Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

See, I had no idea about that. Maybe I should stay away from these things.

The appeal to me is to be able to put four bikes, luggage and a tent in the back, four of us in the cab and then head to the Chunnel.

I can see this simple dream becoming very expensive quite rapidly however.

Because they were commercial vehicles, they weren't produced in great numbers and were then abused by builders, plumbers etc so finding crew-cab specific parts can be difficult.

All the running gear/engine etc is standard so not much of a problem (although still getting expensive) but bodywork etc can be a pain.

They are very cool though!