Looking for mid sized van... are Vitos rubbish?
Discussion
We are looking for a medium sized van- basically a T4 Transporter would be perfect but are a little on the expensive side. Budget would be around £2500.
A W-reg Vito has come up locally which appears to be clean, but no sign of any service history, the mileage is a tad high at 112k. Recently had fresh coat of paint.... £1695.
What are they generally like? Heard stories that they are a bad buy in terms of reliability, parts, rust etc.
Does anyone have any other suggestions on suitable vans? it would be used for transporting mountain bikes and gear, and sleeping in during cold weather after a bit of insulating.
A W-reg Vito has come up locally which appears to be clean, but no sign of any service history, the mileage is a tad high at 112k. Recently had fresh coat of paint.... £1695.
What are they generally like? Heard stories that they are a bad buy in terms of reliability, parts, rust etc.
Does anyone have any other suggestions on suitable vans? it would be used for transporting mountain bikes and gear, and sleeping in during cold weather after a bit of insulating.
Louisa911 said:
We are looking for a medium sized van- basically a T4 Transporter would be perfect but are a little on the expensive side. Budget would be around £2500.
A W-reg Vito has come up locally which appears to be clean, but no sign of any service history, the mileage is a tad high at 112k. Recently had fresh coat of paint.... £1695.
What are they generally like? Heard stories that they are a bad buy in terms of reliability, parts, rust etc.
Does anyone have any other suggestions on suitable vans? it would be used for transporting mountain bikes and gear, and sleeping in during cold weather after a bit of insulating.
They do make a pretty good camper, especially with a pop-top roof. A W-reg Vito has come up locally which appears to be clean, but no sign of any service history, the mileage is a tad high at 112k. Recently had fresh coat of paint.... £1695.
What are they generally like? Heard stories that they are a bad buy in terms of reliability, parts, rust etc.
Does anyone have any other suggestions on suitable vans? it would be used for transporting mountain bikes and gear, and sleeping in during cold weather after a bit of insulating.
vivaro or equivelant from Renaualt or nissan are good vans (choice for work van)
Or the Good old transit I'd steer clear of the Vito just not my cup of tea and can be fortunes to repair, the Vivaro's etc are very nice to drive whereas the the Transits are a little more rough and ready.
It's down to personal taste I'd suggest test drive them all
Or the Good old transit I'd steer clear of the Vito just not my cup of tea and can be fortunes to repair, the Vivaro's etc are very nice to drive whereas the the Transits are a little more rough and ready.
It's down to personal taste I'd suggest test drive them all
The Vivaro is probably the nicest to drive and are fairly cheap but they're not without mechanical problems (gearbox being one).
I would much rather a 6 speed Vivaro for long motorway journeys than a Transit which is very noisy and unrefined.
Also 112k for a 10 year old van is actually very low.....
I would much rather a 6 speed Vivaro for long motorway journeys than a Transit which is very noisy and unrefined.
Also 112k for a 10 year old van is actually very low.....
They rust like a good'un - The 110Cdi has a much better engine than the 108Cdi which can be troublesome. No where near as good as a Transporter but no where near as bad as some people make out - 2.2litre 110Cdi is fairly pokey, tows well and cruises nicely at the national speed limit - Better than a transit of the same vintage
Vito's worst fault is like many mercs of the era they're very prone to rot, so as far as the spray goes: why/how well/whats hidden?
Vans of most brands are generally much of a muchness, anything of that age is normally worked hard and you'll find few peaches and many tired old knackers. toyotas (power van) can be good, last forever but for some reason largely over looked.
Unless you're a masochist do yourself a favour and ignore the LDV suggestion, there's a very good reason they're cheaper than anything.
Vans of most brands are generally much of a muchness, anything of that age is normally worked hard and you'll find few peaches and many tired old knackers. toyotas (power van) can be good, last forever but for some reason largely over looked.
Unless you're a masochist do yourself a favour and ignore the LDV suggestion, there's a very good reason they're cheaper than anything.
morgrp said:
They rust like a good'un - The 110Cdi has a much better engine than the 108Cdi which can be troublesome. No where near as good as a Transporter but no where near as bad as some people make out - 2.2litre 110Cdi is fairly pokey, tows well and cruises nicely at the national speed limit - Better than a transit of the same vintage
The 108 and 110 cdi are the same. I think the difference is that the 110 has an intercooler so it has a bit more poke. A 108 will still pull a genuine 90 leptons.My 108cdi has done 239k miles without major issues. They do eat their CV boots fairly regularly due to the angle of the driveshafts but a new shaft is £50 and takes 20min to swap. No need to split ball joints or drain gearbox oil.
Vitos do rust although no worse than any other van. Buy one that's not too far gone an douse it in acf50.
The Merc engines are super reliable and long lived. Mine gets an average of 35 mpg, 38 if I'm careful. There's no cambelt to worry about. The only bother is leaking injectors. Catch them early and it's an £80 fix. I've only had one go.
