Affordable retro-ish load luggers - A CONCLUSION

[Paul]

Morning all,

Having struggled to get 1 (one) rusty barbecue into the back of the huge but actually totally impractical bed of my pickup (which has a fibreglass top and silly shallow bed) I'm thinking of selling the truck and buying something actually a bit more practical for occasional use for tip runs, load lugging etc etc.

Ideally something a bit retro-ish - been looking at the

Seat Inca
Early Berlingo
Jumbucks with the truckman top
Citroen C15
Renault 5 vans

That sort of thing...not too big but with a useable space that could possibly get wheels and lows. HiJets and Rascals seem to have skyrocketed in price, and I've already had one of those.

Are there any I should be considering?

Something up to the £5k mark max. Thanks all!

[gezzard]

VW Caddy, the Polo faced ones, similar to an Inca.



Skoda fun, added bonus of rear seats! Could fit some sort of truckman top.



The insides of old Volvo's seem quite cavernous. Whether any are available for sub 5 grand I don't know.

[Paul]

Yeah caddys are also on the list.

Funs have gone way up in price as well, if you can find one 🙄

[misteralz]

SEAT Vario. The Ibiza estate that nobody wanted. They're really easy to modify as they're just mk2 Golfs/mk4 Polos/probably something else underneath. Look great with G60 steels or bigger flat-faced wheels and a drop.

955. Ugly but cavernous.

L322 if you're a gambler. They're still fantastic looking things. You either get good ones or terrible ones. There's no in between. We had a great one and put 70k on it.

[Paul]

Nov 17, 2024 11:44:24 GMT misteralz said:

L322 if you're a gambler. They're still fantastic looking things. You either get good ones or terrible ones. There's no in between. We had a great one and put 70k on it.

All the ones I've seen are in a crippling high tax bracket...are they all up there or just the ones I'm seeing?

[misteralz]

Think ours was 280 a year? Post 2005 or 06 were double that IIRC.

[braaap]

Suzuki Wagon R+ 1. or 2. genaeration
Or the gen 2s' twin, the Vauxopel Agila.

They all are only small from outside, but with the rear seats folded down, they are load luggers.

[Paul]

Have already had a Wagon R, great little cars but as you say - not really that little with the seats down. Actually quite a tall thing. Wish I'd kept it actually.

[skinnylew]

One thing I never see these days is the early mpv's. I'm thinking mk1 Galaxy/Sharan/Alhambra, 806/Synergie/Ulysses, Space Wagon/Runner, Espace, etc. Rare and something different, hugely versatile, it's baffling why SUVs took this segment over when they do the job so much worse 🤔🙄😑

[mylittletony]

If you're pondering Wagon R etc, just take the back seats out of your A2.

I have got more in the back of mine than in our old E46 estate

[crockpot]

Having had Jumbuck I can only advise on that potential choice.
Rust.
More rust.
Rot.
More rot.
Did I mention corrosion?

Apart from that not bad little pick up's.

[jayj83]

i do like the jumbuck they use they look cool with the evo front end on as well

I do like the suburu bratt as well

[vulgalour]

90s-00s MPVs are where it's at for this task. Most have been absolutely hammered by now. There are a few gems out there and you'd probably never spend more than £5k even on a good one. They're not considered classics or collectible, which helps, and there's a good amount of parts bin action with many of them. Best of all you're less likely to fall foul of weird rules regarding vans at the tip when you turn up with an MPV

Vauxhall Zafira
Ford Galaxy (and other badge engineered versions)
Citroen Picasso
Renault Scenic
Citreon Synergie (and other badge engineered versions)
Toyota Picnic

Nissan Serena (and other badge engineered versions)

Peugeot Partner (and other badge engineered versions)

Or get a hearse, just about any hearse will do.

[jayj83]

Zafira GSI

[awoo]

I recently bought a Land Rover discovery 3 well within your budget. High tax but buy pre 2006 and it’s standard rate.

Massive inside with all the seats down. They lay flat too so is almost like a transit van inside. Approaching retro era

[Waxoyling Lyrical]

My dad's 2005 Zafira 2.0DTI may be for sale, if interested. My old E-bay listing for it is here:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276642791697

[jayj83]

caddy sdi are bomb proff as well though, if not a little slow, Even a escort van, a mark 4 would be cool, or this, The bantam are cool as- Retro as well

www.memorylaneimports.co.uk/ford-bantam

[jayj83]

i know this is over budget but it is so so cool

www.carcavescotland.co.uk/classic-cars-stock/ford-cortina-p100-30-auto

[Paul]

Drove a 955 tonight as a test, felt absolutely luxurious.

But then I then felt bad at the idea of knocking the back seats down to put old oil jugs and general garden waste in the back. I wouldn’t care in an old Caddy or even a Galaxy with the seats out.

[misteralz]

Why? A good pal of mine uses his as a workhorse. It's still immaculate inside and out despite being regularly filled with bits of old Alfa. An old bedsheet or two is your friend here.