Noob needing advice on 1st van - help encouraged!!!

Just read all the chat on LWB v SWB . I originally wanted a LWB but the mrs wouldn't have it. 3.5 year later I'm selling my SWB for a LWB. the extra 400m will let me get my boy's bikes in easy (race BMX as the has got bigger the bike have got longer) along with a bunch of other gear. No comment on parking as I'm sure I'll manage - wish I had got a LWB in the first place - more real estate and more fleaxible. Electric doors are nice (covered by warranty) and an option I will miss on the new van (they are nice and easy for smaller kids to open/close)
 
Just read all the chat on LWB v SWB . I originally wanted a LWB but the mrs wouldn't have it. 3.5 year later I'm selling my SWB for a LWB. the extra 400m will let me get my boy's bikes in easy (race BMX as the has got bigger the bike have got longer) along with a bunch of other gear. No comment on parking as I'm sure I'll manage - wish I had got a LWB in the first place - more real estate and more fleaxible. Electric doors are nice (covered by warranty) and an option I will miss on the new van (they are nice and easy for smaller kids to open/close)
I do track days with my motorcycle and kit. I also love a road trip into Europe so take mountain bikes and kitchen sink. It’s surprising how much more kit you can get in with the LWB. Parking’s a piece of piss. I don’t get the fuss about SWB v LWB regarding parking.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bav
piece of piss. I don’t get the fuss about SWB v LWB regarding parking.
Try parking at our local hospital where the 5 metre bays are all of the nose-in type. Even a SWB sticks out 10cm or so into the road (for obvious reasons you can't park with the front bumper actually touching the wall or barrier) and a LWB is going to stick out a whopping half a metre into the road. Over the years I've seen more than one large car have it's arse end smacked there and I'm keen not to join the club.

If it works for you, great. All power to you. But folk need to accept it doesn't work for everyone. In my case, while I originally wanted a LWB, I don't have to carry a motorbike or the like so being kind of forced by circumstances into a SWB hasn't impeded my enjoyment in the slightest.
 
Last edited:
Try parking at our local hospital where the 5 metre bays are all of the nose-in type. Even a SWB sticks out 10cm or so into the road (for obvious reasons you can't park with the front bumper actually touching the wall or barrier) and a LWB is going to stick out a whopping half a metre into the road. Over the years I've seen more than one large car have it's arse end smacked there and I'm keen not to join the club.

If it works for you, great. All power to you. But folk need to accept it doesn't work for everyone. In my case, while I originally wanted a LWB, I don't have to carry a motorbike or the like so being kind of forced by circumstances into a SWB hasn't impeded my enjoyment in the slightest.
I guess if you look really, really hard you may detect a potential snag. I’ve had LWB and SWB vans for 20+ years. Parking either has never ever flickered as an issue with me. And no arse end smackery to report… 😃
 
I guess if you look really, really hard you may detect a potential snag. I’ve had LWB and SWB vans for 20+ years. Parking either has never ever flickered as an issue with me. And no arse end smackery to report… 😃
I didn't look really hard. I've been a regular visitor to the Hospital for a decade so knew well it might be an issue. I certainly didnt have to look very hard to see the rear bumper of the Audi A8 scattered in fragments across the carriageway.

Much as I really wanted a LWB (for no real reason, I just fancied it) the van is my daily driver and thus needs to be suitable for all the uses to which I might put it the scenarios I regularly encounter. Necessity overrode my lusting over the LWB pages of the brochure.

But now having been there for over a year Im finding no issues. If I had to stop visiting the hospital tomorrow Id still probably choose a SWB for my next van as I've a years experience proving it actually meets my needs perfectly. I dont have to haul my Hyabusa about in the back of the van, so your particular needs don't correlate at all with my own.

If you need one, fantastic.

If find one beneficial, brilliant stuff.

If you dont (and its clear the OP doesnt), then don't.
 
I didn't look really hard. I've been a regular visitor to the Hospital for a decade so knew well it might be an issue. I certainly didnt have to look very hard to see the rear bumper of the Audi A8 scattered in fragments across the carriageway.

Much as I really wanted a LWB (for no real reason, I just fancied it) the van is my daily driver and thus needs to be suitable for all the uses to which I might put it the scenarios I regularly encounter. Necessity overrode my lusting over the LWB pages of the brochure.

But now having been there for over a year Im finding no issues. If I had to stop visiting the hospital tomorrow Id still probably choose a SWB for my next van as I've a years experience proving it actually meets my needs perfectly. I dont have to haul my Hyabusa about in the back of the van, so your particular needs don't correlate at all with my own.

If you need one, fantastic.

If find one beneficial, brilliant stuff.

If you dont (and its clear the OP doesnt), then don't.
So that’s it then. LWB 🤣
 
Dunno if this has already been said or not, I haven't trawled through the whole thread, but IMHO, if you're going SWB AND twin sliders, your bed, furniture options will be limited by the lack of useable sidewall. Folk who aren't used to driving vans balk at LWB, but it really isn't an issue, and that extra 400mm inside the van makes a huge difference to the internal space and useability, more than the sum of it's parts. Like I said, just my humble opinion.
PS I've had a twin slider SWB as a work van, and it works very well. I now have a LWB single slider camper, and that works well. I think they are horses for courses. Also consider that having twin sliders and small children means that you have twice as many exits to control, one of which will be into traffic.
 

I agree with Sasquatch, if you need LWB that's fine buy one I agree about the parking situation also at Hospitals in particular LWB is far too long and selfish for many Hospitals. Then that the way with many people these days. At supermarkets that vast majority of Van owners try and usually mange to park in between the lines at least. The exception being campers who seem to insist on taking up many bays either by driving crossways and taking up to 5 or six and even more if it is considered that few would park either directly in front or behind or or the will take up 4 places by driving with the white lines up the middle of the truck and then take up two rows so 4 spaces. Builder are the next group who will also take up 4 spots especially the ones with scaffolding. By and large the vast number of van owners/ drivers try and generaly do keep inside the lines side to side even with LWB.
 

I agree with Sasquatch, if you need LWB that's fine buy one I agree about the parking situation also at Hospitals in particular LWB is far too long and selfish for many Hospitals. Then that the way with many people these days. At supermarkets that vast majority of Van owners try and usually mange to park in between the lines at least. The exception being campers who seem to insist on taking up many bays either by driving crossways and taking up to 5 or six and even more if it is considered that few would park either directly in front or behind or or the will take up 4 places by driving with the white lines up the middle of the truck and then take up two rows so 4 spaces. Builder are the next group who will also take up 4 spots especially the ones with scaffolding. By and large the vast number of van owners/ drivers try and generaly do keep inside the lines side to side even with LWB.
Even by your standards, that’s a load of tosh.
 
Notwithstanding the generalisations and stereotyping, a LWB is 400mm/16inches longer than a SWB and exactly the same width, so how can parking in a hospital bay be deemed “selfish”? It may protrude slightly at one end or the other, depending on the length of the bay, but hardly cause for a public enquiry. Then you have a pop at Campervans and Scaffolders. You failed to mention the BMW & Audi drivers that park over 2 bays, or the people without kids who park in the mother and toddler places. Non of which is remotely related to the LWB van format.
 
Back
Top