No doubt been done to death but I wasn’t paying attention in the past ’cause I wasn’t in the market!

Any significant/important differences between the two that owners might want to highlight?

Cheers

T4 or T5
What age are you considering?

T4, Go and buy one, you wont regret it, but you’ll be paying scene tax, get a 2.5tdi if you can.
Vito, you’ll buy cheaper, you’ll wish you’d bought a T4. Rust never sleeps!

if you’re looking at something as old as a T4 what age of vito are you talking about?

IIRC Vito are around 04/06 the T4- 01/03

It seems like the T5 adds £5K onto the package.

I should say the Vito’s are mostly still a van where as the T4’s are already converted to Campers.

There seems to be a lot of credible info on T4’s via forums specifically for it but the Vito is a bit harder to find out about.

2006 onwards was a major step up on the galvanising process on the vito. A process that was done to VW’s back when I started on T4’s in 1996.

Wouldn’t consider an earlier Vito but after that there isn’t much in it tbh

I’ve got a 2001 T4 with 165k miles, and a 2013 Vito with 11k miles.

I much prefer the T4 in almost all respects.

As above, post 56 plate Vito only unless you like the ‘rat look’!
These are great, my 111CDi has been my daily driver for 5 years and I love it. I’d prefer a T5 next but price is high and it’s slightly longer so won’t fit in my garage!

Cheers – useful info.

They did a Vito that had four leather seats/armchairs in the back, tables, etc that I quite liked the look of. I think it was a Mk. 1 Vito, 206CDI or something.

Anyway, they do rust. Lots.

***edit – V220cdi. Just seen them on eBay. Pimp.

Have an ’06 Vito (ex-RAC van that I converted myself). For the difference in price it’s an absolute no brainer. As has been mentioned above, 2006 onwards vitos are properly galvanised and the rust issues are on a par with anything – the older ones are terrible. Mines done almost 140k miles and is brilliant. I’d have another in a heart beat. If the T5 was the same price I’d probably have that instead but purely from a snobbery point of view. If you’re not spending mega money have you considered the Traffic / Vivaro / Primastar or the Toyota???

Vito drives much more like a big car than a t4 does IME (and i love t4’s) and practicality-wise there is not much difference. If i was buying a van now i would be looking at (newer, galvanised!!) vitos too, t4 prices are a bit silly these days and i would be only buying another t4 to keep it really nice and hope not to lose any money when i sold it (book price on mine seems to be significantly more than when i bought it despite 4years and 40k!)

It all comes down to personal and fashionable choice tbh.

The T4 is a fantastic vehicle which WAS way ahead of its competition at the time. Not only was the 5cylinder TDI a huge step forward in commercials for fuel and power, but the base vehicle with front and rear discs (The rears could stick if not used hard enough), fully galvanised and independent suspension allround. It handled better than its competition (FWD) and it performed better than its competition. It was also fashionable so they were great motors to sell.

The vito at that time 96/97/98 was horrid lump of crap with injectors which stuck in the head and snapped, rust was terminal and the fwd configuration didn’t suit Mercedes. The gearbox adjustment cables were a work of satan and never stayed true.

Then you get to the T5 and 06 onwards Vito and the field is a lot closer. The T5 is NOT head and shoulders above the Vito. The vito is a much more friendly drive and is a much nicer cab to be in. Try having 3 adults sat side by side in a VW T5 and you are basically squashed up into the side windows to get anything like enough room. The VW is essentially narrower and taller whereas the vito is wider and lower. Neither have great dual seat leg room but I would look for a 5st dualiner/kombi anyhow which makes leg room perfect. Then you start getting down to personal preference. The vito is a nicer finished vehicle (Dualiner against kombi). The vito is better on fuel in the 4cylinder 113/116 guises than the 2.0 TDI engines VW were forced to use to get the emissions down. The vito has standard dual side load doors and they were always standard with tailgate which is a nice touch if using it as a camper type vehicle. The VW is fwd which to some is very important but tbh in 5yrs using a dualiner sport with big wide 17″ alloys I never once got stuck and happily rolled past fwd cars on the school run spinning away whilst I rolled in second gear.

Finally, if you get the prop rumble from a vito, please don’t go into a dealership and pay the £6-700 they charge for a new one. They can be rebalanced for about £150 and there is a place nr preston who turns them around in about a day.

Neither are going to be a bad buy uless you buy a pup. Older T4 or newer Vito. Tale your pick

Rust never sleeps!

You can say that again. My mate had his pride and joy T4 re-sprayed last year and the rust is coming through already. That was after the engine went pop and had to be replaced.

He’s a superb mechanic btw with access to all tools and equipment to prep properly.

Swb transit? Wider which is a good thing.

Trouble is that most rust on vehicles comes from one of the following

1) Stone chips
2) Flex in the body
3) Impact damage

Even on the amazing galvanised T4, if the galv is broken then the panel will rust. I used to see vans spinning around with damage which even 12mths later didn’t rust because luckily the galv hadn’t been damaged.

Back to the main point. The rust treatments on resprays, unless done very professionaly never seem to work

At merc we have problems on the previous sprinter where they rusted on the side panels (Where the windows would go if fitted). Turned out that because the hinges were so strong on the rear doors they were actually flexing the entire back pillar and cracking the galv under the paint. Look at a fresh sprinter and it has 2 great big braces on the rear pillars inside to stop this happening. They still don’t galv the back doors 🙁

Older Vito’s are firm friends with rust and electrical issues no?

Why not a Toyota Hi-Ace or are you scared you’ll look like a frugile/careful business owner?

Awesome vehicles and chosen by wise Asian businessmen for a reason.

I’ve had a T4 and now a T5.

Sold my T4 at 130000 miles. It never let me down it never failed an MOT, just kept it properly serviced. Clutch and injectors ( 2.5ltr 88bhp ) changed at 120000.

T4 does rust, like anything else . White ones can be shockingly bad, something to do with the amount of aluminium oxide in the paint to make it white. Two of my mates vans needed significant welding after about 125000, both vans seemed almost rust free at 90k.

Running them, like many do with wider and bigger wheels , on lower suspension than standard really doesn’t help them. It just puts wheel arches and cills directly in the firing line for road salt and grit.

Amateur side window additions, where cut steel edges aren’t painted properly, is another cause of rust.

Beware of anything ‘ carpeted and insulated’ , this can hide a multitude of sins, from vans which were already rusting, to those about to because rubbish insulation can absorb moisture and cause rot.

Well maintained, even sensibly modified ones can be excellent, though . Kept in good order, you’ll get your ‘scene tax’ back when you sell it on.

Hi ace is narrow though may be looking at some as they are as common down here as transits are up there. Shame really as I know what I prefer.