£8000 - Which van?

[kingofherts]

It's now time for my trusty 2002 Ford Transit mwb to retire as it is fast approaching 170k.

The last few months it's started to go wrong, diesel pump £1000, battery £100, various fuses and niggly bits, and today the bloody thing decides that the speedo doesnt want to work..

I've been thinking of cheating and test driving a 2008/9 sprinter as they look really nice and come with unheard of luxuries like electric windows and a/c!! I've driven a few 2004 models before and liked them but I just wanted a few peoples opinions

If you had £8000 (inc VAT) what MWB van would you buy or not buy?

[C. Grimsley]

I am kind of in the same boat, I have a vw lt (sprinter) recovery truck on a 2002 it still drives well, looks clean and does everything I need it to but I just keep toying with the idea of swopping it, mine has done 200k miles and although has cost me very little in the time I have owned it, the age is starting to show.

Problem is all the newer stuff has, dpf filters, high pressure fuel pumps, injectors etc which mine doesn't have, it's a scary world.


I did test drive a 2008 sprinter van and it was a great place to be and it was very comfortable but I notice even this has rust spots all over it which put me off. Sometimes I just think what I have does the job and keep plodding.

Carl

[kingofherts]

Yeh, I noticed sprinters in general tend to rust really easily compared to other vans of their age. It's one of the main reasons against getting one to be honest. Still really like the look of them though, more professional appearance i think.

[Super Slo Mo]

Sprinters are mechanically very tough, 3-400,000 miles should be no problem. Bodies can rust, but I think it's mostly cosmetic, so fixable if it starts.

Personally I'd have the Merc at the top of my list, but everyone has their own preferences.

[kingofherts]

Anything notorious to watch out for with them?

[Super Slo Mo]

I don't know, to be honest. There's nothing that I personally know of, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything, if you know what I mean.

[grumpy52]

If going for a sprinter get one of the bigger engine ones,I drive sprinters at work from time to time all long distance (200 miles + each way) and the lower powered ones are pretty dire ,fuel tanks are fairly small ,the new big engine transits are rapid and economical but the seats are not great for tall or large company director types .

[kingofherts]

grumpy52 said:

If going for a sprinter get one of the bigger engine ones,I drive sprinters at work from time to time all long distance (200 miles + each way) and the lower powered ones are pretty dire ,fuel tanks are fairly small ,the new big engine transits are rapid and economical but the seats are not great for tall or large company director types .

What's the large engine? Most of the ones I'm looking at are 2.2Cdi 311 - no idea what spec that is i'm not a merc man!

[Super Slo Mo]

311's are ok provided you're not always running fully laden, 313's are better (c. 130 bhp, still 2.2l), 316's go like the clappers (I think they're the 2.7 5 cylinder engine).

[Flyin Banana]

Mercs have had issues with rust 06-59 plates they used some cheaper metal in production but thats in the past, 311 are ok but if you can streach your budget id go for 313, there the most popular for a reason

Merc are doing some great deals on new, or tell me what your looking for and i can keep an eye out for you

cheers Rob

[cahami]

Why not lease? I have lease purchased my last 2 vans and the peace of mind having manufacturers waranty etc has really improved my life, no more unexpected expenses.

[Flyin Banana]

61 Plate Sprinter LWB

Approx 20k miles

white

£16495 + VAT


there are some great deals to be had at the moment

[s2sol]

I've been looking for a couple of vans recently, and there's a guy local to me selling the Peugeot/Citroen/Fiat Ducato things very cheaply. 3.0, A/C, 60 plate for less than £7k. I've never had a FWD van before, but I need a lower loading height, and they seem good value.

[kingofherts]

Forgive me if this is obvious, but what does 'RPM Protected' mean when it comes to vans?

I've seen this advert, and I have no idea what RPM is and if I need to worry about protecting it!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter-3...

[Lurckha]

Looks like a DHL, limited to 110mph. I run an ex rental and touch wood, been a good van.

[kingofherts]

so any idea what RPM is??!

[bzh1p9]

Rev limiter ? , some fleets are doing this instead of road speed limiter , as they have seen their guys leave it in a lower gear , and red lining trying to 'cheat' the ecu

[JAGS]

If you do go for a Sprinter, be sure to get a CAT lock fitted to it. Yes, a lock for the CAT.

MB do an official one for under £200 fitted.

A lot of thefts for the CAT's taking place on current models and replacing them is fairly expensive.

Had my one Sprinter done over last month. Overnight incident.
It was parked up on the street outside my house. Nobody heard or saw anything. Everything from the CAT back was taken. They were even considerate enough to do a clean removal, using proper tools so that I could easily replace it.

Very annoying.

[Flyin Banana]

JAGS said:

If you do go for a Sprinter, be sure to get a CAT lock fitted to it. Yes, a lock for the CAT.

MB do an official one for under £200 fitted.

A lot of thefts for the CAT's taking place on current models and replacing them is fairly expensive.

Had my one Sprinter done over last month. Overnight incident.
It was parked up on the street outside my house. Nobody heard or saw anything. Everything from the CAT back was taken. They were even considerate enough to do a clean removal, using proper tools so that I could easily replace it.

Very annoying.

We do the catlocks for £150+ vat fitted

[PhilTD5]

Watch your payload with a newer sprinter! Yes they are a nice thing to drive, but they do suffer with rust (not quite as bad as the old vito!) and as said before are popular with the cat theives! They are a heavy van unladen though, less payload than the older model.