I feel guilty for the abuse I've given my Xantia and I have decided to buy a van to help me move house and to use for renovating my new property.
Having nearly finished renovating a property and having got through one clutch and some suspension on a previous car I really do feel I need to spend some money on something a little more robust.
My requirements are:
Load area to carry 8' x 4' sheet material (eg plaster board etc)
Reliable enough to cover about 5k miles per year (I am keeping my car for work and family)
Not too scruffy, nothing that a builder has wrecked.
Cheap/easy to service and maintain. I don't mind spending some money on maintianing it but I don't want to be stuck with an expensive garden shed.
Fairly secure.
MOT - and worthy of it
Not essential but desireable:
Power Steering
Diesel - not petrol if I can help it
Ability to tow up to 2 tonnes (with or without pay load in van)
Are there any fantastic sources out there where I can get a good Transit sized van for around £1000? I read Dave Taxi Drivers reply about newish cars previously used as taxis.
I have been offered the following trade ins to date:
L Reg 93 Merc 308 Diesel £995
G Reg 89/90 Transit Diesel Scruffy body at a 'dirt cheap' £500
R Reg 97/98 LDV for £900 - don't know much about this at the moment, the dealer is hoping to take this as trade in for a new Merc van. Apparently they only forecourt Merc vans, which I guess could be why they would be willing to 'trade' this one.
Any bargains there?? I know it all depends on condition etc
Your help would be appreciated.
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In reverse order:
Check the LDV carefully before being swayed by the registration letter, IIRC 98 was when they started fitting the Ford Transit 2.5Di engine (much, much better than the old unit), so "your" one may not have it. Also bear in mind that it's possible to drive 84,000 miles in 12 months (I do!) so even a 5-year old van could well be down to banger status.
We run a T-reg LDV Convoy, although god knows why, it spends more time in the workshop than it does on the road! All manner of problems with the appalling build quality. For example, the dashboard touches the n/s windscreen pillar but is 1 1/2" from the offside one. Also the assembly tolerance between body panels seems to be measured in inches rather than tenths of millimetres.
One of our owner driver subcontractors told me that the amount he's spent on buying a Merc Sprinter would have bought him two LDVs! But he'd rather have a van that doesn't break down frequently, and seriously, like his previous X-reg LDV used to.
Ford Transits are fine workhorses, they can take an awful lot of abuse and still keep going. The main problem with Transits though, is theft. Out of every 7 commercial vehicles stolen in the UK (that's including every type of commercial from Fiesta vans to 40-foot Artics), 6 of those 7 stolen are Ford Transit vans or pickups. I can't really imagine why they're so likely to get stolen, but they are quite good for towing caravans with. However, if the Transit you're looking at has plenty of MoT and drives straight enough, it could well be your best buy of the lot. Make sure you validate its identity thoroughly though, and some form of extra security would be a good idea!
The Merc 308 is, quite simply, the best built, most reliable van out of these three. I find the driving position less than ideal though, but if you're only planning to take it 100 miles or so in a week that shouldn't be a problem. The transmission tunnel is far too wide for me to be comfortable driving anywhere long-distance in one though. The only other downside to the 308 is that the trim and gadgets level redefines the word "basic". But it's less to go wrong!
Let us know how it goes.
Dave.
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Thanks for your advice Dave.
I have to say, I did have a C Reg Merc 307 in my possesion for a short while, many years ago. It wasn't mine but it belonged to my sister, who was abroad at the time and wanted me to get shot of it for her. I found it was like driving a small truck, but I would have kept it for the right price if I needed it at the time.
SWMBO is concerned about appearence, which is why I have to say I am interested in a newer vehicle. The LDV build quality sounds similar to that of my recent Lada Riva. I guess I would need to be comfortable with its mileage. The good news is that My next door neigbour is a Merc van mechanic and has agreed to cast an eye over anything I wish to view. Ironically, he works for the firm that may be getting this LDV.
On the downside, we were out driving today and saw an LDV - R reg, broken down by the side of the road. We mad a note of its reg just to see if it's the one we get offered next week!
I think I may have to take a step back and see what's on the market in terms of Transits and Mercs before I make a decision. Also, I'll check which engine that van has in it. What you're saying is that I'd be better off with the Transit 2.5Di rather than LD's own power unit?
I'll let you know how I get on.
Hugo
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>I can't really imagine why they're so likely to get stolen, but they are quite good for towing caravans with.<
LOL - nicely put
Boff - works for the police in a countywide control room
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M2XN
I have a feeling I should know what this means.. but haven't worked it out yet..
Boff - works for the police in a countywide control room
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Check out the Royal Mail/Centrica sections at British Car Auctions.
If you don't mind scruffy, but well maintained, full history 1 owner vehicles, you won't go far wrong.
You will look at LDV Pilot (Updated Sherpa)P plate 50000 mls, not too good to tow with.Or Convoy R plate, with more power/weight carrying ability,but with a horrible roller hutter rear door.
Push your budget to £1500 to allow for VAT & auction fees.
Won't be much choice until after Christmas, as they don't de-fleet many this time of year.
Mark
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Hugo
If you buy a Peugeot van - check the rear suspension! :-)
Charles
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Hugo If you buy a Peugeot van - check the rear suspension! :-) Charles
Charles
Thank you for that advice - how's that Stag coming on?? Is it any more mobile than that Pug was yet?
I believe the Peugeot equivilent to the Transit is called the Skip, or is that what everyone else called my Lada Riva! I knew it had an S and an I in it somewhere.
Hugo
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I believe the Peugeot equivilent to the Transit is called the Skip, or is that what everyone else called my Lada Riva! I knew it had an S and an I in it somewhere.
Funny, 'the Skip' was what my first car, a lovely creamy-yellow Talbot Sunbeam, was known as locally. It cost me 50 quid, and had no problems whatsoever until the rust got so bad inside that the clutch cable just couldn't function any more. Fantastic engine though, hid it in garage for months and when local banger-racing enthusiast came to pick it up, it started first time. Bless it.
HF
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Steer clear of the LDV vans, they look awful and have terrible build quality. I'd consider a transit and then adding a Disclok or similar for about £70, that should keep a good chunk of criminals at bay.
At our school we used to have an LDV and a Transit, one night some people used the LDV to try and ram the gates down so that they could steal the transit. :) I think that says it all...
BTW, after that little incident the school had an alarm and immobilser fitted to the Transit, they didn't bother with the LDV though, horrible tank that it was. :)
Blue
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Well
Time for an update-
After reading all your replies, talking to my next door neigbour and finding that this R Reg LDV has not been traded in after all, I invested in the Auto Trader. Bearing in mind that I don't want to spend mega bucks because I'm only going to be doing 5k to 10k miles per year and want to get 4 to 5 years out of it so high mileage is not an issue, but age could be.
I was keen to get something that wasn't too old. I didn't fancy rattling around in something that should have been buried several months ago. I had found an ad for a G reg Renault Trafic for £795 with 150,000 miles, though I didn't follow it up.
I found an N reg Trafic SWB 2.1 Diesel for £1000 that had been owned and used by two separate computer supply companies. At 180,000 miles it had some service history and it had obviously been well looked after, but had collected a few minor dents, which were mentioned in the ad (I wouldn't have bothered but this chap did).
I managed to negotiate the asking price down to £850 over the phone, which I felt was more appropriate for the condition as described. I then saw and drove this vehicle. I looked for the obvious, braking in a straight line, slack steering, PAS faults etc. I then opened the bonnet when the engine was running and opened the oil filler cap. I was looking for steam and any serious back pressure. I found none whatsoever, though I did get my hands dirty - so plenty of oil inside the rocker cover. No leaks were to be found underneath or around whilst it was running.
However, whilst the engine was running I paid very careful attention to the radiator, which looked to be steaming very slightly. At first I put this down to rain water settling on the grill (it was tanking it down). However, I noticed that there was a pretty small but visable plume of steam coming from the bottom LHS of the radiator. This symtom didn't seam to cause any other problems. The seller and I had a polite discussion as to whether or not the cooling system was leaking. I then mitigated the risk by offering £750 (as opposed to his £850 that he said he would accept as a minimum). Well, I decided that if there is a problem, I know about it and have negotiated the price down to cover myself. The deal was done.
He has kindly agreed to meet me half way next week when I actually do the deal, to make getting lifts easier for me. I shall be keen to see whether the steam reappears.
I had a similar symtom on a car I had. I never broke down, but I did get through some coolent. I think the radiator was starting to show its age but regular checks kept problems at bay.
MOT is for 4 months, but there were no obvious failure points. The engine had plenty of power (for a diesel). Tax is for 3 months. I expect to have to spend some cash on it but I hope to avoid the expensive stuff.
In addition to that, despite most insurance companies wanting to hike my premium up to £900 plus. I have found very reasonable TPFT for SDP use at £360. This is partly because I have a main car as well.
Thanks for all the advice chaps - It was appreciated. Wish me luck!
Hugo
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