Retro retro van, I wanna buy, a retro van...

[ferny]

So as my new (plumbing) business - hopefully - takes off I'm going to need a van. I'm starting to get embarrassed of turning up at a customers house in the Herald and it's not very practical. But, what to get? I'm struggling for ideas and the pickings are quite slim - probably as they're just a tool and get binned when replaced.

Only requirements are that it's easy to get parts far, is different enough to stand out (free advertising...) and possibly more important, is cheap (it'll be a couple of years before I make any kind of money). If it's over 24 years old then I should be able to put it on my current car policy as well, which would be most excellent.

Kinda kicking myself for not buying a Suzuki Hijet which was only £250, but it was too new really.

[marinanut]

Goiod luck in finding anything over 24 yrs old at a reasonable price.... all I'm after is either a Marina/Ital or Maestro van and they seem to start at £1300 for a reasonable one...

[bstardchild]

Jul 17, 2015 11:14:30 GMT marinanut said:

Goiod luck in finding anything over 24 yrs old at a reasonable price.... all I'm after is either a Marina/Ital or Maestro van and they seem to start at £1300 for a reasonable one...

Well 28 years old and £700 can be found in this here parish

I have no connection with the seller or the van other than he's a good all round egg and a nice person.

[vulgalour]

Or really any estate car. If a Herald is currently up to the task do you really need something as big as a van? Estate cars tend to be cheaper to buy and insure, less knackered and parts availability is rarely really an issue. There's absolutely loads to choose from too, even if you do go really old

[joem83]

How van friendly is your local tip?

[fr€$h&m1nt¥]

might not be to your requirements but Citroen C15 vans have been catching my eye recently.

Largely because although they look old (80s) they're actually built until recently so parts / age-related damage might not be as much of an issue.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CITROEN-C15-CHAMP-1-9-DIESEL-53-REG-81-000-MILES-ONLY-NO-VAT-/161750117636?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item25a90eed04

I don't know anything about them though.

I googled for a photo and it brought up an old RR thread - retrorides.proboards.com/thread/44952/citroen-c15-champ-van

[fr€$h&m1nt¥]

also wasn't there a sleeper Renault Extra van with Renault 5GT running gear for sale on here recently?

edit... This one - retrorides.proboards.com/thread/168353/renault-extra-turbo-engine-redditch

Probably gone now though i guess.

[grumpybadger]

Got to be the voice of reason here, if it's for business use buy the newest most reliable van you can afford.

By all means keep a retro for occasional/promotional use but for every day it's got to be presentable and reliable.

Also you'll need proper business insurance, it's easy for plod to tell the difference these days.

There, I said it.









PS, for what it's worth I'm a self employed plumber.

[vulgalour]

C15s are effectively Visa vans, they come in diesel flavour and are a good bet. Just be careful of the rot with them, especially sill ends and leading edge of the bonnet. Other than that they are a pretty good choice.

Everything the Badger says too, though I'd assumed you were already above board with the insurance side of things.

[joem83]

Found 2:

Bedford Midi
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bedford-Vauxhall-Midi-Van-J-Reg-1991-2-0-Petrol-SWB-Rare-Classic-UK-Isuzu-Fargo-/231621212361?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35edb338c9

Bedford Rascal:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall-Bedford-Rascal-Van-Like-Suzuki-Carry-Van-Spares-or-repair-Low-Miles-/261970148460?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cfea33c6c

I suppose as said, main thing you need is something that is reliable as it's going to be one of your most important work tools

I would be tempted with a mk1 caddy van sdi.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-CADDY-VAN-MK2-1-9-SDI-LOWERED-2003-/201387177396?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2ee39c75b4

[composimmonite]

Jul 17, 2015 13:21:03 GMT vulgalour said:

C15s are effectively Visa vans, they come in diesel flavour and are a good bet. Just be careful of the rot with them, especially sill ends and leading edge of the bonnet. Other than that they are a pretty good choice.

Everything the Badger says too, though I'd assumed you were already above board with the insurance side of things.

C15's are quite nice to drive - as long as you get a good one They rot terribly and rear suspension has problems so easier / cheaper to swop out whole axle.
Otherwise not a bad choice - but get the best you can afford.

