Buy an older van or one with higher mileage?

[Greencap]

Hi everyone, hope your all well. I’m new on here and hoping to benefit from others wisdom and experience as I don’t have a great deal of either on this subject! I’m in the market for a Vito crew van and have seen one that ticks pretty much all my boxes, but it has really heavy mileage. It’s a ‘14’ plate and has 280,000 on the clock. The realities of my budget mean I would either have to go for something like this or an older model with lower mileage perhaps. I know some people say Vitos go on and on, and I wouldn’t be doing much mileage myself in it. So just wondering what people think is better; older or younger with heavy mileage? And any other general thoughts or observations would be appreciated as I don’t know a great deal about Vitos or motors generally!
Im also shopping around for insurance quotes at the moment with some scary results, so any tips in that regard would also be really appreciated.
Many thanks in advance, Sean

 

[Blobcat]

Hello and welcome,

Needs to be looked at on condition - if it’s been well maintained and spent its life on the motorway then it could be a good vehicle.

A friend bought a sprinter with mega miles - it was used to take a few boxes between London and Edinburgh - almost drove like a new van.

 

[Greencap]

Hello and welcome,

Need a to be looked at on condition - if it’s been well maintained and spent its life on the motorway then it could be a good vehicle.

A friend bought a sprinter with mega miles - it was used to take a few boxes between London and Edinburgh - almost drove like a new van.

Hi Blobcat, thanks for responding. I was thinking of having it inspected before buying due to my lack of knowledge, so hoping that will help with the decision. On that note, if anyone has any tips on who to use for an inspection that’d be great (AA is a bit steep to possibly have to turn down the vehicle anyway). Again many thanks

 

[ajlsl600]

Hello and welcome,

Need a to be looked at on condition - if it’s been well maintained and spent its life on the motorway then it could be a good vehicle.

A friend bought a sprinter with mega miles - it was used to take a few boxes between London and Edinburgh - almost drove like a new van.

When I was havin mb adblue closed down there was an 0m651 van there with 450k miles on it. Motor never opened and sounded good. I believe same motor in states also does mega miles.

 

[ajlsl600]

Hi Blobcat, thanks for responding. I was thinking of having it inspected before buying due to my lack of knowledge, so hoping that will help with the decision. On that note, if anyone has any tips on who to use for an inspection that’d be great (AA is a bit steep to possibly have to turn down the vehicle anyway). Again many thanks

Find out how much decent used motor is. Try to nic the van bearing the possibility in mind, if 3 months. Later all is well take her indoors for a weekend break!!!

 

[M80]

I have some experience with Vito's and Viano's.
As the mileage increases so does the attention required to them.
They are built to a lesser standard than the likes of the E class, and even the C, and rattles can creep in.

There are a few reasons why I still have a 639, and these forums being a help when needed is one of them.
Otherwise I would consider another brand, like a F, a F, a For, well something else anyway.

I wouldn't expect the MB badge to mean anything about quality on them, if it does on any of the models these, (and recent,) days.

 

[Greencap]

Find out how much decent used motor is. Try to nic the van bearing the possibility in mind, if 3 months. Later all is well take her indoors for a weekend break!!!

Good point, at first glance it’d be about 2k for a recon engine. Will do further research,cheers!

 

[Greencap]

I have some experience with Vito's and Viano's.
As the mileage increases so does the attention required to them.
They are built to a lesser standard than the likes of the E class, and even the C, and rattles can creep in.

There are a few reasons why I still have a 639, and these forums being a help when needed is one of them.
Otherwise I would consider another brand, like a F, a F, a For, well something else anyway.

I wouldn't expect the MB badge to mean anything about quality on them, if it does on any of the models these, (and recent,) days.

Cheers. Like you I have a few reasons for wanting a Vito, but I’ll try to be open to other brands too. Still working out the pros and cons and trying to take on board as much advice as possible, thanks for yours!

