Van recommendations for London Low Emission Zone...

[kino]

Hey all, thinking about buying a van. Not straight away but just to have an idea of what to look for.

After talking to Stewie at the club night I discovered that you can't buy any old banger= for the London Low Emission Zone. Grrr london sucks.

It needs to be up to Euro 4 apparently and comfortably fit motorcycle in the back.

Any suggestions would be welcome. Obviously as cheap as possible but looking at ebay it's going to cost a few K at least.

[kino]

Ah cool, didn't know that. Thanks . Yes just move the bike plus very occasional use. Not much point in driving in a car/van around London, I only use mine for going to golf course.

So any petrol van will do? Just need to find one that's big enough to fit motorcycle in back.

[Dave]

I bought a Citroen Dispatch 2.0 Turbo diesel with a 2nd engine, new turbo, new wishbones for 800£ and 125k miles. Sweet as a nut and fits 2 bikes in it and its very small and economical. Love it!



Mercedes Vitos are nice too!

[kino]

Thanks for the tips, I will keep an eye on Gumtree. For a diesel van, is it anything after 2005 that is euro 4?

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[Fleegle]

I have a 2001 Iveco Daily xlwb - that is compliant

It wasn't when the TFL first announced the criteria for LEZ compliancy which they put a blanket age on the vehicle...i think it was 2004.....but then were reminded that many of the engines from 2000 and on were in use in vehicles still being produced in 2006 (and probably beyond)


I smell cash cow

Another interesting fact.... the work you need to make it compliant if it needs it costs approx £1500.....and can only be carried out in (i think) one of the 6 approved garages

I would have been driving mine up North to flog if it had not been compliant

[Dominic]

I looked into a van as a second vehicle but it was the costs that killed it for me. I am using my NCB on my car policy so insurance was going to be £500 for a year.... plus £270 a year for tax, £40 for MOT, x£ for maintenance, x£ for depreciation. In the end it works out cheaper to just rent a van every second weekend. I have a trailer but I don't like the attention it attracts on the way home.

[Stewie]

I would say that if your looking for a small van that you can get a couple of bikes in, then I think Dave is spot on with the Citroen Dispatch, also consider the Fiat Scudo and the peugeot expert, as there all the same van, go for the HDI or equivalent, as you will not get the MPG from the 1.9's NA.
There's some face lift models about for not much wonga.
On the LEZ, I had 2 44T trucks that I ran on BIO-DIESEL with zero carbon emission, and they still wouldn't let me in, Cash Cow.

[mudeevee]

I bought an old VW T4 with star ship enterprise milage. Non compliant, so it was cheap. Luckily for me I live in Guildford and the only reason I would venture into the emission zone would be to hump furniture for family. So a bonus really!

I used to hire a van when I needed one. Feel that in the 18 months of owning the van, it has paid for itself already. That said, my car is work supplied, so I use my NCD on the van.

If you live in town, or travel to the zone is a must, then ya pays ya money for a more recent diesel, or ya goes for petrol!

[Fleegle]

FYI - with regards to running costs, it need not cost a lot...you just need to know where to look

My XLWB Iveco is cheaper to insure than my family car

When is a commercial vehicle not a commercial vehicle? When it is classed as a 'motorcycle carrier'

Anthony D Evans is what you need to google. It;s limited to 5000 miles per annum, but it only costs me £300 pa fully comp, with recovery and any driver over 25

[kino]

That's a good tip about Anthony D Evans, cheers. Citroen dispatch looks the business. A small van like that is ideal, don't think I could get away with a larger van where I stay, neighbours would probably complain.

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[kino]

More advice please:

Looking at Citroen dispatch, Peugeot experr , and fiat scudo vans, they seem the ideal size, but some are advertised as LEZ compliant while others are not.

What's the difference? According to what I can gather for a diesel van to be LEZ compliant it has to be under a certain weight ( all of these vans are over this limit), or be euro iv rated / post 2006, so I don't see how some are compliant if they are 2003 turbo diesels... I must be missing something.

Help please!

Cheapest (initial outlay at least) seems to be getting a swb/low roof transit petrol.

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[Dave]

I'd get a diesel tbh.

Just done 320Miles and only used quarter of a tank!