Have an old van - Best to scrap or..?

Hey all,

Have an Iveco Daily Unijet (2.5ltr I think). I'm not that well clued into vans, but I believe it's a long wheel base (has about 12 foot inside it in length).

Looks like this (this isn't mine):




It's a 2002, and it was used for cabinet making work for a few years. Then the cabinet making company went under and I began to use it as a bit of a portable billboard almost (for photography, so I got decals made up and stuck my logo all over it). Pretty much, it hasn't been taken care of.

It's driving, but it's not in great shape and you can start to see small bits of rust appearing (not a lot, though, admittedly). I haven't actually drove it myself, but apparently the steering is stiff (power steering failing i assume).


So I am wondering what can I do with it? I don't have insurance to drive it myself (I'm still on my first car, that I got 3 months ago, so I'd say if I even rang the insurance company, they'd break their asses laughing at me over the phone wanting to be insured on a 2.5ltr massive van).

I'd say there's a good bit of money that will be spent on it to get it back on the road. Completely guesswork, but I'd say you wouldnt get change out of €1,000 to get it back on the road and through the DOE. It also needs taxing. It's parked in the same place all the time and ther's a bit of spillage after building up over the years, so I assume it's leaking oil (though in tiny amounts).


It's gotten about 5 minutes driving on a daily basis just around the housing estate to keep it moving and to fill the tyres (Which, when fully inflated, only last about a week before needing air again, so possibly worn tyres from it lying up. They don't go completely flat).


So with that in mind, I'd be almost better off just buying a new one than putting this one on the road, and as I don't have any real use for this (aside from as portable advertising) I dont really want it any more. It's not being given any real use by me.


It starts every time its used, so I don't think there are any major mechanical issues. Minor electrical issues possible to rear their heads though (fuses needed, etc. but nothing overly expensive).



So I'm wondering what I can do with it? I know I can scrap it but I don't know what that entails or what it would get me. If it's going to cost me, I'd rather let the van just sit idle, to be honest. I'm not sure if anyone would buy it (would be a nice purchase, I'd say, for anyone that knew how to fix them up, and could sell on or keep for themselves).


Not really sure if this is the right place for this thread but Im a little clueless on this, so..


Cheers to anyone with any opinion to share here.

TrailerBob

I have one of these with a box body, they're not a bad van, but if left neglected I would imagine electrical problems will creep in, and they are not cheap. Stick it up on donedeal at cheap money, somebody might take it. If I had spare cash I'd nearly buy it as a parts donor for my own but alas I have not got a schilling!

pete4130

Insurance on a 2.5L big commercial van won't be anything like a small 2.5L private car. It's not exactly fast being a massive box on wheels with at least 2-3 ton in weight. It's not really a boy racer style insurance risk. Ring around, get quotes.

Rust is easy to take care of. Sandpaper and touch up paint at a minimum.

I think you're still on your L's from previous posts. Get the test done asap if not done already.

If its ONLY going to cost $1000 on a van you know starts and drives every time you get in it, thats not too much. Cheaper than buying something for a few grand that might cost more to keep on the road. Better the devil you know.

Tax shouldn't be too bad. It's commercial rates.

Tyres....replace the valves and see if the tyres hold air any better. If not could be slow punctures. Get part worn tyres cheap.

If you have no use for it, then its just going to devalue more and more until it doesn't run and you just wan't rid of it. Pay a mech to look at it and see how much it might cost to get running well and decided if its worth doing before selling it. If it's not worth it, put it up for sale and see what you get. Somebody will have use for use for it.

It's the job for a weekend surf/camp wagon.

TrailerBob

TrailerBob wrote: »

I have one of these with a box body, they're not a bad van, but if left neglected I would imagine electrical problems will creep in, and they are not cheap. Stick it up on donedeal at cheap money, somebody might take it. If I had spare cash I'd nearly buy it as a parts donor for my own but alas I have not got a schilling!

Yeah, the electrics can be dodgy. So far the only real issue is the passenger side window won't open or close. There were issues with the lights (hazards came on when reversing, reverse lights don't work, etc.) but they were all sorted out with a mechanic a while ago and are in perfect order now, thankfully.

pete4130 wrote: »

Insurance on a 2.5L big commercial van won't be anything like a small 2.5L private car. It's not exactly fast being a massive box on wheels with at least 2-3 ton in weight. It's not really a boy racer style insurance risk. Ring around, get quotes.

