Right ive got 2.5k to sink into a secondhand van i sold my 205gti as was getting very tatty. Im looking at 2005+ not bothered about mileage. I want it for two bikes plus kit an daily driver etc so options are Transit swb Vauxhall vivaro or copys of it i know to stay away from 1.9 and 2.5 vivaros but what years? Ruled out ldv and long wheel bases for ease of driving. Please if youve been using one reccomend a good un or advise to stay away from a year or model.
got a vivaro 1.9 2003 good van seems all square and tight just a few pimping up bits to be done now. thanks for all the replys couldnt of done it without you
If I had been a member I could have given you reviews on vans various . Crrently I have a 2012 transit for work , 140 /350 lwb hitop with all the extras . 240v , dual battery , aircon , hot running water, interior led lighting , welder , tool chests , compressor .. blah blah . 45'000 on the clock .. issue so far... was a faulty pulley seal changed under warranty, dual mass flywheel causes some engine hunt at idle .. buddys has been doing it for 150'000 miles now so I ain't worried to much . It sounds like a tractor in the morning .. this can be improved with the expensive diesel .. I don't bother . The alarm went haywire , I had to drive for 40 miles with the alarm going off , pulled into ford and they had the cheek to ask what's wrong .. Ummm the noise and flashing lights you idiots !!! .. It does feel like a van .. But it is a big van you can walk around in the back upright , but will do 90mph all week and take every bit of abuse you can throw . No auto box version is a downer ,clutch pedal is a brute but the six speed is smooth, maybe easier on the smaller power versions . She carries big weight well, disguises and over load situation well . So far she ain't let me down once , apart from getting stuck in a field .. but in fairness I was trying to get to a tracked excavator that had got stuck in that field . The vivaro , primastar , traffic member of the fleets , lovely to drive , just like driving a car , comfotable cab , nice space in the back for the less shit to carry guys .. However ..faults so far ... EGR valve fails , gearbox fails , injectors ,if they go ,they get stuck .. so it's head skim time .. Wiring loom has to many 90 degree bends in it and tends to short itself out after to much offroading or potholes . the turbos went pop whistle wwhhhheeeeeee , they eat brakes and discs , fuck nows what they do with them but it's near every service . The usable life span of one is around the 100'000 mark .. after that is trouble trouble trouble . VW , crafter .. Horrible to drive ,power steering stopped working , noisey , .. huge .. Fast as fuck .. goes off like a grenade every 8 months .. 2 engines and 4 turbos so far . Now retired to being the yard mans run around .. gets to drive maybe half a mile a day ... it's fine at that . Merc sprinter .. Not to bad , nowt much to report .. always was there ,always was running . Fuel pump was the big expense that did go , and it was filter fussy so genuine merc only . It was a good van , just not big enough . Got traded in still running strong .
Cheers for the reviews was looking at trannys but decided on vivaldi, so far i like it has 189k on clock new gearbox 20k ago allegedly these are only a few hundred i can change one in a day depending on beers. Where in uk are you?
Most things can be done in a day , given the right tools and parts . New box is good , one thing that should be fine for the life of the van . ..Also .. worth checking yer brakes before you grind backing into disc . I am in Berkshire , Bracknell Forest area .
Ok i will keep ontop of injectors brake issue your right about driving like a car tho an turbo is a little whiny will give that a going over too or find a replacment, berkshire so your a member of the GLC? They ride around there a lot course their site sucks as no ones on it any more but people do reply eventually. Am in gloucester. You do any enduros or just sm nut?
Do not know who GLC are ? I used to ride trials back in the day in Scotland . Enduro never really interested me ,I liked to go really slow and get really technical about a log and a rock .. And the joy of when someone crashed a car through one of our fences ,get plenty tyre marks on that till the recovery man turned up . I did used to build jumps on the farm and fire crossers over them just to see how high or far I could get , but never took it seriously it all just seemed a bit silly . But it seemed to be what everyone else wanted to do . These days it's mostly supermoto/hypermoto road based nonsense , mostly just go out with people I have known for years , do our yearly drag strip trip , pooh sticks game in the Ashdown forrest , and lunches in various nice places around west/south west London . No one single type of bike prominent in the group , tourers , sports , tard ..etc etc
