- Joined
- Nov 29, 2008
- Messages
- 7,832
- Location
- In a World of My Own.
- Car
- 2017 Audi RS6 Avant Performance Edition. Range Rover Supercharged - Lovely!
It's been great fun but it's just one of those things...
Around 3 years ago I sold my Sprinter and 210 320CDI estate and opted for a Vito 120 Sport. The Sprinter was a good load-lugger - The 210 was also capable of carrying a certain amount of equipment, but its important attributes were that it was both swift and smooth. So, the Vito 120 Sport seemed to be a perfect compromise - and it was!
The 204bhp 120 Sport Dualiner is a great piece of kit and in the van world, unsurpassed for power and acceleration (224bhp available these days). On occasions I would travel 500 miles in a day and knock in 20-30 of our units and return home reasonably refreshed. A great thing to travel in and it really did swallow the miles very easily.
In early 2012 I had a spinal cord injury. This meant that the reasonably comfortable seats in the Vito became a thorn in my side, meaning that using the van for even a short journey would impact on my wellbeing. I contemplated installing the comfortable orthopaedic seats that are in my 210 and had a brief fling with the idea of using some very comfortable SAAB seats too, but in the back of my mind, I knew it was the seating position (not the seats) that was the problem.
So, with regret, I succumbed to the inevitable and decided to sell the van I had bought as a keeper.
I had cossetted this van, so much so, (if I'm to be honest) it was a damn nuisance! It was never parked where it could be dinged and washing the Obsidian Black paintwork was like an obsession - Jet wash, then snow foam jet wash and then a hand wash with four 50p sponges sliced in half lengthways, enough for 16 panels - Then throw them away!
The Vito 120 was a joy to own- 3litre V6 24V Turbo Diesel with 440nm of torque and the upgrades I made to the van ensured I was very satisfied with it.
In the 3+ years and 26,000 miles I owned it, (service items aside) the van had just a pressure sensor and a new rear spring – that’s all!
The only downside to owning the Vito was the corrosion issue (LINK). I fell out with Mercedes-Benz main dealers when the warranty claim was refused but, with help from young Ringway (Les) maintained the routine servicing ahead of schedule.
The obsessional cleaning routine paid dividends. At 6 years old the van looked like this. It had several coats of Autoglym HD Wax when I bought it but none since then.
I even (somehow) managed to make a Youtube video for the ebay advert.
[YOUTUBE]5qSAFfArjeY&feature=youtu.be[/YOUTUBE]
And now to (what I think is) the stumbling block for the corrosion warranty refusal.
When I was looking to buy a Dualiner, the prices for a 3 year old van were £16-18,000 +VAT.
I spotted the van I bought, on ebay, at a price of £14,000 +VAT. I knew this was a bargain if the van was in reasonable condition and went to view the same day.
A deal was done for £13,500 +VAT = £16,200.
The owner had asked the dealership “What is it worth?” “£12,000 – 14,000” was the reply. The £12-14k was the trade-in value against the new Sprinter he bought, not the retail value. So, I bit his hand off at £13.5k + VAT and the van was mine. However, I took the van for a B service, a few weeks later to the dealership that had offered the trade-in price. I had dealt with them for years and was on very good terms with them, but got the feeling something wasn’t right when I turned up with the Vito. They were obviously miffed that I had the van that they wanted to re-sell at a tidy profit.
This is borne out by me selling it on the 30th of June, over 3 years and 26k miles later for £13,000 including Vat. Oh happy day!
It’s a great shame I had to sell the Vito, but (comfort issues aside) I have no regrets with regards to ownership. A fantastic van that I’ll miss owning.
If you are contemplating buying a 120/122 Sport, go ahead. Versatile, plenty of kit, smooth and fun!
Thanks for all the help I have received that enabled the vito to be kept to a deserving high standard.
Around 3 years ago I sold my Sprinter and 210 320CDI estate and opted for a Vito 120 Sport. The Sprinter was a good load-lugger - The 210 was also capable of carrying a certain amount of equipment, but its important attributes were that it was both swift and smooth. So, the Vito 120 Sport seemed to be a perfect compromise - and it was!
The 204bhp 120 Sport Dualiner is a great piece of kit and in the van world, unsurpassed for power and acceleration (224bhp available these days). On occasions I would travel 500 miles in a day and knock in 20-30 of our units and return home reasonably refreshed. A great thing to travel in and it really did swallow the miles very easily.
In early 2012 I had a spinal cord injury. This meant that the reasonably comfortable seats in the Vito became a thorn in my side, meaning that using the van for even a short journey would impact on my wellbeing. I contemplated installing the comfortable orthopaedic seats that are in my 210 and had a brief fling with the idea of using some very comfortable SAAB seats too, but in the back of my mind, I knew it was the seating position (not the seats) that was the problem.
So, with regret, I succumbed to the inevitable and decided to sell the van I had bought as a keeper.
I had cossetted this van, so much so, (if I'm to be honest) it was a damn nuisance! It was never parked where it could be dinged and washing the Obsidian Black paintwork was like an obsession - Jet wash, then snow foam jet wash and then a hand wash with four 50p sponges sliced in half lengthways, enough for 16 panels - Then throw them away!
The Vito 120 was a joy to own- 3litre V6 24V Turbo Diesel with 440nm of torque and the upgrades I made to the van ensured I was very satisfied with it.
In the 3+ years and 26,000 miles I owned it, (service items aside) the van had just a pressure sensor and a new rear spring – that’s all!
The only downside to owning the Vito was the corrosion issue (LINK). I fell out with Mercedes-Benz main dealers when the warranty claim was refused but, with help from young Ringway (Les) maintained the routine servicing ahead of schedule.
The obsessional cleaning routine paid dividends. At 6 years old the van looked like this. It had several coats of Autoglym HD Wax when I bought it but none since then.
I even (somehow) managed to make a Youtube video for the ebay advert.
[YOUTUBE]5qSAFfArjeY&feature=youtu.be[/YOUTUBE]
And now to (what I think is) the stumbling block for the corrosion warranty refusal.
When I was looking to buy a Dualiner, the prices for a 3 year old van were £16-18,000 +VAT.
I spotted the van I bought, on ebay, at a price of £14,000 +VAT. I knew this was a bargain if the van was in reasonable condition and went to view the same day.
A deal was done for £13,500 +VAT = £16,200.
The owner had asked the dealership “What is it worth?” “£12,000 – 14,000” was the reply. The £12-14k was the trade-in value against the new Sprinter he bought, not the retail value. So, I bit his hand off at £13.5k + VAT and the van was mine. However, I took the van for a B service, a few weeks later to the dealership that had offered the trade-in price. I had dealt with them for years and was on very good terms with them, but got the feeling something wasn’t right when I turned up with the Vito. They were obviously miffed that I had the van that they wanted to re-sell at a tidy profit.
This is borne out by me selling it on the 30th of June, over 3 years and 26k miles later for £13,000 including Vat. Oh happy day!
It’s a great shame I had to sell the Vito, but (comfort issues aside) I have no regrets with regards to ownership. A fantastic van that I’ll miss owning.
If you are contemplating buying a 120/122 Sport, go ahead. Versatile, plenty of kit, smooth and fun!
Thanks for all the help I have received that enabled the vito to be kept to a deserving high standard.
