OJCar
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- Lothian & Westmorland
- Thread starter frank horton
- Start date
I'm not particularly into vans - but I have read this thread with interest. I worry for us all and where we are going when seemingly the best vans are proven to be from the pre 2006 era. Its just like machine tools, (lathes, milling machines, etc), but much earlier than 2006 it seems 
My experience of them, I wouldn't touch them with somebody else's bargepole!
What van I'd recommend would probably depend on the usage.
For high mileage, it's hard to beat a Sprinter. They do have their flaws, but we regularly see ones with 2-300k on them, and the only ones we've seen go bang, have been blatant driver abuse.
For comfort and a lower price tag, Transits are probably the best. They're also fairly reliable, and we're regularly seeing them on fleets with 100-150k, having only had normal wear and tear items replaced. Big thing is if you get a 2.0 EcoBlue, is get the belt checked, especially if you don't know the service history. Infrequent oil changes and wrong oils kill the wet belt, but it's not an instantaneous failure, and the condition should be checked every service.
If you just want cheap, something French. Usually fairly reliable, but noticeably start falling apart around 80-100k. Except the bodies as they're galvanised. Doors will likely have fallen off due to cracking, but they won't be rusty.
If you want an ongoing headache, any new Daily. I'd put them in the same category as Crafters. Ongoing problems on wheels.
premmington
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- Norfolk
Eastern European carriers on our trading estate have a fleet of VW Crafters - high roof LWB ones. All three of the 2.0 litre ones have done 600k - and they have 2.5 5cyl one that the clock has stopped at 999.999k. The whole fleet - has had the EGR/EGR coolers/DPF's deleted I would think.
They did have fleet of 2.9 aging 5cyl Sprinters till they went over to VW. These vans make the 1200miles trip to Latvia in a "oner" with more than one driver in the front.
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I am on my third Crafter - had a SWB 2008 one - a MWB 2011 one and now got a LWB 2019 one. I doubt I will have a Sprinter again. But saying that - allot of the parts numbers on my latest Crafter are Merc parts.
I would not have an Iveco either. Might have a MAN (rebadged VW).
premmington
Member
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- Norfolk
Be honest the big van marketplace is not a nice place to be at the moment.
1. Vans are silly money new (huge piles of hard earned cash)
2. All this Euro 6 stuff is not well engineered
3. Most used vans are in such a state - finding a decent well looked ofter one is nearly impossible.
1. Vans are silly money new (huge piles of hard earned cash)
2. All this Euro 6 stuff is not well engineered
3. Most used vans are in such a state - finding a decent well looked ofter one is nearly impossible.
to tow the stockcar about , I've had an earlier sprinter and loved it ,I need to get all the timing tools for a 313cdi om651 now and probably never use them again 
Robbie260
I fix things that others have broken
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- Scotland highland
Personally found if you want a reliable van these days you need to buy older than 2010 and either spend time on the inevitable rust and either put up with the noise and lack of creature comforts or spend a lot on it to bring it up to more modern standard, though even then it’s no garuntee of reliability. How you treat a vehicle is everything I have usually found.
I have to agree. The seats are a bit more Park bench like than the older ones. I've found controls to be ideal. Crafters and sprinters, Ivecos getting into them is like getting into a lorry along with the controls being lorry like. I find the ford's a lot better (I was always in and out of them chasing wires down the street driving with climbing harness' on ect...) so the seat comfort was a second thaught with what I was wearing. It's a lot easier getting in and out of a Ford though.Not Silly money Pete, Crazy money
@maroon they must have changed the seats drastically then control's I can live with seats No, very few new vehicles seem to have comfy seats, or my a**e has changed shape
Beeezer
Things are really chaining for the better….
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- 812
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- Northampton
Going to keep this beauty on the road as long as I can….
I was looking for something bigger but i think anything more modern are as equally as bad as each other.
ten/fifteen years ago you could say that’s a good and that’s a bad one.
I was looking for something bigger but i think anything more modern are as equally as bad as each other.
ten/fifteen years ago you could say that’s a good and that’s a bad one.
A lot of people are quoting milage and looking across every vehicle related page I think milage seems to be far less relevant than it used to be. Loads of examples of vehicles of all makes on near 200k at 3years old problem free. But age seems to be a far far bigger problem than it used to be, as there are plenty of vehicles on low mileages broken down just out of warranty.
