Ford Transit Vans

[arther dailey]

for that monies you wont get a sprinter that hasnt been around the world mileage wise..

 

[cheb]

Dunno if this helps but I drive an 08 SWB low roof Transit. I do about 25,000 miles a year, probably split half and half slow island short journeys and battering at high speed on the motorway. I'm currently in Carlisle heading north to home. Undersealing will help, mine still has no major rust holes underneath but did have the passenger steps and sill done this year. It's had a couple of alternators and the starter needed cleaning a few years back. The on board computer says 42mpg on island and 36mpg on the motorway, and I don't hang about on the motorway. Sometimes fully loaded, other times not.

 

[500e]

Try changing the ERG on a 2015 Vito in the rear of the motor

 

[macandmoss]

love my mk7 transit , had mine stolen in February and was devastated , watched it on cctv and they were in and gone in under a minute , you think ford would spend more on better locks etc , if you get one move the computer port ,change the locks ,fit loom guards on the back and weld your own pedal lock

 

[knighty]

sprinters are better vans than transits... until they go wrong, then it's hard to find out what's really wrong with them... even if you know a decent merc tech. with a transit they've been around long enough and they're well know enough that any half decent mechanic knows that the fault codes really mean (sometimes an airflow code pointing to turbo is really an egr problem etc...)

transit parts are much cheaper and easier to get... transit egr valve is £90... sprinter egr valve is £700

fwd vs rwd there's not much in it tbh if you compare like for like... 115hp is 115hp - lots of people moan about one or the other but they drive a 90hp van and then a 120hp van and compare the two

if it's rwd you want 115hp or better - so you get the 6 speed gearbox, I'm not sure if the same stands for the fwd vans, all mine are rwd


if you're keen to get a really good one go see a few and take them for test drives... check above and below what you want to spend... you really can tell the difference between a good one and a crap one by the way they drive and how they sound... there's no guarantees but a looked after engine vs an neglected engine makes a big difference with modern high revving diesels :-o

 

[mike os]

I'm looking at 2-3K max

Going to struggle to find a good one with reasonable miles for that I think realistically more like 5k

 

[macandmoss]

sprinters are better vans than transits... until they go wrong, then it's hard to find out what's really wrong with them... even if you know a decent merc tech. with a transit they've been around long enough and they're well know enough that any half decent mechanic knows that the fault codes really mean (sometimes an airflow code pointing to turbo is really an egr problem etc...)

transit parts are much cheaper and easier to get... transit egr valve is £90... sprinter egr valve is £700

fwd vs rwd there's not much in it tbh if you compare like for like... 115hp is 115hp - lots of people moan about one or the other but they drive a 90hp van and then a 120hp van and compare the two

if it's rwd you want 115hp or better - so you get the 6 speed gearbox, I'm not sure if the same stands for the fwd vans, all mine are rwd


if you're keen to get a really good one go see a few and take them for test drives... check above and below what you want to spend... you really can tell the difference between a good one and a crap one by the way they drive and how they sound... there's no guarantees but a looked after engine vs an neglected engine makes a big difference with modern high revving diesels :-o

Mine is the 100hp trend 6 speed and is still powerful and economic ,the one I had stolen was the 125hp version ,these are all still the same engine just different software , the law has changed this year or the egr and dpf would be removed and it remapped like the old one but I don't think it's worth the risk

 

[gaz_moose]

id be looking for a Renault master / Vauxhall movano for that kind of money.
that will get you a 2.5L 6 speed 120bhp van you can stand up in the back. it wont be rotten but check the clutch and gearbox are silky smooth as they like destroying syncros and cables.

 

[knighty]

Going to struggle to find a good one with reasonable miles for that I think realistically more like 5k

I bought a spotless 60 reg transit, lwb, high top, 110k miles for 4k about 3 months back... I'm sure I could have found a cheaper one but I was in a hurry and it was local - I saw it advertised but I could literally throw a stone from my work to where it was parket (advertised for 4250, paid 4000)

bought a 07, lwb, high tip, with 68k miles on it for £2800 about a year ago, the engine really nice in this one (really really nice)

I'm normally in a bit of a hurry buying vans, I'm sure if I had more time to look I could get some better deals

 

[aguycalledsteve]

Newer transits have a bit of an issue with the wiring loom running through the OSF wheel arch. Thieves have discovered cutting it unlocks all the doors. As my workplace has discovered recently.

 

[V6BOY]

MK7 trannys see to hold value not to badly, if you have 2k/3k to spend it's going to be an early one just make sure you have a good look underneath that's for sure.

 

[roofman]

I have a 96 smiley transit custom in Ireland...its a rare bird with the alloy wheels and full electric pack (windows etc). That wonderful banana motor that they never should have stopped producing just need to find the time to bring it home.

 

[weldingnovice]

Bit of a pointer on what to look out for regards rust, If you see spotting on panels like this:

Looks like this behind:

 

[bigegg]

I'm seriously considering finding a banananana engined transit for scrap, and building a "locost" style box body for it. [ 5x2 c- channel, 25mm shs, 1.2mm galv sheet, galvd + coated.


couple of grand for a van that will last me the rest of my life

 

[macandmoss]

some pics of the replacement transit door lock I had fitted , the bike chain around the steering and most of all the pedal lock I knocked up out of 75mm square which encases the pedal on both sides ( excuse the crap padlock as it was only for testing ..lol )

 

[slim_boy_fat]

@macandmoss Bet your pockets don't last long with those keys

 

[Robotstar5]

@macandmoss Bet your pockets don't last long with those keys

They were pinched off the seat while he was fitting the pedal lock

 

[knighty]

when I was a kid my dad had loads of transits nicked... 13 over the years... they'd have been mk4 and mk5 iirc (smile front and the one before)

once got one back which had a fuel cut off, the solenoid was next to the tank so they got 7 or 8 miles before it conked out on them, rest were never seen again

the only thing that stopped then was the pedal lock

 

[fizzy]

I often borrow my mate's Fiat Ducato . It is transit sized. Also the Renault Master is the same I believe. It has a Transit engine 2006 plate - had a hard life but very reliable. Lovely to drive. It is a very wide and tall van. In fact your eyeline is about the same as a bus driver's! My mate used to be a plasterer and bought it because you can get 8x4 sheets in between the wheel arches.

It is FWD. Very good on fuel unless you push it over 75 or 80. No rust at all even after all these years - very surprised.

 

[knighty]

You van get an 8x4 sheet between the arches on every big van now


A lot of the other fwd vans (renaults etc.) Have a bad reputation for killing gear boxes


I think.... they all have good points and bad points, non really stand out as much better than than the rest?

From personal experience I think iveco are the most reliable.... but maybe I just had a good one.... it was a 2001 so no idea what the newer lines are like