Which one to buy?

[danmartinic]

Hello!

I am looking at buying my first Berlingo.  This vehicle will be purchased on the Continent and used as a summer visit vehicle aprox. 2 months a year.  I found this forum and it appears overwhelming with lots of knowledge!  I am not looking at an expensive purchase: ideally aprox. 3000 EUR would find me a 1996-2008 with 150-200kms.

I am finding a variety of engine types: 1.4 petrol and a few diesels (1.6, 2.0, etc).  The 1.4s are easier to find in lower kms for less money.

Performance aside (not a priority), which engine(s) are most likely to have fewer problems on high-mileage Berlingos--1.4 petrol or Diesels?

For my search, ANY advice appreciated (even non-engine related)

Thank you,
Dan

[Sol]

Older 1.4i engines may have issues with corrosion of the head gasket. Early 1.6 HDi may have problems with the doser unit, the egr or injector leakage. Later engines after this have less issues and are generally very reliable. Regular and proper oil servicing prevents turbo problems.

To be honest, a 96-08 model here would be worth more like £300-£500 not £3000, as for that you would get a 08-12 Gen 2 B9 dependant on mileage and condition. 96-08 is a MK1?

[danmartinic]

Thank you Zion. Perhaps I should buy one in England then drive it to my destination lol (destination is Croatia... and prices there are quite a bit higher than usual). Unfortunately, it isn't very practical for me right now to shop for vehicles elsewhere. I am coming from Canada!

What is considered an "early" engine vs. a "later" one? Is there a specific year or engine code?

[Sol]

I would say later than 2010 would be best for the 1.6 HDi and perhaps the 1.4 too (though it is an old design anyway and may always have the head gasket issues) and the good old 1.9D & 2.0 HDi are pretty solid, only things I know of are the cold start wax-stat on the 1.9D can go wrong, and the injectors on the 2.0 HDi can stop pre-injecting which makes the engine combustion noisier - others may have a different take or more info. I've had a few 1.6 HDi and a 1.9D along with a previous Peugeot 2.0 HDi personally so just my take on things.

It all depends on whether you have to get a mk1 (96-03), Facelift Mk1 (03-13) or can buy a mk2 (08-18). 2012 onward saw the removal of all doser units from the 1.6 HDi and the Bosch injectors being standard which are way more reliable than the Siemens ones they used on Ford versions of the 1.6 HDi / TDCi and perhaps on early Berlingo's and Partners.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Berlingo

Would it not be cheaper to get to Croatia and then import one from France?

[danmartinic]

Great info.. thanks. As for getting to Croatia and importing one from outside... well... I'm not quite certain how I'd go about doing that. There's a whole industry in Croatia with people doing just that (and re-selling the cars) but they have years of experience in this trade. Finding a good car outside.. then managing the mess of Croatian bureaucracy... seems like quite the undertaking. I don't mind paying a little more to have the car in-hand so to speak.

Looks like a 2.0 hdi is the way to go.. but they are pretty rare there. Perhaps a 1.4i would work; a head gasket is not that big a job really vs. all the 1.6 hdi potential issues

[Mark604]

One thing to consider is which country can you buy one from if you do not live there?
I know there are ways around this. like using someone else's address, but nevertheless...........
Plus, are there restrictions on keeping your holiday vehicle there full time without converting it to Croatian registration.
Next is the strange thing that if you do re-register it, can you drive it without being a resident if it is registered there in your name.

I was registered as living in Germany, bought a German Belingo, parked it in Spain to use as a holiday car and at one time thought of re-registering it to Spanish plates.
Never mind the cost was more than I thought, I was told that unless I was a resident, I for some weird reason wasn't allowed to use it due to it now being on Spanish plates.
I know as a UK resident I'm not allowed to drive a Spanish registered car in my name in the UK for example.

The point is, if you are a resident of France with a French registered car in Croatia for less than, I think, 6 months, no problem as you do not need to register the car in Croatia and you will take the vehicle out with you when you leave, plus, you can prove you are a resident of France.
The complication comes where you are a resident of Canada with a French registered car and it is left in Croatia above the six months and you cannot prove you are a resident of France where your car comes from. See what I mean?

[Mark604]

Also, if you buy it in the UK, the obvious thing is the steering wheel is on the wrong side.

[Tomcat3]

Surely with all the cost and hassle involved why not hire a vehicle each time you come over. Loads of hire companies will do a deal for a long term rental.

[danmartinic]

Surely with all the cost and hassle involved why not hire a vehicle each time you come over. Loads of hire companies will do a deal for a long term rental.

Over the past ten years, I've travelled to Croatia five times--every two years.  And, every time I face the same dilemma: car rental in high season is 2x-3x inflated, period.  So, if a combi van costs $1200 CDN for 30 days in normal times, it's over $3k for holiday season.  There is no exception.  Rentals are thirty day maximums, making it necessary to return-and-rent for each month.

Since I can purchase a reasonable combi for a little more than two months' rental fee, I think it's time I did so.

FYI Italy is fairly reasonable--half the cost in some cases and without the hyper season inflation--but it's getting tiring having to fly into another country and drive over, esp. when return-and-re-renting

[Sol]

Do you have a friend or relative there so you could buy a used vehicle, register it to them so they can resell it for you when you go home and recycle most of the money?