Which Car/van?

[DJ Mike 0]

Hi there,

 

I'm just about to buy a new car for my new job as well as to fulfill the role of part time mobile DJ workhorse.

 

I'll be doing 30,000 miles a year with the new job so the car needs to be frugal, reliable, and comfortable.

 

I don't want to spend any more than £2500 and want something with less than 120,000 miles on it.

 

I assumed that for DJ work it would need to be an estate.

 

Putting all these criteria together makes for an extremely limited selection and diesel estates seem to command a massive premium over their petrol/hatchback counterparts.

 

So, i'm looking for suggestions - can i use a large hatchback for lugging a full mobile DJ setup around?

 

What is the minimum size of vehicle I need to go for to fit all the equipment in?

[Reverandfunk 0]

I looked at the estate car/small escort type van but found it unpractical for me personally.

 

Put in my bass bins, tops, flight case amp, lights, three plastic boxes of cables, extension leads and general stuff and you realise exactly how much room you actually need. I also have a goalpost on wheels that I have assembled on wheels that I can simply wheel into some gigs with boxes on it cutting down on my unload time.

 

Plus I also have to keep my gear in the van 7 days a week so my LDV Pilot is the one for me lol. For me it's nice knowing I can get a call at short notice, grab my cds and laptop and be on the road within 5 minutes.

 

 

[kerrgreg 0]

Volvo estate, passat golf estate a4 a6? 3series or 5series? i was looking at golfs as they are cheep on insurance for me 17yr old male

[DJ Mike 0]

I looked at the estate car/small escort type van but found it unpractical for me personally.

 

Put in my bass bins, tops, flight case amp, lights, three plastic boxes of cables, extension leads and general stuff and you realise exactly how much room you actually need. I also have a goalpost on wheels that I have assembled on wheels that I can simply wheel into some gigs with boxes on it cutting down on my unload time.

 

Plus I also have to keep my gear in the van 7 days a week so my LDV Pilot is the one for me lol. For me it's nice knowing I can get a call at short notice, grab my cds and laptop and be on the road within 5 minutes.

 

So really I need a large estate at the minumum?

[Reverandfunk 0]

I would have thought so but only you know exactly how much gear you have.

 

I paid £800 for my R reg Pilot Van a year ago with 93,000 on the clock. I haven't looked recently at prices but it might be on option for you to have both.

 

We used to need two cars for our gear and there was always the fear that I'd forgotton to load something important lol. Plus I think if you have appropriate transport you look more professional as the sight of me trying to get a bass bin out of a fiesta wasn't a pretty sight lol

[Paul Smith 0]

Have you considered a smaller car & trailer?

 

Also although diesel cars are more expensive the running costs are less (mpg) and, with 30,000 miles per annum, by my calculations you could save £2,000+ in a year on fuel.

[eazy 0]

Have you considered a smaller car & trailer?

 

peronally speaking from the experiance of finding an empty space one day trailers are easily stolen. now the trailer was parked in the middle of a housing development in the back yard with gates locked and a hefty lock on the bar all cut of and left for me to see how easy it was !!! cheep van better idea id say unless you can secure a trailer locked in a safe garage

[DJ Mike 0]

Thanks for the replies, some food for thought there :-)

 

I had'nt really considered buying two vehicles until now but will look into it.

[Swingcats 0]

I have an astra estate, which I bought for £1500 before I was DJing, I can just about get my gear in, but then I don't use subs. Can't get anyone else in if the gears in. 30mph is p :cense: poor as well , so i would like a midi van if possible. I have used an agency van but thats too short for the rig without it coming into the front with me. SIZE matters!

[Dukesy 0]

Have you considered a smaller car & trailer?

 

Also although diesel cars are more expensive the running costs are less (mpg) and, with 30,000 miles per annum, by my calculations you could save £2,000+ in a year on fuel.

 

Don't forget Bio diesel too. A little more saving.

[rictic 0]

nondeo estate, takes my kit if well packed. up to roof tho. roof bars for lighting rig if i need to. 1 big sub 2 small satts. rest packs in nice really. all in same size boxes so pretty square to load up.

 

so depends on your daytime use of vehicle i reckon. as for 2 vehicles they both need tax and ins.

[Norfolk DJ 0]

Consider a Citroen Picasso 1.8 or 2.0

 

Early ones can be picked up for £2,000 now and these are very flexible for mobile disco use. The seats come out giving a massive 2000 litres of internal space enough for a good sized medium disco.

 

Reasonable fuel consumption as well.

