Time for a van, suggestions welcome

[Jago]

 if your getting it on payments , then you have to pay the vat so in real terms you have 3200 maybe less if theres a fee on top 

 it doesn't matter what van you buy as there all rubbish , long gone are the days of running old smiley transits for 300.000 miles with out spending any money on them , ive a 1998 312 sprinter with over 800k on the clock still with the same engine and box in ! fourms are full or storeys about which van to buy is best , for every good post about a van you can find a bad one about the same model 

what you need to be doing is finding the lowest mileage van thats got the best history you can , if its had a speed limiter on the van thats a big plus , also if its had atracker fitted this is a big plus as most company's now sack staff for driving badly 

stop away from ex post office vans , and anything thats been used for parcel delivery , tnt , dhl , ect ect also anything that ex gas or electric company these are mostly the bigger ones (3.5 tonnes) that have the p.t.o.  pipes sticking out the back as they have sat on tick over for hours and hours to power the road peckers 

ex aa , ex rac , small gas vans ( house service engines)  , ex b.t. fleet are a good bet as the drivers keep there own vans  due to carrying there own tools in the rear , so if you hit lucky and find a driver thats treat the van like his own happy days 

also speak to who ever going to look after it for you point less buying something that your local garage wont touch meaning you finding a new place to fix it at a later date 

T5's are pretty good ?

 

[Gerry Scrimshaw]

If the van you want is old enough for MOT’s you can check it’s mot history on the gov.uk.mot site. It gives details of advisories and fails before retests. Gives a rough indication of its life.


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[spruce]

If the van you want is old enough for MOT’s you can check it’s mot history on the gov.uk.mot site. It gives details of advisories and fails before retests. Gives a rough indication of its life.


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I love it when the seller describes the van he is selling as in emaculate condition - no expense spared. Then you look up the MOT history and see the list of advisories he didn't bother with to get the van through MOT. Only did what he had to do to get the van through test. Then you see some of those advisories popping up the next year only to be left again.

 

[Neilmnwc]

 
I love it when the seller describes the van he is selling as in emaculate condition - no expense spared. Then you look up the MOT history and see the list of advisories he didn't bother with to get the van through MOT. Only did what he had to do to get the van through test. Then you see some of those advisories popping up the next year only to be left again.
 

That and the difference between ‘Service history’ and ‘full service history’ can be huge...Service history being it had one once...then didn’t have one for another four years[emoji23].



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[steve garwood]

Had all different kind of vans since being a window fitter to now a visual technician ?. The transit custom I recently bought is the best drive ( the turning circle defies belief for a.van) and the best looking van I’ve ever owned.

With a full load it flies uphill and goes up the gears not down. 

I absolutly love it. Don’t know if that helps ?. 

P.S. Do not get it in black!! Nightmare to keep clean and will scratch if you fart near it

 

[Clisty1989]

Had all different kind of vans since being a window fitter to now a visual technician ?. The transit custom I recently bought is the best drive ( the turning circle defies belief for a.van) and the best looking van I’ve ever owned.

With a full load it flies uphill and goes up the gears not down. 

I absolutly love it. Don’t know if that helps ?. 

P.S. Do not get it in black!! Nightmare to keep clean and will scratch if you fart near it

I'd love one, just out of my price range, maybe the van after this one...

 

[Spartan]

Just got works car back from garage, basically been told I'll get 2-6 months out of it tops. So the van hunt begins. I'm not getting full van mount, gonna put a 350l tank in back, transfer pump and refill backpack from tank (round more suited to backpack than van mount). I still to a fair bit of trad work with father in law, so need a roof low enough to access ladders easily. I'm looking at a 2011 fiat doblo, or vauxhall combo, getting it on finance but looking at a 4k budget due to keeping repayments down. Are they any good? Or is there anything better? I know connects are good but can't find any near me that aren't trashed or in my budget.

Ive got a Doblo (same as the combo) had it 2 years or thereabouts....

no real issues apart from niggly ones as already mentioned - window button snapped but easily replaced from eBay for about a fiver....

decent payload of 750kg and for your budget of £4K you will get a pretty new one 13/14 plate...

good mpg & cheap insurance.

good luck buddy.

of all the vans vans out there I’d have to agree with Steve saying the transit custom looks nice, great  drive and probably can’t be beaten....

one day after a few more windows cleaned I might be able to afford one...?

