I have Nissan Navara which is fine for timber but not great for full sheets but normally have these delivered anyway. Think it depends on what you are looking for i.e. a car that doubles as a work vehicle or a vehicle purely for work. If its the former don't underestimate how 'worn' they can get fairly quickly. Pick-ups work for me as I like the versatility of it. If you want to collect sheet materials and transport furniture etc then personally I don't think you can beat a good 8 x 4 trailer.
Best Car For Woodworkers?
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memzey
Established Member
Hi Kev,Kev":5swn5f5e said:
What's not great on the Navara for sheet goods? I'm considering one and would value your experience.
porker
Established Member
I always found people carriers great. I've had the Galaxy and Voyager (Voyager being much larger of the two) and IIRC could get a full 3m kitchen worktop in diagonally with the passenger seat folded flat and close the doors. I now have an E61 (BMW 5 Series Estate) and while its a great car it has nowhere near the capacity of the people carriers. I want to put a tow bar on the BMW but the total cost is horrendous. No direct experience but the Navara's and similar never look like the pickup bit is very big.
Ransoman
Established Member
The problem with a smaller van is that they usually have bulkheads that severly limit what they can carry. My parents have a long wheelbase VW Caddy and the longest you can get in is 1.8m.
A pickup has the same problem, the load bed is surprisingly short but at least you have the option to leave the tailgate down and you can strap the load to the deck but then you have the wood sticking out the back.
A volvo 850 estate with a roof rack is good but the rails on the roof can't take much loading. The rear with the seats folded down will take aroung 1.8 - 2 meters without much fuss but you don't have the width for large sheets. You can get narrow planks between the front seats if you don't mind them sticking through so 2.4 meter planks are doable.
To my surprise, the Volvo 850 was completely shamed by my Alfa Romeo Giulietta. in that I can remove the front passanger headreast and recline the front seat all the way back, then I can easily carry loads of 2.4 meter planks (twice as many as inside the volvo).
Obviously a land rover discovery 3/4 would be better for interior carrying but the roof rack is very hard to access. Try getting an 18mm board up on the roof of one and then strapping it down. Not easy.
Based on the above, I would recomend an old Volvo with a roof rack any day. If you want to put things on the roof, having it quite low is a definate advantage.
A pickup has the same problem, the load bed is surprisingly short but at least you have the option to leave the tailgate down and you can strap the load to the deck but then you have the wood sticking out the back.
A volvo 850 estate with a roof rack is good but the rails on the roof can't take much loading. The rear with the seats folded down will take aroung 1.8 - 2 meters without much fuss but you don't have the width for large sheets. You can get narrow planks between the front seats if you don't mind them sticking through so 2.4 meter planks are doable.
To my surprise, the Volvo 850 was completely shamed by my Alfa Romeo Giulietta. in that I can remove the front passanger headreast and recline the front seat all the way back, then I can easily carry loads of 2.4 meter planks (twice as many as inside the volvo).
Obviously a land rover discovery 3/4 would be better for interior carrying but the roof rack is very hard to access. Try getting an 18mm board up on the roof of one and then strapping it down. Not easy.
Based on the above, I would recomend an old Volvo with a roof rack any day. If you want to put things on the roof, having it quite low is a definate advantage.
custard
Established Member
marcros":8n4duswr said:
That's what i'm seeing with most 4x4's, length stowage is nothing special plus the roof rack is that much higher and awkward for something heavy like the occasional full sheet of 25mm MDF!
Memzey.
As has been said by others the load bed is quite short (mine is the D40 by the way) and although you can leave the tailgate open (the anchoring system they have for tying stuff down makes this feasible) the wheel arches still cause a problem. It is about 3 1/2 feet between wheel arches so sheets don't lie flat. Also the load bed is about 5 feet from back to tailgate which means 8ft sheets are sticking out back a fair way. If I need the odd sheet that can be ripped in half before I pick it up then no problem but 8 x 4 sheets are awkward. Not impossible but awkward. If it has a hard top on the back with a roof rack then you can of course put them up on top but don't like to do this unless I have to. Still a great car and works well for me but then I guess there are restrictions of one kind or another with most vehicles. Hope this helps.
