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Minivan for long distance? - redongreenon

I am in need of some suggestions for a vehicle to be used for very long runs around Europe. I need something with a lot of space and where the rear seats fold down into a bed. So a minivan or van base. I had thought of a Nissan Elgrand but am put off by the fuel costs.

Has anyone got any suggestions? Seems like most of these are Japanese imports, which is fine, but I don't know a huge amount about what is available. Budget about 5k.

Minivan for long distance? - dan86

We had a Chrysler grand voyger for 4 years and put close to 100k on it bought it at 150k. On a long run would do 33mpg. It was like driving an armchair. I done a 2000 mile round trip to visit family in the Netherlands and Germany and it was perfect for the job.

But as it dod have a lot of miles on it when I got it it did need a free things.

1st was the radiator, known week point

2and was the thermostat, known week point

3rd was the alternator , not that bad a job to do as its easily accessible

4th was the fuel pump, that wrote the car off ax the cost o the pump was worth more than the car.

I paid £3000 for it at 8 years old so was an ageing car when I got it. But it could seat 7 and hold all their luggage . The auto box was smooth and the suspension extremely soft.

But if I needed such a car again I would probably got for one of the jap imports or a Toreno connect. But for long journeys I find its important to sacrifice some mpg for comfort.

Minivan for long distance? - redongreenon

Yes I like the driving an armchair thing. I am just trying to work out how much MPG to sacrifice really, a 2ton 3.5l petrol for example might be a bit much!

Minivan for long distance? - dan86

Yes I like the driving an armchair thing. I am just trying to work out how much MPG to sacrifice really, a 2ton 3.5l petrol for example might be a bit much!

That why I went for the 2.8 diesel. Even then 24mpg around town and 30 on the motorway. But it had plenty of poke for a car of its size and would sit happily at 80 mph

Minivan for long distance? - nellyjak

You could do much worse than to consider a Japanese import..generally you'll be getting good build quality and reliability..and a few more bangs for your buck.

Have a look at Toyota Estimas (known as the Previa in UK/Europe)...I've had mine for 4 years now and it's never missed a beat...mine's a 4wd 3 litre V6 but the majority will be 2.4 4 cylinder models.

Also the Toyota Noah/Voxy and Hi-ace derived vans...or Honda Stepwagon ...all might be worth a look....Mazda Bongo might be worth a look to

The Nissan ElGrand is good too but all generally have the bigger engines.

Generally these imports seldom have rust issues..the only exception to that is the Bongo..they need to be checked carefully.

Depends whereabouts you are, but best to find an importer if you can...they are there.!..and then you can go see and check for yourself.

Good luck

Edited by nellyjak on 14/02/2020 at 06:50

Minivan for long distance? - Ian_SW

For a UK car rather than an import, you could look at a Hyundai i800. There are a few around for less than £5k.

Pretty refined for what it is on the motorway, certainly better than a Transit van or similar, and goes well enough. Perhaps not the most economical (I got just under 30mpg, despite it being diesel, in an Auto hire car I ran around in for a while), but I suspect a lot better than something similarly sized.powered by a big petrol engine as most of the Japanese imports will be.

Minivan for long distance? - redongreenon

MPG is a bit of a sticking point really - the Elgrand forum reckon the E51 3.5 Petrol would do 30MPG at 55 on a run.

However the first run is to the Algarve so that's 1500 miles...

Minivan for long distance? - redongreenon

Cheers for the info! Can you get the seats down into a bed on the Previa?

Minivan for long distance? - nellyjak

Yes...but they won't be completely flat...I use some extra cushions where necessary...and then a mattress topper..works for me.

As for mpg...I can get 30-35 mpg out of my V6..on a mixed motoring longish Summer run..but in Winter with shorter journeys etc. you can take a good 10mpg off that.

Edited by nellyjak on 15/02/2020 at 08:34

Minivan for long distance? - badbusdriver

Difficult question due to the budget and requirements for reasonable economy. As has been said, Jap MPV could be a good choice but for the fact that at this budget, most are going to have an engine of 3.0 litres plus. And while 30mpg is certainly possible in something like an Elgrand, the actual average is going to be more like 20mpg. You can get into a smaller, 2.0 Jap MPV for £5k, but the choice is going to limited to the odd Toyota Voxy or Honda Stepwagon. Most in this sort of size range are more like £7k plus.

I like the van conversion option myself as i enjoy a bit of DIY, and with self contained 'units' (fridge, hob, sink, maybe a little worktop and some storage underneath) being available for conversions, as long as you don't need all the mod cons, needn't be too hard or expensive. But buying vans at this sort of price range is very much a hit or a miss. They are working vehicles after all and most are treated as such, so a the average £5k van is going to have lead a very hard life. You may get lucky and find something owned privately, or by a small firm that looks after them but you could spend plenty of time looking at tat beforehand!. On the plus side, you would likely get much better economy, even from a Transit sized van. When i first started cleaning windows i had a SWB high roof Iveco Daily which (despite being a SWB) was a big, heavy and chunky thing with a 2.3 turbo diesel and the aerodynamics of a barn. My average mpg, which consisted of driving to wherever i was working (30ishmiles at most each way) on single carriageway A and B roads, then stop start for the rest of the day going from house to house, was 29mpg. Given my useage, i have no doubt that spending more time at a cruising speed would result in more like 35mpg. Without the high roof and a lighter van to start with (the Iveco had a very heavy duty chassis compared to other vans of a similar size) should get to 40mpg without too much difficulty.

