Which estate car?

[Beechcomber]

Hi, Thinking I may need to change my vehicle next year. Most manufacturers give the cubic capacity of the boot but not the dimensions.I would like to be able to put two nationals side by side and maybe get four in. What estate model do you recommend? Priced under £6000. Age of vehicle not too important to me.

 

[newportbuzz]

nice question i will await your replys. if it helps ill mesure my dads vw passat tomoro

 

[Hivemaker.]

Ford Grenada estate.

 

[Headnavigator]

Volvo 700 series estate, cannot be beaten for capacity (unless you go for a Transit)

 

[Illo]

For boot space you can't go wrong with land rover discovery. For your budget if 6,000 you can easily pickup a mk1 or poss even mk2. There is acres of load space and so many about now that spares are easy to find. Just don't get a petrol one; stick with diesel.

We have had a mk1 and mk3. both would easily accommodate your hives, and height would be sufficient to make loading easy.

We have now a freelander...but the earlier models I think had reliability problems, so not sure I would recommend the older ones just yet.

LJ.

 

[DorsetB]

Toyota Hilux Surf 3.0 diesel (avoid the 2.4). Sleeps 2 inside when back seats down, but also takes entire apiaries into cavernous boot without blinking.

I have carried everything from 600kgs of cable to 9 Dadant size hives + usual beekeeping clobber.

Also runs on vegoil if you can get it - I filter & centrifuge mine so most of my fuel is free.

 

[Bob Bee]

Hi, Thinking I may need to change my vehicle next year. Most manufacturers give the cubic capacity of the boot but not the dimensions.I would like to be able to put two nationals side by side and maybe get four in. What estate model do you recommend? Priced under £6000. Age of vehicle not too important to me.

I gave up on estate cars, fed up with the low ride position, the lip on the luggage area that makes you lift everything in and out over it and the lack of height. I would recommend a Kangoo or a Berlingo, even though my son thought you only got them on motorbility...... Ideal beekeepers vehicle.

 

[Headnavigator]

For boot space you can't go wrong with land rover discovery.

Sorry, our Disco doesn't hold a lot of things we used to be able to get into the Volvo, and the floor of the Disco is much higher too, making it hard to heave anything heavy up and into it. An overhead tailgate is easier than a swing door.
Don't neglect floor height and ease of accessibility when you choose.

 

[johncorne]

I've a Mondeo Estate (57) - plenty of room in the back and the load area has no lip, but there isn't much height in there

It is too low now my hives are not in my garden, so I'm looking for an old (ie cheap) Land Rover

Jc

 

[psafloyd]

I have been looking at changing mine and have a shortlist of three: Skoda Roomster, Citroen Berlingo and Citroen C3 Picasso. The Picasso is what we're likely to get, but it's not in the six k region. Personally, I would go for the Berlingo, as it's a cracking motor, especially the newer Multispace. But the Roomster is a decent motor and has been around a bit longer. We're a bit of a VW family, but the Picasso is a nice motor.

 

[BBG]

Toyota Hilux Surf 3.0 diesel (avoid the 2.4). Sleeps 2 inside when back seats down, but also takes entire apiaries into cavernous boot without blinking.

I have carried everything from 600kgs of cable to 9 Dadant size hives + usual beekeeping clobber.

Also runs on vegoil if you can get it - I filter & centrifuge mine so most of my fuel is free.

With the added advantages of comfort, reliability and it will pull the house to another field should you require it.

 

[user 6228]

I gave up on estate cars, fed up with the low ride position, the lip on the luggage area that makes you lift everything in and out over it and the lack of height. I would recommend a Kangoo or a Berlingo, even though my son thought you only got them on motorbility...... Ideal beekeepers vehicle.

second the kangoo we have a kangoo van, you are referring to the version with windows and rear seats?. they are good load carriers for all sorts of purposes

 

[Frisbee]

I've got a Vauxhall Astra van and also the estate. I use the van for work and can easily fit 4 National hives into the back. The estate's back seats fold flat so would be the same.

Also the newer ones ....(my old one was 51, the estate is 53 and my new van 55) all do 55 - 60 mpg.

Frisbee

 

[johncorne]

we bought a C3 for my daughter to learn in - most unreliable car I've ever had in 40 years

Jc

 

[Andre cardona]

volvo v70

 

[hallshoney]

I've got a Vauxhall Astra van and also the estate. I use the van for work and can easily fit 4 National hives into the back. The estate's back seats fold flat so would be the same.

Also the newer ones ....(my old one was 51, the estate is 53 and my new van 55) all do 55 - 60 mpg.

Frisbee

Ive got the vauxhall combo crewcab van seats 5. Seats up holds 2 hives and a nuc. Seats down 4 hives 2 nucs and loads of room on top for hive stands ect (56plate and around £5000 inc vat)

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

Can't say I have ever felt the need for an estate (car, that is!). The boot of the Rolls is reasonably capacious.

 

[Davelin]

I used the bees as an excuse to the wife that I needed to buy a land rover as well as the family car, LOL!

 

[Saradan]

I have a Passat Estate and can get eight shallow National Supers in two stacks of four side by side in the boot without putting the back seat down. So would expect to double the capacity to 16 if I did.

If I'd got the money I'd go for 4x4 with exhaust Snorkel to get to my hives in the middle of Winter when the field my colonies are in is impassible in the Passat.

 

[Winker]

I am going to wait until January and get me a nice big