Discussion
2manycars said:
BMWBen said:
2manycars said:
Having heard about the problems people are having with the mechanics on the new Transit, friend included, i decided to order the VW Transporter.
Went into 3 different VW Van centres and was basically overlooked, so decided to give Swiss Vans a try.
Spoke to a lovely chap there called Tom Jones (no joke) and i must say, in all my years of buying vehicles, he was the most helpful salesman i've come across.
Anyways i've gone for a T5 T32 DSG 4Motion LWB Kombi with the full Sportline kit.
The only downside is the lack of demos available to test drive, so i've committed without actually sitting in one.
And the other downside being that i won't take delivery until 1st March 2015. The up side is that it'll be '15 plate.
Pete
[/
I won't tell you my stories about the transporter then, and why I'm now in a custom
What year was your Transporter?Went into 3 different VW Van centres and was basically overlooked, so decided to give Swiss Vans a try.
Spoke to a lovely chap there called Tom Jones (no joke) and i must say, in all my years of buying vehicles, he was the most helpful salesman i've come across.
Anyways i've gone for a T5 T32 DSG 4Motion LWB Kombi with the full Sportline kit.
The only downside is the lack of demos available to test drive, so i've committed without actually sitting in one.
And the other downside being that i won't take delivery until 1st March 2015. The up side is that it'll be '15 plate.
Pete
[/
I won't tell you my stories about the transporter then, and why I'm now in a custom
supersingle said:
What is going on with these new vans? I've got 58 plate vivaro which I think looks alright but the new vivaro/trafic looks bloody awful. I really don't think I could get used to it, it just makes me feel sad looking at it. Big Transit is plain offensive looking.
My next van will have to be a Transporter.
I sort of agree, I still can't quite decide if I like the look of new Trafic, it's not exactly pretty, the Custom is the best looking I think. Mine will look like this, I prefer the interior to my current Trafic sport. The new sport comes with 17" alloys, touch screen nav, DAB, phone holder with USB and storage in the central seat, I think its pretty good for £14500.My next van will have to be a Transporter.
Little Lofty said:
supersingle said:
What is going on with these new vans? I've got 58 plate vivaro which I think looks alright but the new vivaro/trafic looks bloody awful. I really don't think I could get used to it, it just makes me feel sad looking at it. Big Transit is plain offensive looking.
My next van will have to be a Transporter.
I sort of agree, I still can't quite decide if I like the look of new Trafic, it's not exactly pretty, the Custom is the best looking I think. Mine will look like this, I prefer the interior to my current Trafic sport. The new sport comes with 17" alloys, touch screen nav, DAB, phone holder with USB and storage in the central seat, I think its pretty good for £14500.My next van will have to be a Transporter.
supersingle said:
I'm sure it's a good van and at that price it makes good sense, they are business tools after all. At least you can't see the front end from behind the wheel! Good luck with yours
.
Thanks. Haha that's what I was thinking, I may grow to love its quirky looks, doubt it though .
So far ,AFAIK, no one has mentioned the one thing Transits from the MK 1 in petrol were infamous for. Poor fuel consumption . Last versions I drove ( both LWB ,HITOP in EWD were) .One was a 51 plate the other an 06. Then I hired the next version in Jumbo (Jumbo length, Hitop) with the 125 engine.Same problem-gas ( DERV)guzzler. I believe one of the changes to the 51 plate on the 06 was a Dual mass flywheel. The 06 we took over as a two year old had seen some rough treatment (something a Transit is supposed to be designed for), and around 85k the DMF had to be replaced. Both 51 and 06 had side door issues,especially if something came loose in the rear.
On the plus side - all three were comfortable to drive, and the RWD drove not unlike a FWD .Very stable, unless some monkey in tyre place over inflated new tyres. I used to do a lot of night shifts, where we were basicly on stand by in case of problems. Whilst the work was in progress ,we got our heads down. At 5'6", I found I could get comfortable across the front seat with a large cushion for a pillow .
So the question is ,have Ford ( found on road dead/ fix or repair daily) solved the problem of getting more miles per gallon ,without going down the Mondeo way of sacrificing high gear acceleration over fuel economy.
On the plus side - all three were comfortable to drive, and the RWD drove not unlike a FWD .Very stable, unless some monkey in tyre place over inflated new tyres. I used to do a lot of night shifts, where we were basicly on stand by in case of problems. Whilst the work was in progress ,we got our heads down. At 5'6", I found I could get comfortable across the front seat with a large cushion for a pillow .
So the question is ,have Ford ( found on road dead/ fix or repair daily) solved the problem of getting more miles per gallon ,without going down the Mondeo way of sacrificing high gear acceleration over fuel economy.
[quote=Who me ?]So far ,AFAIK, no one has mentioned the one thing Transits from the MK 1 in petrol were infamous for. Poor fuel consumption . Last versions I drove ( both LWB ,HITOP in EWD were) .One was a 51 plate the other an 06. Then I hired the next version in Jumbo (Jumbo length, Hitop) with the 125 engine.Same problem-gas ( DERV)guzzler. I believe one of the changes to the 51 plate on the 06 was a Dual mass flywheel. The 06 we took over as a two year old had seen some rough treatment (something a Transit is supposed to be designed for), and around 85k the DMF had to be replaced. Both 51 and 06 had side door issues,especially if something came loose in the rear.
