Second hand van advice

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 15:40

Second hand van advice - Larry82

Hi folks,

I've just been trawling the internet looking for places to get some advice on buying a second hand van and thought Honest John could be the place :)

I'm basically looking to buy a L3H2 second hand van for removals/courier work and just wanted to run my thinking past people who knew a lot more about them. I've narrowed it down to spending around 12k + vat (I'll be financing), from a reputable dealer who offer some kind of warranty and/or RAC check, and looking at vans 2017/18, ply lined, ulez compliant, 70,000 - 90,000 miles. With fairly decent tidy bodywork but don't mind the odd ding.

So it's really down to - Ford Transit, Citron Relay, Renault Masters or Vauxhall Movano. I understand that the Relay and Masters are essentially the same van just with a different badge? And that you pay a little extra for a Ford.

I really like the Transits having driven a few but I'm just wondering whether it's worth paying the bit extra, if you get anything more for that such as reliability or cost of parts, servicing etc or whether it's just the name?

So was just wondering what people thought really, if I've thought this through properly or missed anything glaring? It's a fairly big purchase so really looking to get this right and hoping to get 50,000 miles out of it without too much outlay and possibly closer to 100,000 fingers crossed.

Any advice and wisdom much appreciated...

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 15:59

Second hand van advice - Adampr

Usual advice is not to buy a second hand van....Have you considered leasing?

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 16:09

Second hand van advice - Larry82

Yes that was my original plan to be honest for a Vauxhall Movano, I've got finance approved and ready to go for that, but it's just the fact that I'd be spending a lot more over the years and not being left with anything at the end that is making me reconsider and getting something on finance. That cost and age/mileage seemed like a good balance but I'm no expect.

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 16:36

Second hand van advice - badbusdriver

I understand that the Relay and Masters are essentially the same van just with a different badge?

No, they are two separate and unrelated 'families'

The Citroen Relay, Peugeot Boxer and Fiat Ducato are one family.

The Renault Master, Vauxhall Movano and Nissan Interstar/NV400 are the other family.

Then you have the Transit which, AFAIK, is on its own.

Also, AFAIK, the Iveco Daily is on its own

The Merc Sprinter and VW LT/Crafter (nee MAN TGE) are, to the best of my knowledge, based on the same platform (but may have different engines)

As to which you should buy, not sure any are inherently unreliable. But as you are looking at a fairly well used van, I'd really be buying on condition than brand. You want a nice fulsome service history and something which doesn't feel like it is at the end of its life when you test drive it. Decent tyres of a make you have heard of would be nice. This type of van is, perhaps more than most, likely to have lead a very hard life at the hands of low paid and uncaring drivers, so it really is a minefield out there.

There will be a lot of tat to sift through, so you need some patience!.

But because of what I've just said, I'd agree that leasing is well worth looking into.

Edited by badbusdriver on 13/01/2023 at 16:37

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 17:15

Second hand van advice - Xileno

Apart from the Transporter crowd (where prices are correspondingly daft), vans generally are beasts of burden and are not fashion items. Therefore owners tend to only sell them when they're getting troublesome. It is far more difficult to buy a decent secondhand van than a car. As mentioned, don't focus on make, look for good history and condition. There will be some out there.

I have been down this road about four years ago and gave up. Either overpriced or junk. Sometimes both. Then the Pandemic came and prices have gone north as well.

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 17:54

Second hand van advice - elekie&a/c doctor

If you need euro 6 ulez compliant, then any Van you buy is going to be dogged with dpf and egr issues. Also at this mileage, many vehicles have been modified with an ecu dpf delete program which you’ll know nothing about until possibly the next mot .

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 18:29

Second hand van advice - Larry82

Thanks everyone, looks like I've got a little bit more thinking to do.

After having been accepted for the lease and having some time to think about it I was leaning towards buying second hand and then hopefully having an asset that has kept some of its value at the end of the 3 years, after having spent a few thousand less as well. But seems like that's not as clear cut a decision.

All down to what you manage to get I guess and what you're going to spend on it in those 3 years. I know nothing about those potential ulez issues as well so will have to do some research. Presumably they wouldn't be a worry if it came from a dealership that's RAC accredited though? Or at least somewhere that does a full check before selling.

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 18:30

Second hand van advice - Larry82

Some really good points though if I do go the second hand route...

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 19:19

Second hand van advice - Steveieb

There is a reason why most people end up buying a Vauxhall Movano, Renault Master Citroen , Fiat etc and that’s because they are cheaper than the equivalent Transit , MB or VW.

But take a look at what makes Amazon or other delivery companies choose and you find that buying in huge quantities they can buy quality vans at competitive prices, which they know will take the punishment that comes with the task.

Some companies are buying Euro 4 spec vans and allowing a budget to recondition them. This effectively removes a lot of the emissions problems that many later models face.

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 19:29

Second hand van advice - badbusdriver

Just wanted to point out, I have now discovered that the current Vauxhall Movano is not a Renault Master clone as I stated earlier!. Shouldn't come as a surprise though, what with being under the Stellantis umbrella, that the Movano is now based on the Relay/Ducato/Boxer.

Also wanted to ask what was the cost of the lease deal you had been looking at (and what mileage you need)?.

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 20:32

Second hand van advice - paul 1963

Having been accepted for a lease deal wonder if you would also be accepted for finance on van to own rather than lease? You really would be better off if you could manage to buy a new van that you would actually own.

I've been around vans a lot and as others have rightly said there only moved on once they start to give trouble.

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Fri 13 Jan 2023 22:19

Second hand van advice - daveyK_UK

I had a 22 plate Citroen Relay long wheel base with the extra height for a few weeks last year, put close to 2,000 miles on it.

Not as nice to drive as a transit custom (which I know is a smaller van but it’s also the best van to drive IMO and the standard bearer when it comes to comfort and ease of driving) but it’s perfectly acceptable.
It was bottom of the range and had clearly been built during Covid as some of the electrical gadgets had been replaced with analogue due to the chip shortage.
The problem with it being bottom of the range and such a long van was the lack of rear parking sensors which made it a minor miracle I didn’t hit anything especially as I was driving city to city and having to park in tight spots.

It did decent MPG on a run (31mpg from memory) and the diesel was not fast but it had enough grunt to keep up with traffic.
The cabin was a real mix bag (as per comments above with parts shortages), not as good as the full size transit but acceptable.

Overall I wouldn’t recommend one, I would say it’s very much a van you would buy only if you got a good deal.

My friend runs a Maxus Transit copy and loves it, says it’s clearly a copy of the transit but at the price point is far better value than the transit and gives better MPG than the transit

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Fri 20 Sep 2024 20:21

Second hand van advice - Zagros

I've had a couple of Transits and I love them. It's a proven, refined design, with millions of units busily carrying stuff around, all over the world.

My fave is the diesel VH model from the early noughties. The engine is the same as you got if you bought a diesel Jaguar at that time. It's spirited, cheap to run, and a delight to drive.

Transits have their wheels set far apart, and that makes them stable and sure-footed on the road. They drive like a great big sports car. Off the road they tend to lift a wheel, but then they aren't an off-road vehicle. Gravel roads, no problem.

Mechanics are notoriously pessimistic and will r****** excellent vehicles at the drop off a hat. My experience with Transits is the opposite of some of the b******s I've read about them. They are built like trucks, with simple strong components, good accessibility, and easy repair potential.

Having driven Transits for seven or eight years I wouldn't have anything else. Robust, economical, and such a pleasure to drive. I've had well over a hundred vehicles, few have pleased me like my big yellow Transit. The red one was petrol and it was fine, but the diesel one is f***ing magnificent.

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