Trackdays - Van or Trailer?

I've been fortunate enough to get a rise in £ at work following the completion of a qualification, therefore the dream of having a track bike is nearer to becoming a reality!

Still in the planning stages, and most likely won't act till after this winter, but trying to decide between a van or a car with a trailer for transporting the bike to and fro.

Most of the vans on eBay seem like dogs to be honest, very high mileages and very expensive...but I live down the road from an auction house (BCA Blackbusche) and been looking through their sales catalogues and they seem to have low mileage examples which seem in good condition.

I've read through the BCA website guidance and seem to know the process, so I'm generally just after any viewpoints of other trackday-goers as to the pro's and con's of using a van over a trailer. I can think of the obvious ones, but I'm sure there will be one or two I've overlooked.

Also, has anyone had any experience of buying from BCA? How did it go?

Cheers

As someone who has a van, I'd advise getting a trailer!

Lousy Fuel consumprion for the van along with extra Tax/insurance if you intend to run you present car too.

A trailer will set you back £100 off Ebay and tha van considerably more. If you plate over the trailer you can get all manner of gubbins on there like spare wheels, gennie, tool kit etc. The car is more comfortable on the way there and back too

I only have the van because I use it for work too.

go for the trailer and spend hundreds of pounds difference on more track days

C

[Biker Biggles]

Not been to a BCA site for many years but if things are like they were beware.You cant check the goods out before you buy other than visually and they only offer a very limited warranty on the newer vehicles.These tend to go for very high prices so little advantage there even if you can afford it.The other end of the market is where the dross gets disposed of by all and sundry.Many of these are valeted up to look nice but conceal a host of "issues"and there is no comeback.Id buy a van on the used market where you can give it a good inspection and make a reasonable offer.

[dirtydog]

If you've got somewhere to store it go for the trailer as said above vans aren't cheap to run. I've got a 2.5 td transit and I get around 300 miles on £70 pf diesel and the tax sets me back £245 a year. Only down sides to the trailer is you're limited on speed to 60mph and you need somewhere to keep it

I have a trailer and if funds permitted would rather have a Van. - You can lock the bike and all the kit in the van out of prying eyes, and you can always sleep in the van if stopping overnight. you can always use the van for other things as well.

[Bibio]

box trailer. simples.

Forgot to mention - I don't have a car currently (sold as of Mar '10) so it wouldn't be an outright saving by getting a trailer.

Buy a van.

You can kip in it the night before, you can take the bike, spares, tools and whatever you need and keep them out of sight if the windows are tinted. Vans are so bloody useful I'm kicking myself for not buying one and getting a 3 series BMW instead.

Our shonky old race van is a V regd LDV Convoy - it cost £900 4 years ago, takes two bikes to trackdays about twice a month, takes the race bike to circuits all over the country at least once a month where it gets used for storing all our gear and sleeping in (you can sleep 5 in it comfortably), gets used in between as a hack to collect bits and bobs, has doubled as a spray booth, temporary hotel, workshop, office, free brothel, and all manner of things.

It's been dead reliable, but that's mainly due to it being blessed with a non-turbo 2.5 Transit engine, gearbox and other mechanicals. The only thing wrong with it is the poorly made body which is showing signs of corrosion and it's a gack green colour.

Cheers for the replies all, offered some insight I don't have...but I may have found a massive flaw to the van plan!

Insurance is ridiculous and 99% of companies don't seem to accept car no claims on a van policy, and silly old me just assumed that they would! I managed to get a couple of quotes with companies who allow car to van no claims transfer, so long as it's not currently on a car policy, but they still want very high premiums.

To provide some perspective, I can insure a 2009 2.3t Mazda 3 (260bhp), which is worth four times more than the van, for less than a third the premiums they want for the van.

<- Unhappy camper!

They accepted mine without batting an eye! Try Gladiator insurance which is the Van arm of Admiral. Cheapest by far for me.