Rust is easy to take care of. Sandpaper and touch up paint at a minimum.

I think you're still on your L's from previous posts. Get the test done asap if not done already.

If its ONLY going to cost $1000 on a van you know starts and drives every time you get in it, thats not too much. Cheaper than buying something for a few grand that might cost more to keep on the road. Better the devil you know.

Tax shouldn't be too bad. It's commercial rates.

Tyres....replace the valves and see if the tyres hold air any better. If not could be slow punctures. Get part worn tyres cheap.

If you have no use for it, then its just going to devalue more and more until it doesn't run and you just wan't rid of it. Pay a mech to look at it and see how much it might cost to get running well and decided if its worth doing before selling it. If it's not worth it, put it up for sale and see what you get. Somebody will have use for use for it.

It's the job for a weekend surf/camp wagon.

I see what you're saying and where you're coming from. At the moment I have a Ford Focus. Nice little car. Very comfortable, good beginner car. Great to learn in. However, it's a bit worn looking and pulling up outside people's houses in it isn't very inspiring (to do photography).

It just looks like I can't afford to keep a 13 year old car clean. So I'm falling out of love with it over that. So I rang my insurance crowd today (Asgard via Chill.ie) to check how much it'd cost to switch over to a Toyota Rav4 (love the look of them).

So essentially I'm in two minds. I'll either get the Rav4 now, or in March (when I've had the Focus/Insurance for a year - so at renewal). If I get it now, I'm not having 3 vehicles. My dad would be able to drive whatever the second car is (it's him that'd bring the van around the estate to keep it moving), so either the Focus will go, or the van will go.

I reckon I'd get more for the Focus, but neither of them are really worth much in general. The van is okay to fix at €1,000, but it's stale, too, so if I keep it and spend €1,000 on it, I know I'll end up spending another €1,000 or so stripping it and getting all the decals re-done (it's all text at the moment, so i'd go with photos instead and do a proper wrap).

On one hand, this is a good advertising piece, on the other, it's money I'm spending that may or may not really be beneficial to me at the end of the day.


At the moment I'm leaning to selling the van, buying a Rav4 and using the Focus as a second car.


(and no.. I still haven't done the test ).

I thin this post may have just confused things though.


Cheers both for your help though

georgefalls

I know someone that might be interested in buying it, as is.
How much do you think you'll be wanting for it.?

I have no idea georgefalls. I'll come up with a price and I'll stick it on DoneDeal tomorrow, with any luck, and go from there (and I'll link to it in this thread). Seems to be the most sensible way forward..?

georgefalls

Cheers KKV, I look out for it, and pass the details on..!

the_syco

Deleted User wrote: »

I began to use it as a bit of a portable billboard almost (for photography, so I got decals made up and stuck my logo all over it).

If selling the van, ensure your decal is not on the van, as people will still link anything that the van does/is involved in to the business. Esp bad if some numpty buys it and drives it badly all over the place; it'll reflect badly on your business.

Also, ensure you sell it away from your business, in case some numpty buys the van thinking it's cheap only to find out it's expensive when they go to fix it (even when you list all what's wrong with it).

dgt

2002 you say? Hmmmm..... Sure its a Unijet? I know the crossover was in 2001 for mech to common-rail but some 02 Daily's have the 2.8 DI rather than the CR engine. What is it exactly? There should be a badge on the wing with what chassis it has eg 35 S 9

What normally goes: front cab mounts (serious bangingover bumps), upper ball joints, uj at the diff. The pinion bearing has a nasty habit of collapsing on itself if left idle for a period of time. Bias adjuster above the diff wears away and the little link won't sit on it for long. Rust can appear behind the drivers door and around panel edges. Clutch is operated by a sealed hydraulic system, if it plays up a new one is the only option.

Whereabouts are you? We might be interested

If you need more help just ask away and I'll see what I can do

georgefalls

the_syco wrote: »

Also, ensure you sell it away from your business, in case some numpty buys the van thinking it's cheap only to find out it's expensive when they go to fix it (even when you list all what's wrong with it).

