[rycalshaw]

sorry, the van is £3500 + vat

[Richard60]

dont seem a bad price but it is HIGH mileage .
i have 155.000 on my van ,but i bought it with 60. 000 mls on it .still going strong .but thats because i know while i v had it .i had reguler services n oil changes . if you know the owner .how he treated it .may help .but if you dont know a lot about vans .take someone who does to check it out for you .or once u part with your hard earned money u could be left with a pile of scrap .if in doubt WAIT .something else will come along . good luck .tacky

[jarvy]

With the vodka you will be looking at £4200,i think that is too much for that mileage.

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

vivaro had there problems pre 06
as stated mines 07
2.0 swb cdti 6 speed fantastic van
believe u me i had a renualt trafic 03 omfg
it nearly bankrupted me 
it was same van but the 1.9 dci poor real poor

[david wood]

ive just got a renualt trafic  hope its going to be ok 

[rycalshaw]

gav, what probs did you have with the trafic, i thought they were the same van, was it just because it was the earlier model.. just been to see the vivaro it was a bit rough round the edges to be honest but there was a 08 trafic 120000 miles fsh 12mnth mot and that looked very tidy he wants £4200 no vat for it..

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

gav, what probs did you have with the trafic, i thought they were the same van, was it just because it was the earlier model.. just been to see the vivaro it was a bit rough round the edges to be honest but there was a 08 trafic 120000 miles fsh 12mnth mot and that looked very tidy he wants £4200 no vat for it..

Traffic was the 1.9dci
Probs were cambelt snapped
Due to fuel leaking on belt
Cost wise 1200
Turbo failure cost wise 500
Catalystist converter failure 400ish
Injector snapped in head
Injector alone was 150 ish plus
Cost of mapping to van it was horrendous
Problematic van never ever again
My vivaro is the 2.0 swb cdti
No cam belt it's a mint van IMO
Under no circumstance buy a pre 06
Gearbox issues
Which were rectified on the 06
Onwards hope this helps
My AA breakdown cover was superb
I reccomend u taking it
Only prob iv ad wiv vivaro
As been clutch slave cylinder
Which AA paid for they also paid
For me to have a new clutch !!!!
Hope this helps

[concept]

Mate of mine has a 2008 thats been off the road for about 6 weeks, turbo popped, and shagged the engine.

Just google them, and you will see the problems associated with them.

Transit all day long.

he must be gutted

He's not fussed, got loads of dough, doesn't even notice it's off the road.

[rycalshaw]

so gav, would you advise me to steer lear of the 08 model aswell..cheers

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

As iv said I'm happy with my vivaro
It's a beast

[Spruce]

Having been in the commercial vehicle trade for a few years, my advise is to look at lower mileage examples - 130k is too higher mileage not to have major repair problems, no matter how well the van has been looked after.

Once a van has done 100k it isn't worth much in the trade - for good reason. The previous owner has gotten the best out of it with depreciation yes, but without the maintenance costs.

I would pay more for a lower mileage example TBH.

Have a look on Northgates website. Their end of lease vans are generally pretty good - they auction off the rubbish. Yes they are more expensive and you will need to add VAT, but its your livelihood.

[H2GoKent]

As someone who used to be in the trade, which van would you recommend. A lot of people speak highly of VW transporters for example. Got any thoughts?

[Richard60]

good advice spruce

[robbo333]

I bought a Northgate (Van Monster) van, Ford Connect and they were really good. From Colchester. Friend of mine did too, big Tranny. Slightly more money but no issues whatsoever.

[SB Cleaning]

With the vodka you will be looking at £4200,i think that is too much for that mileage.

Yeah its expensive shop around

[Spruce]

As someone who used to be in the trade, which van would you recommend. A lot of people speak highly of VW transporters for example. Got any thoughts?

Its a very difficult question to answer. If you can afford a low mileage VW Transporter in good condition then there is no reason why it shouldn't serve you well. But the same can be said of most vans out there.

But you may also get a lemon, no matter what van you buy. It also can work the other way - many times a customer traded in a van that had given him nothing but problems and the next owner got the best van he had ever had.

I made some negative comments recently on Vivaro/Trafic vans for our business and upset a few on here, even although it was my personal opinion from my experience and the experience of some others.
Personally, I don't believe Renault have got their van act together (BTW I've owned more Renault cars in the last 40 years than any other makes). It must be a concern to Renault that GM (Vauxhall) is sourcing it's latest van from Fiat. Does this mean that future Scudos will also carry the Vauxhall Vivaro badge?
 

[H2GoKent]

Cheers a useful balanced reply.

[steve m]

an 08 van will be rid of most of the problems they had (gearbox mainly ). if it has that mileage on that plate who owned it before? Before buying a van I'd also get insurance quotes, as they vary across the board

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

as long as its been serviced regulary
it shud be fine  it tells you when its due a service
as do most motors nowadays
look after a motor itl look
after you

[rycalshaw]

thanks for the replies everybody, my local (reputable ) garage as just got a 2008 2.0 cdti with 108000miles ex aa, fsh, 12 mnths mot, very very tidy, he wants £4000 + vat..i think i,ll go for it..thanks again