Buying a Berlingo

[andyhall6969]

I am looking to purchase a berlingo multi space for about £3k.
Can anyone advise on best engine to be going for.
I need economy and good re-sale in the future.
I would also like sunroof but would not know if available and if so are they sliding?

Andy

[Chris]

Hi and welcome to the forum

A lot will depend on the type of driving that you do. I would say that if it is mainly short trips and not many thousands of miles each year then my preference would be a 1.6 petrol engine. MPG will be in low 30's to 40ish but anecdotal evidence (from this forum at least) is that the diesels have more reliability issues. I would also suggest test driving both, as they are quite different in the way they drive and this might be a factor for you.

The petrol cars should be cheaper to buy and service which will help to balance out the reduced fuel economy. With regards to re-sale, I think that a good number of people are now moving away from diesels with concerns over long-term running costs and given that the fuel is more expensive to start with. Looking ahead, my view is that the premium cost of second-hand diesels is going to diminish.

With your budget you are going to be looking at mk 2 Berlingos, and I am not sure if the sliding roof was an option on these, as it was on the mk 1.

Anyway, the main thing is that whichever you buy, I hope that you enjoy it!

[Coco]

Certainly in the 2004 model year, the sliding sunroof was still an option on the lower spec "Forte" models, but not on the "Desire".

In agreement with Chris over the engines. I have 2.0HDi and have had no real issues with it (KoD). I do about 17,000 a year, if I was nearer average mileage then I would have a petrol. I've not worked it out, but I think the saving in fuel costs from Diesel over petrol have diminished to such a degree to make them negligible in a lot of cases