Greetings

[waue1978]

Everybody else has used "Hello" so thought I'd be different.

I'm not actually a Berlingo owner at the moment. I've recently bought a BMW 530d after owning a 406 110HDi for 2 years (which I might add was a record for me). Finding the fuel consumption on the Beemer a bit of a culture shock as I do mainly short local trips with cold starts. Pug was hitting between 30 & 35mpg while the Beemer hasn't broken 20 yet!

As a result of this, I've decided to spend some extra money (which I'll hopefully save in fuel over the course of a few months) & get a Berlingo or Partner. I liked my 406, but every MOT needed something & usually cost over £200. The last straw was an undiagnosed locking fault combined with occasional clutch slip (which would eventually have resulted ina 4 figure sum for clutch & DMF) so I rebelled & bought the Beemer in the hope that I wouldn't spend so much on maintenance. I just didn't count on 18mpg & £240 in 4 weeks on maintenance again (service & speed sensors).

The logic behind getting a Berlingo/Partner is that they come with the most reliable part from my 406 (the HDi engine, but this time with no DMF), but all the other components are made to be a bit more durable as it is basically a work van.

Pretty much written off the 1.6 HDis as they come with particle filters & DMFs & they also seem to suffer a few blocked pipes & blown turbos. 1.9D would probably be the most maintenance free choice, but I'd just get too bored going to something like that after a 185bhp beast. As far as spec goes, there doesn't seem to be much consistency amongst the models. I've seen Fortes with electric mirrors & front armrests & Desires with neither. Favourite at the moment has to be a Peugeot Partner Escapade though. Love the look of them & the extra underside protection is a bit of a bonus. Plus, the spec seems to be very close to what I'm looking for (although not many have front armrests).

Ok, now I've finished waffling on & you know why I'm here, anybody have any advice to offer in my search or any opinions on what I've deduced so far?

[muply]

185bhp is that all ive a 378bhp monster on the drive i can afford to run much lol

[nil by mouth]

How de diddley :wave:

[Coco]

Favourite at the moment has to be a Peugeot Partner

A man of taste I see.

I agree that the 2.0HDi is the best choice. Your reasoning was pretty similar to mine when I bought. However, having had mine for 5 years relatively easy ownership - hope that's not KoD - I've found that it is based on the 306/ZX platform and shares many common parts, problems and potential.

I'm happy with mine, like you I've never owned a vehicle for this length of time before so in my case that speaks volumes.

[landcrab]

hi waue1978 and welcome to the site,havent been here too long myself but find it has some very helpfull guys onboard. well a few months ago i brought myself a 2004 berlingo 2.0hdi desire...it has air con,elec mirrors,arm rest and the mod top with the 5 glass panels and built in roof rack and lots of other little extras.i like you was a lover of the bigger motors the last was a petrol which i tickled along but still only scraping 20-25 mpg.and with the way petrol keeps rising i knew i had to do something!!looked around at a few differant cars and came across this one at the right price and i must say im glad i did. GREAT car plenty of get up and go and at moterway speeds she sits on 2400 revs not even trying. i do mostly town work and i am getting 45-50 mpg. im over 6ft and not thin but find it very roomy,and if you drop the rear seats theres loads of room in the back. so i guess that you can tell....im very happy with mine! good luck in finding one if thats what you decide on.

[waue1978]

Well it certainly sounds like I'm on the right track as everybody seems more than happy with theirs.

Got a bit of a search on my hands as I want to try & get the right one first time rather than spec it up myself like I did with my 406. I realise I'll probably have to add cruise control myself, but ideally want to get one with the front armrests already fitted as I've got too used to having them now & have noticed that interiors don't come up for sale very often. Alloys can wait until tyres need replacing - it's a shame I sold the 406 alloys that I had as they share the same silly low offset.

I've got it well narrowed down to either a Berlingo Desire or Partner Escapade (the latter is the favourite). Have seen a few advertised for Merthyr Auctions which may be worth a look. It's a bit of a trek from Andover, but we've got family in Neath, so could go up when my parents are next visiting up there.

Everybody seems quite happy with motorway performance which I have to admit seems surprising. That was one of the main points where I thought a Berlingo would be a bit compromised. Factory top speed is only 99mph & I know the HDi 90 is geared for more, so that suggests that the aerodynamics would be a bit of a handicap at anything over 60, but I'm quite pleased to find that it obviously isn't. How does fuel consumption fare at higher speeds? My 406 used to hit 50ish on a run, but whilst I'm not a loon anymore (even though the Beemer brings it out a bit) I don't drive with the pipe & slippers.

[Coco]

If you're familiar with the 406, you'll know what you need to look for, and do, to install cruise control.

With the aerodynamics of a house brick, the Berlingo is never going to match the 406 mpg figures at motorway speeds. I get low to mid 40's on average, but dual carriageways and motorways are usually at about 80mph. Around town that goes up also if I can keep to 60mph or so, that makes a big difference. As always, depends on your right foot.

[mrbritse]

Around town that goes up also if I can keep to 60mph or so, that makes a big difference. As always, depends on your right foot.

Keep to 60mph around town??? :eek:

[evdama]

Around town that goes up also if I can keep to 60mph or so, that makes a big difference. As always, depends on your right foot.

Keep to 60mph around town??? :eek:

Oh DEER...

[waue1978]

Well, the search continues. Missed out on what appeared to be an ideal Partner Escapade last week (even had cruise already fitted). Did contemplate a trip to Merthyr auctions one weekend as they seem to have a regular flow coming in from the Fire Service, but when I phoned he said that they usually get 2 each week & whilst they are maintained regardless of cost, they also come with about a weeks MOT left. Sounded like a bit of a gamble to be honest as it's a fair old trek for me to either come away empty handed or end up with a big repair bill for MOT. Plus, I'd still have to try to sell my Beemer after all that.

There are 2 or 3 within a 45 mile radius that I fancy taking a look at, but I have slight reservations about a couple. One is a 2004 Desire. Looks nice, but I've heard that the overhead lockers are a bit flimsy & personally I'm not overly keen on the big glass roof as I see it as a potential leak point. There is a 2004 Partner Combi which looks decent - even has the armrests already fitted - but it isn't an Escapade & I really quite fancy the extra ground clearance, plastic trims & underbody protection that the Escapade has (although it has crossed my mind that it wouldn't be too difficult to add most of the Escapade extras to a normal Berlingo/Partner). The final one is a bit of a longshot, but I'm hoping a couple of experts may be able to either allay my fears or confirm that I should avoid it. It's a 2007 1.6 HDi 90. I have previously stated that I wanted to go for the 2.0 as it is a well proven (& understressed) engine, but I'm getting a little romanced by the late plate for low money.

The main things that put me off a 1.6 are:
Dual mass flywheel
Particle filter
& several stories regarding turbo failures & blocked oil pipes.

But most of this has related to the 110 versions. Most of my driving is short local trips, so these 3 things would be more of an issue with me. Can anybody confirm whether a 90bhp 1.6 Partner/Berlingo would still suffer from these problems or does it warrant some consideration?