rear windowed transit connect/caddy/kangoo etc

londonTiger

Hi

I'm looking for a small van for my business, since I can only afford to run one car for now I am planning to get a windows van which can be used to carry passengers on 1 or two seats at the rear.

I have a few questions.

Can all models in the range bolt a seat in the rear like in the case of the caddy or is it just the variety with rear windows?

Is it possible to bolt on a sheet of hard material (preferably metal) in the inside for added security when using in van mode or is a soft cover option the only viable solution?

londonTiger

Ok Window blanks are a thing, just want to know if vans pre drilling and tapped holes for window blanks or is it a DIY job?

Herzlos

I'd look for one that already has the seats fitted, rather than trying to retrofit.

Are you better off getting a car with removable seats you can treat as a van (Yeti, Berlingo, etc), presumably all you'd need to do is apply window tints if you want to keep the contents private.

Norman_Castle

Insurance would be more straight forward with a ready made van with seats such as a Berlingo Multispace or a people carrier. You would also keep your car ncb.

burlington6

Don't waste your money on a caddy. The other vans you've mentioned do exactly the same job. They're just too overpriced...not because they're a good van but because of the image and culture that surrounds them

londonTiger

burlington6 wrote: »

Don't waste your money on a caddy. The other vans you've mentioned do exactly the same job. They're just too overpriced...not because they're a good van but because of the image and culture that surrounds them

i am puitting the caddy on there just as an option. but you're right I asked my mechanic to keep an eye out for any cadddys and the mechanic said not to go near expensive they are high maintencance and are overpriced. He suggested I buy a ford transit connect.

londonTiger

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Insurance would be more straight forward with a ready made van with seats such as a Berlingo Multispace or a people carrier. You would also keep your car ncb.

-Can I not use the NCB from my golf (insured for business use) to transfer onto my van insurance?

Also I'm not doing any deliveries or trades use with the van. Just moving my own AV equipment to set up meetings and presentations. Can I just use class 1 business use insurance for that or will I need commercial van insurance? I did a van insurance quote and was more alarmed by the fact that none of the insurance companies were familiar to me.

My cousin is a motor trader, so he is happy for me to "dispose" of my golf to him to sell through his business as soon as I buy a van. So this leaves me with freedom to buy private and not be screwed from a bad trade price.

londonTiger

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Insurance would be more straight forward with a ready made van with seats such as a Berlingo Multispace or a people carrier. You would also keep your car ncb.

The problem with these is that they are people carrier derived from a van and they have full 360 windows which means security risk. I would't feel comfortable leaving my car parked at the services while I take a dump in the welcme break toilets.

I much prefer the vans with retrofitted seats as they have fewer windows, ususally just back window and 1 side window on the sliding door.

Rain_Shadow

Would a largish estate car, which would have a covered load bay, be big enough?


Look at things like Mazda6, Ford Mondeo etc

Rover_Driver

Or something like a Vito Dualiner, front half with Windows, rear half without.

londonTiger

Rover_Driver wrote: »

Or something like a Vito Dualiner, front half with Windows, rear half without.

These would be good, but for the time being I need a more compact van. These are considered as full size vans so at NEC/Excel they are forced to queue up up to 2 hours after an event is finished for the de-install.

The caddy/transit cnnext size vans are treated like cars and they are allowed to drive straight in - immediately after event is over.