joined today not sure which engine to go for

[taxi]

Same engine in van is £215! Rip off.
[/quote]

It seems to be the case in this country that, especially for the hard-working ( work ??) guy or gal on the street , then everything is most definitely a rip-off. Motoring costs most affected. :censored:
And dont get me started on how the genuinely disabled, sick and / or out-of-work are being treated.

[CandR]

Chipping in for petrol, you could have a look at our thread report on our first long holiday with a 2002 Mk 1 1.6 16v.
[url]http://www.berlingoforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=3658[url]
(If I've got the insert-link thing wrong, search for: 3000 mile holiday )

She's one of the last Mk 1s, so her engine and electrics are pretty much the same as the earlier Mk 2s. Nice little touches, like the electric windows that can still be closed for a minute or so after ignition's off and key's out. Wiring on ours seems to be closer to the Mk 2s than to, for example, a '99 Mk 1.
Before this Lingo Lady we had 3 PSA 1.9 diesel cars in a row: Pug 205, BX wagon and ZX. We liked them all but the driving pleasure we get now beats them all. We went for petrol this time because of the Dutch road tax structure. To make diesel pay here you have to do more than a certain number of miles per year, so fuel costs more than compensate for the higher tax. Last two years we'd been below that mile figure, so we decided on a petrol car this time. Now we enjoy driving her so much that we're doing far more miles - so financially we're losing out..... but would we swap her now? No! (and I have driven a 1.6hdi - very nice.) I don't know how petrol vs. diesel tax vs. fuel costs pan out in the UK, however.
One thing I didn't mention about mpg in that other thread is that we were using the aircon heavily throughout the holiday, which apparently makes the figures look even better. Since then we've been doing about 80% city and local driving, and consumption seems to be settling at arond 37 mpg for that (disciplined right foot required, otherwise about 28 mpg:whistle.
The 1.6 is a nice engine. Performance is brisk enough to be fun. Someone has said on the forum that they thought the petrol cornered slightly better than the diesel - If true perhaps because the engine itself is a bit lighter above the front wheels?
To sum up - I like the 1.9. I like the hdi's. But there's nought wrong with the petrol!

Richard
(p.s.: as others have stressed - maintenance history and then keep it up!)

[ron]

Hi & welcome.The glass panelled roof is a modutop with the roof lockers & is the Desire model as opposed to the Forte with a normal roof.

Not strictly true - there are Forte models with Modutop too (I have one). It's just that it was standard on the Desire but optional on the Forte.

Thanks for that,it's something I didn't know.

[evdama]

Hi & welcome.The glass panelled roof is a modutop with the roof lockers & is the Desire model as opposed to the Forte with a normal roof.
I change the oil twice a year on my 1.6 HDi.Oil is cheaper than a turbo!
Road tax is £120 per year.I think the 1.9 is £180.

Same engine in van is £215! Rip off.

Exactly - Im paying near double the car rate but using the same engine .
And when empty my van possibly weighs less than the car version.
The vehicle is insured and used as SD&P so it should be taxed as such.
It wouldnt be be too hard to administer as the two databases are already linked.

[addo]

And dont get me started on how the genuinely disabled, sick and / or out-of-work are being treated.

Oh come now; they're peed on in the nicest possible way.

Our equivalent to road tax on a commercial van is quite dear; my 2000 Berlingo attracts just under £1K without insurance added in the mix. Insurance is 75% extra again.