The invertibrate of Blighty.

[Cavcraft]

Right, thanks to a last minute/unexpected BONUS CYCLE SALE BONANZA  yesterday, I found myself on the internets. I fancied an old Berlingo as some were veg oil friendly, but then this popped up.

 

Having covered probably 300-400,000 miles in various guises of these over the years, it was like I'd never been away. I think you can probably drive these blindfold and never miss a switch, button or gearchange.

Obviously like it doesn't really possess wheel arches, some comically bad filling/fibreglass/missing bits that I'd need 3/4 of a war ship to replace have probably made this about 1/5 ton lighter than it was when new. I love these SWB/side loader combinations, along with the 100LWB ones they rock a phat one.

Anyhow it drove EXACTLY like it should: fairly gutsy, snicks into gear nicely, just enough torque to pretty much just leave in 5th gear from 25mph upwards and that familiar cabin smell of diesel and oil.

257 keys 'like a Metro', but very 'un-Transit-like' in that all the doors lock/unlock, clearly this was a Monday morning van in that respect.

Pulls well, seems good on fuel and I couldn't stop grinning all the way home in the 30 odd mile drive...

 

 

[cort16]

First off all congratulations on posting some photos the right way up

 

Looks good, well actually it looks terrible but highly desirable shite. I'd love a van like this for carting all my shite around but it's been made clear by Mrs C this is massively off the cards.

[greengartside]

CAVETTE BUYZE NON BT TRANSIT VAN SHOCKERRRR OMG!

 

Seriously though - looks like a good purchase, that one. I've driven plenty of these and I swear every single one smells like a garage's pit inside. Love them.

[Mr Livered]

Looks good Cav. I had one exactly like this once, in minibus guise with the sort-of-quite-high roof on it but otherwise much the same. It was very slow but mega-dependable and I loved it. It would have gone on forever mechanically, but it basically disintegrated in the end, to the point where the amount of welding required to get it through an MoT was just ridiculous so I sold it on to someone with more spare time and welding skillz than I possess.

 

I reckon that as long as you can keep on top of the tinworm these are hard to beat. What kind of load-lugging do you need to do that necessitates/justifies the acquisition of a Transit?

[dollywobbler]

Aye. I like the look of that. I'm rapidly starting to go off the idea of tents. Maybe I need a KWALITY CAMPUR that's basically just a knackered transit with a mattress in it.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'd eat one of these. Presumably they have PAS? is it the banana engine or a turbo diesel?

[Station]

With that colour and the ladders you could easily turn that into a convincing 'ladies night' Chippendale fire engine of fun and make a profit.

[dollywobbler]

I'd eat one of these. Presumably they have PAS? is it the banana engine or a turbo diesel?

 

Don't you mean bannah engine? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ford-transit-190-pickup-1998-single-wheel-six-stud-axle-bannah-engine-export-/111171035157

 

FFS. Some sellers really are idiots (and no, I'm definitely not looking for Transits on Ebay...)

[TimothyClaypole]

Here's one I sold earlier (Tuesday).

 

[Lord Sterling]

What you need now is to find a Dixons/Currys/PC World/Radio Retals outlet that has "forgotton" to put thier shutters down and indulge in a 'retro style' ram-raid with a couple of burly masked mates, preferably backing it into said retail outlets large plate glass window and fill the Transit of the collection of TVs/Laptops etc...

 

Of course, these are pretty good for bank robberys too although not good as a getaway car.

[Cavcraft]

I'd have a new shape (can they really be as shit as people say?) but they're well out of my league money wise.

 

This is the brill 2.5 Di n/a, I can't even remember if it's the 'banana' manifold one or not, but it pulls well enough. They're an odd thing this shape of Transit, in that some were really quick off the mark but had a hopeless top end, some were the other way round, and some were ace right the way through like this one seems to be. It'll do the maximum permissible speed limit on a motorway without any real effort and still wanted to pull a bit more. I would have thought they all had PAS, but I stand to be corrected on that.

It's got shit loads of MOT and tax and if I keep it that long I reckon it'd pay for itself easily in no time then I'd get a few nights out on the piss with the export money it'd get me afterwards.

[cort16]

Are they sending that bit of the rear wheel arch on in the post?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

how much does one of these cost with a bit of ticket on and all more-or-less the same colour.

[trigger]

These were the best Transit made IMHO, They just felt "right", nice driving position, good engines, roomy and the later ones even had fancy stuff like electric windows and air con, the later ones seemed much cheaply made and fragile in comparison.

 

[HillmanImp]

From watching 'Traffic Cops' I assume these are uninsurable as every time I see one on there, the owner is getting done for having no cover in place.

 

What you need to do is get Ruffgeezer to make you a 'Ford Transit body restoration specialist' sign to put onto the side of it and live the dream. 

