Moving from e class to Vito ( avoiding vw)

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Begazzz

New Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2016
Messages
10
Location
North devon
Car
W212 E220 AMG NIGHT EDITION ESTATE
Hi all,

Well that family gave just got too big for the e class est. so she has to go. The new car excitement has gone and the cold hard fact I need a van in my life is unavoidable. So do I want some luxury (yes) = one option. I keep coming back to the big old v6 Vito. I just cant being doing with vw waving at each other lark especially where I live in Devon. Please can someone share a little wisdom before I start tyre kicking? Looking at one that’s 2013 with 80k fmbsh . Looks immaculat. Hoping to waggle to £15k unless you all say I’m doomed as soon as I buy it as the cam chain will go etc.

I can’t do French plastic and big Jap imports are so ugly.

Thanks in advance, Dom.

Apologies if this is one of those boring overly repeated threads. I promise I had a few searches but seems to relate to older vehicles.
 
The Viano gives more luxury than the Vito, extra trim and sound insulation as a minimum.
Also more likely to have the extras, so less searching for a Vito that would be rare with them.

Some issues resolved as time progressed but the V6 CDI has a list of possible gremlins.
The problem with a post 2010 V'i' class is that by then the 2.1 litre has moved on to the 251 engine and that has its own list, but less.

The V6 is a much sweeter and smoother drive but will use significantly more fuel.
 
The Viano gives more luxury than the Vito, extra trim and sound insulation as a minimum.
Also more likely to have the extras, so less searching for a Vito that would be rare with them.

Some issues resolved as time progressed but the V6 CDI has a list of possible gremlins.
The problem with a post 2010 V'i' class is that by then the 2.1 litre has moved on to the 251 engine and that has its own list, but less.

The V6 is a much sweeter and smoother drive but will use significantly more fuel.


Hi thanks for that. Appreciate the fuel comment but to be honest the running cost will be a lot cheaper than my new car I’m getting rid of so I’m comfortable with 30mpg ish. I only want 5 seats and a big boot so that works and sport x seems specked enough. Seems like everything has its issues (vw included) so it’s probably toss a coin time if I like it. God I hate buying cars! Thanks. Don’t suppose you know if the cam chain needs changing (100k ? ) pumps etc. Really want to check all necessary works have been completed or can haggle over ones that maybe looming. Ta.
 
Welcome. :)
Vito's are a nice motor,
a nice set of alloys can make them look really good. VW T4/5s are nice but are getting a tad common now, every man and his dog's got one.
 
Expect 25 - 26 mpg in the V6, the best I've achieved with super gentle driving was 32mpg over 200 miles of mainly m'way 60mph cruising.
A good run of 116miles, Derbyshire to Anglesey would return 29 - 30mpg.
Cam chain should be good for life. It's not a regular change out item.

An auto box service every 40k miles is a real benefit.
More of a concern is oil leak at the air duct onto turbo, it drips onto the motor below and takes it out.
Oil cooler seals within the V, only 'o' rings but I've read can be a 9 hour job.
Crankshaft seals are known to be a possible issue.

The 251 has the timing chain issues, or more specifically the tensioner.
 
Love the V class owned variants over the last 10years & tbh couldn't see us being without one now! Better spec than the VDUBS as standard & on a long run I can get about 37mpg from my Vito, spec wise they vary but can always be spec'd up should you need to.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 
I a sport x bought new in 2013. 132000miles loaded to minimum 2700kg.
Long term mpg is 30.5
Short journeys all day in the cold sees low 20s
A run up to Hull from Northampton easily sees 38mpg... .. Managed 42.8 sat behind a truck.

Couple of things to note....
They eat tyres if driven with spirit. Been through many brands and now find Infinity tyres give best balance of handling, comfort and grip. Driven sensibly 18k is achievable on a set.
They all wear front tyres on the edges if using full lock to get in and out of tight driveway etc.
The sat nav goes off road every now and again.... No known fix
Only big (ish) bill I have had was engine out to repair an oil cooler leak in the middle of the V as access to turbo bolts is under the dash..... But having the v6 is well worth the cost.
Even fully loaded to leaves all other vans (and a lot of cars) for dust.

The short wheel base has a tiny boot and the spare lives in there too.
X long struggles to fit in parking spaces
I have the long and never had an issue parking.... Even with height bars
If you do get a long, I have a full set of brand new plastics for the boot area for sale.

Christian
 
We've run a 2007 V6 as a family 'car' from new, so coming up for 12 years (and just over 100k miles). It's great to drive, we average about 25 mpg with 30-31 on a long motorway trip if you keep the speed sensible. The V6s (120 and 122) tend to have more options on them from new (and came with aircon and auto gearbox as standard of course). Comfort seats front and back are well worth looking for as they make a big difference. Get the middle-sized one ('Long') as the Compact doesn't have an under-slung spare and the Extra Long is a bit ... long. Longs are often advertised as 'LWB' which they're not - they have the same wheelbase as the Compact. The Extra Long is the LWB version.

Watch out for any 'modifications' as many insurance companies aren't keen on this with vans. Wheels can be an issue as many non-OE ones won't be rated for the GVW of a van, which is a legal requirement (no matter how little you're actually going to put in it). Same goes for tyres. A lot of people do drive with undeclared mods of course.

Our 120 was pretty reliable for the first 10 years but cost £6.5k in repairs last year (not to mention being off the road for 6 weeks or so) ... hoping it'll be good for a while now. It's probably worth getting the fault codes read as some of the things on ours started as intermittent issues.

