Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > What van to buy?

[Gilps]

I'm looking for some advice on buying a van and hope someone on here can help. I run a furniture business and have to carry small pieces of stuff around. For the past few years I've been carting stuff about in my Jeep Grand Cherokee and it's mostly fitted but I think I need something a little bigger now so am looking at getting a van. I'm also going to be doing DD next year which is why I've posted this on here rather than whitevanman.com. Is there any van which I should particularly be looking at, or steering well clear of, for it's bike lugging capabilities ie. "don't get a Transit coz there's no tie downs", or are they all much of a muchness. I fancy the Mercedes Vito and VW Transporter, but that's based mostly on looks and not practicality.
Any advise will be most welcome.

[Melnie Mouse]

i'd go for Vito, it's a good size square shape so you can get loads inside to pack it well, some vans go small and narrow inside at top... vito's can fit 2 bikes in aswell!

[Florence]

Try this website, dont know where you are but Nathan is a right on geezer who will talk straight

http://www.light-commercial.co.uk/us...es-surrey.html

If you call him tell him your a friend of Kim's alias Doris

[BDG]

Trannies and Mercs are my favourites having run a fleet of them for donkeys years, but they hold their value more so are not as cheap as other options.

If you're not doing silly mileages and the price is right any of the Citroen/Peugeot/Fiat/Vauxhalls are wortha look. All the continental stuff will be more expensive for parts.

Don't touch an LDV with a barge pole, no matter what the price.

Double check the mileage is legit, quite a few vans get clocked.

We have sold a few 3 year old vans with 250,000 miles with FSH to traders, and subsequently got calls a few months later from whoever has bought them from the trader asking if there was any service history, and was it a genuine 50,000 miles. It surprises me that people think a courier company would only do 50,000 miles from new in 3 years!

[Davieravie]

If you go into a Ford dealer and ask him about Ford Fleet Support, you can make masssive savings. A brand new Transit Connect SWB........ list price of 10,200, I got mine for 7950. They can do it on a single van sale and not just multiples like you would assume.

Added advantage is that also you can "test drive" cars for a week or 2 if you need a car for your holidays, impress a bird etc at no extra charge....all you do is tell them when you want it and prove to the the dealer youre insured for it.

Handy!!

[Florence]

If you do decide to test drive, you will need ID i.e. Passport and a Utility Bill no more than 6 weeks old and your drivers license

[rcgbob44]

BDG

Your 100% right about LDV`s. I have several where I work and there all being replaced with high top 3 litre Iveco`s.

The LDV`s have been nothing but trouble and you need a mirracle to get the doors to close, or even stay closed.

Yukky things!