 

[tench0771]

ide not mess about with a small van go strate for a vivaro swb or lwb cos in time u ewill probly want a 650l tank gutter vac and 3 poles back pack ect ect and the room will be needed so put a deposit on a allmost new and finance it i went from a car to a small van then to medium now lwb vivaro ill never go smaller again :1f44d:

 

[steve garwood]

^^^^^^^^^^

What he said ?

 

[adamangler]

Yeh I bought s small partner last year and now I wish I'd have got a custom or vivaro.

Not so much for the weight or space, for the drive. Having a little van carrying close to it's limit is a bit like being on a boat.

 

[Den]

I have a small van connect with a 900kg payload every morning close to limit that’s with two of us, all my work is local so go home for lunch most days so can top.

would love a custom size van but where I work as lots of tiny roads so connect size is perfect for me.

my next van will probably be a two man doblo or combo with 1000kg payload.

 

[Iron Giant]

With a 350ltr tank and other bits and pieces I reckon I am 200kg under my max payload of 750kg which I feel is way better for vehicle handling and wear and tear on suspension and other parts.

Maxing out a vehicles payload on a daily basis ain't good for any vehicle.

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[ks789]

I got a transit connect, 04 reg but ex bt  with nearly full service and 100k on clock so not bad for £1200. Payload aint great though at 625kg but just about ok for just me and 350ltr tank etc. I will say it seems so sluggish though. Id never drove a van before, always had cars and now when I get back in a car they seem really fast. Its ok in town but when you get on a bit of motorway or go up a hill is like a snail. Mind you, dont wanna  go fast with that lot in the back anyway.

 

[Teaboy]

 
T5's are pretty good [emoji106]

I’ve always wondered why you don’t see more of these as work vans



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[tench0771]

t5 are a bit pricy for a work horse camper van defo lol but work horse mmmmmm ide be werryed about scraching it ect :1f602:

 

[Julian Noddy Dean]

With a 350ltr tank and other bits and pieces I reckon I am 200kg under my max payload of 750kg which I feel is way better for vehicle handling and wear and tear on suspension and other parts.

Maxing out a vehicles payload on a daily basis ain't good for any vehicle.

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dosnt matter about how good it is for the van if you making the write kine of money then you will just bin it off when its time is up like i do its just a tool you trow away 

 

[Iron Giant]

dosnt matter about how good it is for the van if you making the write kine of money then you will just bin it off when its time is up like i do its just a tool you trow away 

It would matter quite a lot if someone maxing out a vans payload was unaware of unseen damage caused such as cv joints etc and ending up crashing into someone and causing injury. These are things i know nothing about as i am clueless when it comes to motors but it could be more of an issue with older vans with more wear and tear on them.

Their is loads of van/car drivers driving around totally oblivious of potential issues and will happily drive around without getting a vehicle serviced etc or addressing mot advisories as mentioned previously. 

 

[Den]

My van is nearly max out for the first 30 minutes or so each morning as I fill up in the morning I have a static tank and my work is only a couple of minutes away from home, Probably more stress on people with onboard Ro Di van sitting with a full tank of water doing nothing overnight.

I personally only work 4 to maximum 5 hoursmost days and go home for lunch if Working later can top up as required if need be, so out of 24 hrs a day so being nearly maxed out for approx 30 mins a day 5 day a week is hardly going to cause my van to die.

Not forgetting I'm not over the payloaded or and doing everything within the manufacturer recommendations, why would a manufacturer give a maximum if it isn't safe and they expect things to break, there is many models of transit connect with different payloads after speaking to a mechanic friend of mine before buying my van he suggested the T230 with the bigger payload as it as updated suspension etc. 

Maxing out a vehicles payload on a daily basis ain't good for any vehicle.

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[Iron Giant]

Hi Den just putting the info out as a caution, better to be aware than oblivious that's all, not having a go at at anyone.

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[Den]

Hi Den just putting the info out as a caution, better to be aware than oblivious that's all, not having a go at at anyone.

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Yeah I know what you mean my van last month went through mot passed but with advisierys light corrosion brake pipes have had them sorted I did know about them as my mechanic friend serviced the van a few days before and mentioned them. 

 

[Clisty1989]

Now looking at a 13 plate dispatch, full 2 man setup with 4040 ro and 800l tank, 200k on clock going for under a grand (don't ask where, it's classified lol) system well looked after, van not so much. Won't be available for a few months but if vans had it then may strip system out and use van for p/x. What you guys think??