So I posted up last week asking on advice on a small van. I have been doing research and have found some options that look good. However my question is really what can I really expect from my meager budget?

Say I have 3k to spend, do I buy a van that suits my needs and has say 100k on the clock and is 9-10 years old at the top of my budget or do I get something older, more mileage and pay, say, 1600 but take it to the garage and spend some money replacing belts and bits that will be (possibly) worn out?

Which one makes more sense? I know I will be not getting something new, nearly new or even remotely new for my cash so I need to be realistic and get the best value I can!

Older low miles with history. Older vans won’t have as many issues with EGR, turbo, duel mass flywheels and injector or particle filters

So in the example of say a Citroen Dispatch, go for the regular 1.9 engine and not the 2.0 Hdi one?

1.9 none turbo? Shudder

The old 2.0 HDI is a good engine (touch wood as mine is on 150k). A lot nicer to drive than an old 1.9td or a 1.9 n/a

Only weak point really is the crank pulley which break down after a while and make a knocking noise at low revs. They can take out the cam belt if they are allowed to fail. Injectors are always a worry on common rail engines as they are not cheap but refurb ones around now for not too much and turbo is a risk on all turbo engines but at least they are nice simple ones with no fancy moving vanes.

Older low miles with history.

While I’d agree generaly, it depends on the van. Something like a florrist who’s done losts of stop/start driving around town is going to have done a lot more wear than say a Network Rail minibus that’s been used for one very long drive each weekend to some engineering works and spent the rest of it’s life in the depot.

Van’s seem to be priced on condition/miles more than age though, so a van with 50,000miles seems to be worth half it’s new price, anything over 120,000 seems to be worth a bare minimum*.

*unless it’s a VW in which case it’s barely run in, honest. Your’s for £5995 as long as you’re either 40somethign with a beer belly and a mountainbike, or live** in cornwall.

**anywhere but really, but you’ll pretend that you do by sleeping uncomroftably in the back every weekend with your surf board to justify the van.

… VW… 40somethign with a beer belly and a mountainbike

Busted 🙁

I bought a fiat doblo cargo 1.9jtd for £1,100 2005 with 106,000 miles on it. It’s bloody good for the money. 50mpg!
But if I had your budget I’d go transit connect or astra van.

I have a Escort van, bought for £ 1100 as it was the straightest one I could find.

10,000 miles later it’s let me down once with the auxillary belt. 50 mpg at least.

Main issue with these are rust and plenty of it. I’ve booked a week off work next month to have a potter on the van doing welding and tidying up for its MOT.

It’s not for everyone, but I can do bodywork as I qualified at college so it’s cheap enough to DIY and keep it going.