[benny donnelly]

Im looking for a van at the min, have looked at 2 today, 1 was an 07 connect and the other an 07 Vivaro, prior to looking at the connect have been told they are very troublesome especially the injectors and turbo, didnt have any knowledge on the Vivaro, to be honest I liked it better, nicer drive, more power etc both are around the same price...

So any suggestions on a tried and trusted van? defo dont want a transit for sure, going to spend around 3.5k on van and am open to any suggestion 

[jay kingston]

They are both good vans.My mate has an 05 connect
It has been good on reliabilty and looks great.Perfect for
Carrying upto 500 litre tank and would suit a one man band.
The vivaro has had it's issues with gearbox pre 05,which is
What I have,touch wood in 5 years I have had good reliability.
The newer vivaro's have better reliability,ideal for 2 man set up
Good to drive and plenty of space for kit and look the part.

Regards Jay

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

i av a 07 vivaro swb 2.0cdti
do not get the dci as they run a cam belt
cdti run a timimg chain
i had a 03 trafic b4 this an it nearly brankrupted me
the vivaro is superb but be weary cdti only 

[Window Washers]

tranist (standard) have a bigger load space in the back than a vivaro, although the vivaro not nicer.
I have heard a lot of good things about the connects, lwb high roof I am told are the better ones for wfp (due to space)

[spudd]

Both cracking vans, had a 03 connect for 2 years never missed a beat, then upgraded to a 07 vivaro as needed bigger van/payload and love it...

If I didn't need a bigger van I would of kept the connect (was hard getting read of a can ya no is spot on) but needs must.. Moral of the story, both good vans in there own right, think its down to personal preference depending what sort of payload ya need.. Both pretty similar on fuel to!

Hope this helps 

[Ian Rochester]

Avoid the Vivaro, the engines are a nightmare and if you are buying an 07 plate then you are getting into the region where it's going to cause you problems and cost you money.

We have 9 vans, all worked hard every day and I can honestly say the most reliable out of the lot of them is the two Fiat Ducatos we have, 05 and 06 plates, had them both since new, one has just clocked 100,000 miles, the other is on 80K + and we've had very little problem with either of them.

[brynley]

berlingo's, they are known to have the best diesel engines.

[bobby p]

i like older vans as it fits the image on the council estates where mostly we work.  iv a year 2000 partner van and its tough as old boots.  if it needs fixing any regular mechanic can fix it easily and cheaply .
  im shortly going to need a 2nd van and will be searching for another partner/berlingo  ,probably of year 2004. As long as it has a mileage of under 100k and a history trail , there will be years of life left in it.  

[Ian Rochester]

We have 3 Berlingos as well , much smaller van obviously but pretty much bomb proof if you keep them serviced.

[Total shine cleaning services]

What set up have you got and have you any plans to go to a 2 man set up..? If you have,  you will have to go on payload of the van, say a 650 tank with 2 guys working and fuel and equipment would be bordering on a ton already so if you had a bigger tank than that you would need something with at least a 1.5 ton payload, anyone know which vans have the bigger payload..? cos I will be going this route soon, I have short wheel based transit 260 and my payload is only 901kg, cracking van tho

Graham

[Total shine cleaning services]

Hi Ian

What's the payload of the fiat ducato please..?

Graham

[Steve CM]

had transits, vivaros and a combo.

All great reliable vans. All have pros and cons.

Combo = great fuel economy, great reliability, pretty roomy for a small van. only problem is the payload can only get a 350 litre tank in

Vivaro = Speedy van, like driving a car, good reliability (i had an 05 and an 08 plate) only negative i would say is parts of the cabin seem to fall off, trim etc...

Transit = Great reliability, a box on wheels so has shed loads of room. only negative (and its a big one) they rot too much and can look scabby

[tompoole]

Im running a 110 landrover , bullet proof by the way.
But the 22 mpg is not ideal so I've been looking for small van
For my part time round, 300 litre tank. I'm now looking at
Either a berlingo or dispatch seem to be the best

[Barbara Green]

I am currently driving a Connect one and it is very good, compared to the previous vans I had, I am very pleased with this one.

[matthewprice]

got a kangoo great van but not a great payload  i use a 200l tank as as i go home for lunch fillit up then ,my mate has a swb connect has a 500l tank much more room ,did have a problem with an injector got it fixed under warrenty been fine since

[EandM]

Ford Ranger - carries everything - goes pretty much everywhere - seats four - don't worry about getting it wet.
Only downsides are 28mpg and the turning circle of an ocean liner.

[Scrimble]

i have a 07 doblo,  very good van

[dannymack]

I would go for a bigger van than the small van as later you might want to cut grass or get a bigger tank so its always best to get the slightly bigger van try the scudo !!!!

[SB Cleaning]

Pug expert hdi, quick ,good on fuel,3 seats in front,plenty of room in the back, twin sliding side doors, small enough to park and get down tight streets.

[Ian Rochester]

Ducato payload is 1050kg