[Ian101]

MOT'd / serviced / 2 new tyres my 2004 Transit today

Service / mot / front pads and discs £300

Tyres  £130

hopefully thats it for a while  :


been thinking of getting new van on payments of about £200 a month with lower running costs but them payments would be every month for 4 years as opossed to the £400 ive just paid out.

Prob hang on for another 6 months as tranny now fit and healthy again ?

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

ian you were a sales manager???
think very carefully on used
brand new  toyota hiace 2.5d was only 199
+vat at lindops wxm m8

[Ian101]

ian you were a sales manager???
think very carefully on used
brand new  toyota hiace 2.5d was only 199
+vat at lindops wxm m8

yup was a sales manager but cant decide to run this one into the ground as it were or go in for a new one ?

round doing good and growing and defo employing as from March  so may treat myself but hate spending money esp on a loan 

[bobby p]

im thinking of buying new  as im tired of driving a slow crock with no power steering, my main worry is will a brand new van  fit in with the correct image on the council estates where i work. i dont want to look like a New Rothschild ,as if im  playing the windie game for kicks, later returning to my castle  .
   ive chatted to the lads and come to the conclusion we would have to age it somehow,  the lads say theyd happily dent it all over , but no no No, im thinking i could simply paint it with a matt paint (emulsion?)  that could later be washed off when it comes to sell it.  

[andyM]

Emulsion paint Bobby? Surely you are having a laugh? 
But I am considering the possibility of a new van in the near future aswell.
Not to do with image or anything like that but for reliability reasons. No mot for 3 years and a manufacturers warranty.
Earlier in the year my previous van had a cylinder head problem and ended up being off the road for 2 weeks. This really affected my schedule of work so reliabilty is an important factor for me.

[bobby p]

Emulsion paint Bobby? Surely you are having a laugh? 

maybe emulsion might not wash off at a later date, good point.   id have to do a bit of research on the decorators forum to find a dull paint that washes off after 2 or 3 years

[andyM]

Emulsion paint Bobby? Surely you are having a laugh? 

maybe emulsion might not wash off at a later date, good point.   id have to do a bit of research on the decorators forum to find a dull paint that washes off after 2 or 3 years

Put some Bullet Hole stickers on there Bobby! 

[bobby p]

thats a good idea, the stickers ,cheers for that

 ive been following www.vansdirect.co.uk  for quite a while , he has sent me details of various deals over the last year or so , and i think if i buy new,id use his firm.

[andyM]

There are some decent deals to be had from time to time Bobby.
Citroen are currently doing "free fuel for a year" or up to 10,000 miles when you buy a new van.

[bobby p]

There are some decent deals to be had from time to time Bobby.
Citroen are currently doing "free fuel for a year" or up to 10,000 miles when you buy a new van.

that sounds good , id been  thinking a citroen nemo might suit,being trad, but i now see they dont have a very comfy ride as ive followed a few , pitching around as the wheelbase is small .also i doubt an extra lad could squeeze in the back of one of those.

 an  idea i once heard about  is to have a figure in mind, say a van is 10 grand cash price , then  email out to all the dealers saying im gagging for one of these but then tell them iv only 8 or 9 to spend tops and see who bites my hand off .

[Pope vader]

surely it is better to have a van that is paid off and only running costs,  rather than a new van with a monthly paymentss  how many times have you read on here my 3 old van  clutch has gone etc,  better the devil you know

[Klean07]

I bought my Connect in 2007 off Ebay for £4,000 with no vat. Milage was 79,000 ex rental van it was so it had a good service history. In just over 4 years its done 12,000 miles, had a new set of tyres, a back box and a full service. So I will be keeping it for the time being. It owes me nothing!!

[dazmond]

Depends on how far you go to your work and how big your tank is.also is it your only vehicle?

350L tank,work in an 8 mile radius,sole trader,mainly used as a work van.

I do spend a bit to keep it on the road but nowhere near as much as 2400quid a year.I keep it clean and tidy.some customers cant believe its an 11 yr old van!

If you plan to employ a new van would be better imo as it'll b a double whammy if you have van problems as you'll still have wages to pay plus work lost and repair bills.

[Ian101]

If you plan to employ a new van would be better imo as it'll b a double whammy if you have van problems as you'll still have wages to pay plus work lost and repair bills.

good point - hadnt thought of that

[Ian101]

im thinking of buying new  as im tired of driving a slow crock with no power steering, my main worry is will a brand new van  fit in with the correct image on the council estates where i work. i dont want to look like a New Rothschild ,as if im  playing the windie game for kicks, later returning to my castle  .
   ive chatted to the lads and come to the conclusion we would have to age it somehow,  the lads say theyd happily dent it all over , but no no No, im thinking i could simply paint it with a matt paint (emulsion?)  that could later be washed off when it comes to sell it.  

thought about that myself as may get a bit of a reaction when I put prices up then turn up in a new van 

or get new van then put up prices - same reaction off some I rekon

so maybe a year or two old with a cheap private plate to hide age ?

[Pope vader]

you should buy a new van,  turn up to custy houses, looking like there is loads of money to be made in this business, then come on here moaing that custys are canceling and starting there own wc business

[AuRavelling79]

I've tended to run older vehicles all my life but I bit the bullet in 2006 and bought a brand new Doblo and I'm glad I did. I've had five years trouble free work out of it.

I got it "on the drip" over four years and I will keep it until it starts costing money in unreliability and repairs.

I will be looking for another (as in extra) van in spring and I think I will get new but with two vehicles and having a trailer (where I can use the family car when needed) then absolute reliability isn't the same issue so I might look for a well looked after secondhand van.

I don't think it matters as long as you don't buy a lemon or a stolen vehicle! I'd rather pay more for one with the right feel as regards history than not.

[tacky]

same as gold said .like most of us starting window cleaning .i had cars .estates for about 12yrs .paying out repairs regular .one year the rac .were going to scrap my membership due to many call outs .so i bought a newish pergoet x pert .60.000 mls on clock  iv had it nearly 4 yrs .140,00 mls on clock .tyres ,oil changes .cambelt kit .best veicle iv ever bought .will def buy a newish van soon