As has been said by others the load bed is quite short (mine is the D40 by the way) and although you can leave the tailgate open (the anchoring system they have for tying stuff down makes this feasible) the wheel arches still cause a problem. It is about 3 1/2 feet between wheel arches so sheets don't lie flat. Also the load bed is about 5 feet from back to tailgate which means 8ft sheets are sticking out back a fair way. If I need the odd sheet that can be ripped in half before I pick it up then no problem but 8 x 4 sheets are awkward. Not impossible but awkward. If it has a hard top on the back with a roof rack then you can of course put them up on top but don't like to do this unless I have to. Still a great car and works well for me but then I guess there are restrictions of one kind or another with most vehicles. Hope this helps.
Exhaust fumes yes i suppose a few may get in but i wouldnt travel far with the tailgate ajar mines a diesel 320 and they dont seem as bad as petrol engine fumes
but theres not many cars/estates that you can get a 4X8ft sheet in widthwise
the old antique dealer favorite the volvo 245 you cant
but theres not many cars/estates that you can get a 4X8ft sheet in widthwise
the old antique dealer favorite the volvo 245 you cant
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
I once drove from Newport Staffs. to Cornwall with a cast iron spiral staircase on the roof of a 245 Volvo. I suspect nowadays the police would be a little quicker to get me off the road.
jimmy_s
Established Member
I used to have a Dodge Ram pickup. It was a short bed one with a 6 foot bed - you could fit 8x4 sheets flat between the wheel arches flat on the bed - with a length of rope around the end of them and the tailgate down it worked fine.
I ran it as the company van and had it converted to LPG
I ran it as the company van and had it converted to LPG
wallace
Established Member
I got one of these once, fantastic for moving anything but at 8m/g it was expensive to run.
porker
Established Member
custard":6ej82be9 said:
Get one of those hen party limos or a hearse. Ideal!
Fat ferret
Established Member
A lot of those mentioned are guzzlers. I have a skoda Octavia estate 1.9 diesel. Today I drove along some country roads, some town driving and a bit of dual carriageway. 72mpg! 2003 car over 100 000 miles and no problems touch wood.
I can get 2.4 lengths in no problem, 2.7 if necessary and all my tools fit in the boot. The roof is accessible (not high and difficult to lift stuff onto) for strapping on doors, windows, upside down tables, sheets or whatever.
The smaller vans are no good for carrying anything but tools, the bigger ones are often thirsty and once I've cleaned out after work it's just a regular car again.
I can get 2.4 lengths in no problem, 2.7 if necessary and all my tools fit in the boot. The roof is accessible (not high and difficult to lift stuff onto) for strapping on doors, windows, upside down tables, sheets or whatever.
The smaller vans are no good for carrying anything but tools, the bigger ones are often thirsty and once I've cleaned out after work it's just a regular car again.
Skoda Superb estate is possibly one of the longest internally. You could lose a couple of adults in the back! And they do a 4x4 if you have potholes like Aberdeenshire!
Lons
Established Member
Fat ferret":1m0u3gei said:
My VW Transporter LWB is of course a medium size van but even though I fitted a metal bulkhead I can get sheet material easily over 8 x 4, upright or flat and 3 mtrs at an angle. With the bulkhead top half removed I can get 3.5 x 1 mtr boards in.
It's a big 2.5 ltr 174 bhp tdi engine and I get around 35mpg when normally loaded even though I don't hang around though with my loaded twin axle trailer it drops to about 25mpg, I don't think that's bad for its' capacity tbh.
When I started my business I had a citroen Xantia estate then a Vauxhall Omega estate used for work and the cars inevitably suffer over time. I recently bought a very nice Audi A4 quatro avant for retirement when I sell the van but doubt if I'll be putting too much wood in it.
cheers
Bob
