Scratter Van

[Mike D]

Men!

 

I fancy a van! I'm not sure why, I just feel one will be a useful addition to the fleet. I want to cruise at 70 odd and hopefully break 30 mpg.

 

My budget is £1500 max

 

On my radar are:

 

Citroen/ fiat/ Dispatch/scudo, whatever that style are. Which is best? the 1.9 or the 2.0HDi

 

Ford Transit, I'd love a very nice mk3 Di clacker, but I imagine I'd be in 'smiley' territory.

 

as above, but the 1.8 TDdi motored next generation

 

Nissan Serena? I had one as a works bus (2.3D) and I remember t was flightier than my 950 pop fezzer...

 

Gen me up please! I cant be arsed with a weldathon or mechanical nightmare

 

Cheers Muckers!

[wuvvum]

You won't go far wrong with any Di Transit.  Smileys are perhaps marginally less unrefined than the older vans, and if you get a decent one they can be surprisingly nippy too.  I'd avoid the later generation - they have DMF bollocks to worry about and seem to do injector pumps with alarming regularity.

 

Scudo / Dispatch (old shape) are a decent enough little van, and can be got for quite cheap.  Shiter's choice would have to be the old XUD, but the 2-litre HDI in its lowest powered format does seem to be one of the more reliable modern diesels.  I'd go for a turbocharged version though - the 1.9D couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.  Same goes for the bigger Ducato / Relay / Boxer vans, except the 1.9D is even more dire and they have gearbox issues.  Nice vans to drive though - I'm on my fourth, I love 'em.

 

Milford Leonard Cubicle Lacquer Hatred Peel is the man to gen you up on the Nissan Serena / Vanette.

[Lacquer Peel]

Nissan Vanette FTW.

The 2.3 diesel munches on veg oil, it's easy to work on and decent to drive, compact, narrower and more manoeuvrable than bigger vans but still big inside and carries heavy loads happily.

Will cruise at 70MPH, but happier at 60MPH, seems nippy up to 30MPH. 30MPG average.

[garbaldy]

 

 

 

Gen me up please! I cant be arsed with a weldathon or mechanical nightmare

 

 

 

That rules out the newer transit then as I wont weld another one, shame as they drive very well and are economical.

I have been looking at the ducato as they seem pretty cheep, they will no doubt have problems.

 

[castros_bro]

Renner T900 2.1D will fit your bill.

[castros_bro]

 I have a Renner T900 2.1D for sale

[stephen01]

My 06 Peugeot Boxer 2.0 HDI will be up for sale in a week or so, will have 12 months MOT, Just had new front window (for MOT), few bits and bobs had to be done for MOT, stupid things like bulbs and tyres! clutch was done approx 2 years ago, cost over £400. receipt for this. New battery was fitted in January, cost £120 best one i could get! 

 

Mileage is 137k, I'll double check as I've not been in it for a week due to being on holiday. I have serviced the van every 12 months or so, it's due again but I only do small mileage, approx 6k a year. costs approx 35 quid to do a oil and filter and you don't even need to jack it up as it's easy access from just underneath! Will do 30+ MPG on a run, I average approx 25 but this is just knocking about with a couple of hundred KG in the back. 

 

This has been used as a plasterers van, back is ply lined, but could do with a decent clean, or bang some carpet down  but It's very clean in the cab, 3 seats, not ripped like most 'builders' vans. comes with a cd/radio with the classic home speaker under the drivers seat, arm powered windows, no central locking, two keys. 

 

now the bad bit - The gears are notchy, can no longer get 5th gear, have been told that the gear shift cables need changing, as I only use the van 2 or 3 days a week I've not had it done. 

[Timewaster]

Prices of these offered vans?

[stephen01]

Looking for around £1000- 

[wuvvum]

Here's a cheap little Vanette, although it appears the seller may be a tad anal.

 

[wuvvum]

Here's a competitively-priced Smiley.

 

[wuvvum]

Another Smiley, this time turbocharged for Sprinter-beating accelerative potential.  Fly by wire throttle though, so not quite as simple as the Di.  Interestingly, due to an anomaly in the way the criteria are set, this and other OMG LATE REGISTRATION MADNESS Smileys are LEZ compliant.

 

[catsinthewelder]

Vauxhall Arena FTW!

[castros_bro]

Prices of these offered vans?

 300 of your local currency BUT am away picking oranges at the moment so will be a week till I can feel the van's mechanical quality. Haz honest MOT.

[wuvvum]

I quite like the sound of that Trafic if TT doesn't want it (and depending whereabouts you are).

[dollywobbler]

I used to drive a Vanette Cargo. Hideously slow! But entertainingly tail happy. 80mph was possible if you could find enough road and precious time.

Mind you, non-turbo Dispatches are not much better. I'd risk ruinous fails and go Hdi.

[Noel Tidybeard]

ldv cub for maximum autoshite points

[wuvvum]

 you forgot the other '30'  stat with vanettes 30 secs to 100 kph .... 

Nah, that was the 2-litre version.  2.3 is a bit quicker than that.

[Noel Tidybeard]

[Bren]

you forgot the other '30'  stat with vanettes 30 secs to 100 kph ....

 

Was'nt the serena the slowest 0-60 car you could buy new?

 

The only vehicle to have a drag race with continental drift and come second.

[oman5]

My money would be on the Di transit every time. There's a timing belt but apart from that there is little to go wrong. My L reg swb transit would do an honest 40 mpg and sit at 70 no bother, 80-85 is about it for top speed, on the flat anyway, it didn't like hills much. Try finding one that's not rotten though.

I found any French van with the n/a 1.9 diesel to be glacially slow, even the later dw8 is a slug.

LDV pilots are the shiter's van of WIN but you need to be a total masochist to even consider it.

[Cavcraft]

+15 on Transit Di.

[Jim Bell]

This will satisfy your needs.

 

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=161607751337

[Lacquer Peel]

 you forgot the other '30'  stat with vanettes 30 secs to 100 kph .... 

 

I don't know why people pick on Vanettes for being slow, it's not like Transit DIs or N/A  XUD or DW8 Sevel vans are epic speed machines either. At least they have the option of more powerful engines I guess.

[danthecapriman]

Transit Di every time. Nothing else is as good as one of these! They can take loads of abuse and just keep going and going.

I've had a few over the years and love them. Yes there's a timing belt but even if it snaps the worst I've ever seen on one is a bent pushrod. Changed this and the belt and away it went. This was on an old British gas van and the driver beat the absolute shit out of it to try to get a new van when this one died! He never managed to kill it!

 

Rust is the biggest enemy with them but decent ones are still around as people keep them going in preference to buying the less reliable newer mk6/7 Transits.

[I_am_Diesel]

Astra van, 1.7dti????

 

Mines great apart from blowing an engine (not actually the engines fault, just an incompetent mechanic) and slightly frilly rear arches.

 

Probably too small.

 

Transit Connect???

[Timewaster]

300 of your local currency BUT am away picking oranges at the moment so will be a week till I can feel the van's mechanical quality. Haz honest MOT.

Hmmmm. *chin stroking moment* have we pics of this intriguing vee hickle?

 

And roughly which end of the country?

 

I'm still having twinges of regret for letting JohnKs transit pass me by.....

[Lacquer Peel]

PIAGGIO PORTER 1.2 DIESEL.

[Mike D]

I'm definitely erring on the SWB Transit, are the petrol ones any good?

[wuvvum]

They're not bad.  The later Twin Cam goes like the clappers, and isn't really that much thirstier than the diesel (low 30s rather than high).  If you get an LPG'd one then even better.  There aren't that many of them about though compared to the diesels.