which van do you recomend

[charlie patt]

can anyone recomend a new reliable van our new citroen relays just breakdown on a regular basis the new merc sprinters are on a 5 week waiting list for injectors looking for lwb high roofs but any recomendations transit/master any ideas :cool:

[install monkey]

transits are underpowered and the gearboxes fail and take 4wks from poland-had a vw crafter hi top-its mint,quick but typically no air con!!!

[charlie patt]

no ac mate thats that bad news but i cant talk its in my van and last march the condensor went pourous and i still have not replaced it one day maybe

[glenn1340]

We`ve had Transits for the last twenty years, the boss always got top spec ones (he thought that by doing that we`d work harder for him, yeah right) but compared to the previuos models the present suffer from crap build quality and are not very comfortable to drive. I `spose all vans, and cars come to that, are built down to a price these days. Mind you, it`s a lot better than some of the wrecks I`ve had the misfortune to have driven in the past, oh the joy of the early BL Sherpas

[charlie patt]

sherpas ah my thoughts are with you on that one is your hearing still ok after driveing that

[MikeHolm]

Are the VW LTs better than the Merc versions?

[tonyh]

I have a Vauxhall Vivaro Sportive 6 speed comfortable to drive, 30 - 33 mpg, air con, even a fridge in glove box had it for a couple of years now only problem I had was powered steering pump went.

[paul_h]

Do you not get the toyota hiace there? Every electrician and plumber uses them here, very good rep for a trade van. they're pretty much the tradies choice just like the hilux is the desert terrorist/soldiers choice in the ME and africa.
http://www.toyota.com.au/hiace
What about hyundai iload?
http://www.hyundai.com.au/Vehicles/iLoad/Introduction/default.aspx

[glenn1340]

The spare yard sherpa had a top speed of 50mph and I had to wear ear defenders when driving it on a motorway. oh and then there was a mini van when I was in the plant game, rubbish to carry gear in but amazing doing a bit of rallycross when working on a large refinery site.

[eggs]

The best van I had from a business point of view was a Fiat Scudo. It cost me £8.5k new and I sold it 7 years later for £2.5k, she cost me £16.50 per week less servicing and maintenance.
That same £6k I probably lost on my Vivaro Sportive as soon as I drove it away from the dealers.

To be fair both vans did/do the job and have been very reliable, the bigger the van the more $hite you carry. I still do the same now as when I worked out of a Ford Granada hatchback. The vans have got bigger, but work output has remained constant.

Eggs

[stufus]

Do you not get the toyota hiace there? Every electrician and plumber uses them here, very good rep for a trade van. they're pretty much the tradies choice just like the hilux is the desert terrorist/soldiers choice in the ME and africa.
http://www.toyota.com.au/hiace
What about hyundai iload?
http://www.hyundai.com.au/Vehicles/iLoad/Introduction/default.aspx

I drove Hiaces for years and never had any trouble.
They don't look like that over here..http://www.toyota.ie/models/hiace/
Like all Toyota's the engine will last for ever but the body wont , the weather is much better where you are.
Drove an LC5 Landcruiser before the recession hit and would give up my kids for another one ,but working for a facilities company now and everyone gets a VW Caddy !
What a piece of crap ! Has to be the most uncomfortable Van on the road.
Defiantly built for the 5 foot 7 brigade,,,can't put the seat back any further,can't raise the deck height and the gear stick is too far forward.And i'm only 6.2 .
Had a Transporter 4motion in between and would highly recommend it .
Cheers
Stu

[MikeHolm]

I envy all you guys as all we get is big GM and Ford vans with automatics and engines so big you could pack a kid in each cylinder. We now have the Transit Connect but only in gasser and auto as well. No manual tranny on the Sprinter either.

Love my old LT

[cadwaladr]

vw lt the big engine 160 brake its the daddy,its a sprinter with a different engine i guess ,but why have the injectors gone faulty? i would change your supplier of fuel,got my eye on a sprinter with a v6 diesel just waiting to test drive it and find out how the mpg figures work out.

[MikeHolm]

Im on a VW forum and most of the guys there would rather the VW engine over the Merc but having said that, most of them are driving rear engined T3s or old LTs like mine. If you find out the mileage, let us know. Merc doesnt post it on the web over here.

[Magoo]

Try a Ford XR6 ute, tiptronic and economical for a 6 cylinder.

[Karl Hofmann]

I have a VW Transporter T5 and I'll never buy another VW product again....

[devlin maguire]

Say what you like about shepra's they were bullet proof why do you think the GPO used them and don't forget the BT Commer PB or space van as they became, and another good thing spares were easy to get the breakers were full of them I mean cone on guy's they were at least British,
DM

[monkey spanners]

I was thinking about getting a sherpa, the later ones had the peugout 1.9xud engine and i thought it would be fun to drop a turbo version in with a few tweeks.

Jon :D

[cadwaladr]

not going for the mercedes sprinter now decided to get a late model vw lt with the 160brake engine ,no timing chain/belt good old cogs,its merc chassis but they put more paint on vw mercs rot

[djbe]

Had a Renault master for the last 4 years after transits before, it's been a good van vs. the transits which were rubbish. Comfortable, good mpg, decent power ( although you always want more) and all the bits.

