Hi

 

I'm looking at a van purchase later in the year, medium to large sized & one I can get my detailing & valeting kit in but one I can get my two young uns around in too.

 

I'd love a VW Transporter but the sensible option may be something like a Renault Traffic.

 

I'd love to hear your personal feedback re van reliability as I won't be spending mega bucks, I just want something smart looking, fairly economical, but most of all reliable.

 

Thanks

 

David

Auto Brilliance

Wouldn't get a master I've had many reliability issues 

 

how about Mercedes? I have a sprinter and it's approaching 370,000 miles now, my father also has one with 320,000

 

i know people look down on sprinters for rust issues so how about a Vito with the same engine?

Renault and Reliability..?.

Whatcha think George?

We've got a Renault master flatbed at work and it's on just over 180k. Only thing that's needed replacing is the battery and alternator.

Love the look of and the interior of the newest Citroen vans but know nothing about them other than the lease prices on the side at the dealership looked good. (Citroen Dispatch)

http://business.citroen.co.uk/Vans 

 

 

Edited 27 March, 20179 yr by Awayoffski

this one?

 

http://www.greatbritishsportscars.net/xj220-transit-van/

 

 

Thanks for all the replies.....anyone with an insight into the good old Ford Transit?

There is another thread around which talks about older Transits being notoriously easy to break into. If you're going to store a lot of gear in the van you'll have to consider security seriously since it will be a target.

I bought a 2005 Citroen Dispatch 2L hdi 900 Enterprise for my mobile bike servicing business. I didn't have any issues with my van what-so-ever.

 

Sure it was a little beat up, mileage was only 78,000 miles when I bought it (ha ha ha), no service history, central locking didn't work, the horn didn't work, your shoes got washed everytime you drove in the rain, it had a seized caliper and the pads disintegrated but it never broke down and I miss it now I don't have it.

 

I too needed something that I could still take my boys to after school activities & get into multi story car parks, this fitted the requirements perfectly.

 

Cost to buy £1300

Parts/Labour to make it road worthy £400 (inc service)

I did around 20,000 miles 

Sold it for £1300

 

When I can afford it, I would like to buy a newer 1.6hdi model to save the car from getting abused.

 

My brother runs a 2013 Ford Transit, he has very mixed feelings about it, he has a constant running problem with it going into Limp mode, so far Ford have been trying to resolve this for over 1 year but every time he takes the van in, it's a different fault code that's caused Limp Mode, now the van has left its warranty period, Ford have advised any future investigation work wont be covered under warranty & he will have to pay for it.

Otherwise, he likes the van, its comfortable/quiet has a quality feel inside (compared to other vans)

10 hours ago, Aspman said:

There is another thread around which talks about older Transits being notoriously easy to break into. If you're going to store a lot of gear in the van you'll have to consider security seriously since it will be a target.

 

This is the main concern re vans....they either get nicked, or the tools get nicked or they both get nicked n consequently insurance is so steep!

Though about a window van so at least the miscreants could look in first to see if there's owt to nick!

Edited 28 March, 20179 yr by Chubbs

3 hours ago, DarkPeakCycles said:

I bought a 2005 Citroen Dispatch 2L hdi 900 Enterprise for my mobile bike servicing business. I didn't have any issues with my van what-so-ever.

 

Sure it was a little beat up, mileage was only 78,000 miles when I bought it (ha ha ha), no service history, central locking didn't work, the horn didn't work, your shoes got washed everytime you drove in the rain, it had a seized caliper and the pads disintegrated but it never broke down and I miss it now I don't have it.

 

I too needed something that I could still take my boys to after school activities & get into multi story car parks, this fitted the requirements perfectly.

 

Cost to buy £1300

Parts/Labour to make it road worthy £400 (inc service)

I did around 20,000 miles 

Sold it for £1300

 

When I can afford it, I would like to buy a newer 1.6hdi model to save the car from getting abused.

 

My brother runs a 2013 Ford Transit, he has very mixed feelings about it, he has a constant running problem with it going into Limp mode, so far Ford have been trying to resolve this for over 1 year but every time he takes the van in, it's a different fault code that's caused Limp Mode, now the van has left its warranty period, Ford have advised any future investigation work wont be covered under warranty & he will have to pay for it.

Otherwise, he likes the van, its comfortable/quiet has a quality feel inside (compared to other vans)

I'd heard the previous model transit wax prone to problems so that rings true in his case! Maybe a leasing option may be better?

29 minutes ago, Chubbs said:

 

This is the main concern re vans....they either get nicked, or the tools get nicked or they both get nicked n consequently insurance is so steep!

Though about a window van so at least the miscreants could look in first to see if there's owt to nick!

Hi,

When you have a van in mind if you do need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line. I'd be happy to try and help out.

Regards,

Dan.

8 minutes ago, DAN@ADRIAN FLUX said:

Hi,

When you have a van in mind if you do need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line. I'd be happy to try and help out.

Regards,

Dan.

 

Thanks Dan, having been a previous customer I'll certainly give you a go.

