Second hand Vans

[4VCLEVO]

I'm after some advice on buying a second hand tradies van, no older than 5years with less than 90,000km, around $25000 and prefer auto but not essential. There seems to be alot of different makes on the market and I really have no idea which ones are reliable Van's that will see out the next 150,000km without too much trouble.
Any advice would be appreciated.

[Citroënbender]

COE type van like a Hiace or car-style like a Caddy?

[4VCLEVO]

Vw transporter
Toyota hiace
Ford transit custom
Renalt traffic
Hyundai upload
Ldv g10
MB vito
There is probably others.
For use in an electrcal contracting business, replacing a bf falcon ute

[Citroënbender]

An occasional workmate who’s careful with his money, went through this a shade over two years ago. He bought a new Hiace in the end because he felt the used ones were all overpriced or well-beaten, or both. This wasn’t a snap decision, he nosed around for probably six weeks to gauge the offerings. I know he has zero regrets about this purchase.

If it’s going to get caned and neglected I’d suggest the simplicity of a Hiace is in your favour. Be surprised if any part is ever more than two business days away. Having seen what happens with neglected Trainspotters, nah. (Even aftermarket bits are often dear.) Can’t really comment on the others.

[hayseed]

Another couple of grand you could get a Brand new LDV with 3yrs free servicing ....

Just a thought...

[4VCLEVO]

LDV's may be good, I wouldn't know. But reliability is probably the most important thing I need. Having a van that's under warranty doesn't mean much if its constantly off the road with warranty issues will cost me more in my workers not being able to work.

Hiace seem ok, I have seen some neat low km petrol ones in my budget. The diesel hiace worries me a bit, they use the motor out of the last series hilux and I've seen alot of those blow up.

[jstanovic]

I had a petrol Hiace at my last job, was good to drive and super reliable. 415km until the fuel light came on like clockwork haha!!! Think it was a 60L tank, averaged about 12L/100km.

Had Mitsubishi express as well, stay well away!!! Cheap, pretty reliable but uncomfortable and a safety rating of -5 stars.

I would stay away from the Euros, our climate seems to be their enemy...

[Franco Cozzo]

Diesel Hyundai iLoad followed by Unleaded LDV G10 - the latter has a turbo 4 and a ZF box.

The Hiace is an absolute pain in the *** to work on, slow and uncomfortable - has Toyota badge so you pay more for it.

I did my apprenticeship on Mercedes Sprinters - those things can cop an absolute beating but they're stupidly expensive to maintain.

Avoid VW - I did the conversion of Victoria Police's Vito fleet to new VW Transporters about 5 years ago - absolute bangin' stereo but crap to drive and lolworthy DSG.

[Tonz]

if your heading the Hyundai track, dont be put off by Imax...yes passenger vehicles, although I dont have one, a business I am involved with buys them cheaper than Iloads, strips the seats out, uses for 3 years, refits seats and sell them off.

[XR Martin]

Hiace all the way if you want reliability.
They're engines are a lower power version of the hilux and it's not uncommon for them to do 500k kms without issue.
They do chew the brakes though.

We also have Mercedes Sprinters at work and they've been pretty faultless too.

Iload is another option. But only the diesel, the petrol is painfully slow.

[Dr Smith]

I would suggest Ford Transit Custom auto easily however you won't get one with auto at that price as they're still newish.

You'll find a few Hiaces with options fitted like roof rack , shelving etc, however you might be pushing the max. km's you are searching at.
However I also found second hand Hiaces prices were too high with high km that it wasn't worth buying second hand.

Apart from 2017 Custom with auto @ 40,000Km, I own a 2018 Trafic Crewvan and while it's manual it drives the most car-like and very economical. Again no issues however it's done only 16,000Km.

Just for your info, an all-new Hiace is just around the corner and it's going to be semi-bonnetted with potentially 3.5L v6 petrol and larger diesel as well. It will be wider and much longer than the current model. Not sure if dealers will do deals to sell superseded versions or actually sell out more quickly if buyers don't want the much longer replacement model.
I value my safety so would never consider the current Hiace for me or my staff.
I've owned 2 Transporters and would never buy second hand if out of warranty, they are the best built but just too expensive to maintain.

I've only hired iLoads and they were fine but I don't know their reliability history.

I don't know if you are going to finance this purchase but if not then consider maybe spending a bit more, financing the difference and going new. The Custom has a 5 year warranty, Trafic as well, not sure about others, Ford offer free loan vehicles so while transferring things across is a pain, you can drop off at night, grab the loaner and not lose time in the morning and work doesn't stop. Even have Saturday servicing.

If you are going to finance the whole lot then still see if you can manage a high $30's purchase for new.

Good Luck.

[ozpacman]

For what it's worth, we have about four iLoad vans at my workplace at any one time. Three are marked police vehicles and have a large aluminium constructed prisoner transport pod in the rear. The other one is a plain white unmarked van identical to what you'd buy, apart from an extra radio and some discreet emergency vehicle lighting and sirens etc.