The other possibility i looked at was a camper van. These can be very expensive indeed though, even for old and not very desirable stuff. I did find an option which could work though, assuming you don't mind the looks and the general lack of performance, the Citroen C15 Romahome!. There are a surprising amount of these things still kicking about, probably by dint of the owners being much more fastidious on servicing and maintenence than most van or car drivers. Small enough to park in a normal sized space, not too bad on the open road with the 'pop top' in the retracted position (for less wind resistance(!)). But when you park up, get the top up, and you have plenty of standing room. Some do go for more than £5k, but most are under. As i said though, you won't be going anywhere in a hurrry, not with something like 60-65bhp on tap. But they do say patience is a virtue, and the engine is nigh on indestructable with the mechanical complexity of a knife and fork. Here is one i found on Ebay,

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-Citroen-C15-Romahome-Hydro...7

Minivan for long distance? - redongreenon

Thanks for the very comprehensive reply!

I have considered the van conversion option as well, however matters have been complicated by the impending arrival of my first child so he (and the dog) will need proper safe seats! That's why I was pursuing the minivan idea just so it can have seats, then a bed then back to seats again.

The old E50 3.0 diesel Elgrand is supposed to hit the dizzy heights of upper 30s on a run so maybe one of these is the way, I have seen what look like decent ones for 4K.

Minivan for long distance? - badbusdriver

Thanks for the very comprehensive reply!

I have considered the van conversion option as well, however matters have been complicated by the impending arrival of my first child so he (and the dog) will need proper safe seats! That's why I was pursuing the minivan idea just so it can have seats, then a bed then back to seats again.

The old E50 3.0 diesel Elgrand is supposed to hit the dizzy heights of upper 30s on a run so maybe one of these is the way, I have seen what look like decent ones for 4K.

That is fair enough re the seats. But with an elderly diesel like the one in the Elgrand, will you actually be able to go where you plan to?. Not sure what the rules and regs re 'clean air zones' in European cities are, but i think you should look into that carefully before going for something like the Elgrand.

BTW, where would the baby be sleeping?, i'm asking because, assuming the Elgrand seats do fold ito a bed, it will just be one big lumpy double(ish) sized area. If you were all going to be kipping down like this (and investigation shows there wouldn't be a problem with an older diesel engine), then i'd suggest something like a Ford Galaxy. All of the 5 rear seats can be removed, so ditch all bar one for the baby, that way the baby can be strapped safely in during travel (the dog could, and should, be in a cage which could be secure to some of the rear seat mounting points). At night, remove the babies seat (store it overnight on the front passenger seat) and sleep on an inflatable mattress which would almost certainly be more comfortable than the setup in the Elgrand. Bear in mind too that due to the vehicle taxation rules in Japan, the Elgrand is quite narrow (due to vehicle taxation classes in Japan), much more so than the Ford. In addition, i'd guess the Galaxy would be a safer place in the event of an accident. And finally, the economy would definitely be better. That economy figure you've given for the Elgrand, i'd treat that with some degree of scepticism. Upper 30's may be possible in theory, but i'd guess low 30's would be a more realistic expectaion for normal driving. I'd expect the Galaxy to manage mid 40's (maybe a bit higher) in the same circumstances.

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200131678...1

Minivan for long distance? - daveyK_UK
Ssangyong Tourismo
Minivan for long distance? - badbusdriver
Ssangyong Tourismo

For under £5k?

Minivan for long distance? - daveyK_UK
I would have thought so?
They de value heavily over 5 years which is why the manufacturers PCP offer is so expensive despite being a 5 year PCP


Wasn’t the Tourismo badged with a different name prior to one of its face lifts?
Was it called a Rexton or Rodius?

On a long journey they are very much like sitting in a big sofa chair
Minivan for long distance? - dan86
I would have thought so? They de value heavily over 5 years which is why the manufacturers PCP offer is so expensive despite being a 5 year PCP Wasn’t the Tourismo badged with a different name prior to one of its face lifts? Was it called a Rexton or Rodius? On a long journey they are very much like sitting in a big sofa chair

It was a face lift of the extremely ugly Rodius

Minivan for long distance? - badbusdriver

Ssangyong Tourismo

For under £5k?

I would have thought so?
They de value heavily over 5 years which is why the manufacturers PCP offer is so expensive despite being a 5 year PCP

Cheapest on Autotrader and Ebay is a 134k miles example for £6789, next cheapest is over a grand dearer.

Minivan for long distance? - daveyK_UK

One for £1995

Looks to good to be true

I just found a great car on Auto Trader.
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200115620...3

Download the app to find your perfect car.
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.autotr...e

Minivan for long distance? - daveyK_UK

The one for £6789

I've just put the details into webuyanyjunk and it trades at £5000 in top condition

I would suggest £5k is generous based on Ssangyongs own PCP predictions

Minivan for long distance? - daveyK_UK

Interestingly, the Tourismo is no longer listed on the Ssangyong website!?

Pulled from the UK?

Minivan for long distance? - nellyjak

One for £1995

Looks to good to be true

I just found a great car on Auto Trader.

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200115620...3

Don't think I'd want to pay more..I would have liked to see fewer advisories and fails on the MOT history

Minivan for long distance? - Metropolis.
Nissan Serena

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191130491...0

Minivan for long distance? - daveyK_UK
Having previously owned a serena , a 0 - 60 time of 30 seconds is the normal

Most gutless vehicle I’ve ever owned and driven and I have driven some complete rubbish in my time