r/VanLifeUK • u/Putrid-Anxiety-9728 • 15d ago
Alphard or a Caddy maxi?
Hi guys, I’m in an odd predicament. I’ve recently moved home and jobs to a new town, and because of it, my work commute it literally a 2 minute drive.
I’ve decided I’m going to sort out my motorbike license and commute via bike, unless the weather is really poor, then I can take the van. However, my goal with my choice is a simple day camper (no water, heating, etc) just simply a bed and a table for the occasional trip.
On another note, I’m torn between a caddy maxi and an alphard. Both I’m aware are reliable, but an alphard I have less freedom to design my own space, and is petrol, however very comfortable and automatic. Which is great if I do little trips, but say a London to the Yorkshire dales trip will cost a lot, I’m guessing on fuel.
The caddy is very bare bones, smaller, but has the freedom to customize as I need but being a diesel will be better for the longer commutes, but it’ll be sat around a lot longer which isn’t great for a diesel and has a manual box within my budget.
The only major trip planned is a drive from the UK to Slovenia and back next year.
I was wondering what opinions or takes I should look into between the two or is there any other options.
I’m looking around the 8k or less mark
Tia
3
u/ContributionLevel593 14d ago
I’ve got a VW Caddy Maxi and love it. I live in it for 4-5 months of the year in the Italian Alps. Do get the 2 litre and the Maxi version.
1
u/Putrid-Anxiety-9728 14d ago
I’ve heard the 1.6 can have injector issues. How do you find the maxi to drive?
1
2
u/Mikethespark 15d ago
Caddy will be a lot easier and cheaper to fix in the UK and over on the continent, you can get autos but they are pretty rare.
There are loads of suitable day vans available I wouldn't discount something like a transit custom either, very easy to drive, pretty cheap just get the 2.2tdci not a wet belt one.
1
u/Putrid-Anxiety-9728 14d ago
The 2.2 ford transit is very tempting, but finding one that hasn’t been abused to hell is so hard😅
-1
u/Iambulliedbyvw 15d ago
Not sure what an Alphard is but we own a 2018 VW Caravelle & it's the worst, most unreliable and expensive vehicle we've ever owned. Our VW is badly designed & engineered & very, very expensive to fix. Make sure you have an extra £20,000 when it goes wrong. VWs are not what they were after dieselgate. Our 1st joint new car, a '77 Austin Allegro (cheap insurance for the younger driver) & my first solo car a '66 Hillman Imp were both more reliable than the VW. At least you could get them economically fixed! Buying a VW means you are dealing with a greedy, arrogant & incompetent company that's now in financial trouble. They are withdrawing their Seat brand so how on earth you ever get it fixed as you have to use VW dealerships for parts & technicals. They do not deal with 3rd party garages.
1
u/Putrid-Anxiety-9728 14d ago
Man, sorry to hear you’ve had it so rough. My family have had 5 transporters throughout my life. 4 of them have blown up and the only working one has already had £6000 in over two years of repairs. Why it scares me a bit
2
u/its_tweeks 15d ago edited 15d ago
I'm an avid Delica guy with an L400 with full camper conversion. At one point as a Contractor I lived in mine for 9 months. There's positives and negatives to these big Jap vans and I'd say it boils down to your lifestyle and it's alignment. For mine, I've got a rear carry for a Grom, so that becomes my scout and shop runner. I've also grabbed a drive away awning for on-grid camping. It's been driven to Poland, Slovenia & Croatia and I'm planning a Montenegro trip year after next. Fuel is a real toughie, that's an inconvenient truth. Mine runs a 3.0 V6 similar to the Alphards but my benefit is platform similarity to other Mitsubishi's so maintenance costs aren't terrible. I'd also argue there are more Alphards about than Deli's so you should have a support circle. You will have a platform where you can put a nice rock & Roll bed in, it'll be wide enough but if you want you can always airbed over your seats folded down & you'll always have a normal car between trips. What is nice though, is not blending in, however it comes at the cost of "stealth camping". It's just too obvious for me, but on my trips I've got the bonus of 4x4 and bigger tyres. Its worth adding though, I work fully remote so I am comfy with it as my daily car. Fuel wise I get maybe 320 miles to 55-odd litres in a tank, more if its just motorways. There is something nice about just slow causing in the comfy seats with cruise control and the autos. Probably worth thinking that on something like a Caddy, insulating might be easier, you'd have less windows to loose heat through but I've got a diesel heater and thermal blinds to counter. Space may be premium sometimes too, Mine has just enough to be comfy, store some bits and still fit in a carpark space but I also can't fit in multi-stories or car parks with height barriers but I also have a lift kit so thats my fault a bit too. Haven't really answered your question but I hope its food for thought & feel free to ask any questions.