Potential Berlingo owner

[ShireLass]

Hi all :wave:

Just found this forum while trying to find out how reliable berlingos are generally. cratch:

I'm hoping to make one my next car, the one we've got our eye on at the mo is a 2001 petrol 1.4 any opinions? :whistle:

Anyway, I've only had a licence for 2 1/2 years, OH passed in Jan this year, my first car was a polo.

We're looking for something we can keep running for a good few years, want to start a family, already have 2 messy dogs to cart around, and I have a habit of picking up junk on freecycle, so we think a berlingo sounds like something we could grow into.

:thumbsup:

[Andre]

Welcome SL! Bit late, but congrats on the pass :thumbsup:

Someone asked a similar question earlier on today. It really depends on what you are going to use the car for. From your OP, it sounds like it will be a low use lesuirely vehicle, in which case something of that spec would be ideal. You could consider running a diesel (1.9D or 1.6HDI). Id prefer the HDI out of the choice, its a little more efficient and powerful.

Have you looked into the spec levels on the multispace? You have options such as Desire, Forté... Ill leave that for someone else to tell you the differences between the trim levels though, not really an expert!

Looking at the one you have picked specifically, mileage, owners and previous history would give a better understanding if that one is good to go! IMO, i wouldnt look at anything over ~70k miles.

[ShireLass]

It's claiming 48000 ish miles, not sure how many owners, it's 40 miles from us, if we decided to go for it we need to pay £100 "deposit" to get our local branch to go fetch it for us. I'm not paying till I find out if I get the deposit back if we decided no to buy...

Mainly the car will just be for running around town and visiting the in laws (20 miles round trip) but I'd like to start venturing further afield for camping and taking the dogs to the beach (we're in staffordshire).

[ron]

Hi all :wave:

Just found this forum while trying to find out how reliable berlingos are generally. cratch:

I'm hoping to make one my next car, the one we've got our eye on at the mo is a 2001 petrol 1.4 any opinions? :whistle:

Anyway, I've only had a licence for 2 1/2 years, OH passed in Jan this year, my first car was a polo.

We're looking for something we can keep running for a good few years, want to start a family, already have 2 messy dogs to cart around, and I have a habit of picking up junk on freecycle, so we think a berlingo sounds like something we could grow into.

:thumbsup:

Welcome aboard SL.I have 2 large dogs & they fit in the boot with rear seats up.Amazon do a boot liner which is only £28 & fits like a glove.(just make sure you quote the correct model).Like Andre,I would go diesel.Unlike Andre I would go on service history/condition,not miles.I have seen many well maintained HIGH mileage Berlingos,(150,000m +).Good luck with your search & let us know how you get on,('cos we're nosey)

[Andre]

Give this a run through if you purchase it to check the mileage, will also give you a good idea of the mechanical history (to some extent):

http://www.berlingoforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=249

[Chris]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I think that a 1.4 would be perfect. Insurance costs will be less than the larger engined options. If you are not doing loads of miles and are carrying dogs or other cargo then speed and acceleration are probably not top priority.

[jamesf]

We have a 2001 1.4 Berlingo and it's been a fantastic family car!

Not expensive to run, and although maybe not as economical as a diesel it is perfectly acceptable and we've never had any bother with the engine. Ours has now done 185k km (MOT today...!) and apart from usual service items has never let us down. Of course if you're going to do big mileages then a diesel makes more sense but for pottering round town etc a petrol is more than adequate.

Mk1s tend to have funky coloured interiors (compared to the Mk2s / 3s) and is one of the reasons my wife chose that model over a later one.

If it has been serviced recently (a new cam belt would be good - not for mileage but age releated reasons) and looks and drives well then should be a good buy. It shouldn't be expensive - it is a 10 year old car after all!