On the plus side - all three were comfortable to drive, and the RWD drove not unlike a FWD .Very stable, unless some monkey in tyre place over inflated new tyres. I used to do a lot of night shifts, where we were basicly on stand by in case of problems. Whilst the work was in progress ,we got our heads down. At 5'6", I found I could get comfortable across the front seat with a large cushion for a pillow .
So the question is ,have Ford ( found on road dead/ fix or repair daily) solved the problem of getting more miles per gallon ,without going down the Mondeo way of sacrificing high gear acceleration over fuel economy.
[/quote]
One of the Transits I had was a 110PS 2.2 TDCI SWB, medium roof, FWD and returned on average 37MPG. The other was an 85PS 2.0 (I think) TDCI SWB, low roof, FWD and was worse at 33 MPG average.
The 2.4 RWD models are apparently far worse!
On the plus side - all three were comfortable to drive, and the RWD drove not unlike a FWD .Very stable, unless some monkey in tyre place over inflated new tyres. I used to do a lot of night shifts, where we were basicly on stand by in case of problems. Whilst the work was in progress ,we got our heads down. At 5'6", I found I could get comfortable across the front seat with a large cushion for a pillow .
So the question is ,have Ford ( found on road dead/ fix or repair daily) solved the problem of getting more miles per gallon ,without going down the Mondeo way of sacrificing high gear acceleration over fuel economy.
[/quote]
One of the Transits I had was a 110PS 2.2 TDCI SWB, medium roof, FWD and returned on average 37MPG. The other was an 85PS 2.0 (I think) TDCI SWB, low roof, FWD and was worse at 33 MPG average.
The 2.4 RWD models are apparently far worse!
Blimey the more you read the replies I'm surprised to see any vans on the road as they all seem to be s
te.
Just like to say had my 2 LT vans for 7 years and theve done about 100k miles.
Rust is the main issues on the arches and panel joints.
Steering rack has been replaced on one and the other needs it doing really.
Apart from ball joints and brake discs normal servicing theve been excellent.
You can get 500 miles out of a tank too which is acceptable too.
Still in favour of buying the Crafter.
te.Just like to say had my 2 LT vans for 7 years and theve done about 100k miles.
Rust is the main issues on the arches and panel joints.
Steering rack has been replaced on one and the other needs it doing really.
Apart from ball joints and brake discs normal servicing theve been excellent.
You can get 500 miles out of a tank too which is acceptable too.
Still in favour of buying the Crafter.
Fast Bug said:
flatso said:
Vans offer a lot of bang for the buck, especially if you have kids and want to travel a lot with them. With speed cameras now more or less ubiqutous in almost all european countries (Germany still offers a bit of freedom, Gott sei Dank), the name of the game ist now space (which translates into a form of comfort) and versatility. I am also looking into vans, prefferably some light camper style; the ultimate would be a fullsize van with off-road capability and sleeping for 2 adults + 2 kids, a small galley and shower.
By the way, the Crafter is basically a Sprinter with a VW badge. They roll off the same plant in Düsseldorf as far as I know.
Don't forge,t in the UK at least, you're limited to a lower speed than you are in a car.By the way, the Crafter is basically a Sprinter with a VW badge. They roll off the same plant in Düsseldorf as far as I know.
4941cc said:
No auto option on Courier/Connect/Custom or Transit.
The only Ford CV with an auto option is the Ranger.
Tourneo Connect is available with a 1.6 EcoBoost (petrol) auto option, but whilst van derived, it is classified as an M1 passenger car (as is Tourneo Custom).
I guess there's just not the demand, as 99% of new van drivers will be seated in whatever the firm sits them in and the firm will always want whats cheap.The only Ford CV with an auto option is the Ranger.
Tourneo Connect is available with a 1.6 EcoBoost (petrol) auto option, but whilst van derived, it is classified as an M1 passenger car (as is Tourneo Custom).
The "want and will pay for something nicerers" like me are few and far between.
If a larger van is needed the Renault Master is worth a look. I ran one for seven years and 88,000 miles without it being off the road once, all it needed was brakes and tyres, no signs of any rust either. The only downside was that it was worth peanuts when I sold it, I think I kept it too long, hence the reason for selling my Trafic after two years this time around.
hairyben said:
Not quite true- many of the passenger carrying variants of vans are classed as cars, the vehicles being designed to satisfy all requirements from ground up. The only difference to the speed you can "safely" drive at is essentially what taxation class your vehicles is, which underlines what a cynical money gouging exercise a lot of this speed enforcement is.
Except we're talking about Transit sized panel vans, which have a lower speed limit than that of passenger vehicles. hairyben said:
I guess there's just not the demand, as 99% of new van drivers will be seated in whatever the firm sits them in and the firm will always want whats cheap.