[joem83]

C15: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CITROEN-C15-CHAMP-1-9-DIESEL-53-REG-81-000-MILES-ONLY-NO-VAT-/161750117636?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item25a90eed04

[MrSpeedy]

Jul 17, 2015 12:27:15 GMT grumpybadger said:

Got to be the voice of reason here, if it's for business use buy the newest most reliable van you can afford.

By all means keep a retro for occasional/promotional use but for every day it's got to be presentable and reliable.

Also you'll need proper business insurance, it's easy for plod to tell the difference these days.

There, I said it.









PS, for what it's worth I'm a self employed plumber.

I couldn't disagree more!

Since 1985 my Dad and/or me have had brand new Astravans. Starting with the MK2 1.6 diesel, then a MK3 1.7 td and finishing up with a mk4 1.7DTI

The mk2 and 3 were fine. Slow, but fine. The MK4 was an absolute pile of unreliable and uncomfortable sh1t!! It put us both off modern vans for life. Nothing but trouble from day one. Literally!

In my opinion you for something from the mid to late 80's, just before all the electrickery came in.

We have now been running our 1962 400E as a daily for over 8 years. By far the most reliable thing we've had. (We have fitted it with a 1.8 XLD)

Had a brief spell with a very early Maestro Van. 1.3 A+ series in it. Sounded like driving a Mini and the load area was huge! It did go rotten very quickly though

I have a real hankering for a Courrier, but will probably end up with an estate and convert that sometime in the future.

Classic vans, of any era, are really shooting up in value now, so if you're going to get one, do it sooner rather than later!!

[dodgerover]

Jul 17, 2015 12:27:15 GMT grumpybadger said:

Got to be the voice of reason here, if it's for business use buy the newest most reliable van you can afford.

By all means keep a retro for occasional/promotional use but for every day it's got to be presentable and reliable.

Also you'll need proper business insurance, it's easy for plod to tell the difference these days.

There, I said it.

PS, for what it's worth I'm a self employed plumber.

Disagree from me, my business vehicle is a Mk2 Transit doing 10k ish a year, the amount of work I get as people recognise the van or get told its the chippy with the old blue transit is remarkable.

I used to work for someone who ran mini pickups and mk1 vans all signed up for his business, they were a great advert.

[marinanut]

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/nissan-sunny-17dl-diesel-van-full-mot-/191635357370?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2c9e5b7eba

[PandaSelecta]

As another plumber, I have to agree with the guys saying "get something modern". I tried going down the "interesting" van route, and found that they were either expensive to run but reliable, or cheap to run but rotted quickly.

I ended up with a 2005 Vauxhall Combo, and apart from a couple of problems which weren't cheap (timing chain jumped), its fast enough, does 55+ mpg, and is comfortable.

[robinmasters]

*most people* don't want a plumber to be interesting. They want someone 'professional'-someone who will turn up on time, do the job properly, and not leave a mess behind them.

Someone who drives a shonky old van is bound to break down on the way, arrive late, and leave oil all over your driveway. They'll probably use pipes and fittings from the fifties, which will leak, will suggest you have your new toilet installed outside, and will tell you avocado is the new black.

If you want a job where customers value (or even put up with) your individuality, it isn't plumbing.

Have you considered a hearse? One of the few vehicles you could get lengths of copper pipe inside, instead of on the roof.

[dodgerover]

Just as a note to the above most people don't give a rats what you turn up in as long as you turn up when you say you will and do a good job. As for using fittings from the 50's I would be very pleased to find someone with a good stock and also pipe from the same era it's about twice as thick walled as the modern stuff and is a hell of a lot easier to work with.

As for old vans breaking down all the time there's a lot less to fail on a 80's van than a 2015 one. They were built to do the job there's no reason they can't do it today as long as you do oil/ water checks and services regularly same as you would any other vehicle.

[eternaloptimist]

That Midi looks pretty tidy.

[bazzateer]

Jul 18, 2015 8:37:27 GMT dodgerover said:

Just as a note to the above most people don't give a rats what you turn up in as long as you turn up when you say you will and do a good job. As for using fittings from the 50's I would be very pleased to find someone with a good stock and also pipe from the same era it's about twice as thick walled as the modern stuff and is a hell of a lot easier to work with.

As for old vans breaking down all the time there's a lot less to fail on a 80's van than a 2015 one. They were built to do the job there's no reason they can't do it today as long as you do oil/ water checks and services regularly same as you would any other vehicle.

Sums it up for me!