Van downsizing

[roofman]

the early vivaro, trafic and nissan varient all have a smal cat at the back of the turbo..Think after 2011 they started getting the DPF which also changed all the intake system as i picked up a 2012 engine to rebuild the block and it had a crude adblue injection system fitted. this was the 2.0 M9r motor.

 

[redlig]

Get a Yeti ! Ticks all the boxes . By sheer coincidence I am selling my 4x4 yeti with a tow bar or a 2w/d both low milage as we no longer need 2 of them .

 

[Bluemotion]

@Thrashsmith I run a caddy Kombi 2014 and that’s a lwb 5seater. It can at a real push pack two motorcycles in (although I’ve seen but not done it) it’s also on car tax so no speed restrictions like a van and no restrictions on most clean air cities too. Tip runs are zero hassle too as it’s car classification. Now that to me is a good Allrounder van.

 

[Cato]

the early vivaro, trafic and nissan varient all have a smal cat at the back of the turbo..Think after 2011 they started getting the DPF which also changed all the intake system as i picked up a 2012 engine to rebuild the block and it had a crude adblue injection system fitted. this was the 2.0 M9r motor.

I bought my Vivaro new in 2014 and got a deal as they were shifting the last of the old model and it's a 2.0 M9r with DPF but without ad-blue.

How far back in time do I have to go before I'm away from what you'd call a modern diesel?

As others have said, pre 2011 but check the model specifics. If it's a car derived van then I think you need to go pre-2008.

A lot of pre 2011 motors will have had the CAT removed and probably the EGR blanked, hopefully been remapped too.

It's worth spending some time looking, easier said than done I know, but worth it to find something decent. At some point my Vivaro will be sold for example, one owner, serviced on the dot, not thrashed, not lumped around town, not battered, looked after basically. It won't be worth loads more than a similar aged Vivaro, but it'd definitely be a better choice than most of similar age and many that are a lot newer.

 

[Thrashsmith]

Now remember that for a short while I had a Peugeot 307 estate. I think that was circa 2006? That went up the swanny with DPF problems

 

[Beeezer]

Get a Yeti ! Ticks all the boxes . By sheer coincidence I am selling my 4x4 yeti with a tow bar or a 2w/d both low milage as we no longer need 2 of them .

When they’re sat on your drive and it’s raining they fill up with water so I hear?

 

[Turbo]

@Thrashsmith I run a caddy Kombi 2014 and that’s a lwb 5seater. It can at a real push pack two motorcycles in (although I’ve seen but not done it) it’s also on car tax so no speed restrictions like a van and no restrictions on most clean air cities too. Tip runs are zero hassle too as it’s car classification. Now that to me is a good Allrounder van.

I know someone with one of those and the load space is impressive in it. It is his family runabout but he also hooks up his car transporter and tows his rally car with it.

 

[redlig]

When they’re sat on your drive and it’s raining they fill up with water so I hear?

They seem OK if you remember to close the windows.

 

[Bobupndown]

Freelander 2

Problem solved

Lovely jubilee

Sound as a pound

I would concur but a little biased having run mine for 8 years now.

 

[Kayos]

I would concur but a little biased having run mine for 8 years now.

Honestly, I have no idea why I never bought one sooner

I'm approaching a decision, I was going to "upgrade" to a D3/4 but even as a fan, the horrors have put me off

Current decision is do I throw £1k at my Freelander and replace all the suspension (brakes, tyres,service done) or do I get a newer one?

Mine is an 08 GS, enough toys to be functional and capable, less to go wrong

It is also pre-dpf

 

[Bobupndown]

Honestly, I have no idea why I never bought one sooner

I'm approaching a decision, I was going to "upgrade" to a D3/4 but even as a fan, the horrors have put me off

Current decision is do I throw £1k at my Freelander and replace all the suspension (brakes, tyres,service done) or do I get a newer one?

Mine is an 08 GS, enough toys to be functional and capable, less to go wrong

It is also pre-dpf

Mine is one of the last, a 2014 SD4 GS, so 190hp, auto and by that time even the GS came with heated leather. Its a genuinely lovely car to own and drive. At 142000 miles mine still on all original suspension, has only needed 1 track rod end to date. Its only issues over and above normal service items have been a few replacement intercooler hoses, boot lock switches and an egr valve replacement last year.
Like you my heart wanted a Discovery 4 but the sleepless nights waiting for a broken crankshaft weren't going to be worth it.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

My seat ibiza diesel 2010 had a dpf...I know because it cost around £1k to fix it when it broke .

