Thanks Spruce,
My log book says scudo comfort 130 m-jet lwb. It has air con elec windows and a locking system.The front and back lock seprately and automaticlaly as you drive, but a button on the dash releases the back.
You are quite knowledgable on this, i only know as much because A) i owned a ducatto for ten years B) i used a 900 kg scudo for three years of wc C) I wanted to expand and didn't know how
The wanted to expand part is that i took an employee on, which has worked out great, except that i haven't got that much work at times.So i knew putting another van on the road was too big a jump, but that also having three vans on my drive (when the neighbours have been fine about two) could well lead to trouble. So my solution lay in this scudo maxi. I hated getting rid of my old 04 scudo it cost 7k plus vat and they gave me 2350 with 36k on the clock (13k) when i bought it.
I thought your summary of the relative merits of the ducato/relay and scudo maxi was very good.You missed out that a scudo has side doors either side which is a bit of a clincher for me.
I am a bit of an untidy person and have resolved to do better with this van. I want places to put things such as trad equipment and ladder limpets and stand offs and steps and ladders and wagtails etc. I haven't figured this part out yet.
On the old scudo there were places in the roof to attach cross bars that supported poles but there isn't much in the maxi.
Some of the newer building Estates have planning laws that forbid the owner to park and 'Transit' size van or a caravan on the driveway as it is supposed to lower the standard of the area. One of the things about the old Scudo/Expert/Dispatch was that they, although being commercial vehicles, did not fall into this catagory as they were based on standard people carriers.
But over time most turn a blind eye to larger vans on their neighbours driveway as they are better there than parked legally on the street.
I agree that having twin opening doors is great for WPF especially if you have a hosereel that can exit either door. However, one of the issues with a hose out a side door is the 'trip factor' of the hose across the pavement, especially when pulling it out initially and dragging it down your customers driveway and around the back of the house. I personally prefer to situate the hosereel at the back of the van and turn it in the direction of the house I am cleaning.
In the general market place, twin sliding doors, although ocassionally useful, usually means a reduction in the van's carrying capacity, as stuff can't be stacked up on the driver's side as you would do with a single sliding door application.
How many times have you see a van with a single sliding door owned by a tradesman who has boxed in the area around the single side door and used it as access to shelves for his tools etc with access to the van only through the rear doors.
It's really all about 'horses for courses'.
The Ducato/Relay/Boxers were available with twin sliding doors as an optional extra and usually a factory order which explains why there are a handful of second hand examples out there.
As far as tradeins are concerned, sometimes you just have to do get on and do the deal. I lost count of the deals we did, then a friend wanted the tradein, then the friend couldn't come up with the money and in the end it usually wasted everybody's time. The value of used commercial vans is up and down at the moment. One week they are getting top book at the auctions and then the following week it all collapses. The uncertain economic situation prevailing at this time is not helping the market. The dealer now takes on the risk of selling it, and for every day its sits on his forecourt he will loose money. It also becomes a year older in Jan, so he will have priced it accordingly.
I definitely believe that the 900kg Scudo you traded in is too small for a 2 man operation. You had no choice there.
Engine on new van is also well powerful enough - nice one.
Spruce