Smallest vans that can carry 8' x 4' sheets of MDF/plasterboard inside?

Well you could hire a box van for that, around £70 per day here

Reply to
Dave Jones
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"Kat" wrote | ... the lack of substance between me and the hypothetical | concrete lamp post I drive into is a bit unsettling... ;-)

Reassure yourself with the thought that hypothetical lamp posts only cause hypothetical injuries :-)

Owain

Reply to
Owain

That was Jeremy Clerkson's conclusion too - especially for racing other makes of similar sized vans around the Top Gear race track, IIRC!

As it happens, I have a canoe too... I'm thinking of buying a cheap tranny for the purposes I mentioned, then converting it into a camper van after the DIY and moving is complete. I did that once before with a similar van. The lack of windows made it great for sleeping overnight just about anywhere, rather than paying out for a hotel. having said that, all-round windows are such a boon when it comes to driving and parking.

K
Reply to
Kat

Hi Colin, Thanks for this excellent suggestion. I've never seen trailers for hire in my area but I'd venture to guess that If I look hard enough, I'll find some. It might even make sense for me to buy one, since those horse-box type trailers seem like quite a secure form of lockable storage which might be very useful when I come to move house.

Thanks again

K
Reply to
Kat

It might, indeed. Thanks. Especially one with a tow bar... But why a Volvo, in particular?

K
Reply to
Kat

They are just about the largest (load wise) estate car available outside the USA, that's why !

But be warned, they are looooong....

-- Reply to group please.

begin .......nothing!

Reply to
:::Jerry::::

I went for a trailer, and never regretted it, easy to load and unload, ideal for those numerous trips to the local tip, where in most cases high vehicles are prohibited. I bought mine from a local one man manufacturer, he will make them to your specification, though that is Stoke on Trent I would imagine there is one in most areas. A little thought and some strong polythene will cover you good in transit.

Reply to
Broadback

They tend to be pretty well engineered vehicles - although maybe not the most exciting to drive. So older ones can still be found in serviceable condition. Other similar large estates - like say Ford used to make - are getting rare.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

That's an important consideration - many tips nowadays have height limits, but I vaguelly recollect seeing one that also banned trailers....

As you will presumably only occasionally need the full 8x4' capacity, how about an estate car with a roofrack ?

Reply to
Mike Harrison

Our 740 - sadly now laid up in the workshop with a knackered transmission - would take a hell of a lot but not an 8X4 sheet, well not flat anyway. The bed is about 6 feet long with the seats down but only about 43 inches across between the wheel arches. Maybe you could get some in at an angle but I recall there was some sort of problem with that so we always borrowed a car and trailer or had the sheets cut to fit. The height of the load area is disappointing in my opinion. The 940 has the same dimensions I believe.

An estate that has a bigger load area is the Citroen XM or I presume the newer C5, but after having an older XM and from what I've heard about the reliability of the C5 I'm not sure I'd recommend them.

As to the length of the Volvo I never found it a problem at all. I think the reason it's not a problem is the really good turning circle, you can get in and out of tight parking spaces with ease. A lot easier I found than with our much smaller Saab 900. Best thing about the Volvo was the way traffic in your path seemed to part in terror upon seeing you approach - even BMW drivers :-)

Sam

Reply to
Sam

vaguelly recollect

estate car with a

That may be the answer. Thanks. Anyone recommend an estate car that accelerates fast, is reliable, cheap to run, comfortable, handles well on corners and in crosswinds, has a good bit of carrying space, and doesn't go rusty around the sills? I don't want much eh? ;-)

K
Reply to
Kat

Volvo V70 R :-)

/Morten

Reply to
Morten

Thanks for the suggestion. I took a look at a pic and the specs... looks good... nice 2.3 engine too...

K
Reply to
Kat

Yes; it's certainly an option. I have owned an Escort Van and hired an Astra van on occasion. Nice and small for parking but not as much room as say a Hi-Ace or Vanette with about the same overall length. Cheers,

K
Reply to
Kat

What is the usual thing that eventually consigns them to the scrap yard?

On all the cars I've had, (British and Japanese) , it's been body rust

- especially the sills - (even though the engines still had about 200K miles of life left in them)! How are the 10-15 year old Volvos with regards rust problems? I once drove a 740 when they first came out in the 80s, and was quite impressed.

K
Reply to
Kat

Well on our '89 740 the thing which has nearly consinged it to scrap is the broken ZF auto box, the Aisin Warner transmission is apparently a much tougher box. I haven't given up yet though, at 300K or so recorded miles the car still felt solid and tight so I'm still on the look out for a scrapper with a good box. As for corrosion the only place I can find any is a tiny bubbling around what appears to be an old repair.

I think one of the reasons Volvos go on so long , besides good build quality, is they were perceived as prestige whilst not being interesting to wealthy boy racers so owners bothered to look after them.

Sam

Reply to
Sam

Something like a 10 year old Subaru Legacy estate is a similar size and will go forever. Not as easy to find, spares cost a bit more but you won't need em often! (They had corrosion licked by the time they produced the Legacy - especially '92 onward). If you get and estate with the built in roof rails and stick a decent set of roof bars on them it would carry 100kg+ on the roof.

Reply to
John Rumm

If you can find one, the estate version of what I have ;-)

Subaru Legacy 2.0 4 CAM Turbo. There were only a few hundred official UK spec models ever built (they had to sell 5000 world wide, to qualify it for entry into the rallies), but a good proportion of them are atill about.

Does all you require, alothough a little fond of the jungle juice if you get too keen with the right foot! Unassuming shape, permenant four wheel drive with viscous coupling diffs, and Sierra Cosworth style performance. Basically it has a break, clutch, and a smile pedal!

(Grey imports of newer versions are more easily available including the twin turbo version, but that will cost you more in insurance).

Reply to
John Rumm

I was wondering why the roof rack had not been mentioned yet.

I had a tiny Rover Metro, years ago and carried all sorts on its roof (within the limits of course)

4 by 8 sheets were a doddle.

Ladder bars are very low cost items for older cars.

Dave

Reply to
Dave

Scary prices for Volvo spare parts though, from what I remember.

Reply to
Rob Morley

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