How about a Vauxhall Vivaro crew cab van? 

Or

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLKSWAGEN-CADDY-VAN-MAXI-CREW-CAB-COMBI-5-SEATS-13-63-PLATE-C20-140Hp-WOLFBERG-/282393016948?hash=item41bfef7a74:g:ixAAAOSw5cNYkyb4

Work out what you need from it, then work backwards to what fits the bill.

 

Do you want it to look pretty? Do massive mileage? Just do short runs? Do you need bombproof reliability? Do you want to be able to fix it yourself? Do you want to carry a few cloths and buckets or an IBC of water? How long do you want to keep it for? How many miles are you going to do in that time? What are you happy with spending?

Much of the vans now are much and such the same. Just really boils down to which you like the look/drive/load space of to suit your needs best.

 

The Transits and Renault Trafic/Vauxhall Vivaro/Nissan NV300 are the easiest to work with from a home maintenance perspective and drive nicely. The VW drives well and feels solidly built compared to the other lot. I've not had any experience of the new Mercedes Vito but I think it might have the underpinnings of the Renault Trafic too. I could very well be wrong though. However with the good old 2.1 with 163BHP it will go very well. The Sprinters with that engine certainly do.

 

The Citroen Relay/Peugeot Boxer/Fiat Ducato feels a bit dated to drive now. They haven't changed much about them since 2006. They do drive ok but they don't feel particularly tough IMO. Same is true of the previous IVECO Daily. Not seen/driven a new one yet. The smaller PSA Group vans are similar but drive well.

 

Hope this helps. Good luck with your search and with whatever you get.

As far as I know, the Vito has nothing in common with the Renault. I used to rent a unit next to a bloke who broke vitos for a living. I asked him what I needed to know about Vito's.

 

"Never, ever buy one. If someone gives you one, sell it to someone who doesn't know where you live"

@StevesTruck

On 27/03/2017 at 21:33, Chubbs said:

Thanks for all the replies.....anyone with an insight into the good old Ford Transit?

We have a few new Ford Transit Connect...My engineers love driving them but they are a total PITA for flat batteries!!!

Every time you unlock or open a door they switch on the side lights front & rear and start draining the battery, it is a ludicrous situation, they are on sites and getting tools out etc all day and come 16:30 we get the call to say "my vans dead" can you get a jump sorted...grrr

 

Our latest is the Nissan NV200 with full 5 year manufacturers warranty and on a very good 10 year lease deal

Edited 28 March, 20179 yr by Defenderben

^^^^^ maybe Ford would fix the problem if the breakdown services were called every time .

It would result in disastrous reliability surveys, surely.

49 minutes ago, Defenderben said:

We have a few new Ford Transit Connect...My engineers love driving them but they are a total PITA for flat batteries!!!

Every time you unlock or open a door they switch on the side lights front & rear and start draining the battery, it is a ludicrous situation, they are on sites and getting tools out etc all day and come 16:30 we get the call to say "my vans dead" can you get a jump sorted...grrr

 

Our latest is the Nissan NV200 with full 5 year manufacturers warranty and on a very good 10 year lease deal

 

I like the Nissan...I'm thinking the Japanese manufacturers may be more reliable, or is that just a myth?

4 minutes ago, Chubbs said:

 

I like the Nissan...I'm thinking the Japanese manufacturers may be more reliable, or is that just a myth?

The Nissan NV200 has the 1.5dci engine from Renault AFAIK.

 

It has twin side doors as standard, reversing camera and good internal dimensions for us and i think it was 740kg load capacity, which is better than the Courier connect, and the Partner/Berlingos etc and some good lease deals. Ours is initially 5 years with the following 5 years on a peppercorn rental of £60 a year.

8 minutes ago, Chubbs said:

 

I like the Nissan...I'm thinking the Japanese manufacturers may be more reliable, or is that just a myth?

It's a fact.

Loss of face is a serious worry.

The Japanese don't push the technical boundaries like VW does and more time is spent on the proving ground before being marketed.

14 hours ago, Aspman said:

There is another thread around which talks about older Transits being notoriously easy to break into. If you're going to store a lot of gear in the van you'll have to consider security seriously since it will be a target.

My post was around the newer Transits. And a Police warning about how easy it is to get in . But I know a sparky, who parked his van ( only rear doors ) up close to his house and still got his tools nicked. Fords- dead easy to nick the Cat and rear spare wheel . Transit and Ranger are the "mobile gents" dream vehicle, for both of these. And then, there's the economy, or rather lack of.

Side doors. I'd be wary of, as these are problem areas. Great for access, but if you can get out, then t leafs can get in. Transit side doors don't like things inside sliding into them, and the side rails are weak .

I don't know about the latest Transits, but the older ones had a delay on the internal light, meaning that with filling log books ( needed to stop camera problems) , the light could be left on, and next day- flat battery ,and it's a big deal as battery is under seat, and connection point for jump is under bonnet.

Edited 28 March, 20179 yr by VWD