The "want and will pay for something nicerers" like me are few and far between.
Quite, my company van is a base spec vivaro, it doesn't even have electric windows, never mind air con, every single one of the engineers in the company agreed to a deduction from salary to get the next spec level up, it was about £14/month if I recall, company said no, so you sit in traffic on a baking hot day in summer unable to even open the passenger window The "want and will pay for something nicerers" like me are few and far between.
Its the same for the managers, they don't get a choice and are forced to have absolute bottom spec insignias with tiny alloys, it makes the company look cheap.
Jazoli said:
hairyben said:
I guess there's just not the demand, as 99% of new van drivers will be seated in whatever the firm sits them in and the firm will always want whats cheap.
The "want and will pay for something nicerers" like me are few and far between.
Quite, my company van is a base spec vivaro, it doesn't even have electric windows, never mind air con, every single one of the engineers in the company agreed to a deduction from salary to get the next spec level up, it was about £14/month if I recall, company said no, so you sit in traffic on a baking hot day in summer unable to even open the passenger window The "want and will pay for something nicerers" like me are few and far between.
Its the same for the managers, they don't get a choice and are forced to have absolute bottom spec insignias with tiny alloys, it makes the company look cheap.
A/C would be nice although not really worth the expense if you're not a customer facing suited type.
12 months ago I bought a new Transit Connect Limited, last of the old shape - not a bad place to sit but it's endowed with what feels like an antiquated diesel engine.
Terrible throttle response ( I know its only a van, but it really is bad) and overall crappy drive and poor economy (currently no better than 33 mpg)
The wheels are corroding already as are the badges at only 6k miles.
This is the 3rd one I've had and the others (52 plate and a 55 plate) never felt like this.
Hopefully the new shape one is better, but that '3rd' front seat is near useless and I need 3 seats (have an extra one in the back of current van).
It's a shame that anything bigger than a Connect isn't needed.
Terrible throttle response ( I know its only a van, but it really is bad) and overall crappy drive and poor economy (currently no better than 33 mpg)
The wheels are corroding already as are the badges at only 6k miles.
This is the 3rd one I've had and the others (52 plate and a 55 plate) never felt like this.
Hopefully the new shape one is better, but that '3rd' front seat is near useless and I need 3 seats (have an extra one in the back of current van).
It's a shame that anything bigger than a Connect isn't needed.
flatso said:
Vans offer a lot of bang for the buck, especially if you have kids and want to travel a lot with them. With speed cameras now more or less ubiqutous in almost all european countries (Germany still offers a bit of freedom, Gott sei Dank), the name of the game ist now space (which translates into a form of comfort) and versatility. I am also looking into vans, prefferably some light camper style; the ultimate would be a fullsize van with off-road capability and sleeping for 2 adults + 2 kids, a small galley and shower.
Have you looked at a Yank "dayvan"?
2manycars said:
BMWBen said:
2manycars said:
Having heard about the problems people are having with the mechanics on the new Transit, friend included, i decided to order the VW Transporter.
Went into 3 different VW Van centres and was basically overlooked, so decided to give Swiss Vans a try.
Spoke to a lovely chap there called Tom Jones (no joke) and i must say, in all my years of buying vehicles, he was the most helpful salesman i've come across.
Anyways i've gone for a T5 T32 DSG 4Motion LWB Kombi with the full Sportline kit.
The only downside is the lack of demos available to test drive, so i've committed without actually sitting in one.
And the other downside being that i won't take delivery until 1st March 2015. The up side is that it'll be '15 plate.
Pete
I won't tell you my stories about the transporter then, and why I'm now in a custom Went into 3 different VW Van centres and was basically overlooked, so decided to give Swiss Vans a try.
Spoke to a lovely chap there called Tom Jones (no joke) and i must say, in all my years of buying vehicles, he was the most helpful salesman i've come across.
Anyways i've gone for a T5 T32 DSG 4Motion LWB Kombi with the full Sportline kit.
The only downside is the lack of demos available to test drive, so i've committed without actually sitting in one.
And the other downside being that i won't take delivery until 1st March 2015. The up side is that it'll be '15 plate.
Pete
I reckon much of the trouble vans have is due to user error. Not saying that's always the case and I'm sure there are some careful owner/drivers who still have problems. But some of the abuse I've seen beggars belief. A van that got slammed into first whilst still rolling backwards and vice versa - broken gearbox. Same van driven at warp speed over speed humps - fked springs/dampers/bushings.
Some vans lead very tough lives.
ked springs/dampers/bushings. Some vans lead very tough lives.
supersingle said:
What is going on with these new vans? I've got 58 plate vivaro which I think looks alright but the new vivaro/trafic looks bloody awful. I really don't think I could get used to it, it just makes me feel sad looking at it. Big Transit is plain offensive looking.
My next van will have to be a Transporter.
I was thinking the same thing. Are current van designers told to make them as ugly as possible?My next van will have to be a Transporter.
The worst offender is the stupid fiat doblo, it front end face makes it look like its been kicked up the arse
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