Best builders vans?

[teaboyjim]

Just looking at the world through 66 yr old eyes
When I consider the pleasure I've had - and that still applies now - with the ability to use tools and to find out how things work and also to hopefully repair things, I feel that youngsters are missing out on so much.
The majority of younger people that I come across just don't seem to be interested in mechanical things, but just seem to be totally absorbed in their phones and social media I guess I should ask them though!
John

You're not wrong

 

[catlad]

There is a genuine toyota hiace van for sale on ebay now with 22.000 miles on the clock £11,500 Year 2007 Red I have the same van and its been very reliable.

 

[teaboyjim]

There is a genuine toyota hiace van for sale on ebay now with 22.000 miles on the clock £11,500 Year 2007 Red I have the same van and its been very reliable.

A lot of money for a 13 year old vehicle

 

[frutbunn]

I've never owned or run vans, but I've kept my builder mates vans going for the last 30 years, his most recent one was a Transit, pile of rot, welded sills, rear spring hanger, wheel arches etc, It was only 8 year old when I first welded it, then every year for the next 3 years, probably would have been scrapped earlier if he'd had to pay the garage. Back spring hanger was the worst, took half a day to fabricate the repair section before we even started with the welding, then had to cut part of the good floor out to get access.
Still it was better than his LDV, the two of us spent 3 days on it just doing welding, it was only 6 year old at the time. Absolute pile of crap.
His mk4 escort required a bit of work but that was because there was some flooding and Ford, in their wisdom, fitted the air intake as close to the ground as they could, water went straight down the cylinders, unbelievably it blew the head gasket clean out the block which saved the engine. The spawny get, must be the only person ever not to have hydraulic locked the engine and bent the con rods, still cost a hundred quid for gaskets, new oil etc.
He's got a VW now, I've only done normal servicing so far.

 

[Bodd]

A lot of money for a 13 year old vehicle

Thats what I thought.

 

[teaboyjim]

I've never owned or run vans, but I've kept my builder mates vans going for the last 30 years, his most recent one was a Transit, pile of rot, welded sills, rear spring hanger, wheel arches etc, It was only 8 year old when I first welded it, then every year for the next 3 years, probably would have been scrapped earlier if he'd had to pay the garage.

My old Skoda Fabia is about 13/14 years old and there's no significant rust

 

[frutbunn]

Would you say frutbunn that all transits are still bad for rust now and have you heard that people are saying the new engines they're putting in Ford Transits now are not reliable either

I'm not actually in the motor trade, but I restore/modify classic cars/4x4's, I try to keep off modern stuff if I can, unfortunately this means you end up doing favours. I work quite a bit with my builder mate, so end up on his vans. Since I did his van I started looking at transits more closely on the various sites I go to, and there are some real rotten ones and not particularly old either. My mates only made it to 11 year old as welding is nearly all labour and very little material cast, if he'd been using a garage it would have gone a couple of years earlier. Even the timing case cover had rotted through and was throwing oil all over the place!

 

[teaboyjim]

I'm not actually in the motor trade, but I restore/modify classic cars/4x4's, I try to keep off modern stuff if I can, unfortunately this means you end up doing favours. I work quite a bit with my builder mate, so end up on his vans. Since I did his van I started looking at transits more closely on the various sites I go to, and there are some real rotten ones and not particularly old either. My mates only made it to 11 year old as welding is nearly all labour and very little material cast, if he'd been using a garage it would have gone a couple of years earlier. Even the timing case cover had rotted through and was throwing oil all over the place!

The difference between good quality and old quality is huge sometimes.My Fabia cost me £1,500 a few years ago and just goes on and on and then you can compare that to a £10,000 - £15,000 Ford van which might turn out to be nothing but problems

 

[Deleted member 174758]

With vans is anyone taking into consideration security? For example much as I like them (having owned three) Berlingos/Partners (and presumably the new Vauxhall based on the same platform) all need extra strengthening around the door locks to prevent the break-in technique where the thief pops the lock out (BTW easier said than done). Knowing this mine were fitted with dead bolt locks and stainless steel lock shields. On the other hand side door Transits in particular (at least until recently?) seem prone to an attack on the sliding side door where the front top runner is burst out from the body and the door is then bent downwards leaving the lock intact (because that's where the alarm sensor is). They look like King Kong has had a go at them. Our site had no less than 5 vans "done" that way in 2019 - all Transits, none older than 5 years old.

 

[Diver Fred]

Recently most of the singleton tradies I meet with are using crew-cab pickups with hi tops over the load area. Some of the chaps use a trailer for bulk stuff. They are carrying less tools with themselves as it stop van thefts. On the new housing estate in the village the brickies are arriving in cars, not vans. In fact the only trades that seem to be arriving on site in vans are sparkies and plumbers.

Speaking for myself, the family have gone through a MiniVan, a couple of estate cars, A35 Van, Ford Anglia van and a couple of Bedford's and a 3rd gen transit I'm now using an Estate car - tinted windows, removable 'box' that lines the inside from tailgate to front seats. Strangely enough now getting quite a lot of work offers as there is a couple housing complexes in the area that won't have (builders) vans in the complex but with the estate car TPTB ignore those of us who do not have vans.

 

[catlad]

A lot of money for a 13 year old vehicle

Yes I agree so you would have to do some bargaining but they don't rust and they just keep going, if its a reliable work horse your after then I can recommend these genuine toyota vans.

 

[teaboyjim]

Are Renault Traffic vans better now than they used to be?

 

[Bodd]

Are Renault Traffic vans better now than they used to be?

Ive had 2 and been great. My sport I bought in 2008 is still going well

 

[teaboyjim]

I wonder if it's because Renault and Nissan are working together - I've not heard anything much bad about Renault vans in the past few years so perhaps the quality has improved or they're using Nissan engines