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Is a diesel-powered campervan likely to be liable for expensive repairs?
My son is looking into the purchase of a campervan for recreation through the year. His mileage is likely to be fairly low. Having looked at a number of vans, the majority would appear to be powered by diesel. You are often saying that if mileage is low diesel are not a good buy as they need hard driving and high mileage to avoid expensive repairs. If this is the case why are so many campervans diesel powered when, by definition, the mileage is likely to be relatively low?
Asked on 4 June 2011 by JD, Birmingham
Answered by
Honest John
Campervans are extremely expensive for what they are, which is generally old delivery vans long past the life they were built to last. The most sense is in Mazda Bongos, Ford Fredas, Nissan Largos, etc, that were originally built as MPVs, not as vans. The diesel engines in these are old generation with no diesel particulate filters and mostly pre-date dual mass flywheels too, so none of the modern gubbins to worry about. And in fact a diesel without all this stuff is better for short runs from cold because the fuel itself has some lubricity. You can't keep one within the London Emissions Zone, though.
Tags:
diesels
reliability
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