A questions on vans

Seanieke

I'm after a van, I'd love a Transporter but they're just so damn expensive!!

I drive a Pimastar as a company van, its a 100BHP 6 Speed, nice driver & pulls well, so I figure why not get one of those instead.

While searching t'interweb today I've noticed the Vauxaull Vivaro comes out cheaper, followed by the Renault Traffic... I know these are the same bodies but are they the same engine & gearbox too??

Tea Spoon

Can't be 100% but Vauxhall have in the past had Isuzu engines in their diesel vans which are reliable beyond belief. Might be worth investigating further.

Frank_Gooding

There are a huge amount of vans going through the auctions at the moment.

Go down to Merlin in Naas and have a look you will be shocked at the value.
www.merlinmotorcity.ie

I saw a transit connect with 42K Km's 07 clean van go for 6000.

Ford gagrage on the way to Navan was looking for 11,000.

murpheous81

How much are you looking to spend on a van?
A newish transporter can be bought for 6500k + vat?
I am looking for a van myself - Transporter is on my list, as well as the Primastar, Trafic and Movano.

Best of luck with whichever one you choose

Savman

I had a Vivaro, gearbox went @ 70k miles and ruined xmas that year :mad:. €2.5k repair right there, or €4k+ from a main stealer.

It's the same van as the Primastar and I've been told by many in the know that they are all a rebadged Renault Trafic.

murpheous81

I have read and started and posted a few posts about vans and no one mentions the Toyota Hi Ace?

Guy:Incognito

Tea Spoon wrote: »

Can't be 100% but Vauxhall have in the past had Isuzu engines in their diesel vans which are reliable beyond belief. Might be worth investigating further.

They used the 1.7 izuzu in the smaller vans , not sure if they ever had it in the bigger nes.

Our company had a vauxhall combi that had one of those izuzu engines in it, it blew up in about 2 months ago, van written off. It was an 04 with around 80k on it.

GERMAN ROCKS

i never liked the new transits. the uncle has one and it takes a good while to get used of it. it constantly stalls when trying to take off or jerks. I always hated the hiace for different reasons. id pick the transporter first or else a citroen relay or the equivilant peugeot. the new fiats dont look too back either.

jamesO

Frank_Gooding wrote: »

There are a huge amount of vans going through the auctions at the moment.

Go down to Merlin in Naas and have a look you will be shocked at the value.
www.merlinmotorcity.ie

I saw a transit connect with 42K Km's 07 clean van go for 6000.

Ford gagrage on the way to Navan was looking for 11,000.

No vans on their site me lookin for a connect or berlingo, do these guys do auctions?????..........jO

macroman

Renault, Nissan & Opel share common platforms for their commercials - Trafic, Primastar, & Vivaro as well the Master, Interstar, & Movano. The Renault Kangoo & Nissan Kubistar are also virtually the same. The Opel Combo is a mongrel with various models having Isuzu parts, Fiat parts or GM parts.

Avoid the newer Transit, they have common problems with the clutch and starting motor - it's often difficult to find an independant garage to do them as it is a reoccuring problem.

The 1.7 Isuzu engine fitted to Combo's, and other light commercials is a bit of a disaster. My Dads Combo has gone through two ECU's (one main, one fuel system), new injectors, 2 Lambda sensors, End Bearings, Cam wheel breaking in half!, new driveshafts & had the entire clutch system rebuilt a week after buying the van! They're a money pit! 1.3 engined Combos are supposed to be more reliable.

The 1.9 dci engine fitted to the Trafic etc. isn't the most reliable engine and is prone to premature gearbox failure and driveshaft wear. They're also heavy on Front tyres and wheel bearings. They're a solid, cheap van, so look out for something that has a service record (such as an ex-Lease or Fleet van).

pred racer

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

i never liked the new transits. the uncle has one and it takes a good while to get used of it. it constantly stalls when trying to take off or jerks..

There is problem with the fuel pump on some of the newer transits. If you kick up enough fuss at the stealership they will replce it for you.

Guy:Incognito

macroman wrote: »

The 1.9 dci engine fitted to the Trafic etc. isn't the most reliable engine and is prone to premature gearbox failure and driveshaft wear. They're also heavy on Front tyres and wheel bearings. They're a solid, cheap van, so look out for something that has a service record (such as an ex-Lease or Fleet van).

From what I've read, the problem seems to be related to weight. They used the Laguna gearbox ( iirc) and it doesnt respond well to hauling around lots of weight. Apparently sticking to the load weight limits seems to result in normal enough rates of gearbox failures but pulling full van loads is the same as driving a Laguna everywhere with a trailer.

Frank_Gooding

Wrong site should have the auction site.

www.merlincarauctions.ie

They even have a new berlingo

http://www.merlincarauctions.ie/auction_catalogue.php?page=1&dir=DESC&action=searchresults&vehiclesaddes=all&id=10&sort=makeandmodel&id_listing=416731&action=viewCarDetails

Seanieke

Tea Spoon wrote: »

Can't be 100% but Vauxhall have in the past had Isuzu engines in their diesel vans which are reliable beyond belief. Might be worth investigating further.