Not sure here, but are you saying meet the buyer in a car park or the like.?
Firstly, that's a very dodgy practise. Only this week, a couple were relieved of 10k, by meeting a seller in a car park.
Secondly, if the OP is the registered keeper, then his address will be on the doc. So, easily traceable.

pete4130

In this day and age someone shouldn't care if you arrive on a bicycle or a car to take photos if they've done their research and know what they want/expect. I know in London I used to use my bike rather than the company BMW to get to properties to shoot photos (and it didn't make a difference if they were £285 pw bedsits or £25,000 pw penthouses). It was simply quicker than being stuck in traffic. Made no difference to the company either, It meant I was more productive so they were all for it.

As for a RAV4...why? Do you need 4WD? If not why get one? You can argue you can get a 2WD version....so why a RAV4 thats a raised vehicle initially designed to go off road (and yeah, the 4WD RAV's are decent off road for what they are). It's going to be more expensive to run and repair than a focus. I've had 2 Focus back home.
Newer RAV4's are more like full size SUV's nowadays than they initially started out as. The older designs look quite dated. The newer models look like miniature Toyota Klugers (ugly).

A mk1 focus has aged well. You'll have a more enjoyable drive in a Focus than a RAV4 and unless you're planning on doing some light off road the focus is a better all round car.

Each to their own though. If you like the look of the RAV4 then go for it. Nobody can argue against what you want to have so go enjoy it.

DGT, It's actually a 2.8, yeah. Not 2.5 as I initially said. I've never drove it, myself. It was my brothers (cabinet maker) and I took it off him when he no longer had use for it. It says Unijet on the van itself (otherwise I'd have no idea).


Cheers, Pete.

To be honest, I'm not a big car person at all. I've no real understanding of the mechanics in them (though very slowly picking up a few bits of information from this forum) and I've no real desire to own a souped up, lowered 'fast' car (which seems to be very appealing to most people).

I like the Focus. It's cheap and cheerful, didn't cost me much initially, and it's not really giving me any hassle. But it just doesn't look great. The bonnet looks faded, the rear bumper looks blotchy and as a guy who was fixing a puncture once said; "those wheels look like they've had more than their fair share of battles" (they're scratched an awful lot).

It's comfortable, it's affordable, it's common (which is good for both anonymity and spare parts if needed).

The Rav4 just caught my eye one time when I was out and about driving one time. I thought it looked really, really good. Assumed it'd be a very expensive purchase, though. But I took the reg plate and did a MotorCheck on it (I was driving when I seen it, so didn't actually know it was a Rav4 at the time). DoneDeal searched for it, and it seemed affordable.

I know they seem to be a 'woman's car' a lot, as with most SUVs, but I just think it looks really good. Then, when driving to a job one time, I parked up beside what I thought was another Rav4, that had been modified somehow (or that was a newer version). Really liked the look of that one too. It turned out to be a Suzuki Grand Vitara. So I've been eye-ing up both for a short while. Even if I hate driving an SUV and sell it after a few months, at least I'll have tried it out and will know.



As for the van...

There's actually an important aspect to it that I completely forgot about that will likely make or break decisions on it. The sliding door on the side has a small bit of damage around the handle. It looks like someone 'stabbed' it and put a small hole in it (attempted break-in, presumably). The door still opens and closes fine and the locking mechanism is 100% intact, so it's entirely cosmetic, and it hasn't rusted or anything, but I completely forgot about it.


I gave the Credit Union a shout earlier in the week and will find out off them tomorrow if they'll give me money for a new car. If they do I'll put the van on DoneDeal tomorrow and try and get rid of it. Not sure what it'd be worth. 5 hundred at most? Means you'd likely have the van purchased and on the road and DOE'd for about €1,500 or so (guesswork, admittedly, but can't imagine it being much more expensive than that).

I know a mechanic that's worked on it before. I might get him to give it a look over and make a list of all the problems/potential problems it has. If it becomes a big long scroll, then I'll scrap it.


Just seen this on DoneDeal:

http://www.donedeal.ie/commercials-for-sale/iveco-daily-cherrypicker-2003/5113240


It seems to be a fully working version, a year newer, with a cherry picker attachment for good measure, and it's €4,000. So I'd say it's likely mine is worth feck all.


EDIT:

More comparably:

http://www.donedeal.ie/commercials-for-sale/iveco-35s11-mwb-02/5207169


Same van (from what I can see), same year, working order, DOE, only €2,000. Makes my own van worthless. Kinda puts me back in the position where it'd be more sensible to just hold onto it rather than sell it for little or nothing (I think I'd rather have a van that I don't use than money that'd disappear in 20 minutes on nothing of any value).