Im thinking about getting a Van prob early next year? But i was wondering, what is it like living with a van on a day to day life. Aka Drivin to work, in and around cities, highways etc etc?
I recently did a post on wagons, but i think to run them with petrol at like $1.60 (theiveing ba$tards) [}:)][}:)] its gonna be too expensive to run!
So... How much does it cost to run your van?
How much gear can you fit?
Is it comfy to sleep in?
Are they reliable?
also! What is the BEST VAN!
Cheers guys!
Steve
"the wind devil"
are you talking vans like mitsubishis,econovan type thing?
i recon they are the go especially for carting the sailing gear around...i wouldnt hesitate to get another 1 if i ever have the company car taken off me!
i have a taxi business and we use toyota lwb,they basically kept the same shape from about 1984 till 2005? so spares shouldnt be a problem, and no problems setting them up for gas, mine has 970,000 on the clock recently done a four hour trip from nowra to gosford on $23
What about the Vito? Can you fit boards in them ok? They look a little short to me. After talking to Red on the way back from a sail on the weekend I am looking at the idea of trading my ute in on one.
Later model Mitsi Delica LWB is the go if you have kids or dogs... you can move the seats around so can configure it for just you and LOTS of gear , and the next day have 2 boards and 6 sails and 3 passengers
From my experience Toyota hiace vans use more fuel than say a commordore or Falcon wagon, particularly on the highway (where the wagons are quite good). Something to consider if fuel economy is your prime motive. The turbo diesel Vetos etc are far more economical.
Mate, vans are the way to go! I'm on my 3rd since 1989.
You saw my Econovan at Grn Pt on Sunday. In it I had 4 boards,3 masts, 2 booms, 5 sails, the mandatory tub of w/s sh#t and even my golf clubs. (in case the wind dies early). Most of this goes below the shelf in the back or up on the interior roof racks, so you can sleep in it at a pinch.
I don't always carry all my gear, and it means if you wanna go sailing further away (eg sandy pt) with a mate or 2, you can get all your gear in one vehicle. - social
It's the long wheel base which is the only way to go if you're a windsurfer. The Econovans and Mazda E-2000's are a bit longer than the other vans. (Hiace, Mitsubishi, VW's etc).
Mine's got a rear bench seat too, so can seat 6 people. It's been great for occasional snowboard trips too where we'll head up for a weekend, drive down to the bottom of the mountain Saturday night, cook, camp and save mega $$$$ on accomodation, head back up the mountain for Sunday. Too easy!
Living day to day driving to work etc, you develop an attitude readjustment. -have to learn to chill out and be prepared to cruise, not hoon (which is not such a bad thing.....no tickets from Mr Plod)
Get dual fuel. Costs me $40 to fill up on gas 
, $100 on petrol 
. (that makes a difference to your attitude when you're tossing up how far you want to drive. eg Sandy Pt, Phillip isl etc)
I'd also suggest an alarm system for piece of mind. You don't have to be full proof, just a tougher alternative to the car next to you !!!!
As long as I'm able to windsurf, I'll stick with vans. They have great spin offs to other aspects of life too. Moving furniture, being able to by big stuff at Bunnings and bring it home yourself etc.
So long as your partner 
has a "normal" car, you end up with the best of both worlds. QED
Reckon most windsurfers with vans will back me up.
See ya on the water Steve.
i own a toyota hiace, if you drive it like a grandma, which i always do, it gets you about 12/13L per 100km on petrol. I converted mine to gas, it was free with the subsidy, and it gets about 15/16L per 100km on gas. Mine is just the 2.4L Carby Fed model, the fuel injection might be a little more economical, I'm not sure.
As a general day to day car, its not too bad i suppose. Freeway they feel like they're struggling to hit 100, so i run mine at 90-95 or so. Fits heaps and heaps of gear, and its wicked to sleep in as well as long as you matress is thick enough so you cant feel floor. I love the van purely cos you can do so much stuff with the back.
Of course they arent the most fun thing to drive, but they arent terrible either, but thats why i got a motorbike as well as my van...
But yeh definately get a Toyota, definately the most reliable by far, everyone will tell you they are the best, which is why they are a little more expensive, but worth it
I ran it from 230,000kms to 595,000kms sold for same as bought. next 2 owners got it up 1,105,000 before she finally went to the grave. Mine was the second engine, gearbox,diff were original till the end.
