OV9

Yep, Jamcg posted a LWB traffic (5.5m!), the berlingo would be fine!

Would a van be any more useful than an older estate car?

I guess there’s levels to this.

A ply lined van with a decent roof height is always going to be easier and more forgiving for loading and unloading, with the benefit of a consistently flat load bed to slide stuff along. Plus I wouldn’t need to be concerned with protecting the condition of the interior every time I want to load something awkward or messy.

Estate car is kinda okay, it’s not a world apart, although I suspect I will end up making a mess of the interior over time which will knock the value. A car version of the Berlingo might be ideal. And if I start looking at £3k vehicles then the value loss isn’t really that significant. It’s only a concern with the Areca as that could still be worth about £10k

Hertz van hire is less than £20ph, how many hours will you really use a van over a year? No parking, insurance or maintenance issues either plus can get the appropriate size as needed.

It’s a good idea however I really like the spontaneity that comes with simply having a vehicle outside ready to go.

Fair enough, and having lots of cars is probably in your genes…

Rich B wrote: Thu May 14, 2026 11:06 am Yep, Jamcg posted a LWB traffic (5.5m!), the berlingo would be fine!

Would a van be any more useful than an older estate car?

Post mainly because it’s the same as my work van if you swap the Renault badge for a Vauxhall. They’re decently comfortable, got enough power despite only having a 1.6 diesel engine, and swallow 8x4 sheets with ease. Roof is a little low but avoids issues with drive through etc. Also from a resale point of view our was 10k in 2019, and would probably sell for that again now, such is the madness that is the van market

Devil's advocate - if the Ateca is big enough then a few quid off the value from a scuff or two that don't buff out would be less cost than buying/running/selling a van.
That's a boring choice though, obvs.

I'm going to favour whichever is easiest to fix on a driveway in Berkshire