Advise for purchasing second hand van please

bribren2001

Hey guys

I'm currently looking to buy a second hand van, Peugeot Partner size.

It wont be doing any huge amount of driving just from A - B and wont be used for work purposes of any sort.

Id like for you guys to please:

- recommend me a van
- things to look out for when buying a van
- tell me your experiences on vans youve had in the past

I have 3.5 to 4 thousand to spend

Anyone Ive spoken to have recommended a Volkswagen Caddy so I'm not that sure

Thanks for your help.

B

bandit197

I recently picked up a 05 Citroen Berlingo 2.0HDI in the north for a runabout. I cant fault it. Nice van to drive with plenty of power for overtaking and it is very economical. I bought it private, went to see a good few on the same day including some garages. One word of advice, run a reg check for outstanding finance etc. One dealer tried to sell me a van with 2 grand owed on it!
Things to look out for:
Regular service history is a must have and its the best way to ensure mileage is genuine.
If the exterior and interior are in good shape and have been looked after then chances are the previous owners have had a bit of respect for it and not abused it.
Check to see if it sits high on its springs at the back, if it doesn't then it has carried heavy loads most of its life and this has implications on its engine, clutch, gearbox etc.
Look all around the engine and gearbox for oil leaks.
When you take it for a drive pull over, engage handbrake and select first and try to pull away slowly, the handbrake should hold it to the point that the van is about to stall. If it does not then the clutch could be nearing a replacement.
Ensure that all the gear changes are smooth and that the van does not pull to one side under braking.
Shop around. The market is flooded with vans at the minute and there are a lot of bad ones but but equally a lot of well cared for ones too.

The caddys have a good name but the price also reflects this.
Thats about all I can think of for now, I'm sure there are more knowledgeable folks here who can give you more advice. Good luck with the hunt.

bribren2001

bandit197 wrote: »

I recently picked up a 05 Citroen Berlingo 2.0HDI in the north for a runabout. I cant fault it. Nice van to drive with plenty of power for overtaking and it is very economical. I bought it private, went to see a good few on the same day including some garages. One word of advice, run a reg check for outstanding finance etc. One dealer tried to sell me a van with 2 grand owed on it!
Things to look out for:
Regular service history is a must have and its the best way to ensure mileage is genuine.
If the exterior and interior are in good shape and have been looked after then chances are the previous owners have had a bit of respect for it and not abused it.
Check to see if it sits high on its springs at the back, if it doesn't then it has carried heavy loads most of its life and this has implications on its engine, clutch, gearbox etc.
Look all around the engine and gearbox for oil leaks.
When you take it for a drive pull over, engage handbrake and select first and try to pull away slowly, the handbrake should hold it to the point that the van is about to stall. If it does not then the clutch could be nearing a replacement.
Ensure that all the gear changes are smooth and that the van does not pull to one side under braking.
Shop around. The market is flooded with vans at the minute and there are a lot of bad ones but but equally a lot of well cared for ones too.

The caddys have a good name but the price also reflects this.
Thats about all I can think of for now, I'm sure there are more knowledgeable folks here who can give you more advice. Good luck with the hunt.

Excellent post, very helpful info!
Thanks very much!!