24-08-2021, 06:15 AM
We've had our 2006 Berlingo as a second car for almost 10 years now. It's been very reliable, we love the practicality of it, in fact we love most things about it. But it's cost us quite a bit in repairs over the last couple of years - mostly routine maintenance but a few other things that could be expected on a vehicle of this age.
It failed its MOT last week on track rod ends and drop-link, and that, plus the service and MOT cost us another chunk of money. At times like this I guess many owners consider what is best - do I keep it going or is it time for for a change.
The bodywork is pretty good - very good in fact - though we're starting to get the first signs of rust on the edges of the front wheel arches. It has full service history, and at 112k miles it's low mileage for the year. On the face of it it could be a keeper for a few more years. We might even consider taking it off the road for a while and having a restoration job done on it if we knew someone who specialised in such things, as it seems that Berlingos are likely to become something of a classic.
But if we were to change it, a replacement would probably become our first car. Possibles would be another Berlingo maybe 2014-2016 vintage, or maybe one of the Picasso variants. I'd like to think that the newer models would prove as reliable as the older ones, though there's a lot of 'tech' in modern cars that can be both irritating and costly if it plays up.
I know there were some rear suspension problems with the early B9s. Was that all finally resolved or is it still a bit of an issue? I was looking around the forum for a 'What to look out for when buying a B9 Berlingo' thread or article but haven't come across one yet. Does one exist?
It failed its MOT last week on track rod ends and drop-link, and that, plus the service and MOT cost us another chunk of money. At times like this I guess many owners consider what is best - do I keep it going or is it time for for a change.
The bodywork is pretty good - very good in fact - though we're starting to get the first signs of rust on the edges of the front wheel arches. It has full service history, and at 112k miles it's low mileage for the year. On the face of it it could be a keeper for a few more years. We might even consider taking it off the road for a while and having a restoration job done on it if we knew someone who specialised in such things, as it seems that Berlingos are likely to become something of a classic.
But if we were to change it, a replacement would probably become our first car. Possibles would be another Berlingo maybe 2014-2016 vintage, or maybe one of the Picasso variants. I'd like to think that the newer models would prove as reliable as the older ones, though there's a lot of 'tech' in modern cars that can be both irritating and costly if it plays up.
I know there were some rear suspension problems with the early B9s. Was that all finally resolved or is it still a bit of an issue? I was looking around the forum for a 'What to look out for when buying a B9 Berlingo' thread or article but haven't come across one yet. Does one exist?
'56 Multispace 1.6HDi - Iron Grey