The unmarked one is attached to my office so I do get to drive it reasonably regularly. In my opinion they're a great van. This is our second iLoad and we've had no issues with either. Our vehicle does get babied though.

The marked ones are used three shifts per day as divisional vans and cop an absolute caning. They seem to hold up very well and I'm not aware of any reliability issues with them. I've been in this job for quite a few years and I reckon I can safely say that 50,000 kms in a general duties police vehicle in a large station is probably equivalent to about 300,000 kms in a privately owned vehicle.

If you'd like 4VC, I can have a chat with our garage manager tomorrow and get the low down on any issues he may have identified with them.

[Junkyard-Dog]

I love VWs but my parents have a transporter van that has been a money pit. I would probably get a jap or Korean van.

[4VCLEVO]

Originally Posted by ozpacman

For what it's worth, we have about four iLoad vans at my workplace at any one time. Three are marked police vehicles and have a large aluminium constructed prisoner transport pod in the rear. The other one is a plain white unmarked van identical to what you'd buy, apart from an extra radio and some discreet emergency vehicle lighting and sirens etc.

The unmarked one is attached to my office so I do get to drive it reasonably regularly. In my opinion they're a great van. This is our second iLoad and we've had no issues with either. Our vehicle does get babied though.

The marked ones are used three shifts per day as divisional vans and cop an absolute caning. They seem to hold up very well and I'm not aware of any reliability issues with them. I've been in this job for quite a few years and I reckon I can safely say that 50,000 kms in a general duties police vehicle in a large station is probably equivalent to about 300,000 kms in a privately owned vehicle.

If you'd like 4VC, I can have a chat with our garage manager tomorrow and get the low down on any issues he may have identified with them.

Thanks. Are the manual or auto, and petrol or diesel?

[ozpacman]

Originally Posted by 4VCLEVO

Thanks. Are the manual or auto, and petrol or diesel?

All diesel and auto trans mate. I've driven a petrol version (hire car) and in my humble opinion they're hopelessly under powered - the turbo diesels are streets ahead in terms of everyday driving. So much so that I wouldn't even consider a petrol engine model.

I had a quick yarn with our garage manager today. He confirmed we presently have five iLoads on the local fleet and all are diesel/autos.

The only problems he's identified are some electrical issues, however he stressed that these problems have been a direct result of the demands placed on the factory wiring and electrical componentry by the police specific 'add-ons'. Things like extra emergency lighting, prisoner pod air-conditioning and lighting, radios, and all the other do-dads necessary for a general duties divisional van. I'd have to to agree with him because neither of the unmarked vans we've been issued with have ever shown any problems in that area.

He advises that as for the vehicles themselves, none have ever suffered any mechanical issues and their reliability has been solid.

Chassis-wise they've proven to be very robust and believe me - the marked vans certainly do get a workout in this area.

Something I didn't realise until he told me was that the iLoad is a traditional body on full chassis construction, and not unitary like a lot of vehicles. I don't know if this is of any consequence to you, but I was a bit surprised as I thought they'd all be unitary construction. I did have a quick look underneath and it does indeed appear to be a pretty decent sort of a full chassis.

As an aside, we have two European vans in the fleet that I know have been less than ideal in the reliability stakes. In fairness though, the demands placed on these vehicles are probably different to the private sector and these issues may be more as a result of their operational environment than anything else.

Anyway mate I hope this gives you a bit of extra info to consider with your prospective purchase. Good luck with it!

Russ.

[TER2BO]

Hi, just thought I should throw in my thoughts.

We have been running a courier/transport business for 15years+.
We orginaly had Petrol Toyota Hi ace Commuter Buses on duel fuel.
Much better length and space than a normal Hi Ace. We brought them 2nd hand from Charities that got them tax-free so they were well priced. Very good vans.

More recent years we have moved to ex ambulance diesel Merc Sprinters.
These may have more than the 95k but they are fully serviced and maintained.
They also can come with many extra features not on a standard van.

We drove some of the earlier model 2.7L up to 750k when we sold them - still going strong.
We currently run the 3.0L V6 version as the side doors have a bigger opening. It now has over 350k on the clock with no problems.
It will fit lengths up to 3m or longer inside and it takes 2 full size pallets with 1.5 t carrying capacity.
We got ours from Melbournes Cheapest Vans with a Victorian Roadworthy although I don't think they have to do much as the vans have to be very well maintained.

[Swordie]

I would say Toyota Hiace and Hyundai iLoad.

Toyota Hiace is reliable and has good resale value. Diesel is probably more desirable but is limited in supply compared to petrol versions at your range.

I know someone who purchased a 3.0 Diesel (the current shape) a few years ago with 200,000kms at the time. It is still going strong and reliable.

You may need to consider comfort. The iLoad looks like it is more comfortable, I don't know this for a fact. Check yourself.

I have driven a Hiace down a country rd with a strong winds. They get blown around compared to driving a sedan.