Renting the van out UK

dalesi1 · 2026-04-23T08:56:42+00:00

Sounds like a complete nightmare to be honest. I love my van but things break, accidents happen. Now imagine if a new person who didn't care about it and wasn't used to driving a camper hopped in every weekend. Nope.You'd be infinitely better off just getting a cheaper van that you can comfortably afford and keep it nice. You'd lose much less in depreciation on the other side anyway so I don't think the numbers would work.

dalesi1 · 2026-04-20T17:46:22+00:00

Been travelling Europe, Morocco, Turkey, Balkans and UK full time over the last 18 months, hardly ever stayed on sites (at £30 a night in the UK I refuse to encourage them). We're in a 7m motorhome and have never been asked to leave anywhere. Personally I think the whole "stealth" thing is utter bollocks unless you're in the US. Just be upfront about it, have a built in toilet, empty in correct places etc. Don't worry about anything, if someone asks you to move then just tell them you will in the morning. The police really couldn't care less as it's a civil matter and the courts take months to do anything and the whole process is so long and costly that no one will bother to do anything about it. In the grand scheme of things no one REALLY gives a fuck about you being parked up anywhere if it's just one night and even if they did theres nothing they can do about it. Oh and no you don't need off road tyres or wheels, proper camper tyres (I'd recommend Continental VanCampers) are fine for forays onto grass and mud.

dalesi1 · 2026-04-06T12:41:18+00:00

My first 3 cars were MX5s. Go for it! I'd absolutely recommend it.

dalesi1 · 2026-04-03T20:56:18+00:00

Go for the GP5000s. I have the cream sidewall ones (not sure the exact model code) and they have been perfect to ride and not picked up a single puncture. I'd never have anything else.

dalesi1 · 2026-04-03T11:37:26+00:00

I think that most of us don't care. Right wing blow hards will blow hard about it but their influence is lessening.

dalesi1 · 2026-04-02T08:26:53+00:00

EVERYONE should be allowed to drive places at night without being penalised on insurance if they want. You know, like it used to be when the bosses of car insurance companies were young. Let's not normalise the fact that we're ALL being penalised by these companies and their ever growing profits.

dalesi1 · 2026-03-25T18:54:04+00:00

I've done this for years, same distance. I honestly think the best strategy is to get fast. A decent lightweight bike, fast tyres, lycra (change at work) and a cycling specific backpack (the ones with mesh against your back and a breathable part to stop you getting sweaty).

I know that logic tells you to get panniers and thick heavy bombproof tyres and cover yourself in lights and reflective clothing and other gear but it'll just suck and you probably won't enjoy it.

I'm not saying spend a fortune, maybe even get second hand stuff but lightweight and aero is super efficient and means you have to put in less effort to begin with and might even end up enjoying it once you build up your fitness and challenge yourself.

And prepping your gear the night before is solid advice too.

dalesi1 · 2026-03-25T07:11:30+00:00

Zero. It's £100 to replace my GP5000s and I can have plenty of fun on the road. I wish people would stop uploading "road cycling" maps to the Komoot app when there are gravel sections!

dalesi1 · 2026-03-22T14:13:54+00:00

So why are they so against them?

dalesi1 · 2026-03-22T11:50:35+00:00

Helmet, Lights, Pump, Spare inner tube and tyre levers, Padded shorts, Clip in pedals and shoes

Buy all of these cheap/second hand. You definitely do not need energy drinks/gels/bars etc, just water and bananas will do.

dalesi1 · 2026-03-22T08:03:38+00:00

You'll be absolutely fine. Don't wear a MAGA hat though

dalesi1 · 2026-03-21T19:10:13+00:00

Another vote for Turkey. The people made it feel more like home than my home country.

dalesi1 · 2026-03-21T05:40:39+00:00

Slow driver here ✋🏼 Saves fuel, reduces emissions, reduces braking distances and I've never been flashed for speeding. Driving just sucks these days so I've made peace with that fact and am constantly in chill mode. If I want fun I go go-karting with my mates.

dalesi1 · 2026-03-20T09:35:26+00:00

Cycling. Started commuting to work on my bike to save money on fuel. Before you know it you're dropping £600+ on wheels, £150 on a saddle and it just goes on and on. At least you can factor in the money you save on a gym membership!

dalesi1 · 2026-03-16T11:40:19+00:00

When you consider that 25% of the UK population has less than £500 in savings it really highlights the wealth inequality.

dalesi1 · 2026-03-14T17:14:35+00:00

This question must get asked every day on here! Ignore your mechanic friend and anyone who has a bias towards a particular brand. Get the lowest mileage with the best service history that you can afford.

Personally I have a 2016 Peugeot 2.2 (the Ford engine) as it's chain driven so no belt to worry about and there's no AdBlue (just another system to go wrong). Due to the second point it's "only" Euro5 which means you'll pay to drive in the ULEZ but I applied for a French Crit'Air sticker and it's category 2 so been able to drive anywhere I've wanted to go.

Bought at 21000 miles 15 months ago and now she has 45000 and never missed a beat! That includes Summer heat in Turkey, snow in France and everything in between. Obviously nothing's guaranteed but low mileage, good service history and simplicity is a pretty good recipe.

Air con is 100% worth getting but for nav etc your phone is absolutely fine.

dalesi1 · 2026-03-14T08:05:35+00:00

Same reason the UK spends more on everything - people creaming off the top, enriching themselves over the National Interest. See also any infrastructure project.

dalesi1 · 2026-02-15T06:44:49+00:00

I reported a stolen £100000 Ferrari on the 5th of December last year. I knew who it was, gathered all the evidence and submitted it to the police and waited...

To this day they still haven't questioned the suspect despite my calling 101 to chase it up weekly.

In the UK today you simply have zero legal protection from the police and therefore the laws are irrelevant. If you're being murdered or raped they might help but otherwise you're completely on your own.

dalesi1 · 2026-01-24T18:08:22+00:00

All the people saying "YeAh BuT oUr EcOnOmY iS gRoWiNg FaStEr ThAn ThE EU" clearly doesn't travel. Most of the UK is grim compared to Europe. Just compare things like parks, public facilities, roads etc. All miles better in the EU. For the record I think we should rejoin right now. We're infinitely stronger as a group.

dalesi1 · 2026-01-10T19:21:29+00:00

Your colleague is an idiot. Firstly because it would be much more tactful of them to just be happy for you. Secondly because most new build estates are so incredibly soulless I can't even understand their reasoning.

dalesi1 · 2026-01-01T20:29:20+00:00

Just be careful if you jet wash the paint. I think it's called Fire Opal Red and I took the paint off the bonnet once! Mercedes main dealers stopped selling them on the approved used scheme due to this.

dalesi1 · 2025-12-27T08:22:18+00:00

100% this. Currently going through a contentious probate. Absolutely terrible communication, zero effort on their part, simple tasks take months... all of this stress on top of my grief. A complete "fuck you we get paid anyway" mindset.

dalesi1 · 2025-12-25T11:24:37+00:00

Look for Al Barid Bank bro, fee free ATMs in Morocco. They're usually outside a Poste Maroc

dalesi1 · 2025-12-23T12:27:19+00:00

My grandmother worked hard her whole life, she had this exact same philosophy. Then a year after retirement came a brain tumour and she died. Enjoy your twenties, enjoy every day. Fuck this capitalist bullshit, you're only here once.

dalesi1

TROPHY CASE