Are you looking at a Dualiner (2 rows of seats, no windows at the back) or Traveliner (3 rows of seats, windows all the way back)? If the latter then it might make sense to look at Vianos, as already suggested (I'm not actually sure if you could get the Vito Traveliner with the V6 engine - I've never seen one). If the former you need to be a little careful about the kerb weight - if it goes over 2040 kg (possible with a V6 Long, depending on factory options) then technically it loses 'Dual Purpose Vehicle' status and van (not car) speed limits apply i.e. 50 on NSL single carriageway and 60 on NSL dual carriageway.
 
Well thanks for taking the time to reply with your in depth comments appreciated. For those who are nosey have a look at what I’m looking at. If the link works ;).

mercedes vito dualiner sport x | eBay

Thanks again. I think I’ll look into a private warranty as well as it’s private seller but I doubt they are worth the paper etc.
 
For those who are nosey have a look at what I’m looking at. If the link works ;).

Looks decent enough, other than it being a Compact (the shortest version). So there will be no spare wheel ... just a can of puncture sealant.

The wheels and front spoiler mentioned as extras aren't - those were both standard on the Sport X. Has Parktronic, cruise control and heated seats (again, standard) plus COMAND (which wasn't). Standard manual aircon rather than the optional climate control. I don't think the steering wheel is original .. wonder what that's off?! The roof rails (standard on the Sport X) look good but increase the height slightly meaning it may not fit under some car park height restrictions. I'm not personally a fan of the chrome side bars (again, standard on the Sport X) ... they're there to add depth so the deeper front bumper/spoiler doesn't look odd. FMBSH and 1 previous owner is good ... 3 keys is a little strange.

With only 5 seats and the shortest body I'm not sure this would be a significant upgrade from an E Class estate, space-wise? Depends what you want to put in the back I guess as there's obviously more height. Ours is caged out to take our 8 dogs :)
 
Nice looking,
looks like a compact, so as said spare in the back. Long or Ex long are a big advantage if space is needed.
I've has 2 ex long , both with parking sensors and reverse camera and didn't feel disadvantage over my present long.
Rear windows do look better, I would prefer the look on mine.
Restricted versatility with seat plans being one rear row and no long seat rails. The existing seat rails allow for some seat changes if desired.
The Vitos did have larger mirrors, these are the size of Viano mirrors w/o the integral indicators.
Are the wheels original? Are they load rated?
I don't know if the later Vitos were enhanced but certainly the Viano did come with so much more than the Vito, try one and compare.
Unless this is N1 registered I don't see a Viano (M1 registeres) would cause any tax disadvantage.
Personal opinion but I prefer Android systems to the Comand.
 
Thanks again gang. I missed out on this one. Snooze you lose!! I see your point on the compact but I don’t need a long really. E class boot is big for a car but I can deal with either compact orbecause of the extra height it will be enough. Viano also works but I’ll be binning the third row of seats tbh and they seem lots of dollar. The hunt continues.
 
Hello Begazzz,

I'm just in the process of buying a Viano on a 13 plate with 110,000 on the clock at £15,000. My searches have been extensive and I've had a lot of help and advise from the members above. I too am buying the vehicle to accommodate my growing family and the Viano to me seems like a no brainer, I've viewed three up to now with scope to purchase two viewed, one sale fell through which led me to the latest. I would have gone for the compact myself but I need one extra seat over 5. My advise to you would be to look at a local dealer who is selling a Viano for you to get a feel for the vehicle. Dealerships seem to price these vehicles a lot higher than their value so I opted for a private seller. there is a compact on auto trader at the moment, if you select the avantgard 'model variant' option' (In Cars) you should spot it quite easily, I'm sure it has 72k on the clock and has been reduced from £17,000 to £15,000 recently.

With the vehicles that I was interested in buying, I paid for an independent vehicle inspection to be conducted and it was worth it as the first vehicle I viewed was identified as having two electronic fault codes (that couldn't be identified/found by another garage) and had issues with the steering which I later found could have been as simple as a loose bolt or worse case scenario a new rack which could have cost in the excess of £2000 (MB dealer price). A report shared with the seller could add clout to negotiating a price but be careful with this as the seller could get a free report out of you if you choose to do this!

The reviews on Vianos vary but one particular reviewing site worked well for me (honest John!) sounds a bit suspect I know!!

Also check out 5th gears review on Vito vs Transporter on youtube.
 
Thanks for that I’ll have a look. My problem is I’m in Devon and vehicles are far and few between so I’m going to have to put the miles in. Yea I saw that video. Shame you can’t turn on the power in the Vito. Yea I like honest John. Good site. Trouble is if you do too much research all vehicles are rubbish. I think I’m losing it....
 
Just for closure a quick update. So I’ve put a deposit on a transporter. I know I know I’ll have to wave at all the others etc but I was just about to give up and spotted a lwb shuttle with leather and lots of toys 10 miles away. I really wanted to stay with Mercedes but there’s just nothing down distant Devon that ticked the boxes. I’m over an hour away from the nearest motorway and time is just too short. I must say though thank you to those that took the time to assist and of course I’m sure many will stumble upon the thread and find it of use. Thanks Dom.
 
Good luck with your new wheels
 
Best of luck with the [emoji2357][emoji2357] van, hope you have more luck than a friend of mine!!

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk
 
Yup a friend of mine had the engine let go on her late model T5 at around 70k miles ... apparently not unusual. Luckily she'd bought it new and it was still under warranty.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom