Hi. Looking for a 6 berth campervan but can't find any kW figures for a 99 ford transit 2.5l TD 5 speed manual. Does anyone know! Have had a VW previously and the power in it was fantastic. Could tow a boat at the speed limit no problems at all and make it to the top of a hill without holding up traffic. But I have heard that the Ford is pretty gutless in comparison. Any info much appreciated.
fordkiwi27,
Sep 11, 2:12am
wait for it.be here soon
johnf_456,
Sep 11, 2:14am
Would you like some refreshments while you wait.
sals11,
Sep 11, 2:17am
What have I done starting this thread! Should I be worried!
bubbles244,
Sep 11, 2:19am
Ford Transit.the most used van by bank robbers in the 1970's.must be good.
gunhand,
Sep 11, 2:21am
Transit = rust.
johnf_456,
Sep 11, 2:21am
You should be very worried, a euro salesman will be along soon to write a story about how VW's dont break and if they do, parts are cheap!
grangies,
Sep 11, 2:24am
Mercedes Benz is another option to consider.
sals11,
Sep 11, 2:24am
Our last motorhome was VW (and it was great) but there aren't a lot of 6 berth ones around in the layout I want. There are a couple of transits though but I have heard stories about them being pretty gutless.
sals11,
Sep 11, 2:25am
Haven't heard much about them though. Power, reliability etc.
gunhand,
Sep 11, 2:29am
Yes Merc Sprinter for sure, driven shit loads of them and they rarely break and the later ones go very very well, post 2002 ones. Windscreens are not cheap but I would imagine any screen that big wouldnt be. And cheap to run.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 11, 2:33am
Mercedes/Fiat/VW all good. Sometimes the best value ones are the Fiats.
The Transit is a horrible rusty piece of poo, my folks had a 99 Transit Motorhome and despite being garaged all its life and treated like a baby it was still trying to rust and was a gutless, noisy wonder.
The big thing though, is not the brand. Its all about getting into one with a common rail diesel engine. Mercedes were about the first off the mark with those around 99ish others introduced them over the next few years.
The difference with a common rail engine is night and day, significantly more power and response and much lower fuel consumption. You also get much longer service intervals.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 11, 2:35am
This is a VERY low bar to set for a modern motorhome. Something this size with a common rail engine should pretty much be able to get out and pass like a car, forget holding up traffic on a hill, you should barely have to move your foot to go up one.
Admittedly that van is probably empty but it still has to push an enormous amount of air out of its way at that speed, so to do it at all even empty is amazing. The little Fiat 2.3 is capable of that sort of performance too.
sals11,
Sep 11, 2:41am
The VW fully laden & with boat on the back did all of that. It was a fantastic vehicle. I have heard many negatives about the Ford but never the VW. Only problem is - I can't get the VW layout that I want at the moment.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 11, 2:43am
Even so you should have more go than that. I drove my enormously heavy granite kitchen home from Auckland in my folks 2.3 Ducato and barely noticed the difference from unladen.
Anyhow, that aside, not knocking the VW its excellent as are the Mercedes and Fiat. What year/engine was your old VW!
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 11, 2:43am
Even so you should have more go than that, a decent common rail van shouldn't be anywhere near flat or in danger of dropping below the speed limit on a hill with a reasonable sized boat on the back.
I drove my enormously heavy granite kitchen home from Auckland in my folks 2.3 Ducato and barely noticed the difference from unladen.
Anyhow, that aside, not knocking the VW its excellent as are the Mercedes and Fiat, just saying that a common rail diesel is what you want to go for. What year/engine was your old VW!
gammelvind,
Sep 11, 2:49am
Have a 06 Transit Jumbo LWB as a work vehicle, the same model as used in campers. Handles and performs really well, nice to drive, and surprising performance out of the 2.4l common rail engine. There are a range of issues, the biggest being rust, we take it in annually to have rust cut out, quite pathetic in such a late model. Next, nearly everthing that hangs off the engine has been removed and replaced in the past 100,000 km, alternater, starter, air con (3 times) etc. Then the diff died and we replaced the wheel bearings twice, then there were the minor problems. Thank goodness I aren't paying for it myself.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 11, 2:50am
And that's the newer better model!
I agree even just the rust in a modern van is completely unacceptable. It should not rust at all.
In my opinion they are just built to be ultra cheap workhorses for tradesmen to put big km's on in the first few years and then dump. They are the Euro Van equivalent of the L300.
sals11,
Sep 11, 2:51am
2004 2.5l TD 5-speed manual. I'm a girl so I am more into the layout of motorhome but hubby says mechanics are more important - go figure. Looks like we are going to have to wait for the right one to come along rather than settling. VW, Mercedes or Fiat.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 11, 2:55am
Was it the big LT/Crafter or the smaller Transporter!
I can tell you though, the 99 Transit is not even going to come close to either for power. The layout would become a non-issue very quickly. you would probably be happy with a sleeping bag on a piece of plywood in the back if it would just go faster!
I think you are making the right decision.
supernova2,
Sep 11, 2:56am
I wouldn't even think about a Ford let alone buy one.
sals11,
Sep 11, 3:02am
It was the 4 berth Crafter. LT35. It really did go like the clappers & was just like driving a car really. Trust me - I would NEVER be happy sleeping on a piece of plywood in a sleeping bag. Just not going to happen. I will just have to be patient and wait for the right one to come along.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 11, 3:02am
The 1.9 is only the baby too, literally half the pull of the 2.5. Personally I wouldn't get the 1.9, while it may seen grunty after a Hiace the 2.5 is much better, especially if you are towing a boat.
You are right though the T5 while quite old now is a lovely van.
(BTW, to clarify, I am refering to the new VW common rail 2.5 not the old 2.5 as found in the LT)
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 11, 3:06am
If my memory serves me correct the 2.5 LT still had the fairly low output older style diesel (although a very good one), not much more grunt than the VW 1.9 common rail as mentioned above and pulling an even bigger van again.
Sure it would go much better than the Transit but I think you need to drive a range of newer common rail vans so you don't sell yourself short. I have known people to only drive the likes of the 1.9 T5 above, think its Christmas after the older style Diesel and then become disappointed when they drive a higher output one.
So yes, perhaps while you wait for one with the right layout drive the different engines from those three makes so you have a feel for what you are getting and how it compares.
Comparing CC rating means nothing because some are multivalve etc and pull well above their weight.
tuttyclan,
Sep 11, 3:24am
Jazz,does the Golf have the same 1.9 motor as the T5, that would go really well in a car I was so impressed how well the T5 went considering the weight of a campervan body.
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