Thanks for that!! Ill have to dig deeper & find out

Seanieke

murpheous81 wrote: »

How much are you looking to spend on a van?
A newish transporter can be bought for 6500k + vat?
I am looking for a van myself - Transporter is on my list, as well as the Primastar, Trafic and Movano.

Best of luck with whichever one you choose

I was gonna go whole hog & buy something nice and flashy, but I'm cutting back on the money now what with the way things are. In or around the 5k mark

Seanieke

murpheous81 wrote: »

I have read and started and posted a few posts about vans and no one mentions the Toyota Hi Ace?

Because ya wanna be able to drive onto site & not be mistaken for a Pikey!

ji

Hiace.. i have a 97 its reliable beyond your wildest dreams ive done 60,000 miles in the 3yrs ive had it and only had to fit a clutch due to the amount of towing i do...i service it my self every 6,000 miles..

What a Van... bit thursty at 33mpg the newer d4d is supposed to do 43mpg..

Used work for a bakery and they used hiace's i saw one with 560,000miles:eek:

If you want bulletproof get the hiace....

Best of luck..

ji

Seanieke wrote: »

Because ya wanna be able to drive onto site & not be mistaken for a Pikey!

Pikeys drive transits...

Seanieke

ji wrote: »

Hiace.. i have a 97 its reliable beyond your wildest dreams ive done 60,000 miles in the 3yrs ive had it and only had to fit a clutch due to the amount of towing i do...i service it my self every 6,000 miles..

What a Van... bit thursty at 33mpg the newer d4d is supposed to do 43mpg..

Used work for a bakery and they used hiace's i saw one with 560,000miles:eek:

If you want bulletproof get the hiace....

Best of luck..

The Toyota engines are legendary alright.. I had the 2.0D Corolla for years, the 93-97 model, it but up with dogs abuse, towed everything you could think of.. the only reason its still not goin is my wee brother wrote it off 3 days after getting his license :mad:

Seanieke

ji wrote: »

Pikeys drive transits...

It's a 50/50 split!

macroman

ji wrote: »

Pikeys drive transits...

Only SWB low roof models with Alloys

Saab Ed

Dont pikeys drive Passats these days

Saab Ed

macroman wrote: »

Only SWB low roof models with Alloys

Short whale BRACE

R.O.R

Saab Ed wrote: »

Dont pikeys drive Passats these days

Nope - all upgraded to S-Line spec A4's


Back on topic - there should be some decent bargains available van wise at the moment, a lot are being repo'd so should be selling cheap at auction. Should filter down to dealer sales.

Drummerboy08

Agreed with ROR - there are alot of commercials out there at the minute. It should be easy to get a good deal on one.

As for the vans, AFAIK, the Primastar, Traffic, and Vivaro are all built in the same factory. They are then rebadged for the manufacturer they are going to. Same engines, and running gear, and everything else.

At the last check (yesterday) the Traffic was cheaper for me to buy.

pol o gallachoi

I am no expert in any way but I own an old 95 Transporter and they are really solid, love that old banger. Don't think it'll ever die.

Slidey

The trafic/primastar etc have a few issues that I know of.

Tie rods and tie rod ends are always going on them.

Bottom ball joints are pretty common as well.

Front brake pipes get damaged after pads are fitted when they are not re-located into their brackets and rub on the shocks.

Rear steel brake pipes get damaged when the small wire clip on the handbrake cable falls off and the start to rub.

As also mentioned g/box is very soft.

groupb

Seanieke wrote: »

I'm after a van, I'd love a Transporter but they're just so damn expensive!!

I drive a Pimastar as a company van, its a 100BHP 6 Speed, nice driver & pulls well, so I figure why not get one of those instead.

While searching t'interweb today I've noticed the Vauxaull Vivaro comes out cheaper, followed by the Renault Traffic... I know these are the same bodies but are they the same engine & gearbox too??

Why in gods name do you want a transporter? I'm on my second transporter with work. My 05' one blew two turbos, water pump, broke driveshafts, indicator stalks broke, oil cooler failed,front suspension wore out.
In fairness on my 09' one the only thing to break so far was an electric window. Had to rent a transit before christmas as the VW was too small for the job in hand. The difference in comfort was shocking. I spent four hours in the transit in one go and got out feeeling fresh. Had that been the transporter , I'd have a sore back and a pain in my ankle. My advice , steer well clear. When you drive a transporter I think your primastar suddenly won't seem so bad.

Guy:Incognito

I'm driving a 97 Peugeot Expert (1.9 non turbo) I bought off my boss. 130,000 on the clock and the van hass never caused an ounce of trouble. Been in the company since new.

Had a 97 Partner with the same engine that was trouble free up to 180,000 when I sold it. It's still going strong.

