Estate or Van? Whats my best bet?

lovelifer

Hello all

Just looking for some opinions on this. I have a hatchback which I love but it cant fit much in. I have my own business and pick up lots of wood and odds and sods as part of this(Im not dissimilar to Steptoe) . Ive been unwell and bought the hatchback while the business was on hold. 

Ive not had a van before and cant decide if it's worth it as it'll be my only vehicle and  will be used for usual day to day stuff as well as work. Also I dont need masses of space but enough for say a wardrobe. I think a very large estate would fit my needs, just. A van would obviously give me more options.

Any thoughts from people who know more than I do about van ownership?

Thanks

Herzlos

Vans a lot more practical for storing stuff, the driving positions pretty good, but they can be a lot harder to park due to the size/rear visibility and they also tend to be a lot less refined. They also tend to cost more than cars, like for like.

But if you never really need more than 2 seats and carry a lot of stuff then a van is going to be better than an estate car.

Have you considered a box trailer? Depending on the existing hatchback you may be able to get something big enough to carry a wardrobe for far less than the vehicle upgrade would be, and then you can leave it at home when not using it.

It's probably worth you just hiring a van for a few days and see how you feel about it. You can get something like a Citroen Berlingo for about £50/day and a Ford Transit for about £100/day.

lovelifer

Thanks for the reply Herzlos. I've driven vans before and quite enjoyed it. I've thought about a trailer but space is an issue and I want the flexibility of being able to pick stuff up I see on my travels.
 
Could do with more than 2 seats also...
I'm leaning more towards a big estate. I like a bit of comfort too. 

EssexExile

Make sure the estate can actually carry what you want, many now are styled to look nicer than they used to but at the expense of load carrying ability. See Volvo V70 for example.

Bigwheels1111

Vans can be hard to insurance for private use.
Ive had a Vectra estate, it’s huge. My 5008 is large as well with seats folded down, even the front seat.

mobileron

Skoda Superb will give you more space than you need,plus the comfort of a car rather than a noisy van.

Ectophile

With a van, there will be many car parks you can't get into because of the height limit.

If you do regular trips to the local dump, check your council's rules on private vans. You may need a permit, and you may be limited on when you can visit.

sevenhills

Vans are more at risk of being stolen and are much more expensive if it's not a two seater van.
A seven seater car has loads of space and the seats fold down well. Seven seaters tend to be taller, so more space than an estate. I get my lawn mower and other tools in the back of my Zafira.

theoretica

When I was buying a car I found this website fantastically helpful - for looking at the various cars which may not be a conventional estate, but have loads of room and back seats that fold down in nice ways. (Also think about front seats - a front seat that folds flat is great for loading long things!)  It has a focus on what sort of wheelchair can easily be loaded, but has all the dimensions and of course applies to other loads.  https://www.ridc.org.uk/features-reviews/out-and-about/car-search

lovelifer

Thanks to everyone who's commented, it really helps. I did wonder about the stealing issue. 
I think I will go down the large car/estate route. Which narrows the search down a bit. 
I'll have a look at that website theoretica, v useful, cheers 

shiraz99

Have you considered an MPV style van, such as a VW Caddy C20 Life, Peugeot Partner, Citroen Berlingo, Ford Torneo Connect, or even a Skoda Yeti.