Van Reassurance

[ppentertainments]

The time has come for a new vehicle and this time going to have to plump for a van realistically. I'm not wanting to spend a lot on one (having just bought Mrs PP a new car last year). What is playing on my mind, and I know it shouldn't, is the mileage on them. My current car has 120,000 on the clock and I have never had a car with such high mileage. A van I really like which is in good nick is a Mercedes Vito which has 140,000 on the clock. My annual mileage is 20,000 so would this be to high mileage to buy ?

The other one which has caught my eye (but the prices indicate there must be something wrong with them) is the LDV Maxus - anyone had any experience.

This is my first van purchase, hence the queries and also I'm as tight as a Yorkshireman when it comes to spending money :D:D

[Excalibur]

The time has come for a new vehicle and this time going to have to plump for a van realistically. I'm not wanting to spend a lot on one (having just bought Mrs PP a new car last year). What is playing on my mind, and I know it shouldn't, is the mileage on them. My current car has 120,000 on the clock and I have never had a car with such high mileage. A van I really like which is in good nick is a Mercedes Vito which has 140,000 on the clock. My annual mileage is 20,000 so would this be to high mileage to buy ?

The other one which has caught my eye (but the prices indicate there must be something wrong with them) is the LDV Maxus - anyone had any experience.

This is my first van purchase, hence the queries and also I'm as tight as a Yorkshireman when it comes to spending money :D:D

Can't help you with the Maxus, it's a totally different animal to mine. The older LDVs share running gear with the well proven Transit. I've driven Sprinters with 250,000 miles on the clock that would still spin the wheels from the lights if you wanted. :eek: I don't think nowadays that there are any vans to specifically avoid or seek out, they're all fairly similar, and usually good for 150,000 miles without batting an eyelid. Many are now as comfy as a car, surprisingly nippy, and not too thirsty.

Check it out carefully, try to find its history ( florists vans are better than ones that have been fleet maintenance for thirty lorries, for example. ) and generally see if it looks and drives OK.

My present van was very low mileage, apparently it belonged to a little old lady who only used it on Sundays to go to church. I think she was Dutch, cos the name in the logbook is Hertz Van Rental. :coat:

[chrisj]

Can't help you with the Maxus, it's a totally different animal to mine. The older LDVs share running gear with the well proven Transit. I've driven Sprinters with 250,000 miles on the clock that would still spin the wheels from the lights if you wanted. :eek: I don't think nowadays that there are any vans to specifically avoid or seek out, they're all fairly similar, and usually good for 150,000 miles without batting an eyelid. Many are now as comfy as a car, surprisingly nippy, and not too thirsty.

Check it out carefully, try to find its history ( florists vans are better than ones that have been fleet maintenance for thirty lorries, for example. ) and generally see if it looks and drives OK.

My present van was very low mileage, apparently it belonged to a little old lady who only used it on Sundays to go to church. I think she was Dutch, cos the name in the logbook is Hertz Van Rental. :coat:

I agree with this but then I am a Peugeot/Citroen guy. I have a smaller van than you need, a Peugeot Expert that I bought last year from a local dealer. It had been taken in part exchange the day before and owned by a plumber as second van. On 05 plate it was genuine mileage 36k with full history and I contacted the previous owner as well.

Check it out and if in doubt don't buy it. There are so many available these days. Just to mention I did test drive a Vito but wasn't keen as it felt heavy and it did have 137k but in very good condition.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I have a DJ who does work for me who is a full time mechanic and has said not to touch the Maxus Chris, just his opinion of course.

I bought my current van 5 years ago and it had 103K which I was really worried about, but just about all van owners convinced me that 200K is a realistic lifespan for a modern van. Personally, if I was doing 20K a year, I would go for something with a little less mileage. I only do 5-6K a year.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

What is the budget if you don't mind us asking Chris?

Personally, I can't stand the LDV vans myself, feel horrible and cheap. Transits are much better than they use to be and Vitos should go for a good while, 200k+ if looked after.

[Excalibur]

I have a DJ who does work for me who is a full time mechanic and has said not to touch the Maxus Chris, just his opinion of course.

And a more informed one than mine, so I bow to his judgment.



Personally, I can't stand the LDV vans myself, feel horrible and cheap.
Note to self. Smack Neil at BPM. :mad:

Partner/Expert/Berlingo type vans all have a good reputation. And of course don't forget VW, though many of the older models seem to rust quite a bit. My brother who is a mechanic says the best van is a VW Crafter, though they're way too big for most folk.

[ukpartydj]

I had a VW transporter T4 (which I customised) until last year, had 180'000 miles on the clock and still going strong, the only issue was I had a 1.8 and it wasn't good on motorways.
VW Transporters and Vito's are quite similar I was led to believe by other owners and over 200'000 miles isn't unusual.

I sold my VW and bought a 1.9 Vauxhall Vivaro '06 with 100'000 miles for the same price £2900. Much quicker off the mark, much quieter, more comfy everything just better other than the customisations I made and now miss :(
I personally think my Vivaro won't last as long as a VW transporter or Vito hence the price difference.

I get 45 mpg easy when unloaded and 40 mpg when fully loaded it does have 6 gears though which probably helps.
I've been told Vito's are crap with fuel and get 25-30 mpg for the same plate as mine.
VW Transporters are apparently the best 45-50 mpg

Those are the only vans I've looked at though, I did consider a transit but I was told they were OK and did 30+ which I thought was crap compared to the Vivaro's 40+

The difference between a 30mpg & 40mpg van is around £1000 a year in fuel for somebody like yourself / myself around the 15k-20k a year mark so worth considering when buying.

[HeartandSoul]

I would not go for an LDV.