Third gear syncro can go. Mine has been reluctant when cold ( fine once warm) for the past 70k. I'll wait till it breaks!
They are great value vans to those in the know, easy to diy service and cheap to run. Double side doors are a bonus too.
hidetheelephants said:
oldshape LDVs are plenty cheap, and the peugeot or latterly transit drivetrain is reliable. Not as pleasant to drive as a tranny, but cheaper. Plus, [PH]you can get an ex-ambiwlans with an RV8 for much amusement and not much cash.[/PH]
There is a reason why they are cheap. Nasty, horrible things! The V8 option sounds like a interesting experiance though! hairyben said:
Unless you're a masochist do yourself a favour and ignore the LDV suggestion, there's a very good reason they're cheaper than anything.
I've just spent the best part of a day in a (rented) 07 Maxxis, its a horrible thing. I also used to maintain a small fleet of LDV Convoy minibuses, they are also terrible - which is quite a feat when they were mostly Ford Transit underneath.EDLT said:
I've just spent the best part of a day in a (rented) 07 Maxxis, its a horrible thing. I also used to maintain a small fleet of LDV Convoy minibuses, they are also terrible - which is quite a feat when they were mostly Ford Transit underneath.
I don't think they were actually "mostly ford transit underneath", I think the engine was a last-gen transit design that'd been superseded. But probably made under licence and s
ttified for LDV design approval.
I've driven lots of vans over the years at work, and I personally wouldn't go anywhere near any LDV, they are hideous in the extreme. I also wouldn't touch a £1.6K Vito with a bargepole.
I've had a '04 Peugeot Expert as my daily driver for 2 years now, I got it to transport my bikes, put a dog cage in it, and collect horse feed and hay. I've also slept in the back when necessary. It's a great van, just about 'modern' enough to be comfortable (but not for any mega-long journey....), twin side doors, and cheap to run. Parts are cheap, servicing is peanuts, and there's very little to go wrong. In fact it passed it's MOT today only requiring a clean of the rear brake drums, and it's done 117K miles. I would expect the engine to do at least 250K miles before any major dramas.
It amazes me when some people talk about their 'ultra reliable' VW's, then detail the thousands they've had to spend keeping the thing on the road! Good luck in your search, £2.5K will get you a very nice van if you look around......
I've had a '04 Peugeot Expert as my daily driver for 2 years now, I got it to transport my bikes, put a dog cage in it, and collect horse feed and hay. I've also slept in the back when necessary. It's a great van, just about 'modern' enough to be comfortable (but not for any mega-long journey....), twin side doors, and cheap to run. Parts are cheap, servicing is peanuts, and there's very little to go wrong. In fact it passed it's MOT today only requiring a clean of the rear brake drums, and it's done 117K miles. I would expect the engine to do at least 250K miles before any major dramas.
It amazes me when some people talk about their 'ultra reliable' VW's, then detail the thousands they've had to spend keeping the thing on the road! Good luck in your search, £2.5K will get you a very nice van if you look around......
EDLT said:
I've just spent the best part of a day in a (rented) 07 Maxxis, its a horrible thing.
I'd agree with that, they have no redeeming features at all; exploding engines, melty turbos, and the build quality makes a biscuit tin look durable. The rear doors of the new one I had the misfortune to ride in didn't shut right even when new.Another big 
for LDV's. They're truly repugnant. Think of it as a City Rover with lugging capacity.
If you're checking out highish mileage duratorq Transits, make sure they've had their injector pump changed. We've had a few and whilst they're pretty much bulletproof, they've got a nasty habit of lunching them at 150k'ish miles - speaking to others, it would appear that it's not an uncommon occurence - it's a £1200 quid bill doing it cheaply!
for LDV's. They're truly repugnant. Think of it as a City Rover with lugging capacity.If you're checking out highish mileage duratorq Transits, make sure they've had their injector pump changed. We've had a few and whilst they're pretty much bulletproof, they've got a nasty habit of lunching them at 150k'ish miles - speaking to others, it would appear that it's not an uncommon occurence - it's a £1200 quid bill doing it cheaply!
Lot's of MK 1 Vito's in the Trials community. As Van's they handle two or three bikes and kit quite easily. They do run forever but as stated they do rust and 110,000 does seem a little low on the mileage. I'd check the history and if that's genuine it a good buy.. Doesn't seem to stop them tho. The MK2 is better and is popular as the "Combi". Some of them will be coming down to the price you are looking at even tho they will be a bit "leggy". In Mk2 form it also comes in Short, Long and "oh my god" lengths. The Transporter is a very good option and is also popular. In the older versions it is better than the Mk1 Vito but as you have found it is also more expensive.. I'd buy on condition and history. If the Vito has it then it's a good buy. Any doubt's then walk away. There are loads out there.
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