Vans are the best thing around for a windsurfer if you want space. You can get away with a corolla or something but then you have the problem of wet gear.
Only thing I can say with vans is don't get a hi-top if it is going to be your main car as parking in most covered garages is not possible...
Got any questions on the Mercedes-Benz Vito Vans then hit me up as I sell them and think there the best thing since sliced bread.
They have huge amounts of comfort and feel & drive like a passanger vehicle.
Mail me direct or just post up here so all can see, happy to help.
Pat
I had a Hiace LWB for 11 yrs, drove it to-from work, and as any van would be...best vehicle for windsurfing, used to take a bean-bag (& small esky) and fish out of the side of it on the local breakwater as well, (and camped in it, slept in it if I thought I might've had too many bevs). As for economy....I thought it was good (fuel-wise) and never had a mechanical issue with it (I think I did the head-gasket back in '99, but just got it replaced and the head 'honed'?).
Sold it to a mate last December (after selling business - didn't need the extra vehicle costs), now when we go windsurfing, and I'm grappling gear out of my ute, he just slides it all out, uses it for a wind-break for getting into his wetty (Vic winter), locks it up, and he's away.....he wishes he got it sooner.....I wish I kept it!
I heard the Vitos weren't a bad van, but on my experience (and others that I know that have them, and mechanics that I know), you can't beat the Hiace!
Been living in mine (1981 hiace) for the past 2 months (perth housing shortage.....) and I'm finally grudgingly moving out into a house - just so that I've got somewhere to work on my next conversion.
The most important thing is to plan it well - i.e. make sure your kit goes under the bed (no dripping) and that everything is well sealed to stop rotting/corrosion.
I've got a white Delica SWB diesel. I thought about the LWB but I live in Sydney and decided it would be too cumbersome in Sydney traffic.
Compared to a car it doesn't handle corners very well as its fairly top heavy. However when you accomadate this into your driving style then its okay. I fit two boards, around 2.4 to 2.5 M in length, a couple of masts, booms and around eight sails of various sizes into it, plus some other gear, fold up table and four chairs and other crap into it like tools and stuff. I can fit another board into it but it has to be shorter.
With all this stuff I can have two passengers and the driver. Its a sever seater unloaded. It has a nice sunroof and the crystalite roof in the back. Mine also has this cool reflective tint on the back windows so its really hard to see inside it. Not all Delicas have this. Infact its doubtful there are two exactly the same as each other.
I've only taken it off road in 4WD mode a few times on my parent's farm and it went fine up and down fairly steep hills and rough ground.
Not sure about parts but there are a few places selling parts online. Some mechanics apparently won't touch them as they are an import but other mechanics are fine working on them. I guess all vans are a hassle to work on compared to a car.
Economy is quite good, around 10 litres per 100kms around Sydney traffic. However diesel is so bloody expensive now it costs me $100 to fill up the tank. Its fine on the highway. The engine takes a while to get going but has plenty of torque.
I don't need it as a daily driver as I walk to work and my wife walks to the train station and catches the train to work. I don't think this sort of vehicle is the greatest commuter in city traffic. We are thinking about buying a smaller car for city driving.
They are an interesting vehicle.
I LOVE MY VAN!!
i traded my Nissan Patrol in on a 98' LWB Toyota hiace van, best thing i ever did.
its a jap import so electric everything , full time 4x4 , auto g-box, super dark factory tint in the back
the length is perfect i can sleep in it fully stretched out with about 2 ft to spare.
downsides , not the most economical van around , its a 3lt NA diesel which i thought would be good on fuel but being an auto and full time 4x4 its a lil' thirsty.
i get around 500kms on 60 lts 
it handles ok doesnt seem to wanna roll over , it does struggle to reach 100 and wont go over 130 not that i really care
it has the same motor as a hilux so parts are easy ( for the motor any way)
like other ppl have said , you do need to adjust your driving attitude.
parking is not really a hassle either.
buy a van u will never look back!!
