Best van?

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ackee911

ackee911

Active Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Messages
315
Location
London
Car
Mercedes-Benz S500L
I'm looking for a van to buy. Can anybody tell me which van I should go for? I have roughly two grand to shed out. Transit/Sprinter/Movano etc.
Would ideally like a LWB hi-top. Sprinters always have high mileage at that price (250k+) is this a problem?

LDV vans seem to be pretty cheap and usually have quite low mileage-is it worth going down that route? I have heard the clonk out at 55mph!


All help appreciated. :cool:
 
ackee911 said:
I'm looking for a van to buy. Can anybody tell me which van I should go for? I have roughly two grand to shed out. Transit/Sprinter/Movano etc.
Would ideally like a LWB hi-top. Sprinters always have high mileage at that price (250k+) is this a problem?

LDV vans seem to be pretty cheap and usually have quite low mileage-is it worth going down that route? I have heard the clonk out at 55mph!


All help appreciated. :cool:
Click to expand...

For £2k your best bet for a high roof van is an LDV Convoy.

Very tough vans with Transit engines.

Early pre Cdi Sprinters are good for 500k miles, but finding a clean one for £2k won't be easy.
 
I have seen vw caravelle's go through for about 2 grand at van auctions, but thats without vat..all about 60-80k miles .Problem is they are all green and ex council,but this is in scotland....dunno about prices in england
 
So are the rumours about the LDV Convoys packing out at 55mph true?
I used to have a 2002 Transit and it was perfect. Since selling that I had use of a Sprinter and they can shift, so one of them would be ideal. As far as the Caravelle/transporter is concerned, I haven't been able to find any high-tops.

Am I right in thinking the VW LT and the Sprinter are the same van?
 
I sold my 135k mile '00 Sprinter 311CDi Hi LWB for £2750 (on eBay) back in March.

It felt like it would run forever.
 
sorry to go off topic - if you google best small van see who is first :D
 
I saw this thread and thought .... another CAravan thread Yippie...


:)



But nope...
 
Can anyone tell me a bit about the Fiat Ducato? 2002 model.
 
ackee911 said:
Can anyone tell me a bit about the Fiat Ducato? 2002 model.
Click to expand...

I've got one.

The engine blew up in March.

Before that it needed a new wiper motor, £270 and I was lucky to get one as parts even from the dealer are very hard to get.

I'd stick to LDVs or Transits if you want a cheap van.
 
Vans are like racehorses.

A good old'un will always beat a modest young'un.

Search hard and find the right Sprinter. If you get a decent old one in reasonable condition it will retain its value very well.


310D or 312D.

I (unknowingly) had a clocked 310D that was superb and ran like thunder. :cool: I thought it had 101,000 miles on the clock and loved that van, until.... I found out it had covered 400,000 miles. :eek:

So well engineered was the MB that I couldn't tell it had covered that mileage. :eek:

So check the miles on the one you eventually buy.
 
I've decided to give the hightop LWB van a miss and am looking at a Vauxhall Vivaro. Any things to be said on this?

And anybody in the know that wants to come and check it out for me? Of course you will be compensated for your time.
 
ackee911 said:
I've decided to give the hightop LWB van a miss and am looking at a Vauxhall Vivaro.
Click to expand...


The Vivaro is a Renault Trafic built under licence by Vauxhall in Luton. Don't worry if Vauxhall's van plant closes after Opel are taken over, because the spares will still be available from Renault.

The Vivaro/Trafic seems to have a reasonable reputation for reliability and the very boxy design gives maximum interior space. The floor is lower than in the Mercedes Sprinter because the Vivaro/Trafic is front wheel drive so there is no rear axle differential that the floor needs to clear. That could be important if you are regularly lugging heavy stuff in and out.

You might also want to consider the VW LT Series which has the same bodyshell as the Mercedes Sprinter but different front end styling and VW instead of Mercedes engines. The early LTs suffered from blown engines but the more recent models (3 years and newer) are more reliable.

The longer wheelbase versions of the VW Transporter have almost as much capacity as the Vivaro. As this is a Mercedes forum, you might also consider the Mercedes Vito. The Mk 1 Vito had a patchy reputation but the Mk 2 seems better.
 
I spoke to another forum member and told him that the particular Vivaro I was looking at is having starting problems. seller mentioned it "may need new glow plugs".

The forum member mentioned that at this time, with this weather there should be no problem.

Could it be compression? Anybody had similar issues?

I would like a Sprinter, but they hold their value so well, that a second hand one with reasonable mileage is way out of my budget. A Vito would just be too small. (Or is the Vito and a Vivaro the same size?)
 
Value Sprinters.

Ackee,

Just look at these Sprinters for value.

Remember if you buy from a garage they HAVE to give you at least 3 months warranty. If a van is clocked they are in deep trouble.

Obviously, the £665.00 one is a typo.

If you want me to vet one of these vans for you (localish to me) I will do.
 
Last edited:
Sprinters are fab i had a 1998 312d still drove like new with 145,000 on it and went like stink
 
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