You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
£4k budget
which engines are good, which aren't? Can you get a crew version? How do they drive? Known problems? etc?
its what people buy when they can't afford a transporter.
yes i know - hence why am asking :tard:
I think the silence indicates the main problem you'll have with them - not many people buy them new so you'll have pretty slim pickings second hand. They're in that funny bit smaller than a transit size/falls in between catagories catagory. Too big to be carlike too small to be a proper builders van. Thing with vans is you want to have a lot to choose from to find a good one, because they've been used/treated like vans - driven by people who didn't pay for them.
No direct experience of them but I've never seen one in crew cab guise. Their reputation is for being tough, though not as tough as the old forward control models.
If you are looking for that 5 seater van thing then aside from VW (which are expensive second hand because they have more non-trader buyers looking for them as surf wagons than tradesmen selling them new), renaults are the ones I see most commonly in that guise, and there are more of them on the road generally to chose from.
Don't know about them here, but in Oz they are highly prized, and even a 20 year old one will get decent money.
Very reliable. Don't drive as well as a swb Transit IMO.
Lots here too. Have driven from late 80's to 2007 models. Newer ones (D4D diesel) drive well and have good amount of room in LWB (not SWB) mode. 4wd versions have high ratios so avoid if you are on the motorway a lot, heaps here though as very useful on mountain roads , they really can go up stuff that you would not expect. I would not want to head on in one - ever. As mentioned before nobody ever got rich fixing broken Toyota engines. One of the old ones I drove had 680,000km on the clock and it drove nicely. The guy said apart from a clutch and normal servicing it had had very little done to it, he owned it from new. Have only ever driven VW T4 and T5 as well and they drive better, probably slightly roomier in the back as well. hth.
Hmm am sorely tempted by one - can you get a rear seat legally fitted?
Have a look at Granvias, they are a car version of the Hiace and come with back seats. My folks are looking at a small camper and have been recomended them. The AA will do a much better warranty on them than a Vito.
http://www.algysautos.com/Granvia_1.html
We have two at work, a 2002 model and an 05. Both have been superb with no issues at all. They are slightly keen to slide on wet roundabouts but we have had our ones adapted for wheelchairs and a ramp and 6 removable seats in the back.
We also have the Transporters at work but most my drivers tend to go for the Toyota keys when given the choice.
I would buy one for sure
It's perfectly possible to fit a rear seat to pretty much any van, budget on about £500 for the seat with fitting (new seat) and another 150-200 for a side window (very unpleasant to be in the back with no windows). Hiaces are reasonably common second hand but nothing like transits. Mechanically they are pretty bomb proof, older ones (certainly until about 03) are RWD which isn't great for bike events/fields/mud as they get stuck very easily.
I wasn't very impressed when i drove one (have owned both types of vito, new transporter, old and new vivaro/trafic, vw lt35 and iveco so some decent comparisons at least) but certainly consider the vivaro/trafic/primastar (all made in the same factory, same engines, mechanicals etc just different badges) range as well.
We owned a 2.4D SWB model (not sure of year possibly '98) as a work van. I also got to drive it as a personal vehicle and have only good things to say about it -
We needed a cheap mid sized van & got a good deal on a van with iirc 120k miles on the clock.
We had it for 3 years, put on another 20k+ miles (infact a mate is still driving it today) and it didnt miss a beat - full of kit day to day, cruising on the mway from Norfolk to Wales at weekends, parties in the country side, shopping trips etc etc
It was a solid van that we all rated highly - not too big that you couldnt pop into town & park easily but big enough for most events/work requirements we had.
I'd defo consider another when I come to buying a van.
One bad thing off the top of my head tho' is that it was bad in the mud/wet/slippery road surface when empty i.e. RWD with no weight in the back end meant you had little traction (I've been stuck in numerous fields 🙁 ).
Seemed to be super popular in New Zealand. Check this out for a VW Transporter. Nothing to do with me as I've got a yellow one and have no plans to sell anytime soon!
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=379173
High mileage though.
A friend of mine has one, 2006 model I think.
The only problem is that it is rear wheel drive and he will not drive it on anything other than tarmac or concrete as it will get stuck.
He got it stuck in the car park in peaslake when all other cars could easily drive out.
That said toyotas will go on forever..
Have you considered a bongo? or a mitsi delica?
bongos are tiny and delicas are shite 😉
Course you can get a transporter....
http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/tristar-syncro-rhd-for-sale-again_topic46095.html
http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/j-plate-t4-25i-petrol-velle-for-sale_topic45926.html
http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/t3-camper-16td_topic45777.html
http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/t3-camper-16td_topic45777.html
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=597112
And the links above show why you don't want a transporter! Residuals on t4's are crazy. A 16 year old van with nearly 200k on the clock and he wants £3500. For the same money you could get an 04ish 100k vivaro or trafic if not newer if you looked hard enough.
t5 transporter residuals are much more reasonable.
Buy a Vito, well built and cheaper than a transporter.
Vitos well built!? Which generation and how long have you owned it? The engines tend to be solid (cdi ones have common injector problems but these aren't too expensive) but internal build quality is poor and electrical problems are common.
Mark 2's are better built but still a long way from the equivalent age t5. Prices are better than transporters but I only kept my mark 2 vito for 2 months and the t5 before it lasted over a year.
I've had one since 99, I bought it new and its been the most solid reliable van I've ever owned. Its not the fastest or most powerfull vehicle on the road but has never missed a beat. I got a LWB version, stacks of room 3m long and room for 3 in the front. Rear seats can be fitted as there are fixing points in the floor pan however the seat would have to have integrated seatbels IIRC. Apart from very reasonable service costs (£110 for shed A) I have not spent a penny on repairs, not bad for 120k. If this van every needs replacing it will be with another one.
Got one in work, rear wheel drive and goes quite well!!! Bloody good fun! Besides them two bits I dont know much else about them.....
get one of these instead...
[img] http://pictures2.autotrader.co.uk/imgser-uk/servlet/media?id=1014232912 [/img]
tis it?
mitsubishi delicia,
they are retrotastic cool...
loads of mad forums on them and lots of retro fit kit you can put on them
[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Delica ]wiki[/url]
I have a Delica.
Very versatile machine, but Thirsty...very thirsty
But 2.5 RWD ones are available, and cheaper to run but the engine is not as good.
Mine had 60k on the clock and now has 130k in 4 years and I have spent hardly anything on it.
It tows people and trailer up alpine passes and hasnt missed a beat.
That said she will be replaced with bigger and modern buses to kurb our 200 Euro a week diesel bill!!!
Ive had a v reg 2.4 diesel short wheel base van from nearly new , its done just 198,000 miles , used for building, collecting materials,carries regular ton loads of rock and stone , domestic use, sleeping in at enduros etc , i think in all this time i have had to replace one silencer at 120,000, and a set of discs at the start of the year , i personally wouldn't use any other van , i just make sure i look after it and service it regularly , it steers great and is a pleasure to drive long distances, i think i get about 35 to the gallon and can cruise at 80 mph comfortably . cheers having said all this it will probably blow up on me now.
p/s ooops thats a toyota HI ACE van with no turbo .