Car for sleeping in?

[anthonyyy]

Not exactly bushcraft but I am looking for a car suitable for sleeping in for the occasional overnighter.
My budget is small (very small) so I am looking at estates like the Astra about 8 years old.
Can anyone recommend an older estate car where the seats fold back to allow sleeping?
Roof bars would be nice as well but not essential.
thanks

 

[Andy]

have you thought about a van type thing? Our old family car was a midi van. the back seats folding down and gave you the space of a double bed

 

[anthonyyy]

Unfortunately, a van wont do - I need seats in the back and those people carrier things are too expensive to buy, insure and run.

 

[arctic hobo]

A Volvo! Ultimate cheap-but-tough car, love 'em. Failing that the Lada estate.

 

[TAZ]

I have a toyota yaris verso which i have slept in as the rear seats fold into the floor leaving you with a slightly sloping floor, economy wise i get between 43-45mpg and because it is a 1300 engine the tax is less. depends on your budget though as they are going for about £4500 upwards for second hand. They have roof bars as standard and loads of storage inside for maps and stuff. jmho.

 

[KIMBOKO]

Peugeot 405 estate Diesel.
Enough room for me 6' 4''.
50 mpg plus.
Mine lasted for 250,000 miles.

 

[GrahamD]

A Volvo! Ultimate cheap-but-tough car, love 'em. Failing that the Lada estate.

I agree with Arctic Hobo - I've had three estates now over the years, and although never slept in one there is plenty of room. Brilliant and go on for ever. Last two did 195,000 and 180,000 miles, and I'm up to 167,000 on my current one.

Graham.

 

[pumbaa]

I had a Mitsubushi Delica , and it sounds like its just what you could do with .
They are a 2.5 td (shogun running gear) with a van top , rear seats , moon roof and even curtains . Was not as bad as you woould think to run , it did 34mpg ! But it was a manual one . The kids nicknamed it the scooby wagon . I think you can pick them up for under £1000 now , so they are a deffinate bargin .
Pumbaa

 

[JimH]

Not exactly bushcraft but I am looking for a car suitable for sleeping in for the occasional overnighter.
thanks

Ancient Volvo 240. You can fit a double airbed...

I used one for years re-enacting - even fitted curtains (well, my then wife did..)

Bit crap off road though, if that's a consideration...

Jim.

 

[JDWilts]

Hi, I drive an original Saab 900 built 1979 up to 1993. It was designed as what the swedish company decided to call a CombiEstate, so it looks like a hatch back but with the rear seats down it provides a completely flat load space six foot by four. Its also incredibly tough and is designed to survive Scandi winters and handle great on dirt tracks, ice and snow. They are now also quite cheap, a half decent one around 1000 to 1500 quid and a design classic to boot.

Now if you really want to go camping:

http://www.saabcentral.com/features/saab_900/misc/toppola_a.php

JD

 

[Dave Farrant]

How about an old Austin Maxi.

It may seem strange but it has seats (front and back) that all fold flat to make a large double bed.

I bet you could get one for next to nothing as well.

Well it's the thought that counts.

 

[Dave Farrant]

Forget the Maxi.

Couldn't find one anywhere.

 

[Spacemonkey]

I slept in my MX 5 when i drove it down to Africa through France last year and I'm 6'2". Was interesting to say the least, and i had to put my legs across the centre into the opposite footwell onto some baggage. It's amazing how you can sleep for an hour when you are really exhausted... Took 13 hours from Africa (Ceuta) to my gaff in Northern Spain, then 16 hours to my door in London. What a drive that was...

 

[rapidboy]

Another vote here for the Peugeot 405 Estate.
My girlfriend and I toured around Ireland for 2 weeks in one a few years ago.
Great driving car and very economical.
Back seats fold forward and flat but we removed the seat cushions and that gave even more room.
We had a Trangia stove ,therma rests and sleeping bags and a large fishing umbrella let us cook even when it was raining.
Only improvement would have been a set of curtains.
Lots of these had roof bars so shouldn't be a problem if you need the space.
405's are very cheap now and the one we toured in (an early model) is still going strong and being driven daily by a relative.
I used this before i got a camper van and to be honest the car was almost as good.


rb

 

[Spacemonkey]

How about early 90's Toyota Space Cruiser's? Any Jap MPV of this era (the van based ones) should be about £1-2000 and tha seats normally fold to a bed, some have hot and cold food lockers, air con, curtains etc.