sorry spruce,normally i like what you write,but about the vivaro not man enough,sorry your wrong on that.
transit have no guts in them just pain work horses,and a good vivaro will leave a transit standing with a full 650lt tank.
my 56 plate vivaro as been trouble free,touch wood.and runs like a dream 
Mmmm. I knew when I wrote that Franky that I was going to be mobbed by the guys who have had good service from them. One of my customers brought an 09 plate with low mileage and still under manufacturers warranty. New injectors under warranty and as the garage didn't do the job properly they had to replace engine with new block assembly.
According to him Renault workshop manager admitted that they have an injector issue at present and Renault aren't even querying the claims. He had a loan van for 3 weeks while they sorted this one out. He uses the van to move his bicycles and also to sleep in if they go cycling on the continent.
2 guys have them here for WFP. 07 plate with 60k has had to have a new clutch assembly just recently and the fitter says they done a few. The other van is an 04 plate and is falling apart - side sliding door tracks and rollers need replacing and generally looks tatty. - around 85k on the clock Its not 'mothered' but then most van's aren't.
A friend of mine in an electrician and uses his to transport his tools around. In the last year his has had a new clutch, turbo and a couple of other problems. His said to me that the repair costs never seem to stop -"its always something." Interestingly, neither of these 2 older vans have had gearbox issues like some have had on here.
I also read with interest the issues that some have had on here with various mechanical components, especially GAV- hence the reason for my comments. I did however say that some have never had any issues.
I honestly like the look of the van and the cabin layout, but I still wouldn't buy one because of the experiences some, although not all, have had. So IMHO I still stand up and say that I would worry about their suitability for our job generally. When I was in the motor trade the Trafic had been out for several years, and TBH the perception in the trade was of caution.
With Transits you would always get a buyer. body work wasn't a major issue as mechanically they were bullet proof. Not many vans have that bullet proof tag.
Yes, the older Transits are slow work horses, but again that's fine for me as I don't want to race around with 600 litres of water behind me. There is still a good demand for used Transits, which speaks volumes for me.
Sorry to those who have been offended by my comments. I guess my post was to proceed with caution and based on my own opinion and perception, which is what the original poster asked for.
Also, the Vito had been out for a while as well and the trade's perception of them was to stay well clear of them.
Spruce
