Morning All.
We will be moving shortly. Once to stay with friends about 200 miles away. And then again when we eventualy find our new home. Now I don't currently have a car. The mrs has a 406 Estate.
So what I was thinking was buy biggest Van I can legally drive on a normal license, use it to move to friends, maybe use it as a 'man with a van' type service whilst we're staying there to generate some dosh for dog food, then use it to for the final move.
Then sell it & get a small car. Maybe. I do have 5 big dogs which we show-maybe it could become the new show wagon?
So, what should I be looking at? Low running costs, low insurance & easy resale value. Or maybe a real cheapy on it's last legs? Dunno. Or maybe I don't really need something colossal-suppose I could stuff sofa's into storage (next door neighbours have a huge Luton thing-get all the sofas etc in there & I know they'd help out) & perhaps one of those people carriers that all the seats come out of?
Advice & thoughts all greatfully received.
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www.bayingbasset.com
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If you got your license pre 97 then you can legally drive up to 7.5 T GVW, which will get you a 20' Luton removals van. That would take to contents of a 3 bed house no trouble. I'd guess it's larger than you had in mind, though. A sub 3.5T van would do you fine. Go down to a van hire place to have a look at their fleet, and see what you need. A man with van service probably best off with a Luton Transit LWB with tail lift - that way you can do most moves single-handed.
You'll get a decent looking one for about £3,000.
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way pre 97!!
Good, thanks for that.
On the other hand, if I find that I don't need something that big, simply because all the big stuff will go into local storage & my lovely next door neighbours help us out with their Luton, what big 'transit' style might do us?
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www.bayingbasset.com
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Do a search on Ford Transit here: www.autotrader.co.uk/VANS/vans.jsp
Everything from an ex-BT SWB panel van to (the roofrack gives them away) upwards.
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Don't touch any BT van that hasn't got a simple low tech diesel in it.
You think BT engineers are worried about what their driving does to a turbo/sophisticated engines? ;o)
Go for the most tractor-like as possible.
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What you MUST remember, is that most vans are obviousley bought as a working vehicle & reasonably well maintained by the first owner.
It's when they get into 3/4 owners along, that costs on maintainence get cut - plenty of components on car sized vehicles, aren't dearer than the = car....but once you get into panel vans, you will have proportionatly more expensive service costs, with some garages not wanting to repair/service them.
Your best bet is to find something that started off Local Government/utility used, then it won't have had an excessive mileage/useage to start with. Better chance for you, then!
For cheap, try ex Royal Mail LDV, bumps n grazes, but OK engines/transmissions (Ford & Pug), or even Police will run older fleets. Try the Auctionview link to our left - clik Commercial Auctionview.
VB
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If you don't need that big a van- have you thought about a people carrier? With some being Van based- would only have to remove the seats for removals day (although may have to do another round trip to get the seats back!).
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My dad did exactly what you are proposing with a 94(M), ex BT + 1 private owner Transit 2.5 Diesel.
Three months use, zero depreciation, zero maintenance and repair costs, and it re-sold within four hours of advertising it. In that time it was used to move house, renovate a kitchen (old kitchen to the dump, collect new kitchen and materials), clear a garden and do several odd jobs for friends and rellies (for fuel cost plus a drink usually).
He had seven calls on it during the morning the advert came out and the first person to look at it bought it for the asking price. The cost saving on not having to hire a van to move house or pay someone to clear the garden out/hire a skip covered the insurance and a chunk of the fuel. As near as dammit free motoring.
Such a handy thing to have on the drive as well.
Cheers
DP
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IMO there are two ways of looking at this problem.
1) try to do what DPs dad did. That said, he bought a Transit that, although tend to be more expensive, do hold their value. IMO he was lucky to sell it for what he paid for it though. Either he got it for a good price or he got top dollar for it when he sold it
2) Do what I ended up doing. Buy a cheapie Renault Trafic (1996), get about 2 years use out of it, including starting up a business, then have a major breakdown and sell it even cheaper on e bay. This experience was not ideal but I think I did fairly well to arrive at around £450 depreciation over the 2 years. It was not a shed either. The bodywork was in good enough condition. I sold it on e bay for £290 after buying it for £750 with 3 months RFL two years earlier. Having said that if I had only kept it for a few months I could had probably sold it for what I paid and had free rfl.
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If I wanted a van for two specific jobs, I'd hire one. Use a national chain so you can drop it off anywhere in the UK within reason. By hiring, you can guarentee you won't have unexpected things go wrong with it, you won't risk buying a dud, no road tax and no insurance, no deprecation. I'd have thought despite how cheap a van is to buy, you'll pay out in tax and insurance near on what the hire charges would be. Of course, if its not a money issue - buy the van - Boxers, Relays and Ducatos are cheap.
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Could the OP get away with a towavan or similar to tow behind the 406?
They hold their value well and tow very well. I used to work for a trailer hire company, people were towing these with anything from astras etc.
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