Petrol hybrids work best for me...living in a city a euro 6 is unsuitable for such driving which is mainly short stop/start trips.

 

[Thrashsmith]

I'm feeling a bit stumped at the minute & like my only option is to pay for the van to get repaired (potentially £1500, but hopefully only £500), then keep it & buy a small petrol car for my 15 min commute & school run.

It seems that anything worth getting for its ability to tow will have to be a diesel, but then I'm back into DPF problems realm. There's a 2004 automatic diesel Volvo V70 that's done about 150,000 going for £2,500, but the tax very high & I don't have much appetite to buy a vehicle that old...?

The best thing at being a van is a van, and the best thing at being a small car is a small car, so it seems like I'm trying to make too many requirements from one vehicle? There's a 2017 Dacia Duster close by that's a 1.2L petrol, ideal for daily life & throwing some tools in the boot, but that's never going to tow a trailer with a pair of ornate double gates on it up a hill, surely?

 

[DanZac]

There's a 2004 automatic diesel Volvo V70 that's done about 150,000 going for £2,500, but the tax very high & I don't have much appetite to buy a vehicle that old...?

To me even considering getting rid of a 2015 Vivaro, to replace it with a 11 year older car that will have even more problems is madness.

The best thing at being a van is a van, and the best thing at being a small car is a small car, so it seems like I'm trying to make too many requirements from one vehicle?

Which is the mistake we all make. You need to look at a vehicle like a tool. You wouldn't try to drill a 6 inch core through a concrete wall with a 12v battery drill, so why do we expect a big diesel engine to be brilliant on school runs, or a small hatchback to tow a massive caravan.

I'm feeling a bit stumped at the minute & like my only option is to pay for the van to get repaired (potentially £1500, but hopefully only £500), then keep it & buy a small petrol car for my 15 min commute & school run.

That's what I'd do. Spend the money getting the van fixed and then pick up a little petrol runabout for doing the little trips. There's loads of little petrol cars for sale under the £1000 mark (700 on gumtree within 30 miles of me), and if your prepared to wait, there's some real bargains out there.

 

[Smallfry]

Ive got a 2008 Vivaro and that has. Guess thats down to engine and spec then?

My 2012 Trafic had no DPF either. My 2006 Master has no DPF or EGR.

The 1.6 Vivaro/Trafic engine can be a nightmare. Its too small. Buy an older one with an M9R engine. They are quite rust resistant and there are still a few good ones about. I only sold mine because it wasn't big enough.

Trailer round country lanes is a nightmare with a small vehicle. Other people just will not reverse these days, they just sit there gawping and shrugging their shoulders. Ideally you need a vehicle that carry stuff without a trailer, which means a van or a pie key pickup.

I find this effective. Can carry stuff without a trailer, and has a handy crane for dangling your gates in position, and best of all those in anything other than an HGV or tractor, will back up without question. Its even tax and ULEZ exempt !

 

[steve t]

My 2012 Trafic had no DPF either. My 2006 Master has no DPF or EGR.

The 1.6 Vivaro/Trafic engine can be a nightmare. Its too small. Buy an older one with an M9R engine. They are quite rust resistant and there are still a few good ones about. I only sold mine because it wasn't big enough.

Trailer round country lanes is a nightmare with a small vehicle. Other people just will not reverse these days, they just sit there gawping and shrugging their shoulders. Ideally you need a vehicle that carry stuff without a trailer, which means a van or a pie key pickup.

I find this effective. Can carry stuff without a trailer, and has a handy crane for dangling your gates in position, and best of all those in anything other than an HGV or tractor, will back up without question. Its even tax and ULEZ exempt !
View attachment 527193

Cracking unimog

 

[addjunkie]

Get a Yeti ! Ticks all the boxes . By sheer coincidence I am selling my 4x4 yeti with a tow bar or a 2w/d both low milage as we no longer need 2 of them .

@Rannsachair is looking for such a thing on another thread