Berlingo Forum

Full Version: Time to change for a newer one ?
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I drive an old 2002 van, no turbo, 160'000 miles on her, I do about 14'000 miles a year, its probably worth nothing at all in money terms.
I use it to transport a drum kit to gigs a few days a week and it never has to carry a heavy load. 

I've replaced a fair few parts in recent years (bushings, disc breaks, fuel pump, exhaust, suspension springs etc etc) nothing really major but there's usually some part that needs replacing every once in a while.

Shes driving good at the minute, starts on the button and purrs along nicely, but i have developed a bit of itch to change her, my dad thinks it must be uneconomical to drive an old van , it will need 2 new wishbone bushings and a patch on the exhaust probably soon this year, but my mechanic says its driving well otherwise.

My budget at the moment is for a 2011/2012 van, many of them typically have around 80'000 miles on them. I'm guessing  80'000 miles is around the time when parts start to fail , so maybe i'd be better off keeping the old one for a while yet ?

Ideas welcome
i can answer one of your questions. The 80k mileage thing is sales driven and nothing to do with reliability.

It is basically a out of date idea that sales people are still hanging onto, it is out of date by 30 years. You see 30 years ago if a vehicle hit 80k the engine was well on its way out and you were looking at problems. But with modern oils, materials, design and manufacturing engines are capable of 400k + miles.

Everything is sales driven in the motor wold so because they are out of date by 30 years any vehicle with over 80k miles they automatically devalue but people in the know tend to actually buy vehicles with OVER 80k because they are much cheaper than a vehicle with 70k but no more unreliable.

So sales idiots are out of date but still in charge of what goes on in the market place.

My view keep what you have and dont waste money you dont need to.
Hi All,
If you add up the cost of annual repairs on your old van, and set it against depreciation and annual servicing costs on the newer one, I'd guess that it'll be cost effective to keep the old one! Depreciation on the old one can never be more than its actual value, which is next to nothing. The newer one may also hold some unforeseen repair surprises too.
Unless you can find a really good one, in great condition and full service history, for the right money, then maybe stick with what you know.
Fuel savings are going to be fairly marginal on your limited mileage, but road tax may be lower but insurance possibly higher!!
I'd echo the above for you have kept your car well maintained which is half the battle, a replacement vehicle could easily require new brakes, suspension work, a new exhaust and even a new cam belt etc which comes to a lot of cash even if you do the work yourself.

Is an old van uneconomical to drive ? I don't think so and have run older cars / vans etc for many many years now and find it is far cheaper to do so. If you work on the basis that a well maintained vehicle is cheap to run then you won't go far wrong but then you are doing that anyway !
Thanks for your thoughts guys, much appreciated, i'm a bit torn now, was all geared up to change it and now I'm somewhat swayed to keep it.

A 2011 van 1.6 diesel 75bhp has come up for sale locally, one owner from new, an elderly gentleman, not a builder (no offence).
I've had someone check the van out for me and they've said its spotless and in great condition, just serviced by dealer and passed the road safety test last month.
Only fault was needing a bulb on the dashboard heater display, Its about 130'000 km or 80'000 miles so i guess a timing belt should be done at its next service.

Very tempted to change ,but maybe i'll sleep on it for a night.
Well that appears to be the right sort of replacement vehicle, good choice - now the dilema begins !
One more thing i should mention, had a coolant leak bout 3 years ago with condensation inside cockpit, mechanic could not find it so we tried a bottle of novastop.
It cured the problem and has been fine since but i wonder if the problem will rear its ugly head in the near future and be an expensive fix ?

I'm 50/50 keeping or replacing her but before i read this forum thread i was only 25% in favor of keeping it. bloody internet Smile
sound like heater matrix - quite a big job as its a dash out
Unless your other half is likely to tell you in the near future that there is a bun in the oven then just fill your boots and do whatever feels good, either vehicle will be a good choice for you.

How long do you keep your vehicles ? If for the long term then the 1.6 will be a good bet otherwise keeping the cash and the existing van makes sense.
Sounds as though you did a god job 3 years ago, and if the problem came back then repeat the exercise or just clamp off the heater pipes and run it until it's too cold to use without a heater, put it on Done Deal and buy a pint with whatever you get for it!
It sounds as though you've got plenty of mechanical sympathy and can nurse & fix problems. However, if the 'new' van is really that good then go for it, put the old one up for what you can get and put the money aside for future maintenance, or just buy a pint, as above.
Have you asked the old boy why he's selling? I once bought an old BSA motorbike from an old boy, a pig farmer in Norfolk who said that he was giving up the motorbikes as he had 'Arferitus' of the feet. Once he had the cash in his hands he ran off pretty quickly, Arferitus cured. Bike was a heap of junk really, and when I eventually got the log book it had 13 owners, none of whom were careful.
My 2002 Berlingo will be run until it dies properly (ie when I have to pay someone to mend it)
Cheers!
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