apprentice cars

[jvt38]

Hi all I am thinking of doing an electritian apprentice and I have come across a VY wagon.
Will a wagon be a good car for an apprentice since it has a lot of space or should I pay a bit more and get a ute

 

[someguy360]

Get into a ute mate.

It's a horrible feeling being all squished up with your tools inside the cabin with you.

Buy a car fit for purpose, a wagon is to move families, not to move tools.

I find it ridiculous when I see house painters etc with wagons full of paint tins, rollers, brushes etc. The inside of the car would look like a mess pretty quickly. I'd also never hire a tradesperson that couldn't afford or didn't want to buy a vehicle that was suited to their work, that rings red flags for me.

I get the boomers loved to have their wagons as family/work vehicles but these days there are so many options that are better suited to trades.

 

[OldBomb]

Not very sexy, but a van. You can bet your life eventually some asswipe will pinch your tools out the back of a ute.

 

[rambunctious]

Apprentice = go the wagon
Cheap to buy, parts still available, comfortable waaaaaaayyyyyy cheaper than a ute and lockable.
Get a cargo barrier $40 max, drop the back seat down, get a 2400 x 1200 x 8mm ply sheet and borrow a jigsaw then cut the sheet to suit the rear of the wagon to protect the carpet (if you wish)
Along both sides of the wagon should be tie rails and if you are lucky it will come with the tie down fittings so you can tie down anything heavy.
And don't put aluminium ladders (should be using fibreglass ladders anyway) on roof racks or the noise will do your head in.
If you want a pic of the ply sheet with sizes, as well as the tie down fittings, come back and I will do one for ya.
Electrical is the future but a lot of study but well worth it.
Just check twice before touching anything.

 

[Lex]

Apprentice = go the wagon
Cheap to buy, parts still available, comfortable waaaaaaayyyyyy cheaper than a ute and lockable.
Get a cargo barrier $40 max, drop the back seat down, get a 2400 x 1200 x 8mm ply sheet and borrow a jigsaw then cut the sheet to suit the rear of the wagon to protect the carpet (if you wish)
Along both sides of the wagon should be tie rails and if you are lucky it will come the tie down fittings so you can tie down anything heavy.
And don't put aluminium ladders (should be using fibreglass ladders anyway) on roof racks or the noise will do your head in.
If you want a pic of the ply sheet with sizes, as well as the tie down fittings, come back and I will do one for ya.

Ive got a vt wagon. Last month l bought & fitted the tie down rails, $95.00 (tie rails & L & R carpet sides & bottom) but well worth it.

Last year l was moving a trans. but didn't tie it down. Not really anywhere to tie it down.
By the time l got home the trans. had tipped over trans fluid everywhere.

Bought a battery for the mock up car last week. Had a place to tie it down, so used it, & guess what, didn't move. Was in exactly the same spot as it started by the time l got home.

 

[OldBomb]

Guy I used to work with made a lot of money selling ute to cab conversions.

 

[hademall]

Get into a ute mate.

It's a horrible feeling being all squished up with your tools inside the cabin with you.

Buy a car fit for purpose, a wagon is to move families, not to move tools.

I find it ridiculous when I see house painters etc with wagons full of paint tins, rollers, brushes etc. The inside of the car would look like a mess pretty quickly. I'd also never hire a tradesperson that couldn't afford or didn't want to buy a vehicle that was suited to their work, that rings red flags for me.

I get the boomers loved to have their wagons as family/work vehicles but these days there are so many options that are better suited to trades.

I agree with some of your logic. However, I’ve used a couple of Falcon wagons over the years when doing property and building maintenance, carrying all manner of tools. Taking the back seat out allows the back rests to lay flatter, and putting in a 6mm sheet of MDF sculptured around the sides works as a good smooth base.
On occasion when needing to use the car as a family wagon, I could take everything out and replace the seat easily enough.
A wagon roof rack was handy for ladders and certain lengths of timber and such, and easily accessible..
As mentioned by rambunctious, a cargo barrier will stop anything from smacking you in the back of the head when having to slam on the brakes etc.

Yes, there are drawbacks as you mentioned. Having your tools and equipment stored in an organised manner is a must and can be a pain in the arse when things get out of hand. But hey, have you looked in the back of some tradies’ Utes and vans?

 

[hademall]

Hi all I am thinking of doing an electritian apprentice and I have come across a VY wagon.
Will a wagon be a good car for an apprentice since it has a lot of space or should I pay a bit more and get a ute

Go the wagon. You can get a double mattress in the back

 

[Lex]

Go the wagon. You can get a double mattress in the back

It then becomes a convertible(f#cktruck) for when you take the date, to the drive in (do they still exist?).

 

[hademall]

It then becomes a convertible(f#cktruck) for when you take the date, to the drive in (do they still exist?).

Yes, they don’t call it the ‘Drive In’ for nothing!