Ok, currently have an 8 seater van that I am going to upgrade for various reasons. I want to work my way down the list from whats the most reliable & cheapest to run. To the worst of the worst, "don't even consider it" options
Around 150K + yr 2000 + diesel, under the 8K mark downwards.
Current is a TD27 95 Nissan Caravan 5sp manual minibus. Reasonable amount of room inside & performance + economy ok-ish for what it is but finding it isn't that great for me or my type of loads. It's not going to get a thrashing but will be busy urban, rural & highway. If it's fully fitted with seats, they need to be easily removable.
kazbanz,
Aug 29, 5:27am
Frankly mrfixit--Id say stick with what you've got.
3tomany,
Aug 29, 7:03am
if you looking second hand I would say do what kaz says unless the one you have is buggered
mrfxit,
Aug 29, 8:53am
Needing something that has a higher roof & flatter floor then the Caravan has.
Of course "needing" & getting can be 2 very different things.
The Nissan is non turbo so lacks that extra bit of grunt thats so very handy on hills & it's 100kph revs are sitting on 3000 rpm which is std but gets a bit weary on the noise for me on trips
dublo,
Aug 29, 9:45am
They were still selling Mitsi L300s new in NZ are few years ago for less than $20000. Some tradesmen came in one the other day and I had a close look at it, particularly the underside at the front. I noticed that, apart from the two "chassis" rails which extended to the front of the vehicle there appeared to be not very much to protect the occupants in a crash other than the sheet of thin tin across the front - their feet and lower legs could well become part of the crumple zone. I think I would avoid buying one of those, let alone riding in one.
aredwood,
Aug 29, 11:40am
They are almost exactly the same as the version that was released in the 80s. They are only listed as 1* on the rightcar website. So the govt knows that they are really unsafe. The department of labour / worksafe needs to grow some balls and start taking companies to court under the HSE act. If they provide their employees with L300s.
intrade,
Aug 29, 7:06pm
Probably you have the most reliable electronic faults and dual mass flywheel. Cost a fortune and automatics who set trans code faults and shift problems from slight faulty starter battery or a faulty mass air flow meter or high resistance or can bus shorts are all the problems you can get an this is just the common faults on modern crap MB 140 van my one has extra noise insulation parts are a problem grunt is OK but need to rev it not as much as japas but noise problem thru gear shifter is what I was fighting last but worth looking at for mini van
tamarillo,
Aug 29, 8:00pm
Not sure if the numbers add up do they? Does it have to be 8 seater? Trade van with none maybe, or previa with less but might not have load space needed, though far better drive and safety. Maybe a transit minibus but think it might have a lot more miles.
kazbanz,
Aug 30, 2:17am
mrfixit-Id have a look at the Mazda bongo/Nissan vannete High roof It might be just what you need and they are the cheapest commercial you will find I suspect.
mrfxit,
Aug 19, 1:33am
Interesting idea worth looking at but older then what I already have
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