Guy:Incognito

Seanieke wrote: »

The Toyota engines are legendary alright.. I had the 2.0D Corolla for years, the 93-97 model, it but up with dogs abuse, towed everything you could think of.. the only reason its still not goin is my wee brother wrote it off 3 days after getting his license :mad:

Did Toyota not ue a PSA diesel in the Hi-ace for ages?

Saab Ed

Stekelly wrote: »

Did Toyota not ue a PSA diesel in the Hi-ace for ages?

No they used the 1.9 in the Corrola for a little while around 99 -01. That Pug 1.9 is bombproof.

waxon-waxoff

I have a ten year old Hiace and its always reliable, apart from a starter motor a year ago. Ill forgive that due to the frequent stop-start journeys it makes. I use it 1 or 2 days a week usually but recently did a four hour trip in it which was a chore. Got a sore right ankle and a headache.

Toyota have slipped up in recent years by not updating the Hiace. The d4d engines are supposed to be smooth but 10 years without a facelift made them look old fashioned. The traffic/vivaro look and drive better but will give problems unlike the Hiace which just keeps on going

zilog_jones

Stekelly wrote: »

Did Toyota not ue a PSA diesel in the Hi-ace for ages?

I think it was a 2.4 litre 2L-TE up until the 2.5 D4D engines (2KD-FTV?) came out around 2001. Or was the 2C (2.0 litre used in Corolla, Corona etc.) available as well? Toyota seem to make enough of their own diesels to not need to outsource

pred racer

Stekelly wrote: »

I'm driving a 97 Peugeot Expert (1.9 non turbo) I bought off my boss. 130,000 on the clock and the van hass never caused an ounce of trouble. Been in the company since new.

Except for the door locks, id agree with the expert, its bullet proof. but not really big enough for serious work (IMO)
On another thread Ive commented that the fiat ducato is cheap as chips and our one is running like a watch.

CJhaughey

waxon-waxoff wrote: »

Toyota have slipped up in recent years by not updating the Hiace. The d4d engines are supposed to be smooth but 10 years without a facelift made them look old fashioned. The traffic/vivaro look and drive better but will give problems unlike the Hiace which just keeps on going

It is only in Europe that they persist with the old Hi-ace, I saw newer versions in NZ recently, nice looking vans.
I think Europe must be quite slow for lots of japanese vehicles, The new Avensis looks like the Aurion from 05-06!

Saab Ed

zilog_jones wrote: »

I think it was a 2.4 litre 2L-TE up until the 2.5 D4D engines (2KD-FTV?) came out around 2001. Or was the 2C (2.0 litre used in Corolla, Corona etc.) available as well? Toyota seem to make enough of their own diesels to not need to outsource

They had to use the PSA engine in the Corrola ( circa 99-01) for a while because the Toyota engine at the time didnt meet euro emission regs. They still use PSA diesels in the Aygo/C1/107 combo as far as I know.

waxon-waxoff

CJhaughey wrote: »

It is only in Europe that they persist with the old Hi-ace, I saw newer versions in NZ recently, nice looking vans.
I think Europe must be quite slow for lots of japanese vehicles, The new Avensis looks like the Aurion from 05-06!

I seen those new shape Hiaces in NZ and Thailand but they cant sell them in Europe because of the crash standards here. All vans have to have a sloped bonnet here as a crumple zone. The newer Asian type Hiace has a straight front so not so good in a head on smash. They have Hiaces out there with the 3.0 TD from the Landcruiser, would run rings around my 2.4

Seanieke

Slidey wrote: »

The trafic/primastar etc have a few issues that I know of.

Tie rods and tie rod ends are always going on them.

Bottom ball joints are pretty common as well.

Front brake pipes get damaged after pads are fitted when they are not re-located into their brackets and rub on the shocks.

Rear steel brake pipes get damaged when the small wire clip on the handbrake cable falls off and the start to rub.

As also mentioned g/box is very soft.

Thanks for all that!!

I'm swaying back to the Transporter!

zilog_jones

waxon-waxoff wrote: »

I seen those new shape Hiaces in NZ and Thailand but they cant sell them in Europe because of the crash standards here. All vans have to have a sloped bonnet here as a crumple zone. The newer Asian type Hiace has a straight front so not so good in a head on smash. They have Hiaces out there with the 3.0 TD from the Landcruiser, would run rings around my 2.4

Yeah the Hiace split into two separate lines in the mid-90s - the normal flat-fronted Hiaces continued only in Japan and some other Asian markets (they were even flatter than the ones sold here which seemed to have a lot more plastic stuck on the nose), and the bonneted vans were sold in Europe as the Hiace and in Japan as the Granvia or Hiace Regius. Besides a few nosejobs they don't seem to have changed much at all since 1995 - am I missing something or are they just chronically outdated compared to the competition these days?

Here's the Hiace we don't get: http://www.toyota.com.au/hiace