Heat! Cold! Size! Decisions Decisions!!

[Undermanager]

So, the situation is I'm planning to buy a Berlingo (or maybe similar) pretty much as soon as the lockdown finishes in 5 days. I envisage using the car 80% of the time as a daily runaround, 10% of the time to transport mountain bikes to places and 10% of the time for weekend camping, and the odd longer trip. I fully intend to build a cunning camper conversion inside that allows all three uses. I have now enough money saved up to buy a one or two year old low-mileage car.

So, I would love to hear what people's ideal spec is for the uses I have in mind and why, with the benefit of your experience, before I take the plunge. Two questions I have been looking at today:

1) Van and add a window, or car with windows all round? The thing is, windows all round - difficult to keep the car warm at night? Can only insulate half the vehicle?

2) Standard length or XL? XL great for a camper, but boy are they huge for daily use (my current car is a Hyundai i10 !!!)

Having got the search down this week to a Berlingo, Doblo or Combo Life, with the Berlingo a firm favourite for various reasons, I can see that there does appear to be quite a lot of good deals going around at the moment - mainly it has to be said from Vauxhall and Fiat dealers rather than Citroen.  V and F dealers have been falling over themselves in the last couple of days to offer me some pretty good deals on one year old and practically new cars. I'm guessing, but there must be some dealers who are seriously struggling to stay in business?

The end of Lockdown is crunch time so would love to know the thinking from any current Berlingo conversion campers. Am test driving a few next week and then decision time!

Sorry for the ramble ...

[Sol]

Just one personal observation, the Doblo and Combo both use a fiat engine and are nothing to do with the Berlingo, even tho PSA now own Vauxhall.

And they are pretty ugly - just my opinion...but having had the full bitter Alfa experience myself, and my wife having had a brand new Grande Punto, I'd never touch another Fiat with a bargepole. If they hadn't already broken down, we just had to wait 5 mins.

The missus bought hers brand new, zero miles, within the first 6 months the headlight controls had packed in, stranding her in the middle of nowhere in the dark, then the heater matrix burst, flooding the car and required extensive garage time to repair. Then the ECU went and Fiat wouldn't cough up the full cost. We lost a fortune on that p.o.s.

The Alfa 159 I bought was similar. Never again, but again only my experience.

[Sol]

Onto your other questions, if you don't need the rear seats, I'd think starting with a van is a better camping base but mind it has zero interior at all compared to the car in the rear. It's a tin box, so insulation would be a must but then again it is easier to do in the van.

Road tax is much dearer on the vans, commercial VED is flat rate, takes no account of the Euro Emissions Standards met by the van. Ask me how I know...

Vans look cool...

[cancunia]

I had a similar experience with a Fiat GP, although mine was quite reliable it was very shoddily built to the extent that I would not buy another Fiat.
Back on the subject of Berlingos, I'd opt for a car with windows version, no issues with Van insurance or Van speed limits, road tax is probably lower too. If you get the windows dark tinted, you can't see inside from the outside unless you light up the inside when it's dark. To get around the cold & internal light, simply install curtains or foil coated bubble wrap as used for windscreens.
Berlingos have their fair share of issues, but there's a great support forum!

[Romahomepete]

Zion, you are out of date.
Vauxhall and Opel are owned by PSA andhave been for a couple of years. The Combo and Vivaro are now rebadged versions of the PSA equivalent. One of my sons has a 2019 Combo and it is a more basic version of the Berlingo.

Peter

[Sol]

Ah ok. Only by one or two years then...they shared the Fiat engine up to 2018. Not so long ago.

Still hate Fiats

[Undermanager]

Thanks for the comments so far. Keep 'em coming.

[Mark604]

I'd buy the car version and thermal blinds for the odd times I'd be overnighting.

[Undermanager]

Yes, great suggestion. That's what someone else has suggested to me as well.

[Argos69]

I'd suggest using the car too!
I've just started a micro camper conversion on my new Multispace. I thought about using my Enterprise van but bed length was an issue. My enterprise had a metal ladder section behind the driver, which was in the way. Why not chuck it away?
Not easily done, it had the seatbelt anchor for the centre seat of the front 3 seat setup.
The Multispace bed I've fitted gives me 6'2" from inside the rear tailgate to the folded forward front seats. Works for me, though I do see some benefits in using a van. But NOT the road tax! My Multispace is £30 per year, my Enterprise was £280. Robbing B@stards!!!