But they do have weak gearboxes, look after them and you will get decent mileage, thrash it and you won't.

Tyre wear is good and apart from the normal wear and tear items the only "serious" breakdown has been clutch slave cylinder failing.

Like the look of the new master 150hp but not going to push the boat out just yet!

[mikeref]

Try a Ford XR6 ute, tiptronic and economical for a 6 cylinder.
Magoo, maybe XR6 turbo but that would mean leaving General Motors. There was a ford styleside a few years back that had GROUND CLEARANCE, RTV i think, but they have shelved that. Same for the Holden cross 6 and 8, 4 wheel drive.. sigh..Just 16 months till current lease runs out. Already looking for replacement that doesn't have the ground clearance of a lizzard, as mine does, but has plenty of sting when you hit the loud pedal.. Mike.

[Magoo]

Hi Mikeref.
everyone I know with a crewcab and cross 6 or 8 have dropped them due to fuel factor. Still like the XR6, despite grinding off halve the exhaust tail pipe and the trailor plug connection. The lizard belly factor, given all the gear I carry around.
Nasty experience with the law, got pinged on an open highway passing several semi-s grinding up a hill. Hit the two lane passing whatever, nailed it and was cruising at 180 km, the XR6 was loving it, officer plod come the other way..., bugger. Instant lose of license surrendered to officer she gave me two days to get home , and a squillion dollar fine, fortunately I had and old license, paid the friggen fine. One month later got the cheque back and a new license, no further action taken. The gods were shining on me, bought a lotto , that didnt work. Hence I am still working.

[mikeref]

That was damn lucky of you not to get thrown in the clink! A friend at electrical wholesalers here went to Townsville to watch the 1/4 mile races, funny cars and blown nitro entries etc a few weekends ago,(4 hours travel to get there). On the way back, he did your trick but was only nabbed for 125km/h. His potential was far greater with current 6.0 litre ssv ute, with enhanced engine output, somewhere around 400 BHP. I'd be happy to get back into a stock 5.4 L Ford or 6.0 L Holden ute, so long as it can be about 50 mm higher off the road.. Mike.

[Toolman]

So I am looking at getting another van but wonder if I get an automatic will I wish I hadnt ?
Are they bad for heavy loads will the auto trans not like it ?

[mikeref]

So I am looking at getting another van but wonder if I get an automatic will I wish I hadnt ?
Are they bad for heavy loads will the auto trans not like it ?
I guess that would depend on vehicle type. I've had no luck with auto transmissions in the past but that depends on how it is used. Freight company here use manual gearboxes in their vans as they have 900 metres of hill climb every day from the city. You could have oil cooler fitted, but they are installed in front of air-conditioner condenser which then reduces a/c life span.. Mike.

[Toolman]

OK thanks no automatic for me

[SeanB]

Toyota for sure, but here they are a bad buy, as they are used for taxi's.

Had ours stolen and recovered 3 times, driver was hijacked twice, and the cheeky buggers even stole the distributor from it parked outside the door in front of the office. For that started in yellow pages and called all the scrapyards working from A to Z. was in Y when I found one, the boss paid the price they asked without a murmur after I told him how much they cost new from Toyota, and that it would be a 4 week wait for them from there as no stock of the cap with integrated coil. Took me 15 minutes to get to the yard, and 5 to whip it off the rolled wreck it was on, along with the wiring and all the piping, and especially the mounting bracket. But a really good van, rusted like nothing, held together with tape and wire, Flintstone brakes but it kept on going. The old saying " Everything keeps falling off - Toyota" really applied to this Stallion van.

[MikeHolm]

not going for the mercedes sprinter now decided to get a late model vw lt with the 160brake engine ,no timing chain/belt good old cogs,its merc chassis but they put more paint on vw mercs rot

Mercs here defo have bad rep for rust, sometimes within months. I haven't heard anything worse about the VW engine over the merc. It seems mostly bullitproof but the injectors on anything can be an issue. Luckily I know lots of people who can rebuild them cheap. It's a moot point for me as we don't get the VW in Canada anyway. I'm putting a 1.9tdi jetta engine in my 94LT (don't laugh). 30% more power/torque and 80% better fuel economy.

[monkey spanners]

Mercs here defo have bad rep for rust, sometimes within months. I haven't heard anything worse about the VW engine over the merc. It seems mostly bullitproof but the injectors on anything can be an issue. Luckily I know lots of people who can rebuild them cheap. It's a moot point for me as we don't get the VW in Canada anyway. I'm putting a 1.9tdi jetta engine in my 94LT (don't laugh). 30% more power/torque and 80% better fuel economy.

Is that the cab over LT or the Merc sprinter shaped one?

I keep thinking it would be fun to have a classic van or small truck from the 60's or 70's as a work van, with a few tweeks to aid performance :D

Jon :)

[MikeHolm]

It's the cabover version. The last year was 96 then they went to the Crafter version. Despite it being a 17 year old truck, I love it and there is a sign on the back saying " if you think this is slow, wait till the next hill". That about says it all. I can remove my tools from the back seat, put in a piece of plywood and a foam pad and, BAM....a love machine with a double bed. Built in caravan (sort of).