I'm looking to get my first van for my expanding family. I have toured with a caravan before (I borrowed my grandparents Bailey Ranger for a trip to the Isle of Wight), I have plenty of experience towing trailers and the like (reversing is not an issue) and I have a suitable tow car (Jag X-type 2.2TD although i'm looking at getting a Nissan Navara crew cab for the other halfs run around).
I'm after a twin axle because I have read a lot about them being more stable to tow (obviously helped be correct loading and set up) and easier to reverse due to the tyre scrubbing which I can understand from experience with multi axle trailers. I also like the idea of the isurance of an extra wheel on each side in case of a blow out.
I'm after quite a specific layout. First of all I'm after double bunk for the kids (currently one but thats planned to change) this can be permanent or fold away, if its fold away it would be better if it was at the side of the van rather than the rear as I would keep it set up to save the hassle at the kids bed time and they can sleep in and keep out of the way (some of you might be thinking stick the kids in the awning (which is also on the list) but the current small one is too young and I plan to tour year round).
Second must have is a fixed double bed. Again this is a convienience so we don't have the hassle of literally building the bed at night and packing it away in the morning, this isn't as much of a priority as the bunk but it is still high on the list. I realise that this puts me in the range of a 6 berth as the seating at the front would also convert.
Third is the Must have items. Cassette Toilet, mains power, mains heating (blown air for weight reduction), mains water heating, flyscreens & black out blinds, gas oven, grill & hob, fridge (&freezer?),
Pretty much everything else like TV points, mains lighting, and periferal items I can either fit myself or arrange to be installed.
Van Weight, the kerb weight of my car is 2090kg, max tow is 1480kg, so if I can get a van with MTPLM around 1500kg I just have to make sure that I don't go over my total vehicle weight and I would have around a 75% match.
I'm looking at a model between 8 and 15 years old because of budget. However I don't mind paying a little more for something that gives peace of mind with regard to reliabilty (build quality in this case).
I've looked at a few vans on e-bay and autotrader but sellers just don't seem to give a full enough description of just don't know what they are saying. It has always been my philosophy that "if you don't know ask someone who does!" So I thought this forums wealth of experience might be able to suggest suitable makes and models.
I thank you for your time.
I'm after a twin axle because I have read a lot about them being more stable to tow (obviously helped be correct loading and set up) and easier to reverse due to the tyre scrubbing which I can understand from experience with multi axle trailers. I also like the idea of the isurance of an extra wheel on each side in case of a blow out.
I'm after quite a specific layout. First of all I'm after double bunk for the kids (currently one but thats planned to change) this can be permanent or fold away, if its fold away it would be better if it was at the side of the van rather than the rear as I would keep it set up to save the hassle at the kids bed time and they can sleep in and keep out of the way (some of you might be thinking stick the kids in the awning (which is also on the list) but the current small one is too young and I plan to tour year round).
Second must have is a fixed double bed. Again this is a convienience so we don't have the hassle of literally building the bed at night and packing it away in the morning, this isn't as much of a priority as the bunk but it is still high on the list. I realise that this puts me in the range of a 6 berth as the seating at the front would also convert.
Third is the Must have items. Cassette Toilet, mains power, mains heating (blown air for weight reduction), mains water heating, flyscreens & black out blinds, gas oven, grill & hob, fridge (&freezer?),
Pretty much everything else like TV points, mains lighting, and periferal items I can either fit myself or arrange to be installed.
Van Weight, the kerb weight of my car is 2090kg, max tow is 1480kg, so if I can get a van with MTPLM around 1500kg I just have to make sure that I don't go over my total vehicle weight and I would have around a 75% match.
I'm looking at a model between 8 and 15 years old because of budget. However I don't mind paying a little more for something that gives peace of mind with regard to reliabilty (build quality in this case).
I've looked at a few vans on e-bay and autotrader but sellers just don't seem to give a full enough description of just don't know what they are saying. It has always been my philosophy that "if you don't know ask someone who does!" So I thought this forums wealth of experience might be able to suggest suitable makes and models.
I thank you for your time.