Prospective buyer checking in

[Mr Fish]

Hi there,

Hoping to get some info and advice. My wife is badgering me for a third child (I know!!!). With the prospect of having 3 kids under the age of 4, something with 3 isofix points would be the most attractive. I'm also looking to get back into motorbike trackdays more regularly so a van is looking like the best bet.

I think I'm set on a T6 shuttle - the main reason being the 3 isofix points on the middle row of seats. SWB, manual, in the highest trim possible really. There seem to be a lot of variation in the specs though?

Ultimately, I don't want to spend more than 25k, but cheaper is obviously better!

A few questions if anyone can help:

Can you get a T5.1 with 3 isofix in the middle bench? (This might help me bring the budget down a bit!?)

Any spec you'd consider essential?

Anyone had any dealing withs a large Van dealer in South Wales (pontypridd?) - they seem to have a lot of T6's for sale at a decent sort of price.

Any other advice greatly appreciated!

Si

 

[jimc91]

I bought a panel van and had 3 single rear seats installed to make it a kombi, the seats are in pandu trim and I think originally come from a shuttle- they are all isofix - like these below - if you are going to put a motor bike in the back this might give you more flexibility than a shuttle

 

[Mr Fish]

I bought a panel van and had 3 single rear seats installed to make it a kombi, the seats are in pandu trim and I think originally come from a shuttle- they are all isofix - like these below - if you are going to put a motor bike in the back this might give you more flexibility than a shuttle View attachment 79683

Thanks Jim.

Are the floor mounting points the same regardless then? I looked at maybe getting a Kombi anyway, but they all seem to have a 2+1 rear seat set up.

As for the bike thing, I'd presumed that the shuttle seats would be just as easy to remove?

Thanks for your input!

 

[DaveD]

If you plan on removing and reinstalling the seats behind the front seats, even just every now and again, I'd advise you to avoid the triple seats like the ones in the image below, they are incredibly heavy and it is too easy to damage them or your van, or your back, or all of them, doing so.



I'm not kidding, these are unbelievably heavy!!

 

[jimc91]

I’d agree with @DaveD - even taking out the singles can be a struggle- for the 1+1+1 set up you need 12 floor brackets, the 2+1 has 8 whereas the 3 seat has only 4. It’s the convenience of being able to take out 1, 2 or 3 seats as required I liked. I bought the best base panel van I could afford and went from there. Living in London euro 6 was a must as the current mayor is a complete ......

 

[Mr Fish]

I’d agree with @DaveD - even taking out the singles can be a struggle- for the 1+1+1 set up you need 12 floor brackets, the 2+1 has 8 whereas the 3 seat has only 4. It’s the convenience of being able to take out 1, 2 or 3 seats as required I liked. I bought the best base panel van I could afford and went from there. Living in London euro 6 was a must as the current mayor is a complete ......

Cheers Dave

Whats the craic with the floor brackets then? Ill have to have the 3 singles as they are the only ones which all have isofix afaik? If I go for a panel van, are the number of brackets consistent across the range?

 

[jimc91]

Not sure if the 2+1 or 3 seats are isofix but if you bought a panel van and had the three single seats installed you would definitely have isofix. For this configuration you will need 12 brackets installed, 4 for each seat. The locations of the brackets are defined by the groves on the floor. The point being if you buy a kombi it is unlikely to have 3 isofix seats whereas if you buy a panel van it will cost less but you will have money to spend on whatever are you priorities. My choice was spend 23k on a shuttle or 18k on a high line with mfsw etc and have windows seats etc fitted professionally. Work like insulation, leisure battery etc I have done myself, ultimately I have spent about the same but I have a better spec van than if I had bought a shuttle- it depends on your priorities but for me the shuttle had too many compromises

 

[jimc91]

This is my set up so far

 

[Mr Fish]

This is my set up so farView attachment 79731

Cheers Jim.

Looks good. Do you ever see twin sliding side doors on the panel vans?

Interested to hear the cost of the window fitting?

Do you have to declare them as modifications for insurance?

 

[jimc91]

There are twin sliding door panel vans, windows - look at camperglass.co.uk for prices, oem and aftermarket are different prices, insurance companies will need you to declare all modifications, where are you based?

 

[axe1986]

Not sure if the 2+1 or 3 seats are isofix but if you bought a panel van and had the three single seats installed you would definitely have isofix. For this configuration you will need 12 brackets installed, 4 for each seat. The locations of the brackets are defined by the groves on the floor. The point being if you buy a kombi it is unlikely to have 3 isofix seats whereas if you buy a panel van it will cost less but you will have money to spend on whatever are you priorities. My choice was spend 23k on a shuttle or 18k on a high line with mfsw etc and have windows seats etc fitted professionally. Work like insulation, leisure battery etc I have done myself, ultimately I have spent about the same but I have a better spec van than if I had bought a shuttle- it depends on your priorities but for me the shuttle had too many compromises

Sorry to jump in someone else thread but im about to pickup my Kombi which has the triple seat, with one fixing point in the middle, how easy is it to fit the floor brackets to move to a 2+1 or 1+1+1? Ideally id like the flexibility to remove one seat.

