What do BRers recommend for a cheapish panel van - Transit-type. Must be LWB, high roof, with sliding side door. Probably doing 5k miles pa. Budget 1-2k.
LDVs look extraordinarily cheap. They apparently have Transit engine & 'box? (Yet a thread on here in 2001 suggests that they are a complete shed.)
And can anybody translate the various, rather complex, names that the different manufacturers use for their vans.
TIA.
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The below is based on my expiernces as a transport manager when I had a mixed fleet of 26 3.5t or below vehicles. Hope it helps.
The LDV is not a bad motor, but suffers from body rot, insides look tatty when they get to any age and I have had problems with brakes on higher milage models, also starter motors used to be a frequent expense, but then our vans used to do upwards of 90 stop starts a day!!!!! But they are cheap and the dealer network and parts supply is good.
Iveco - (It Vibrates, Everything Comes Off), They are also cheap, but for a very good reason, they are rubbish, insides and body quite good, mechinics are not built to last, suspension on newer models a bit ropey, engine head gasket prone to failure, and new head needed, these used to take in excess of 6 weeks to get hold of!!!!! Dealer network and spares avalibility are the worst I have ever had the misfortune to come accross.
Transit - It has been a best seller for so long for a good reason, it is an excellent van for the job, spares are easy to come by, plenty of spares in scrap yards, cheap to run, can be picked up for cheap money, why go for anything else!!!
The others - Have not had much to do with them, the company I worked for were starting to trial Vauxhall at other depots but were having real problems with them - not man enough for the job. By all accounts the french and german brands are not too bad, but spares might not be as cheap.
The above is based purley on my own expierences, but hope it will give you some help in deciding.
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I've made more money from LDV than any other LCV (except Maestro).But only by being selective of the vehicle source.
All of mine were ex public utility/water/council etc., so haven't had a hard life to start with.
So long as you do it this way - avoid the few that have been dealer parts vans or multi drop home deliveries runs & you'll do OK.
Unfortunatly, the numbers sold oer recent years has diminished, to these users, as so much work is contracted out & then vehicles get into leasing companies, with a shorter life cycle. This means gone are the days of spending £1-1500 in auction on a low miles, well maintained council van, that still has plenty of life in it!!
VB
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5 years ago I bought a Fiat Ducato 2.8 Maxi from auction when it was 2 years old. Since I've had it, nothing apart from service stuff has been needed and I've done about 30k in it. These along with the Citreon Relay and Peogeot Boxer are collectively known as euro vans I believe sharing alot of the same parts. You should be able to get a Boxer for the price. Actually I'm about to sell mine but will look for 2500+ as its the heavy one with the bigger engine.
A great plus point, the bodies are galvanised. You'll rarely see a M reg Boxer with rust while Transits and Sprinters......
PS I bet someone comes on here and says they're junk!
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The newer LDVs have transit engines and boxes but not, I suspect, of the vintage that you would be buying for your £1500. I've driven several of the minibus variants, and the newer engine is streets ahead of the old. It's still damned uncomfortable to drive though. As someone else said, trannies seem to be the way forward.
O
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Jaguar XJS V12 - comes with free personalised oil tanker.
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Driven all of these older model vans as minibuses or vans.
Transit: OK, noisy, feels a bit "crude" in a way, seemed quite expensive secondhand, so not sure what you'd get for 1 - 2k, but not a bad thing and undoubtedly cheap to run and reliable.
LDV: Deservedly very cheap, very sluggish, heavy and lumbering to drive, rotten handling, rusty and unpleasant. Felt very like most old BL products - it's mostly a Sherpa, after all. I wouldn't buy one if I had to drive it. No doubt someone on here loves them, but I don't.
Peugeot Boxer / Relay etc.: Flimsy interior bits but good handling and braking etc. The most car-like of these three, and definitely the nicest to drive. Not sure about reliability etc. but Peugeot mechanicals aren't usually too bad, and most people seem to like their diesel engines.
You've probably guessed that for your budget I'd go for the Boxer - try driving all three and see which you like best. Given a bit more cash I'd have a Sprinter...
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The problem you have is that a LWB high roof van has most likely had a life as a courier with lots of stop starts.
Another sugestion for the pot is the Renault Traffic or Master both are very big vans.
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Something like this would be ideal, except it's not LWB or high roof:
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...W
I looked at this a while back for some friends who have a band and I was pretty much set on one of these, although they've stuck with a Berlingo and extra cars as necessary.
However, a look on the van section of AutoTrader suggests only two LWB high roof Boxers for under £2k, and no Citroën Relays, mainly because they only seem to have been launched for the 1998 model year - and none on budget on eBay either. (There aren't too many courier companies that use the Eurovans - they seem to prefer Transits, Sprinters and Renaults).
I presume this will bid higher, too:
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
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Thanks, all - particularly for comments as to why those LDVs are so cheap.
David, I've found those Pug Boxers are *very* nice to drive when new. Have they stood up to long use?
The last Transit I had any sort of 'relationship' with was an ancient 1987 vintage, and was a pig to drive! More modern ones I've found to be quite good, but not up to the standard of the Boxer.
Two thoughts on your advertised vans.
1. 'New head gasket' Is this a good thing? Cars that eat them, eat them, cars that don't, don't.
2. 'guaranteed for life electrics' on the Renault. Is this serious?
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