LWB 4 Lyfe
Firstly thank you for taking the time to write such an in depth reply.
It seems like widening the search radius may open up a couple more favorable options.
A bit of soul searching and you may be right, we're quite keen to find something, maybe a bit overly keen... Was starting to feel like there are suddenly there are less vans available and if we didn't make a decision soon it might end up being spring by the time we do. In hindsight, maybe that's a price worth paying to find the perfect van.
Also, great find! Aside from it being 5 speed, looks like it ticks all the boxes, and some! I might need some tips on how to search audio trader more effectively
Mmm...maybe it was too good to be true, because the advert seems to have been removed today! But my point remains the same - take your time, there will be others.
Is a 6 speed 'box on the "must have", or "would be nice" list? If the former, that's also going to narrow your search significantly, as the majority of conversions do seem to be on the 110ps with the 5 speed. If you haven't already stumbled upon them, there are a couple of recent threads started by other new members at a similar stage as you are, which are worth checking out:
T6.1 150ps Vs 110ps which also discusses 5 speed v 6 speed
First time buyer advice which compares a T6 (2015) v T6.1 (2020)
With Autotrader, pop in your post code and then just use the filters for distance, maximum price, earliest year and maximum mileage, for example. If you register / sign in, you can save the search criteria and set up email alerts for any new ads that match, as soon as they are added.
Unfortunately you can't really filter for RIB bed and single passenger seat, so you still have to check every ad, and admittedly this example only turned up 16 results, only one of which ticks those two boxes - a private seller down in Manchester with a 2021 on 14,500 miles for 44.5K, but it's an automatic, which is rare at that price.
Anyway, happy hunting and good luck!
Update: just checked, and yesterday's find is still on the dealer's website here, just in case you were tempted to travel all the way to Lincoln. (If I was still looking, I'd probably be on my way there now - even the reg plate must be worth a few quid!!)
Is a 6 speed 'box on the "must have", or "would be nice" list? If the former, that's also going to narrow your search significantly, as the majority of conversions do seem to be on the 110ps with the 5 speed. If you haven't already stumbled upon them, there are a couple of recent threads started by other new members at a similar stage as you are, which are worth checking out:
T6.1 150ps Vs 110ps which also discusses 5 speed v 6 speed
First time buyer advice which compares a T6 (2015) v T6.1 (2020)
With Autotrader, pop in your post code and then just use the filters for distance, maximum price, earliest year and maximum mileage, for example. If you register / sign in, you can save the search criteria and set up email alerts for any new ads that match, as soon as they are added.
Unfortunately you can't really filter for RIB bed and single passenger seat, so you still have to check every ad, and admittedly this example only turned up 16 results, only one of which ticks those two boxes - a private seller down in Manchester with a 2021 on 14,500 miles for 44.5K, but it's an automatic, which is rare at that price.
Anyway, happy hunting and good luck!
Update: just checked, and yesterday's find is still on the dealer's website here, just in case you were tempted to travel all the way to Lincoln. (If I was still looking, I'd probably be on my way there now - even the reg plate must be worth a few quid!!)
Last edited:
6 speed has gone from must have to nice to have for that reason - I see probably 80-90% of the conversions are on the lower power vans. Which isn't ideal for the mountains of Scotland, but a concession has to be made somewhere.
I've delved into a few threads like that before but cant remember if it was those ones, I'll take a look thanks.
DSG was something I was advised could have more costly repairs in the future so we have for now steered clear of.
The reg yeah!! According to the Gov.uk MOT checker it's real, I thought it was a 'display only' type of one.
Great catch re: the website vs autotrader, unfortunately I spoke to then and they confirmed it sold today!
I've delved into a few threads like that before but cant remember if it was those ones, I'll take a look thanks.
DSG was something I was advised could have more costly repairs in the future so we have for now steered clear of.
The reg yeah!! According to the Gov.uk MOT checker it's real, I thought it was a 'display only' type of one.
Great catch re: the website vs autotrader, unfortunately I spoke to then and they confirmed it sold today!
Last edited:
