I want a smally, ratty van for weekends away with the bike. I want something cheap and unfashionable. It'll be constantly full of mud and camping gear and I don't want to precious about it other than maintenance and servicing. I'm quite often left home alone with no transport so I'm missing out on loads of opportunities for big days out and solo weekenders.
I don't want to blow my load on the budget but I don't want to end up with a donkey. I'm often wondering where the sweet spot is for older depreciated vans that are pre-digital everything but are still mechanically decent.
I'm keen on the Fiat Doblo because I keep seeing these ex Royal Mail vans coming up for sale close to home.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/136606743407
That looks like exactly what I need. I've never driven one or looked at one yet.
Worth a look or buy something better?
I might buy a 10yr old van but not an ex Royal Mail one!!!
Royal Mail are not renowned for their impeccable maintenance standards! 😬
Would I buy a 10 year old vehicle? Of course!I've had loads!
Would I buy a Fiat Doblo - of course (but I'd probably go Transit Connect or Berlingo/partner).
But would I buy an ex-royal mail 10 year old Fiat Doblo van!? I'd rather stick cocktail sticks in my eyes.
10yr van?, of course I would
10yr ex Royal Mail van that’s been stop/started hundreds of times a day, bounced up/down kerbs, driven over verges, abused to within an inch of its life…not a hope in hell would I even entertain the possibility
Last time I was buying a van, there were loads of VW Caddy Max ex-British Gas ones available like this. I suspect they've had an easier life.
Royal Mail are not renowned for their impeccable maintenance standards! 😬
I once had to let our postie out of the back of his van after the wind blew the door shut with him inside, and the interior handles had been snapped off. He was trying to boot the door off its hinges from the inside! 🤣
I once had to let our postie out of the back of his van after the wind blew the door shut with him inside, and the interior handles had been snapped off. He was trying to boot the door off its hinges from the inside!
reminds me of the scotsquad sketch with the food delivery guy been locked in his bag haha
"Can you no jist hulk your way oot of there son ? "
As above, find a different one that is not post office.
Eldest bought a 9 year old Combo/Doblo from a local van dealer - the dealer warrantied a blown turbo a few weeks after buying, but other than that the van was superb condition and ran really well. We sold it for £200 less than we paid a year later.
Most vans of that age are utter shite, and you have to really really hunt round.
Ok, no Royal Mail vans. I might go see this one...
They've also got a Citroen and Toyota. Same size, similar price. Might be worth a visit to see all 3 at once.
Royal Mail are still using some 12 year old Doblo's round here......looking very baggy
I might go see this one...
Blimey, is that what they are worth still!
I had one with the 1.6 engine, the 2.0 definitely better because more power and 6 speed gearbox and you don't get the risk of the oil starvation/blown turbo problem. Pretty basic inside, if it knocks from the front most like likely the anti roll bar bushings, but they may have cured it but that late year.
Decent engines those 2.0 HDI's - a later version is in my Vivaro Life. One of the reasons for picking the van, the engines seem reliable - although ad-blue is an issue on the newer vans.
That van looks pretty tidy.
Give me a shout, I'm sure I can get you a better deal than that on one based on what I see at the auctions. £7k is a lot for one of those and not euro6 so a faff in Sheffield.
My first car was an ex post office van.
Was fine for a year until the brakes failed going downhill towards a busy set of traffic lights. 😱 The hand brake worked fine.
I've not had a post office van since then
Have a look at the Multispace version of Berlingo / Partner / experts. They have a far easier life then the equivalent van and are similar money. It's what I did when buying my Partner and it's been a great little car/van.
Try and get the 2.0Hdi engine as it's bulletproof, the PSA1.6 has/had turbo issues as mentioned above. Mines the 2.0 and again - it's a good engine @ 21years old and 125k miles.
Don't buy a wheelchair modified van - check the rear bumper in photos, any with a lowered section in the middle are WAV modified. Lots of Experts are WAV vans, there will probably be only one or two hiding in the Autotrader listings that aren't
This looks a good one - although more than your initial budget. Good MOT history and isn't a WAV conversion.
*****ing shit forum. Can't link the Autotrader ad.
It's a dark grey 2.0 for £5978, reg NA64GBV
Bought a low mileage 2009 Fiat Doblo second hand in 2015 (from a bike shop in Ripon - we rode there to see it and had to beg them to sell it to us because we didn't want to ride the 50 miles back). It was the perfect bike vehicle (we could get 3 people and bikes in easily, 4 with a bit more care). We sold it in 2019 and it is still trucking in Wales and just passed its MOT.
Here you go - perfect!
That would clean up well, MOT history is okay. It will sell quickly.
Ebay
CITROEN BERLINGO 2.0 HDI FULL HISTORY NEW MOT
Do NOT buy a 1.6 Caddy. Or any VW group vehicle with the 1.6 litre diesel engine. Engine codes are CAY (A or B etc).
We’ve had 3 Doblo’s in our house. 223 1.9 Turbo diesel. Drivetrain is bulletproof. Body is galvanised. Common issues with front wishbones, rear shock bump stops, door handles, window switches, central locking and EGR valve.
Don't buy a wheelchair modified van - check the rear bumper in photos, any with a lowered section in the middle are WAV modified. Lots of Experts are WAV vans, there will probably be only one or two hiding in the Autotrader listings that aren't
Anything that mentions Motability in the description, if it’s van shaped, should be approached with a fair degree of caution. While they may get serviced, generally speaking they get quite a lot of abuse, although they’re popular with taxi drivers in Ireland, because it’s a requirement of a taxi licence that vehicles should be capable of carrying disabled passengers, so any modified vehicles that pop up get pounced on because all the mods have been carried out.
When I was working for Cazoo and it’s predecessor, we used to frequently get Irish drivers come to pick them up and take them back on the ferry, and I asked one driver why we seemed to have so many going back there, and that’s the reason.
I dropped out of this thread because my original plans have been trashed due to new developments.
Let's just say whatever we buy now needs more than 3 seats.
Which brings you back to the car varients of the doblo/berlingo/proace/combo/rifter.
No less than 6 ISO fix seats if you get the 7 seater.
Blimey, is that what they are worth still!
I was pondering a bike van so jumped in this thread, looking at that price, I'm jumping back out again.
I just found this for sale locally. Good MOT history, no clean air charges, 2.0 not 1.6, not a trashed work van.
Room in the back for multiple offsprings. Not that this is essential as it'll be Dad's escape pod.
Might be worth a look.
That looks pretty decent. Still an insane price for a 15 year old vehicle, but looks in good in the photos. No service history is a bit disappointing, if those are a cam belt engine, that'll need doing as a precaution.
That looks pretty decent. Still an insane price for a 15 year old vehicle, but looks in good in the photos. No service history is a bit disappointing, if those are a cam belt engine, that'll need doing as a precaution.
I know, I just spotted the lack of service history while I was showing the Mrs. That probably explains the price which yes, is high but not compared to other Caddy's which I'd completely stopped looking at because of the VX tax.
A major service is £299 at my local specialist.
The way that AI writes the description makes my bloody teeth itch.
"good condition drives absolutely with 93k low miles never been smoked in or seen pets carpets always covered with mats fresh 12 months mot on purchase px welcom finance available ... engine offers a noticeable advantage in performance compared to many other vehicles in its class, providing ample power for both daily commutes and longer journeys"
FFS. It's probably a perfectly decent car/van, but that sort of tosh really gets on my wick. I'm just Disproportionately Cross, I suppose.
That's almost all dealers now. It's either no description or AI drivel. It puts me off reading the ads properly.
Anyway, I've moved on to this one now. Probably a safer bet. Bigger inside, FSH history apparently and what looks like a decent set of Michelin tyres.
It's just much further away and I'm not sure if I can get there for a look at it.
Not many of those Experts that aren't converted to wheel chair vehicles. 2.0 HDI I assume. Good price. The seats will remove or can be put in the rear rails so that adds loads of flexibility.
Expert looks good. Single front seats good for reaching through into back to sort kids / babies (we had the twin front passenger seat which wasn't as helpful in that respect). Rear can be run as 3, 2 or no seats (can't do a single as it only has a one leg).
As mentioned above, it might clonk slightly from the front arb saddles. It is usually a tiny amount of play and goes quiet once subframe / bushes warm up with engine heat.
We made a 2/3 deep shelf in the back which would take 4x bikes with front wheels out, space for bags and boxes underneath, full height at the rear.
It's MOT history is good, just one fail for a CV boot. Mileage is consistent.
The V5 was last issued 24th September so you would need to see if that was the selling dealership that had registered it to themselves. If that's the case then they've had it on the forecourt for 2months and there might be some small movement on price available.