Whats thoughts on a fiat/Merc/Vw vans 2002ish era. Dad needs one for delivering his Avos to cafes etc around Hamilton/TGA. Dont want to spend a huge amount. Somewhere around 15k!
Just looking for options. Bigger is better. But not wanting to go down the truck route
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 21, 7:56pm
Big is no problem. The 2002 era is slightly tricky in that some are common rail and some are not, even within the same make/range. You definitely want a common rail engine. Don't buy on engine "size" as such just drive all options before making assumptions. For example the 2.3 16 Valve Fiat absolutely hauls like you wouldn't believe, as do most of the smaller common rail engines.
The big thing to look out for is clutch/transmission. Most have dual mass flywheels which give you a nice smooth takeoff but these can be destroyed by people doing stupid things. Its not the fault of the vehicle at all its the fault of the driver.
As a heads up, when driving them you just have to remember most are going to give you monumental torque just above idle. So that means no taking off in second gear, no lugging in high gears and no unnecessary clutch slipping (let the clutch right out and idle for low speed backing and turning). You might find it handy to just imagine you have a big V8 roaring away at 4500rpm when you are doing those 1000 - 1500 rpm maneuvers as thats about the amount of torque you are using.
Thats all standard good driving stuff anyway so isn't hard.
Best of luck, those vans are supurb. Plenty of grunt, lovely to travel in and fantastic on fuel. Fiat/VW/Merc are all good the only one I would avoid is the Transit. Oh and while I think of it, sometimes you get good deals on the Renault/Citroen versions which are sometimes just rebadged Fiats etc.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 21, 8:02pm
One more thing, make sure you use and that it has the correct oil when doing oil changes. There are still some hick mechanics that think they know better and put mineral diesel oil in these when they should be running a synthetic.
jason18,
Dec 21, 9:59pm
Cheers Jazz. Will pass this info to dad!
vtecintegra,
Dec 21, 10:42pm
With Transits the more powerful engine options are much better - around 2002 they went as low as 85HP and as high as 125 depending on model. They all suffer from a noticeable amount of turbo lag which makes them a pain in the arse around town.
Also the rear doors fall off eventually so its better to be proactive about replacing the hinges (can cause embarrassing situations)
gammelvind,
Dec 22, 7:42am
Plus they rust, our 06 is on the way in agin to have more rust removed.
phillip.weston,
Dec 22, 7:47am
The new Merc Vito vans give Hiaces a run for their money, perhaps the older Vitos, Sprinters etc are just as good!
gunhand,
Dec 22, 7:56am
As above Transists = rust, The Faits ive had anything to with are an ergonomic nightmare to the point of pathetic. Early sprinters are abit gutless but go well enough and have good economy. Diffs may be a bit fragile though. And think of whom runs the most merc sprinters in NZ and why they do and the life they get and still keep going. Ive seen them with 300000kms and still going well with no major motor probs.
phillip.weston,
Dec 22, 7:58am
maybe the first of the Hyundai H1 (not to be confused with the H100) vans are coming down in price close to that budget!
geoff_m,
Dec 22, 9:16am
What about a Toyota Hiace Jumbo - the high roof, extended wheelbase model! Not that common for sale and they sell fast, but around and a good Hiace reliable van that parts are easy to get and every mechanic has seen one before. My 1988 one could take 3m behind the fold up passenger seat - but it is not as wide as a Transit if you carry sheets of ply (they won't fit between the wheel arches). Transits rust, have gearbox problems, motor problems and dodgy diffs. Drive nicely through.
scoobeey,
Dec 22, 9:30am
YES:) MANY courier drivers and a million kms later cant b wrong .only way to go :))))))
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 22, 10:20am
The newer Ducato's have no ergonomic issues, in fact they are fabulous ergonomically.I havn't driven the very first of the "modern" shape from the late 90's which I suspect must be the ones you complain about. What age specifically are these ones you don't like!
300'000 is nothing on a Sprinter, you see the long haul courier ones on here for sale with 1.2 and 1.5 MIllion km's on the clock and they still want good money because they are running so well.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 22, 10:24am
LMAO, they are a dreadful death trap and doing a million km's is nothing. All the vans poster one is looking are easily capable of that. The Hiace has had its day in the sun, the modern Euro vans are simply better in every way. Trying to sell a Japanese Diesel against a Euro on reliability and cheaper servicing is just hilarious. The Toyota Diesels are just miles behind in terms of technology, economy, service costs and even reliability.
The Toyota has absolutely Zero redeeming features, and should be outlawed for being so dangerous for a modern vehicle. Having a crash at urban speeds and either losing your legs or your life is completely unacceptable.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 22, 10:34am
Against the equivalent older year Hiace the Hiace just looks silly. The H100 Hiace came out in the 80's and they were still trying to sell it until 2004! It was left so far in the dust when the common rail Euro Vans came out it wasn't even funny. The Hiace was agreat van when they came out but people just forgot to keep an eye on what the competition had to offer, and didn't realise how far behind they had slipped by the turn of the century.
The Hiace didn't even try and compete with the safety revolution and when common rail engines changed the game they did nothing and just sold their obsolete technology on name alone.
chris_051,
Dec 22, 11:41am
For every NZ courier driver that has hit 1 million km in a Hiace there are probably 1000 that have done the same in a Sprinter in Europe. Toyota= over priced over rated
wasser61,
Dec 22, 5:55pm
And that bloody dreadful engine diesel engine noise in the new Hiace. They could have spent another $5 and put some sound proofing around it.
jason18,
Dec 22, 6:36pm
I dont like the way the japs have gone about there vans. Much prefer a euro van. They seem to drive so much better. Seem quieter and more reliable. As above toyota seem to have a bullsh*t reputation built on reliability but I hear so many stories about bad engines/Rust issues etc. Still for our budget we arent looking for a dream machine, just something that has huge amount of room and is comfy
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 22, 7:17pm
I think if you take your time and keep up with the research I think you maybe surprised just how nice a van you can get for your budget.
intrade,
Dec 22, 7:17pm
Iveco Daily maybe . do some research i sold my turbo daily now it was a88 model and it had the problem that the engine was worn out after 200,000km pissing past the rings. rebuilt it and then it was parked up 10 years in europe till i sold it 5 month ago for a few $$ to get rid of it. even the 88 model went like a heavy car would have left all japanese vans from the 90s for dust.
Renault is a problem for parts here. They want seriously about 10 times the money for parts then what it costs for real including shipping from europe. I have seen the cheap traffic i think it was sold 2 times. Once with a list of half the engine and turbo rebuilt and no one wanted it then after somone must have purchased it removed the story about its history and listed it for more money.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 22, 7:44pm
Yeah I wondered about that. Best to stick to the badge engineered Ducato's etc then if going for a bargain down that route.
intrade,
Dec 22, 7:58pm
no one has mentioned them because he said euro van lol. however i dont know what that is if it is some rebatched van of something i know the traffic renault is opel and nissan also
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 22, 8:01pm
I think Euro or not the issue with that sort of kit is its not common rail. Common rail is everything, it transforms power/economy, acceleration and servicing all for the better. Its not an incremental change its massive.
Its the same reason why I say avoid the non common rail Ducato's etc. Don't let me put you off different ideas though, thinking outside the box often gets you something better.
n3d4sp3d,
Dec 23, 5:26am
you can get a brand new l300 lwb for that ahahah as for a toyota they eat injector pumps and injectors and you can hear them coming from 5 blocks away. merc vito seems to be quite reliable
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