Thanks

 

[Broadside]

If you plan on removing and reinstalling the seats behind the front seats, even just every now and again, I'd advise you to avoid the triple seats like the ones in the image below, they are incredibly heavy and it is too easy to damage them or your van, or your back, or all of them, doing so.

View attachment 79723

I'm not kidding, these are unbelievably heavy!!

I’ve got that 3 seat bench on the rear row of my Shuttle, I would estimate it weighs about 60-70kg. It’s not impossible on your own but I always get someone else to help and then it is pretty easy.

The second row of seats in the Shuttle are the same as the three single seats as pictured in post #2 on this thread, they weigh about 25kg each and they are easy to manage single handed.

 

[jimc91]

Sorry to jump in someone else thread but im about to pickup my Kombi which has the triple seat, with one fixing point in the middle, how easy is it to fit the floor brackets to move to a 2+1 or 1+1+1? Ideally id like the flexibility to remove one seat.

Thanks

Fitting the brackets is straight forward - there are strengthening / reinforcing brackets that go under the floor pan and top brackets which the seats connect to - mine came with the seats I bought off ebay. There is a thread on here showing where to drill the holes, you then bolt the brackets together through the floor pan. The hard bit is dropping the fuel tank to gain access to the floor pan underneath. I got @BognorMotors to do mine as I wanted a certificate for the insurance company if they asked and my days of crawling round underneath a van are long gone. Having the three individual seats is so much more convenient when planning a layout for a multi-use van. I think there must be loads of companies in the West Mids that do this - I think there is a guy in Coventry that offers this service but I did read a poor review on him somewhere.

 

[axe1986]

Fitting the brackets is straight forward - there are strengthening / reinforcing brackets that go under the floor pan and top brackets which the seats connect to - mine came with the seats I bought off ebay. There is a thread on here showing where to drill the holes, you then bolt the brackets together through the floor pan. The hard bit is dropping the fuel tank to gain access to the floor pan underneath. I got @BognorMotors to do mine as I wanted a certificate for the insurance company if they asked and my days of crawling round underneath a van are long gone. Having the three individual seats is so much more convenient when planning a layout for a multi-use van. I think there must be loads of companies in the West Mids that do this - I think there is a guy in Coventry that offers this service but I did read a poor review on him somewhere.

Thank you, answers everything !

 

[DaveD]

I’ve got that 3 seat bench on the rear row of my Shuttle, I would estimate it weighs about 60-70kg. It’s not impossible on your own but I always get someone else to help and then it is pretty easy.

Not impossible, agreed, I've done it a few times but it's not just the weight, it's the awkward factor!
It's my fault usually, I ask somebody to help and they say they will in half an hour. I'm impatient so I do it on my own!

 

[Broadside]

Not impossible, agreed, I've done it a few times but it's not just the weight, it's the awkward factor!
It's my fault usually, I ask somebody to help and they say they will in half an hour. I'm impatient so I do it on my own!

yes it’s the awkward and cumbersome size of them even when folded, it would be very easy to break something else inside the van manoeuvring around or dropping on the bumper as you drag it out.

 

[Mr Fish]

There are twin sliding door panel vans, windows - look at camperglass.co.uk for prices, oem and aftermarket are different prices, insurance companies will need you to declare all modifications, where are you based?

Sorry for the delayed reply - Holiday!

Right, since my last post i've done a bit more research. From 2018 onwards, the T6 Kombi's have come with a 2+1 rear seat arrangement, all of which have isofix.

So now, i'm just looking for the right van to pop up. T6 SWB 150 bhp Highline, twin sliding doors with a tailgate and the 2+1 seating option fitted... problem is I haven't seen many come up. There's a LWB in that exact spec for sale privately, but the wife won't have the LWB...

 

[huw169]

Sorry for the delayed reply - Holiday!

Right, since my last post i've done a bit more research. From 2018 onwards, the T6 Kombi's have come with a 2+1 rear seat arrangement, all of which have isofix.

So now, i'm just looking for the right van to pop up. T6 SWB 150 bhp Highline, twin sliding doors with a tailgate and the 2+1 seating option fitted... problem is I haven't seen many come up. There's a LWB in that exact spec for sale privately, but the wife won't have the LWB...

@Mr Fish You got a link to that LWB you mentioned?
Thanks

 

[Mr Fish]

@Mr Fish You got a link to that LWB you mentioned?
Thanks

Hi Huw,

It was on Ebay, but the listing was ended on the 10th of August.

you can see the seller's name on the advert; might be worth sending them a message if you're interested?