[Cavcraft]

I have an idea for signwriting.

 

Hard to value these really, Bol. They seem to export for around £300-£350 I think (when I say export, I think it's the engines and axles that make the money) and  'new shape' ones are rarely seen for less than a grand.

 

I reckon to buy something decent with even a fighting chance of another MOT then probably £750-£800. The trouble is they just rot for fun and the arches are probably the least of your worries. This has been welded up to the max and there's still holes in it, which I assume are non-structural. I can hopefully just save the arches with some filler/fibreglass but I might just gaffa tape them tbh.

I bloody love the Di engine, could listen to it all day long.

[Split_Pin]

Last of the proper Transits imo. The one I drove at the garage I worked at was a tipper and got nicked, almost certainly by Mr Aidan O'Scraptheif.

[oman5]

I had a few of these over the years. mechanically they are bombproof. but by heck they know how to rot, chassis legs/spring hangers dissolve really quickly.

[twosmoke300]

Served my time on these so always have a soft spot for them. Got cambelts and clutches down to 25-30 mins in the end! The newer 2000 on transits were never as good and stall for fun.

[phil_lihp]

I do love these, I would like one but the rampant rot scares me off.  Such a recognizable engine note.

 

Have you taken it on a motorway yet?  In its current condition you should be OK for 95 in the outside lane, however if you can swap one of the rear doors for a white one and get some pikey mates to put their feet up on the dash among the People newspapers* and old maccy D wrappers, it may be good for 120mph+.  As above, please remove excess weight such as insurance, tax and MOT documents though.

[michael1703]

Is that a ladder on your roof or a stairway to heaven?

 

Are these veg oil friendly?

[garbaldy]

 

 

  'new shape' ones are rarely seen for less than a grand.

 

 The trouble is they just rot for fun and the arches are probably the least of your worries. This has been welded up to the max and there's still holes in it, which I assume are non-structural. .

 

I have bought two new shape transits one 4 hunna and one 5  both needed welding.   

they rot as bad if not worse than the older ones. I have a 53 plate one in the yard and I have started to break as the back springs are held on with nowt but rust,   

they do drive really well and are quite good on fuel.

[trigger]

I saw a 09 plate Tranny last week that was used to go and from St. Michaels mount in Cornwall at low tide that was going rusty already, although to be fair that's got to be hard on any vehicle.

 

[wackywacerwill]

The ride of winners.

 

Like many I've been to the moon and back in various transit and owned a fair few of these last of the proper transit wedge shaped ones. Since the low emissions bollocks they are few and far between down here and and much as I miss the many fine aspects of the DI I have grown to love my current pez one too. New plugs and leads have just seen it earn my £40 for furniture delivery and own every mofo on the south circ coming home empty

 

The month I got it back in 2010 v v v Was gonna be spares for my old one though was in far better nick and went through a test only wanting for a tyre and battery.

 

Last month on the south Wales coast where the sand was much firmer.

[SambaS]

One overtook me on the A.19 had to go well into 3 figures in the XR to put things right. We both had a laugh

[beko1987]

I saw a 10 plater flatbed when it was brand new and it looked fucking tip top. I commented to my passenger at the time that in 5 years it'll be a rusty pile of shit sat in a pikey site.

 

There's a done up one around here, I've played with it in the Puma before on the way home from work. Got no front bumper in the middle as the massive cooler sits there, and it fucking dicked me once when I chickened out at 80 due to a corner and he sailed past and around with no braking at all. I couldnt tail him again once I'd got round the twisties, the puma couldnt keep up and I think thats what made it start shitting its coilpack.

[Station]

Love the big dirty sound, and the way the whole interior reverberates when you slam the big door shut. 

 

I still think they look modern and wouldn't look out of place if released today? I remember when they came out, it looks so 'ahead of it's time', like a car with a box on the back. The new one looks too fragile.

 

 

Does anyone reckon there are any rust free ones about that haven't seen the building/"property development" trade?

 

[outlaw118]

This one is owned by the blokey who painted my capri, 2.9 V6 lovliness. Moar pics and stuff hear...http://www.customandclassic.co.uk/info2.cfm?info_id=219523

Edited September 20, 2013 by outlaw118

[cort16]

I have a blanket ban on anything with bad boy lights that a -1 from me.

There's a transit knocking around with Jaguar XJ220 running gear isn't there.

 

I always thought these ST Transits where a bit OTT..

[overrun]

The XJ220 Transit was knocked up by Jag as a test mule, to get some miles on the running gear as the car was being developed iirc.

 

I was just thinking yesterday how times have changed regarding vans. A LWB Vivaro as good as pushed me out of the way at 90 mph and then just sailed past.

I wonder how many of these van drivers have experienced an LDV Pilot.