Need to get a medium sized van. Looking for something that's practical, but also stylish, quick and comfortable.
Something 2 - 3 years old, low mileage and with the more powerful (diesel) engine option. Preferably a tiptronic auto box for all the city driving. I like the Merc Vito, but also the VW Transporter. Which is bigger, the VW looks it?
In the terms of reliability, residual value and fuel efficiency, which comes out on top? Which would people chose if presented with two identical spec vans from the different manufactures?
Thanks
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Personally I would choose the VW.
However this choice is entirely based on the fact that the floor in the Vito is too high for me to sit in the driver's seat comfortably (leading to incredible aching in my left leg after half an hour or so - I'm 36, not overweight, with no health or mobility problems and no other vehicle does this to me so it has to be a Vito thing), and also the fact that I hired a VW Transporter diesel with the Tiptronic 'box in 2005 for a run to Le Mans and back, and it was utterly without fault. In mine and my friends' experience VW products suffer less breakdowns than Mercedes products too.
Dave TD.
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The firm I work for had some Vito's a while back. The build quality was shockingly bad.
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A self employed pal of mine bought a new Vito for his business about four years ago. By and large he's very pleased with it. No major mechanical woes. It is though, starting to rust a little bit. Just little blemishes really. He took it to a bodywork place and the guy has fixed it up but told him that vans do tend to rust more quickly than cars anyway. Don't know if that's true but it was what he was told. Is it something to do with lack of galvanised steel or some such ? My friend looks after his van. Keeps it clean etc. He takes the view that especially as he is working mainly on private houses ( he has a specialist floor tiling business ) that he wants it to look as presentable as possible.
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my brother has both vans, plus i've driven both and i'd have to say VW every time out of those two choices.
IMO the Vito, certainly the earlier ones, are truly dreadul to drive, due mainly to the vague and notchy gearbox...don't know whether the most up to date ones have improved noticeably, they needed to.
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We've had nothing but Transporters since 1988!
Most Vitos I see are a rusty mess.
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My friend works for a family owned courier company who experienced such shocking reliability and build quality on their first batch of Vitos and Sprinters that they won't actually allow Mercedes vans on the fleet any more.
They now have a mix of Transits and Transporters/Crafters, and are happy with both.
Mind you, I went in his last Sprinter, and it was incredibly, almost terrifying quick unladen!
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An acquaintance in the village has a Vito which he uses for his florsit business - he loves his vehicles and pampers them - the windscreen crack (which Merc says is due to body flex) is a problem too far and will replacing it with either a VW or Renault/Vauxhall.
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Gosh, are vito's that bad? I must omit, having previously owned an earlier Sprinter, I wasnt to impressed with the Mercedes stuff - lots of problems and huge bills.
Used VW's seem to be more expensive than the "equivalent" Vito's also.
Will take both for a test drive this week, but I think i'm already leaning towards the VW.
Dan
Edited by DanG on 18/01/2009 at 12:44
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Used VW's seem to be more expensive than the "equivalent" Vito's also
May be a market economy reason for that !
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Not spot-on, but not far off: I recently rode in a VW Sharan taxi and a Merc Viano taxi in quick succession. The VW was both quieter an smoother.
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The Vito has replaced the VW as van of choice for surfers in West Wales. A friend has one and it is a delight to ride in although I would have to say the back of the VW is slightly bigger and taller. I do not like diesels but noticed I was not put off by the diesel clatter from the Vito as opposed to when I hear a VW.
My mate helped me move my 3 piece leather suite in his Vito van - got a large sofa and two large chairs in the back. His Vito has a removable second role of seats which I am not sure that the VW has or not?
My friend has a house in the South of France and regularly makes the jouney from Wales to near Bordeaux and back in it.
Surfers down here get a couple of wooden pallets from which they make a raised frame which they stick in the back of the Vito. They have about a foot underneath which allows them to stuff in loads of camping gears, food, beer, etc, and then stick a mattress on top of the frame. Sling the boards in the back and then you have a van to go surfing down West and something to camp in overnight aslong as it ain't too cold.
Hope this helps.
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For value £$£$ you might look at the Vauxhall range, also. There are some well spec'd examples if you start searching.
VW always have had a good following, so never cheap.
As for a REAL lifestyle Californian Surfers choice, it'd have to be this li'l secret hideout...
tinyurl.com/8vgdaq
If it were ever marketedl!!
VB
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Probably be no good for most surfers - lanky sods we are. The Mazda Bongo would seem ideal until you try to sit behind the steering wheel let alone lie down in one.
Probably a great surfers car in Japan though.
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VW tranporter every time. Done a fair few thousand miles in a SWB T5 and they are fab. The T130 will easily out drag the Vito.
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Yea, I am looking at a T30 - 130 LWB with tiptronic auto box. I gather this is the 130BHP model?
