Rusty Mercedes Sprinters
Discussion
Bristol spark said:
TBH i really don't know why anyone would buy a van that is not a Transit of some description......
I didn't mostly because of the 
image, high floor and when buying used 99% are low powered and too short - also whilst I paid a little more for a T4 it's actually gone up in value in the 4 years I've owned it.I did own a SWB Sprinter before it and mine was in the 1% that was tidy - unfortunately it was also in the 1% that broke it's gearbox (within 130k) after that I bought an Iveco Daily and other than driving like a lorry it was far better value and condition than Sprinters or Transits plus even the largest Transits don't compare if you need a BIG van.
cb1965 said:
TVR Sagaris said:
Why are they so bad?
They are built by Mercedes. Their cars are much the same, but people who buy them pretend otherwise.I've just bought a 2007 C Class and it doesn't have a spot of rust on it. None of the cars I viewed did. They definitely used to have a problem with rust but that seems to have been fixed.
I've got a 2000 350 MWB Transit that i use for carting my bikes around in, it is without doubt the most reliable vehicle I've ever had. I swear when the end comes there will just be cockroaches and that van. Bodywork is great, plenty of "flack" damage but no real rust. I've had it for about 12 years and the only non service item I've had to replace is an alternator about 5 years back.
If you want to go rusty van spotting, the best places to do it are the newspaper wholesalers at 4am. Park yourself outside WHSmiths in Bredbury, Manchester and feast your eyes upon the endless stream of death traps arriving and departing. The one pictured in the OP on this thread wouldn't hold a candle to the state of some you'll see at Smith's and Menzies! VOSA often has a purge but despite appearances the vast majority are in fact roadworthy 
.
.NoIP said:
If you want to go rusty van spotting, the best places to do it are the newspaper wholesalers at 4am. Park yourself outside WHSmiths in Bredbury, Manchester and feast your eyes upon the endless stream of death traps arriving and departing
That sounds like a great idea for a family day out now the holidays are nearly upon us. Does one need to book?sutts said:
NoIP said:
If you want to go rusty van spotting, the best places to do it are the newspaper wholesalers at 4am. Park yourself outside WHSmiths in Bredbury, Manchester and feast your eyes upon the endless stream of death traps arriving and departing
That sounds like a great idea for a family day out now the holidays are nearly upon us. Does one need to book?
I do some adhoc work delivering to the places so I see them as part of the job.
Herbs said:
Bristol spark said:
TBH i really don't know why anyone would buy a van that is not a Transit of some description......
Because the LWB version isn't long enough 
You'll be needing a jumbo then.
I've had several Transits both privately and company and driven many other vans and always preferred the Transits. From experience I've found them nicer to drive, cheaper to run and more reliable. I really liked the old mk5 smilies but by f*ck, they could rust, and were slow, and noisy but you could give them absolute death and they would just keep going. My favourite Transit though was the early mk7 company one I had, it seemed a bit more refined and nicer to drive than the older vans but mainly because it had the 140ps engine so could keep up with most cars on the road.
Bristol spark said:
TBH i really don't know why anyone would buy a van that is not a Transit of some description......
We have a 2015 Transit and while we don't put many miles on it at all, it is a brilliant utility vehicle and has enough power even fully loaded. The V6 Ecoboost the Yanks get would be nice though. V8RX7 said:
I didn't mostly because of the image, high floor and when buying used 99% are low powered and too short - also whilst I paid a little more for a T4 it's actually gone up in value in the 4 years I've owned it.
I did own a SWB Sprinter before it and mine was in the 1% that was tidy - unfortunately it was also in the 1% that broke it's gearbox (within 130k) after that I bought an Iveco Daily and other than driving like a lorry it was far better value and condition than Sprinters or Transits plus even the largest Transits don't compare if you need a BIG van.
What image problem does a Transit have that an old T4 doesn't assuming it's for work and not a "lifestyle" vehicle? image, high floor and when buying used 99% are low powered and too short - also whilst I paid a little more for a T4 it's actually gone up in value in the 4 years I've owned it.I did own a SWB Sprinter before it and mine was in the 1% that was tidy - unfortunately it was also in the 1% that broke it's gearbox (within 130k) after that I bought an Iveco Daily and other than driving like a lorry it was far better value and condition than Sprinters or Transits plus even the largest Transits don't compare if you need a BIG van.
Toaster Pilot said:
V8RX7 said:
I didn't mostly because of the image, high floor and when buying used 99% are low powered and too short - also whilst I paid a little more for a T4 it's actually gone up in value in the 4 years I've owned it.
I did own a SWB Sprinter before it and mine was in the 1% that was tidy - unfortunately it was also in the 1% that broke it's gearbox (within 130k) after that I bought an Iveco Daily and other than driving like a lorry it was far better value and condition than Sprinters or Transits plus even the largest Transits don't compare if you need a BIG van.
What image problem does a Transit have that an old T4 doesn't assuming it's for work and not a "lifestyle" vehicle? image, high floor and when buying used 99% are low powered and too short - also whilst I paid a little more for a T4 it's actually gone up in value in the 4 years I've owned it.I did own a SWB Sprinter before it and mine was in the 1% that was tidy - unfortunately it was also in the 1% that broke it's gearbox (within 130k) after that I bought an Iveco Daily and other than driving like a lorry it was far better value and condition than Sprinters or Transits plus even the largest Transits don't compare if you need a BIG van.
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