Skip to content

Transit van buying advice

dazz600
in General Automotive Chat

Featured Replies

How much are you going to be using it, and are you bothered what the neighbours think?

I ran transits for years, love driving them, but I don't think I'd ever buy another.

If I need a big van, I buy the oldest vauxhall movano / Renault Master I can find. They're ****, but there's loads of room in the back, they're dirt cheap, they're generally reliable, alright on fuel and the older ones are easy to fix. The sills rust a bit, but nowhere near like a transit.

Ideally, you want a late 90's one with the 2.5d.

Vw vans are overpriced and over-rated.

Old transits rust.

New transits break and rust.

Old sprinters rust.

New sprinters are horrible to drive, over priced and over rated.

Fiat / Citroën / Peugeot drive lovely but break expensivly for no reason.

Ivecos drive badly and break expensivly for no reason.

 

 

i would never recommend having a movano/master, personally we have had 2 and they have blown 4 engines, killed injectors and failed water pumps many times, having lived with transits all my life being driven in a large fleet of them plus being driven in newer transits and lots of fiats/citreons i can say the sprinters are by far the best drive (facelift models), cockpit layout is almost car like, the 2.1 engine is a fantastically smooth engine and most popular amongst the cars, mine has clocked to date 350,000 and is perfectly clean still smooth as anything, dpf works perfectly fine and doesn't use any oil, averages 31mpg whilst carrying heavy load which isnt bad at all.

 

agree old transits rust although they are relatively easy to maintain with being non turbo but rear axles can make a racket

newer transits i've heard good and bad so would not trust them

agree old sprinters rust although they do last a lifetime

new sprinters can be overprices, but also low priced if you look correctly, my 08 plate was £2500, over rated i dont think so, they carry weight excellently and the space in the back is incredible and easy to load up with a fork lift

fiat/citreon are noisy and you can hear the flimsy panels wobble when driving plus the engines don't really have the guts under weight

ivecos rear axles and suspension fail miserably 

 

the only van i have not driven/been in is a transporter so i cannot comment on them

That's why you buy the oldest one you can find and chuck it and get another when it breaks.

I'm not a sprinter can at all. I find them uncomfortable, the dash is badly laid out and they feel heavy when they're empty

As mentioned on post #16, I haven't driven one for a few years and last one was an 06, which we got on second hand lease and cost us a fortune as it had been thrashed and needd a new clutch ,and I was also led to believe it had a dual flywheel . Symptom was a large amount of vibration in 3rd gear.

Newest one I've had was an 03.

There's only two ways to run a van that work financially. Bangernomics or renting.

The van we returned on lease for the 06 one was a 51 plate. Only problem with that one was a maker recall to stop an alarm problem. But something missing from this post is that if the battery gets flat ( leave inside light on overnight) with the battery sitting under the driver seat, then a simple jump start can be a problem. Another problem can be the sliding side door .if is treated, then any rear cargo sliding on the rear can force the door off the rails. Another problem with a flat battery is that there's no rear lock. Battery flat = locked rear doors, as they can only be opened with the remote.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fatal-flaw-mercedes-benz-sprinters-tom-robertson

So was thinking of a recent sprinter then read this

I've had dpf trouble before,has anyone else had sprinter dpf problems?

This is going to be harder than I thought

As long as you do your dpf runs on a motorway it should be good

Easy to recognise, exhaust note becomes deeper and you can smell the fumes burning off when sat in traffic

I keep mine at 60mph and it regens in about 15 minutes

The company I work for has had a Sprinter (2011/12 model) running around at 10 and 20 mph for three years and never had a DPF issue. The built in burner works very well for regens if you just leave it to get on with it.

 

And on the Transit subject, the suspension and brake jobs are still relatively easy. A full service can still be done on a driveway if need be. They are still quite easy to work with should you have to. I've done a few wheel bearings/suspension bushes etc with just a trolley jack (and axle stand obviously).

Edited by HeavyMetalRich

  • Author

Nice vans.

Will have a Dpf though if thats a concern

It is a concern

Been stung before by it

Can these be removed at all on vans?

It is a concern

Been stung before by it

Can these be removed at all on vans?

 

same as removing it on a car i guess. You can remove it, but the emissions tests might become a problem in the near future. 

 

It's the reason i've got a 56 plate T5 1.9PD. A DPF would be nothing but problems for me on a work van. 

Buy the crafter. Same van, only the engine & interior is different.

 

And not even that much of the interior.

    •
    • Like 1

    Same as cars, a used van is generally only as good as it's been looked after.

     

    I've got one mate who had a crafter that shat it's engine big style, I've known others who have run them for mega miles without issue. Same goes for most vans, just check out the common faults on any you're interested in and check out the history. Majority will have been owned by companies and driven by employees who dont care for them the same as a privately owned car so be picky. 

    Sprinters engine has a timing chain by the way

    Royal Mail are in a switch over from sprinters to Boxers - might be a few bargains coming up??

    If you want a 6 year old van with matt red paint?

    If you want a 6 year old van with matt red paint?

    Which had been thrashed within an inch of its life right from cold, then stopped, started and repeated! :D.

    Ex council vans were usually the ones to go for - low mileage with worn out seats :D

    My mates just bought a new van, ex fire service van used for very little it appears, 35k and immaculate. 

    Create an account or sign in to comment
    Go to topic listing

    Recently Browsing 0

    • No registered users viewing this page.

    Important Information

    Welcome to BRISKODA. Please note the following important links Terms of Use. We have a comprehensive Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

    Account

    Navigation

    Configure browser push notifications
    Chrome (Android)
    1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
    2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
    3. Adjust your preference.
    Chrome (Desktop)
    1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
    2. Select Site settings.
    3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.