Dan
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the transporter is ok, water pumps being the main problem. avoid the crafter it is i think the same basic van as the sprinter. jag.
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Still can't make up my mind! Found a nice T30 4x4 2.5l Transporter which I took for a test drive and was very nice. However, I do still like the vito and you seem to get more for your money also. However reliability and residual value are more important...
I hate buying vehicles! Would rather pay someone else to do it for me, can never make up my mind..
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Until I sold my business 2 years ago, I had run Transporters for almost 20 years...my original one was a rear engined 1600ccTD Syncro.My last a HiRoof LWB 2.4 5cyl which was so reliable I just kept on running it, long after my accountant told me to change!
For one brief period (3 months) I ran a new Vito, alongside a VW. Solicitors became involved and it was returned for a refund.Too many faults to list. Say no more.
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Vito no good. Thrown together piece of carp. I know you haven't asked..........BUT........I have owned from new, a Renault Master long wheelbase medium roof van, (you can still stand up in it) and have given it hell from 2002. I am a Building contractor and the thing is permanently loaded up to the gunwhales and has been, up 'till now, perfectly reliable and goes very well. VERY very well on the rare occasion I have unloaded it. Not 'sexy' like the Transporter, but hey! be different.
OK......sorry...MD
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Yea I am looking at a T30 - 130 LWB with tiptronic auto box. I gather this is the 130BHP model? Dan
Go for the 174 BHP and have it chipped and watch that G.R.I.N!!
MD
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Hi,
I have had both vito and vw t5. The both were bought new as i drive constantly to places as far away as russia, so a reliable van is very important for me, especially through the night in a far of country alone !!!
The vw t5 gave me so many problems, it was 1.9 tdi. Problems were, 2 wheel bearings failed, handbrake failed, 2 steering rack problems, door handle broke of in my hand, rear roof brake light fell out....... 3 times !!! Rear brake light failed. The van also constantly had a misfire for no reason as if you were turning of the key and then turning it back on quickly !! Also sometimes refused to start for no reason. Piece of pink fluffy dice !!! I will never buy another one, and all this in 30,000 miles of mostly motorway driving at 70 mph. Oh and also vw sevice i got in glasgow was utterly terrible.
The vito now has 65,000 miles same conditions as vw. Changed intorior light bulb because i left it on for a few days......... And that is it !!!! Far better van than the t5 i had. The vito is a 109 07 plate with a 127hp re-map from new. Great van and mercedes service in glasgow the best !! I also have a friend who had a 55 plate t5, it had a new turbo, and loads of other crazy problems. So when i change next year it will for sure be a vito.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 19/03/2009 at 18:49
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why the shouting Letmein?
{He isn't anymore. I've lowered the volume of his post as well as removing the swearing. No spelling mistakes, grammar, etc (if there were any) have been corrected though. Cut/paste into Word, and then used the "change case" option and cut/paste back into the post is enough for me}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 19/03/2009 at 18:52
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Have ran VW transporter, Merc Vito, Ford Transit and Vauxhall VIvaros over the past few years.
I would choose a vito everytime unless it simply was too small for the job.
Vivaro spent more time in the dealer than on the road (and depreciated most)
Transit is very good but just a bit too van like when you want to cover big miles or press on.
VW is a good van but IMO not comfortable enough for long distance and a little fragile in places.
Mercedes is comfortable, well specced, and rust (fixed without question by dealer) aside very very reliable. I have covered over 1000 miles in one stint in the current one on several occasions, including towing a car trailer to Brittany from Middlesbrough and back in 24 hours without a hint of problems.
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Neither !
My Toyota HiAce 2.4 Diesel has now done 108000 miles and still drives great.The only thing it has had is a new exhaust box and a couple of brake pipes that the MOT man thought were a bit corroded, although I think he may have been a bit slack workwise and wanted a bit of work.
I bought it at 60,000 miles and it was supposed to have had a new cambelt at that time, but I don't think they bothered and just reset the warning light, so it probably needs one now.
It has been 100% reliable in all that time.
A new turbo diesel would be very nice.
I also tried a friends Vauxhall Vivaro and thought that was a nice fast van but not sure how reliable they are.
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We`ve run Toyota HiAces for 15 years and probably a couple of million miles or more in total. They have been incredibly reliable - the biggest repair I can remember is a new radiator because the zig zag bits between the matrix detached itself. It didn`t actually cause a problem, replaced at service! We have had the latest one for 2 weeks and it would be crazy for us to buy anything else. It replaced one that had 207,000 miles on and still going strong, so that made a depreciation cost of less than 5p per mile - hard to beat that!!!
We once bought a new "R" reg. VITO, but it was sold after about 9 months replaced by a HiAce, draw your own conclusion of what we thought of it!
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