Flatcapdriver

OK - not exactly performance vehicles but I'm thinking of buying one to do a long trip to Spain and back with furniture and assorted odds and sods so the load won't be that heavy, just bulky.

Initially, I had a budget of £2k in mind but it seems that I can get a reasonable one for around £1k. I'm looking at Transits, so questions are:

1. Is £1k enough to buy reliability?
2. What do I need to look out for when buying?
3. Are there any alternatives worth considering?

I'm using it for three weeks and when I've returned I plan to sell it.

Any takers?

AudiLover

Transit is the daddy of cheap vans.Dont know what 1 grand would get you though. I wouldnt imagine something I would put my trust into.

The Zohan

I would got for a Merc Sprinter but you may struggle at that budget

Brendan Hughes

Not sure about Spain, but if you risk breaking down in France, would a Renault Master be a better bet?

Flatcapdriver

Wouldn't I be increasing the risk of breaking down if I bought a French vehicle?



Paul, I did think of the Mercedes but from memory the parts weren't cheap.

So, assuming its a Transit. Are there any weak points? What should I be looking for in terms of a bad 'un?

AudiLover

Rust. Check seal for crash damage. Probably best to get a mechanic to give the engine a once over. Thing about transits is that they are used and abused harshly but I suppose you could say that for most vans.

paul2070

Rust is definately a major problem...............EVERYWHERE!!

Back axles,cambelts(check it's been done recently'ish),and filler(and lots of it).

Been in the market a few times for vans myself,and at varying budgets(from 1k-10k),and TBH finding anything tidy for the lower end of that budget(below 3k)is a major minefield,and the bigger the van,the more likely that it has worked hard and been un-cared for most or all of it's life.

IMO (and don't laugh),the best van for around your budget,especially when you get to around £1500-£2000 would be an LDV 200 or 400(Sherpa).The 200's have a PUG 1.9 Diesel(handy for going through France),and the 200's have the Transit 2.5 Diesel engine/gearbox etc.The advantage with the LDV's is they do tend to be a lot tidier than the equivelent Transit's,and you also get a much newer van.

And again IMHO you will never have any problems selling a genuine clean and tidy van.I bought my last LDV(2 private owners,genuine 68k,and no rust or body repairs anywhere) in October 2005 to move house etc and i kept it until Febuary 2006 and it never put a foot wrong,in fact,had it not been for the tax running out,i would have kept it longer,as for the money i had tied up in it(£800),i would have still been finding uses for it to this day.............oh,and when i sold it,i got £900 back for it,it was that clean and tidy,and i beleive it is still going strong and needed nothing spent on it.

scoobynutta555

I've had vans before and your budget is way way too low for a trip of any length and expecting any sort of reliability. How long are you going for? Why not simply rent a van if it's going to be less than 2 weeks. The longer you rent one the cheaper they get, and it'll be a new van too so reliability should be near 100%. I'd rather box everything out and get it shipped to Spain than drive a grands worth of van and sweat all the way.

Brendan Hughes

BTW, FCD if you do want to ship, look at a company called Richman Ring - Doree Bonner Sittingbourne I used them to move out here, they seemed OK (apart from lightly bubble-wrapping a laserjet, which never worked since).

Flatcapdriver

Sorry, I can't reply to you all but thanks for the input so far. The reason I'm considering buying a van is due to a couple of factors, mainly taking the hound down (I've been quoted £600 for him alone) as well as some furniture for which I've been quoted £1100. Factor in flights and car hire and the figures start to stack up particularly as I'm going for three weeks.

From what you guys are saying my budget is way too low, so I'll up it to around £2k and look into LDVs as well as Transits. I've thought about hiring a van but I doubt they'd be too impressed with my licence plus I always thought they frowned on using them abroad.

al4x1

As you say hiring will be expensive there are companies that let you go outside the UK but they do load the rates. Expect to pay at least £300 a week for hire plus fuel tolls ferry etc and it does look unattractive. Buying wise I have to say the idea of buying an LDV or older transit and driving it to spain sends shivers down my spine. They are to put it bluntly ****, slow use too much fuel and a pig to drive on Long distances. I guess you could aim to get the ferry to the closest port possible and that is the only way I'd attempt it with an old van.
personally I'd take a car down and take the dog in that and send the rest groupage. The main facts are the distance depending where in spain you are going is at least 1000 miles each way so @£240 in diesel plus ferry / Tunnel @£300 return plus Tolls etc and then you have to buy the van Insure it pay for roadside recovery etc hope it doesn't break down. To me its a bit of a no Brainer.

Nido

As al4x1 says, it's not just the cost of the van, by the time you take ferry / tunnel into consideration, tolls (a lot if you are coming down through France and don't want to go the slow way) and diesel, it's not looking cheap.

Had to shift a friends stuff down here (Spain) a few years ago, and hired a Van - they were fine about using it in Europe. Took it back 5 days later with nearly 4,000 more miles on and they couldn't believe it

Another friend just had thier dog brought down by an excellent company, was less than £300, can't remember how much exactly.

I know somebody who is often travelling too and from with a Van dropping off / picking up motorbikes (he imports / exports) , and he often will bring down furniture / boxes if he's coming back empty.

A cheap van to do a trip like that is a nightmare - I'd rather walk than do that journey in an LDV, that's for sure

Depending on where you are in the UK and where you are going in Spain I may well be able to help if you need it, just PM me