Commercial van - advice appreciated

antiskeptic

I've a friend looking for a commercial car-van. Budget is 2.5-3.5k and I want to help him get some bang for buck.

I did a carzone search (I'll check out done deal when I've narrowed things down to the make of van I should be looking form) of sub-100k mile units / 2004-9 / sub 1.6 litre... and the following makes/models crop up.

Citroen Berlingo (lots of em)
Citroen C4 (not so bad a looker)
Fiat Doblo
Nissan 55/Other/Kubistar
Opel Combo
Renault Kangoo (lots of 'em)

I normally wouldn't touch a Fiat with a bargepole. Nor a Renault. Then you have the possibility of the Nissan/Renault compact resulting in your Nissan being Renault under the skin.

Could anyone shed light on buying such a vehicle and anything peculiar to the genre to watch out for? Which brand would you go for? And why are so many of them Post Office green - they all ex-PO vehicles or summit

Thanks in advance..

Edit: got price range wrong. 3.5k available for a (relative) gem. Otherwise 2.5-3k

R.O.R

You know the most important question when looking at vans? It's not which is the most reliable, or which is the cheapest.

The question should be, what will it be used to carry? If it's washing machines, not much point looking at the C4.

antiskeptic

R.O.R wrote: »

You know the most important question when looking at vans? It's not which is the most reliable, or which is the cheapest.

The question should be, what will it be used to carry? If it's washing machines, not much point looking at the C4.

Good point. Although I'm pretty sure it's small, lightweight stuff. I'll double check.

Got the finances wrong. More in the 2500-3,500 bracket which means the same stuff but a bit older, I suppose

tiny timy

Greens are usually post ones.wouldnt buy them with all the going a postman would give one,clutching the whole time and just constant stop+start

Juwwi

For 2000-2500 there will be lots of rubbish out there I would wait until I found the right van.
Low mileage clean vans are out there you just have to hold tight and then be the first to view it.

luckyfrank

head over to target express the liquidator is selling the fleet for piss, a lad picked up an 02 truck excellent condition for 900 euro

bijapos

C4 is seriously small, forget it as a van.

I'd ignore the year and mileage at that price. The cc has nothing to do with the tax on the van as it's a flat rate no matter what the engine size, it also has an almost negligible effect on the insurance quote.

You need to find out what will be carried and what mileage will be done. Does the van need a bulkhead, and what dimensions does it need to be?

If he has €2-2500 I'd go for a Hiace, indestructible, and that money gets a very good van if you are prepared to look around. If that's too big a VW Caddy/Seat Inca can be got for small money and they are based on the Polo so the mechanicals are reliable, they are also economical. I know a couple of people who have had Berlingo's and Partners and they seem to be reliable too.

Take your time, and be prepared to walk away from any van you feel isn't up to scratch.

ted1

Milage doesn't have much to do with vans.

I've clocked up over 250k on a caddy, but its being Dublin to cork, Dublin Belfast, Dublin Donegal etc. So much better than short journeys.

Ronnie Beck

antiskeptic wrote: »

...2004-9 / sub 1.6 litre... and the following makes/models crop up.

...

The tax is the same for all commercial veheicles no matter the engine size. Just in case that is your reason for setting 1.6 as your limit. 1.9 TDI caddy would be my choice. Generally you want a bigger engine for longer faster journeys. I would consider a smaller engined diesel if the journeys were short and urban.

antiskeptic

Thanks for all the comments so far - I'll digest tomorrow and figure if ya'll armed me enough for the gunfight ahead..

Hal Decks

Ronnie Beck wrote: »

[


The tax is the same for all commercial veheicles[sic] no matter the engine size. .......

Only for those registered for commercial use. Privately taxed vans pay tax calculated on cc.

R.O.R

tiny timy wrote: »

Greens are usually post ones.wouldnt buy them with all the going a postman would give one,clutching the whole time and just constant stop+start

While the Green Kangoo's would have had a hard enough life with the Post Office, they also would have had a lot more care and attention than most other vans, and should be available with a full service history.

As they all would have been sold via Leaseplan, a quick google of the reg number should come up with the sale sheet pdf that lists the mileage when sold. You can then check that bears some resembalance to the mileage on the van now.

Bpmull

What about an astra van they are bigger than a c4 but still a car van. i have a 2008 1.3 with 145k km on it and no trouble. the 1.7 is even a better engine. Also op renault commericals are extremely reliable my dad has had 4 kangoos 1 trafic and a master. we still have the renault master 2006 over 200k km on the clock all its had done outside servicing and timming belt is one wheel bearing.It was checked over by a renault mechanic 1 month ago and he was shocked he said it doesnt even need bushings and they are only slightly worn. if you mind a van it wont let you down. ive seen renault been dogged all there life and thats why the turbos go and gearbox etc etc.My advice is try and find a well minded van. We have also had a hiace and they are reliable but just to hard on diesel we got 25 mpg out off ours. the master get 32 mpg and its twice the size.

Mycroft H

R.O.R wrote: »

tiny timy wrote: »

Greens are usually post ones.wouldnt buy them with all the going a postman would give one,clutching the whole time and just constant stop+start

While the Green Kangoo's would have had a hard enough life with the Post Office, they also would have had a lot more care and attention than most other vans, and should be available with a full service history.

As they all would have been sold via Leaseplan, a quick google of the reg number should come up with the sale sheet pdf that lists the mileage when sold. You can then check that bears some resembalance to the mileage on the van now.

The kangoo ex an post vans are great buys. They've been serviced on the button and are fitted with heavy duty clutches. And they usually have never had anything more then a few bags of post chucked in the back.

ljpg

i'll throw a opel combo into the mix,bought a 2006 1.3cdti van just over a year ago,bad points:it has given trouble,dual mass flywheel went on it,a back spring broke on in carrying ......nothing!!!it needed a front wheel bearing aswell,good points:its a joy to drive,feels like your driving a car,very lively engine,no problem overtaking,very good mpg,when driven handy it runs on the smell of diesel,if your taxing it private its only a couple of quid more than commercial with it being 1.3,seems to be holding value too,prices on done deal seem to be about the same as this time last year

GTDolanator

Berlingo owner here.....no issues super reliable bit slow but shure its a bleedin van!

Had a combo 1.3 the thing broke me heart......

Bpmull

The 1.3 cdti Opel engine will never let you down provided you use 5w30 synthetic oil for Opel engines if you use anything else you will have hassle. They are a serious fussy engine when it comes to oil. The only common vault on that engine is the egr valve and even that only went on a few of them. My one has 147k km on it and it is perfect you have to mind them. Not saying the previous poster didn't mind his but I don't know what fault he had with his.

ljpg

ye i forgot to add to me list that the egr is gone on my combo as well!!!!its not causing any running issues but is putting a light up on the dash occasionally,i agree with the previous poster on the oil,5w30 opel oil all the way!