I am forever pondering a new vehicle as my vehicles are always bought end of life.
And it seems to me it is getting harder and harder to look at anything other than new with a warranty.
It's almost as if they have planned it this way.
I am forever pondering a new vehicle as my vehicles are always bought end of life.
And it seems to me it is getting harder and harder to look at anything other than new with a warranty.
It's almost as if they have planned it this way.
chris pruteanu
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- ROMANIA
I tend to work on most diesels, the best so far in the vw stable is the current 2.5 CR tdi engine, i see them with 800k to 1mil km and they do it without much fuss. The sprinter biturbo is rather fragile in comparison but they do decent mileage as well if kept maintained well, however they can be a money pit and the engines are really difficult to work on as well ! I hate changing trottle bodies and oil coolers when the seals fail !
Personally i would get a vw LT 2.5 tdi 2007, its the last fitted with the good old VE rotary pump as the vw transporter. These with decent maintenance do tip easily the milion miles.
A few friends drive comercially the renault master 2.2 diesel engines, very, very reliable engines but when they go wrong they cost a pretty penny ! They like to eat wheel bearings when fully loaded and brake pads, both are available pretty cheaply from local motor factors !
I would stay away from modern fords as many have rolled back odometers and weird problems with dpfs and injectors and definitely dont get anything with adblue as yet if you dont do high speed motorway miles to burn the ash in them !
In my country its popular to fit the old mercedes inline diesel engines into most modern sprinters, i have one customer with a v6 3.5 cdi swapped in it, its a big luton/box van which gets loaded with up to 6-7 tones regularly !
Personally i would get a vw LT 2.5 tdi 2007, its the last fitted with the good old VE rotary pump as the vw transporter. These with decent maintenance do tip easily the milion miles.
A few friends drive comercially the renault master 2.2 diesel engines, very, very reliable engines but when they go wrong they cost a pretty penny ! They like to eat wheel bearings when fully loaded and brake pads, both are available pretty cheaply from local motor factors !
I would stay away from modern fords as many have rolled back odometers and weird problems with dpfs and injectors and definitely dont get anything with adblue as yet if you dont do high speed motorway miles to burn the ash in them !
In my country its popular to fit the old mercedes inline diesel engines into most modern sprinters, i have one customer with a v6 3.5 cdi swapped in it, its a big luton/box van which gets loaded with up to 6-7 tones regularly !
addjunkie
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- 13,519
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- Northumberland. Reet oot in the sticks
Im inclined to agree. Get rid when warranty ends, for an expensive hassle free life. Cars and vans have become almost throw away items now as they get more and more complex and expensive to repair with age. And lets not start on the leccy ones.
The days of triggers broom have gone in modern vehicles.
chris pruteanu
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- ROMANIA
What they dont tell you is they have spare parts on board and know the usual failures and can prevent them miles ahead ! Also they have fully built engines at home that can be loaded in a friends van that goes along the route and can be swapped into most car parks/services on motorway- i have rebuilt a few sprinters like that for a few romanians !
I had a batch of sprinter 2.7 engines with cracked pistons when going up the Dover incline, most had rebuilt injectors with cheap chinese nozzles done in eastern europe- i swapped rebuilt injectors from CAE Diesels and never had any problems !
Every van is as good as the numpty is driving it, the lady driving the van that started the thread probably needs to go back to driving school and learn how to be a bit more considerate and anticipate the roads ahead...
Woody.v8
Blue gluer
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As I posted above I've bought a sprinter 313cdi 2011 with the om651 engine in that is sick at 127,000 miles ,
I bought it cheap as a project For towing my stockcars up and down, I was going to go through and rebuild the engine and may still do, but I stumbled upon a facebook group that are fitting the om606 engine with relative ease and it's really got me thinking............
Matchless
I started with nothing, still have most of it left
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- Essex UK
CAE diesels are 5 miles from me, good guys,
Matchless
I started with nothing, still have most of it left
- Messages
- 2,841
- Location
- Essex UK
I have just replaced the timing belt / water pump and rear upper timimg chain on my 2016 35S11 ex Tesco daily, done 230,000 miles and 10,000 hours, very well engineered van, mint chassis, had previously had a belt but water pump and rear chain were original, ULEZ but no adblue, some sort of Tesco fiddle! mine is 8 speed auto, fantastic bullit proof box by all accounts and a relaxed drive!
New shoulder in 3 weeks all being well......