I'd say it was easier to live with a van as compared to say ummmmmm genital herpes
I drove my Hiace across the nullabour 2 times and would spend the whole day at 95kph evry 300 kms or so I would get overtaken by the same bunch of cars doing 110. they had to stop more often to fuel and "rest" from the driving. We on the other hand would take turns in deep sleep mode in the back,and be eating fresh food from the fridge. Happily drove 1200kms in one day.didnt have to set up tent or find a crap motel
you learn to drift front wheel drive
you get the phrase pedovan when ever people refer to your vehicle
you can sleep in your car
8 people in your car is normal
you never get stopped by the cops
I have a VW T4 2.5TDi sitting in Europe. Apart from the usual "compulsory replacement of all VW transmissions after only 2 years when they fall apart" I've had no problems with the van. I bought the van from a used VW dealer so the transmission was replaced for free so that wasn't an issue.
With the 2.5TDi its actually pretty quick off the mark and happily cruises at 160-170km/h for long distances (when you're on the autobahns). Even at those speeds I can still get 750-800km out of a tank and more if you put in premium-diesel (I don't think we sell premium diesel in Aus yet do we?).
If I drove it at a normal "Aus" speed on the highway I would imagine I could get close to 1000km out of a tank. With the turbo diesel you have a heap of torque so its sweet for inner city driving.
Only issue is parking because I've blacked out the back window to keep my gear out of eyesight so you have to learn to reverse and merge with only your side mirrors. Its just like driving a Landcruiser; you just get used to the fact you have a bigger car and you deal with it.
Thing I also like about vans is you sit very upright in them so for long distance driving you don't seem to get a sore back or dead legs like you do in a sedan (or a Porsche).
Ps. I can comfortably sleep two people in my T4 with a FW board, slalom board, 3 booms and 5 sails/masts all wedged in the racks also. Who needs a house?!
A Mercedes Vito, Ford Transit or Renault Trafic etc should all be (relatively) the same inside dimensions as a VW T4/T5. Half the NSW fleet drive T5's these days so they must be good (apart from the transmissions!! But they usually fall apart during the warranty period so its all good).
What makes a van is the amount of stickers youve got on it
You gotta ensure you have your country flag some where.
These will ensure you will find similar people to talk to at the beach.
Da locals will get to know you real quickly...........and probibly set REX on to you to investigate.
Rex well like you or hate you instantly ............this is the difference between life and death ............... and will cause you to **** your pants and wish you were in a volvo at the hotel.
Either way your going to be paying a price, smashed off your face to a point were you may as well be dead ,or you ll be getting the **** kicked out of you.
On a positive note .....stickers can help identify koooooooooks and warn you of future dangers before entering da water
Either way a van with stickes causes problems.
Then you got crew looken for TRENDY CLOTHES........ LIKE BOARD SHORTS OVER THE WET SUITS and wetsuits over the board shorts,long pants over the wet suit (you got the picture)..........
ANYWAY ITS........Like hitting a jack pot when da young criminal trendies see a van with stickers i am a kiter on it. 
Consider a custom paint job way mellower
And if ya want a quick one, the Toyota 2.7 motor has a super strong bottom end and will handle a mid size turbo and intercooler to net a tidy RWKW figure.
Or, a few guys are dropping V6's into them and EFI 304ci V8's (have seen pick of one with a 350 chev but not sure if this is running yet or not)
I have also seen a few L300 vans with 351 Clevo motors in the running sub 11sec 1/4 mile.
But of course all this type of fun will kill any hopes you had of economy.
If you really want to know a lot about vans, spend some time have a look through some of the MX forums. It seems the guys riding bikes love them.
Out of the toyotas vs VW's - which is more expensive for spares?
and besides the transmissions what are the *common* reliabilty issues with either makes?
I remember talking to a bloke at sandy pt, he used to own a VW & loved it but said the spares were crazy expensive, like $1500 for a waterpump. Was he talking crap?
My VW is in Europe, so I can't comment exactly on spares - but they are an imported car and the price of them here vs the price in Germany is considerably more expensive so one would assume the spares are VERY expensive compared to a Toyota here in Aus.
That being said, its whether you want to cruise around at 90km/h on the highway or "actually" make it to the speedlimit ;)
For the record, apart from the commonly reported gearbox problems, the VW's are very reliable. I leave mine over winter in Europe for 6 months without touching it and it starts first time everytime. Never had any other problems with the car or had to replace any parts, considering I do some brutal mileage in it when I get to Europe.