[DJ Mike 0]

I've been looking for a Mondeo Diesel Estate thats not old, shagged or massive mileage for ages and have come to the conclusion that they don't exist!!

 

I'll have a look into the Picasso but not sure if they do diesels - whatever I buy it MUST be a diesel due to the amount of miles I do.

Edited December 13, 2007 by High Fidelity

[Norfolk DJ 0]

I've been looking for a Mondeo Diesel Estate thats not old, shagged or massive mileage for ages and have come to the conclusion that they don't exist!!

 

I'll have a look into the Picasso but not sure if they do diesels - whatever I buy it MUST be a diesel due to the amount of miles I do.

 

They do 2 engines sizes for deisels. 1.6DHI which came out in about 2002 and the older 2.0D which has been around for about 7 years. I had a 1.8 petrol which was great. I returned an average 37mpg overall.

[kerrgreg 0]

Or the smae family and similar size and style the berlingo or its pergueot bother the parter i think

[Dave80s 0]

If you need the car for the day job then an estate or people carrier is probably a better bet than a van, which would be no frills. A van would be cheaper to buy though, up to you really.

 

A diesel will cost more to buy but return better mpg, you should be able to work out which is the best way to go from the mileage you are doing. If 30k, sounds like a diesel will be a better bet. Although be warned at this price it will be like an old taxi.

 

Why must the car have less than 120k? Buy on condition, something that has been up and down the motorway for 5 years will be less worn out than a town driven car with half the mileage.

[davemoody 0]

It all depends on how much kit you have. I couldnt get mine in a car nowadays.

 

I have just ordered a new version of my van for next year. I have a fiat scudo which is like a peugeot expert or the citroen dispatch. Fantastic van and has never let me down.

 

The only other thing to consider is insuring your equipment. I am with Musicguard and they insisited that the van had to be completely secure witha metal divide between the cab and the back and also security padlocks or bolts on all the doors.

 

Just imagine turning up to a gig and whilst you are inside checking the place out ready to unload, some little sod has smashed the glass and made off with your gear. You will not be able to claim on the insurance because of this because they will see it as your fault. SOmething to consider.

 

The other thing that would concern me is the weight of all the gear when the car is fully loaded. I started off using 2 cars for my gigs many years ago and I remember the back being quite low on a few occasions.

 

The only compromise and something I have been looking in to is to get a van with 2 rows of seats and a secure back. You can get vans like a vivaro or transit with rear seats installed because they get used for carrying workmen to sites. Then you could put all the expensive gear in the back and if you needed more space you could lay things like lighting and speaker stands on the seats.

[Bolan-Boogie 0]

I've been looking for a Mondeo Diesel Estate thats not old, shagged or massive mileage for ages and have come to the conclusion that they don't exist!!

 

 

 

Did Ford ever make one ! lol

[NRG Roadshow 0]

I have just recently bought myself a Ford Galaxy, masses of space inside with the seats out, I would say comparable to a Pug Expert of similar.

I also went for the diesel option with mine having the 1.9 TDi engine made by Volkswaggen (I believe Regarded to be one of the best TDi engines around).

Its reliable and has plenty of grunt for pulling the disco gear around.

 

Dont forget thier are also Versions of the Galaxy made by other manufacturers (Volkswaggen Sharan & Seat Alhambra) all three varients are identical appart from the badge and slightly different cosmetics for the interior and exterior.

 

I looked into the idea of getting a Van and a new car, but the hefty insurance premiums for having two vehicles put me off.

 

So I have a large family car for general use and a van for weekend gigs, just about suits me perfectly.

 

Oh and as for the insurance I got a class 1 business insurance policy on it which didnt cost that much extra, just a few pounds.

 

I have also just started a policy with DJ Guard for both PLI and also insurnace on my kit for Loss, Theft or damgae.

I raised the point about in vehicle security, and was told that provided the equipment is covered and not on display in the vehicle I would be covered.

I did make a mistake when signing up for the policy though, decided to reduce by monthly premium by paying a £250 excess on any claim....have now decided Im gonna take this off and pay the extra per month.

Reason is if I have to make a small claim (say one light gets damaged with a value of £170) I wouldnt be able to use the isurance to claim

Edited December 15, 2007 by NRG Roadshow

[jackrichards 0]

I drive a 2litre diesel saloon car and use a box trailer to get to gigs, this means that I never have to unload the equipment when I get home, and it pushes quite nicely into my lock up at the end of the night. I have often considered having an estate car or van to do the job with, but really wouldn't like to ruin the interior by constantly loading and unloading the equipment. Only thing I would say is carry lights and cd players in the car as these can be susceptible to vibration damage in the trailer!