MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
SWB flavour. (Brabus 3L) Will it take a 29er whole? Anybody have experience of them?
Not driven one, but it's the van most often needed to be pushed out of a muddy carpark/field imo.
They will take a bike whole in the back, the SWB load area means the bike has to sit diagonally with the wheel turned.
Things to look out for:
Black death - if you can get yr phone camera near the injectors take a piccy of where they enter the cylinder head - any sooty deposits mean the seals are shot and getting the injectors out will be a real pig.
DMF + clutch will cost ~ £900 so check it for noise, judder and clanking.
Rust, pre-2007 or so the bodywork turned to cornflakes quickly. Think Merc started galvanising around then.
Propshaft UJs - the staved UJs are made of butter, if there's any chipped parts or play in the UJ expect some vibration and noise at speed. Props are fairly pricey and can't be separated from UJs.
Catalytic converters - get nicked off these a lot as you can do it lying under the van, easy money, if the van has been de-catted you may get more oomph, but you might kill some pixies and your insurance company will shaft you if you have to claim and haven't declared this.
Nice van to drive, much like an MPV, annoying height for the Channel Tunnel thresholds as it's about 5-10cm too high to go with cars. Doesn't make much difference in price.
I've always enjoyed driving them, done many motorway miles in them and they are good for kipping in.
They aren't the best thing off road, but the clearance is fairly good.