What to get for £10k?

[DanUKSW]

Hi, we live near the Devon/Cornwall border and I'm researching for my partner! Previously had a Mazda Bongo which was great albeit uncomfortable to sleep on the seats. 

 

My partner has roughly £10k  to get an Alphard that is converted so it has cooker/fridge/flat (comfortable!) beds. Needs to take two adults and two kids where the kids will sleep in the awning or a tent.

 

Can we get an acceptable converted one for £10k or is it better to get one and then convert it? I had it in my mind that it is probably more cost effective to find a private seller who has already done the conversion.

 

Thanks

 

Dan

Edited March 23 by DanUKSW

[smurf]

You might struggle with a budget of £10k, even converting one yourself. If you keep an eye out on here or on the many owner groups on Facebook (beware of scams on Facebook marketplace, but they are normally easy to spot as they are too good to be true), there are occasional bargains popping up when people need a quick sale.

 

It also depends on what type of conversion you want and how old the base vehicle is.  Rear conversion or side conversion? Pop top or no pop top? Rear conversions without a pop top are generally the cheapest, but tend to be day vans. A pop top alone costs in the region of £3.5-£4k to have installed.

[DanUKSW]

Thanks Richard,

 

Just been talking to my partner who said we might need the pop top to make thing like cooking easier but in the scheme of things, quite expensive in itself. 

 

It only needs to transport four and sleep two. It will predominantly be used for weekends away with the odd week in the summer so it may only need to be a 'day van' depending on what that actually means. The absolute key thing is being able to sleep comfortably so I guess I could research if there are DIY things that could be done to convert the existing seats and see how much the rear conversion kits are which get the hob and sink.

 

We're also open to alternatives to the Alphard that may be easier to do some of the stuff DIY e.g. a Transit but the Alphard does look appealing!

 

Thanks

 

Dan

[smurf]

Day van isn't a definite design, but it generally means a van not used for camping or overnight and are set up to allow a day trip with the ability to cook a bit of food and make drinks. There isn't normally any kind of sleeping facility. Lay outs vary, but if you look for day vans you will get the gist.

 

I believe the original rear seats can go reasonably flat in the Gen 1 Alphard, but it certainly isn't a flat mattress. There will be photos of this if searched for. I doubt it will match your requirements from what you have said. 

 

Obviously there are lots of base vehicles out there to choose from, but Transits and Alphards are a world apart.  The Transit is definitely a van, drives like a van, has the components of a van, and was probably used as a work van in it's previous life. It is possibly a rust bucket as well after a life in this country. The Alphard is a comfortable MPV designed for moving about in a bit of luxury, but it is a JDM vehicle that has limited support in the UK. 

[DanUKSW]

Thanks once again Richard. We'll have a look around to see what is available in our budget!

 

Dan