Van recommendations

[kellys_eye]

Ok, a very subjective topic but does anyone have an opinion on the 'best' van around?

I'm currently running a Scudo 1.9EL (slow as a slug) and suffering increasing problems.... clutch (replaced), exhaust (replaced), glow plugs (replaced), relay problem (fixed) and now it has an intermittent starting problem (complete with random stalling). Just spent three hours this afternoon waiting on the AA to tow me home I suspect either the stop solenoid or the in-tank fuel pump.

During the wait for the AA, Mrs k_e and I get into a discussion about 'the best van around' - in the extreme event that we could actually afford one..... - and I was at pains to point out that most of the 'problems' my van has had are down to normal wear and tear. The current stalling problem notwithstanding. So, in MY opinion the van has been pretty good for the last 3 years I've owned it. Mrs k_e considers ALL problems (including wear and tear) as indicative of it being a cr@p van...... that's women for you.

Anyway, if I was to mug a passing pensioner, what vehicle would YOU get for your money - based on experience?

TIA

[speed]

i have a kangoo but also drive a scudo,transit and ford courior, they are all not too bad scudo is dog slow tho,
if i had some cash id go for a vw caddy or vw t5 if i needed a larger van. id have a mk6/7 transit if it was short term, they rust after a year

[kellys_eye]

I have had two Mercedes Vito's and both have been good, before the Vito's I had a Vauxhall combo which was expensive and a lot less reliable than the mercs.

I think I had the combo for about two years, in that time it has quite a bit of work in the garage. The gear lever linkage went once and that was over £200 then the alternator went and that was a similar price, although I changed it myself for a reconditioned one. A replacement from the Vauxhall dealers was over £500 plus VAT. It also had the usual brakes etc. done at regular intervals.

The first Vito was a 108cdi (year 2000, 2.2 litre diesel), with twin opening back doors and sliding doors at both sides, which is really useful. I had this van for about 4-5 years and it was brilliant. I can't remember spending a single penny on any parts at all apart from the annual service ( as I only do low miles I only have one service per year) I bought a full length galvanised roof rack for it, which was useful as you could only just get an 8*4 sheet diagonally in the back. The van started first time every time and was blooming fast to say it didn't have a turbo. It was a basic model with window winders and no central locking, but it was a well made van. The van was 5 years old when I bought it and it had done about 90,000 miles. It could seat 3 people in the front, but it was cosy. I remember now the only thing I had to buy for it was wing mirrors as people liked knocking them off when I parked in the street! It was going a bit rusty in places and the exhaust was getting ready to be replaced and so I upgraded to a newer version-

Now I have a 2005 109cdi Vito, with a bench seat in the back, this is a 2.2 Turbo, but is slower than the non turbo version that I used to have. This also has twin back doors and also sliding doors at each side, but because of the seats and the bulkhead you cannot get large things in the back, unless you remove the back seat, which is a two man job. I tried to get a Full length roof rack for this van, but after chasing Blackburn roof racks about 8 times I gave up and bought some rhino bars, which are nowhere near as good as a full length roof rack. This van has electric mirrors, windows and central locking which is great. So far I have owned it two years and in that time I have had to buy a new keyfob (£125) and also a rear seat belt anchor (£17) which I just collected this morning, apart from that it is just the normal servicing costs.

I never buy brand new vehicles, so I always make sure that when I do buy the van has lots of service history!

[kellys_eye]

Thanks for those insights.

I've probably hankered for a Merc in my time but balked at the expensive spares - that said, I don't reckon there are any such thing as CHEAP spares these days. I have to keep to an SWB model as I sometimes do jobs over on the islands meaning a ferry trip and under 5 metres (length) is a LOT cheaper than a 5 metre + vehicle.

Much of my knowledge of turbo vs non-turbo indicates the turbo versions being not only faster but also better at fuel consumption though you couldn't get a slower van than mine Speed isn't that important to me as at my age I'm just happy to get there

Mrs k_e think the most common van would be the best one to get (meaning a Transit I suppose?) as spares are more readily available and they 'should' be cheaper in the long run?

