Confess the bus is never considered for such one way journeys, train every time or airplane if suitable.

However, sounds like you did ok for a van, and i fully expect the van to endear itself with your use, i find these sorts of engines so easy to drive, no they arn't flying machines but will happily lug right down to stall speeds and still keep going, Berlingo 1.9D's much the same as i recall.

I suspect whilst the BHP figure isn't high the torque figure is quite respectable and from a ridiculously low rpm, and it won't have that sting in the tail rapid fuel consumption as with higher powered turboDiesels when you make use of the extra power.

I hear you GB, and I did look into the alternatives. Price wise, flying didn't seem to bad (£53 for early flight, £69 for mid morning), the main drawback being how far it is from Manchester Airport to Blackburn. The train, though I'm sure (assuming it didn't break down!) would have been a much more pleasant journey, was an outrageous £107!, and that was just to Preston, I didn't think to get a price to Blackburn.

Thanks for that FiestaOwner!

Years ago I rented a NA diesel Fiat Doblo van with windows on a family holiday. It was a slug and drank fuel, but I drove it like you should drive a rental car (!) and by the end of the holiday it was faster and more economical that at the beginning. Just needed its lungs clearing....

Can only reiterate the above - and ta for troubling to report on the proceedings.

I have vowed never to go anywhere by coach following the journey from Exeter to London on a National Express coach. It was some ridiculously cheap price... something like £11 or somesuch...so you pays yer money and takes yer choice. I can see why people prefer to sit in their own car despite the cost of running the car ... at least in traffic jams you can choose the temperature, the radio station and you (hopefully) haven't got a nearby passenger who hasn't had a wash lately and who's hip hop/garage/drum & bass music in the headphones you can hear for the entire journey and who's phone is a source of irritation to the whole coach.

Never had a van and haven't had anything to add to advice you were given but, as per the others, hope it gives sterling service.

If it's any consolation (re. the 3200rpm in top gear) my Hyundai i10 automatic also runs at exactly that engine speed at 70 rpm ... for a relatively modern petrol car it's dreadful! Especially as at that particular speed there's a horrible droning noise.... they did install a modified drive shaft within the first year which helped a bit but didn't get rid of the noise entirely.

Good luck.

Point taken, ta. The car's over six yrs old now and it would have been worth doing when newish but I now CBA to spend any time, money or effort on it ... I can't stand the thing but the Mrs. is happy with it due to it's compact proportions and its total innocuousness and it's handy for cramped supermarket spaces where parking skills are at a premium and parking on the moor where it's liable to being chewed by Dartmoor ponies (honestly) or vandalized by the a select few folk of Plymouth or Exeter or wherever it is that these despicable lowlife pond dwellers have their stones from which they crawl out in order to inflict their unpleasantness on others. It's being so happy keeps me going! :-)

Edited by KB. on 27/12/2017 at 11:35

Great to know that, apart from the Megabus horror, your search has ended well, BDB. Also good to hear about the positive experience you had with the seller.

All too often the tale told by those who submit themselves to the mercies of motor dealers and then decide to tell the world about it via the internet is one of serious pocket depletion, disappointment and weeks or months of chronic hassle.