Which is more reliable - Ford or Fiat?

sovietpop

I am looking to upgrade from a camper to a slightly larger motorhomes. The second hand ones in my modest price range seem to be either on a Ford or a Fiat base.

I have heard that fords can have rust issues - are there any known concerns with Fiats? At the moment I am looking at a fiat from 2007.

ta for any advice

Itineoman

Both are modern reliable vans and will have far less miles/km on them than they would be designed for in normal use. The Fiat with the multijet engine is a refined and lively van to drive. I’ve had one since new in 2009 in an A-Class. Any issues are likely to be atypical and arise from the van being left standing for periods of time rather than the usual wear and tear. In my case, condensation killed the Body Control Unit, AirCon lost the refrigerant gas from being left idle, one radiator fan seized last summer. All would probably not happen if the van was driven regularly. There is a common issue though, with the plastic fuel filter housing failing. Standard advice is that it is ok if reassembled properly when servicing, but not in my experience.

In short the Ducato is a fine van and more than up to the job. I’d be more concerned with the coachbuilt part of the vehicle - you are much more likely to run into issues there, i.e. damp, previous damage, leaks, appliances/boilers, electrical system, etc. not working, (Assuming you are looking at a coachbuilt and not a van conversion)

sovietpop

Thanks, that is very useful information and reassuring

killalanerr

The one with the best layout that's suits your needs ,

Mefistofelino

I've had both as base units for motorhomes and would agree with the comments above. Do be aware that 2.3L Ducatos from around 2007 / 2008 suffered from an issue with clutch judder when in reverse which damaged clutches. AFAIK there was no factory recall though apparently FIAT did repair some units on a case by case basis. Around 2009 / 2010, they started fitting a lower reverse gear as standard from the factory which sorted the problem.

Out of the two, I would prefer the Ducato to drive but layout and quality of construction is infinitely more important.

Itineoman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120489863#Comment_120489863

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120490412#Comment_120490412

Agree completely. The layout and quality of the coachbuilt part is the main thing. Base vehicle will do its job more or less. My van had the same judder issue but the clutch died from natural causes anyway last year after 13 years and 80k.