My only particular requirement is that it has rear and side doors (as my Scudo presently has).

[thescruff]

If you want small we had the Partner vans and very reliable.

[Blakey]

The firm I earn my crust from run a fleet of Transits,Transit Connects, Peugeot Partners,and Peugeot Expert all diesel, all are very reliable and dont cost an arm and a leg to run,moved away from Mercs and VW's due to expensive repair costs, My connect went to auction with 162,000 miles on the clock, no major faults during its life other than the usual for a vehicle with that sort of mileage, for what it's worth I would certainly recommend it.

[fred99]

Ive just bought a 03 plate Vauxhall Vivaro 1.9 dci turbo.

Paid £3300 for it with 124,000 on the clock with a good history.

Its a nice van with sliding doors on both sides (very handy) fully ply lined, electric windows and mirrors, air con, cd etc.

It didnt have a bulkhead in but I managed to pick a factory one for £50 on fleabay.

Ive only had it for 3 months but its been a great van so far.

[village idiot]

Ive just bought a 03 plate Vauxhall Vivaro 1.9 dci turbo.

Paid £3300 for it with 124,000 on the clock with a good history.

Its a nice van with sliding doors on both sides (very handy) fully ply lined, electric windows and mirrors, air con, cd etc.

It didnt have a bulkhead in but I managed to pick a factory one for £50 on fleabay.

Ive only had it for 3 months but its been a great van so far.

i went from a transit to a vivaro, within a month of getting the vivaro i had 3 points & within another month i had picked up another 3 not had any since as i've been behaving myself

[Cannyfixit]

Our firm have run Vivaro's for years,mostly realiable and fast to.This year they changed to the Renault Trafic,same van different badge,had mine since may done nearly 9k and no issues so far
It's a 1.9 tdi returning around 30mpg fully laden a mixture of motorway and town driving every day

[zedhead]

Interesting, I had a Hi ace 85 to 95 then a midi 95 to 2006 both great vans with minimum trouble not had a van since 06 but just asked a dealer mate of mine to get me a vivaro from the auctions, not a new one but £3.5k worth as I have a house to sort.
will let you know how I get on.
Baza

[kellys_eye]

Well my van now had a dud HPI (injector pump) and a new one will cost me £1600

I'm wheel-less until I can strip the van down and get the pump off - perhaps for a pro rebuild (gotta be cheaper... )

Looking around for a 4x4 as a replacement since Mrs k_e fancies something less 'agricultural'.....

[JK Decorator]

It's got to be the transit, I've got a 52 swb high roof, 2.0 turbo D
AWESOME VAN!!!!
i've had an
'98 escort van - slow, dead slow
'99 sprinter MWB - juicy, very juicy to run
'98 smiley transit - rusty peice of cr@p
'00 hiace. Only the hiace came close, but gutless compared.

Wouldn't mind a vito but they seem to rot like a pear even the newer ones!

[Raf]

im not a van man but a mate just bought a VW transporter; bloody good van!

not sure how it will accomodate your kit and all but its well built and he loves it (space, build and esp power).... he had a vito before.

[ultimatehandyman]

It's got to be the transit, I've got a 52 swb high roof, 2.0 turbo D
AWESOME VAN!!!!
i've had an
'98 escort van - slow, dead slow
'99 sprinter MWB - juicy, very juicy to run
'98 smiley transit - rusty peice of cr@p
'00 hiace. Only the hiace came close, but gutless compared.

Wouldn't mind a vito but they seem to rot like a pear even the newer ones!

My old vito was going rusty in places, especially the underside of the bonnet. So far My new vito just has a tiny rust spot on the drivers door. The front wings are plastic, so they can't rust lol

One thing though - My first Vito was front wheel drive and was pretty good in the snow.
The van I have now is rear wheel drive and is absolutely useless, even on an almost flat strret I have been stuck on ice and had to reverse back down! Last week the van was stuck on the street for about 5 days, until the rain melted the ice!

[Raf]

have a look at "snow socks"..... brilliant for getting you out when you're stuck.... downside is fitting them in the cold and you cant run them over tarmac over 20mph.