 

[Srdl]

Welcome. As @Blobcat says look at the condition and history. I would avoid a low mileage van which has been used for a lot of stop start work and thrashed by a courier. That doesn’t do the engine any good. Alternatively, a lot of motorway miles doesn’t do any harm.

For cars, we always say to look at the service history. Getting oil changes done on time is crucial. And what is the MOT history like? A vehicle that has been properly looked after should have less advisories and “fails” on the record. Have a look at this:

Check the MOT history of a vehicle

Check the MOT history of a vehicle from 2005 onwards, including if it passed or failed, its mileage and why it failed, download MOT test certificate

www.gov.uk

Good luck!

 

[Greencap]

Welcome. As @Blobcat says look at the condition and history. I would avoid a low mileage van which has been used for a lot of stop start work and thrashed by a courier. That doesn’t do the engine any good. Alternatively, a lot of motorway miles doesn’t do any harm.

For cars, we always say to look at the service history. Getting oil changes done on time is crucial. And what is the MOT history like? A vehicle that has been properly looked after should have less advisories and “fails” on the record. Have a look at this:

Check the MOT history of a vehicle

Check the MOT history of a vehicle from 2005 onwards, including if it passed or failed, its mileage and why it failed, download MOT test certificate

www.gov.uk

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice, I’ll try to get as much info as possible. I’ve already done the DVLA MOT check…no obvious red flags as far as I can tell. But I think I’ll pay the six quid for the AA vehicle check in advance of grilling the seller when I go to see it tomorrow. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Chpeers

 

[Srdl]

Thanks for the advice, I’ll try to get as much info as possible. I’ve already done the DVLA MOT check…no obvious red flags as far as I can tell. But I think I’ll pay the six quid for the AA vehicle check in advance of grilling the seller when I go to see it tomorrow. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Chpeers

If the seller is the owner, see what you think of him. If the seller is a dealer, don’t believe a word he says. Like politicians, you can tell when motor salesmen are lying because their lips are moving!

Seriously, go with your gut feeling. If it feels “right” it probably is but if you have any niggling doubts, just walk away.

 

[MinionBob]

TBH, at that sort of mileage if it drives OK, no warning light on dash, a recent ish MOT, a good-ish service history then that is about as good as you can expect second hand. As mentioned, as the mileage goes up so does the maintenance.

There will be bits that need dodging to it no doubt.

 

[Frontstep]

Buy the vehicle, the owner is almost irrelevant, dealer or Doctor always, always "buy the vehicle"

I have seen some absolute shockers on MB agents forecourts and some absolute scumbags selling a decent car.

A little old Lady I knew thrashed the knackers off her car and ploughed into and onto anything, whilst "forgetting" to have the car serviced as she "didn't use it much" and she bought it new so it would be alright.

If you can "get it on a ramp" then all the better especially if they know them well.

 

[Greencap]

Hey all, again thanks to all who responded and apologies for not posting yesterday (was busy last night). I went to see the van in question - it was a complete shed. The seller is a good photographer, but the van looked like it had done its 280k and more. It’d obviously been in an accident (bodywork damage, dodgy drivers door etc) but he wouldn’t admit it, no paperwork - he said it had been serviced but no evidence etc, etc. And upon leaving the neighbours shouted across saying ‘don’t do it!’, ‘he’s got a load of dodgy motors trying to sell’. To be honest I knew it was a lemon at first glance, and his obvious lies just served to back that up!
So anyway, back to the drawing board but I thought I’d let you all know what happened. On a positive note, I’m learning a little bit more (not least because of this forum) as I go along and I’m getting a better picture of what I want, what to look out for and what I’m likely to get for my money.
One thing I’m still not sure about is engine size (1.6 or 2.1?). I don’t need a great deal of power as it’s going to be a daily runaround, and I’d like to keep costs limited. But I’m not convinced the smaller engine is the way to go…any thoughts?

 

[Greencap]

If the seller is the owner, see what you think of him. If the seller is a dealer, don’t believe a word he says. Like politicians, you can tell when motor salesmen are lying because their lips are moving!

Seriously, go with your gut feeling. If it feels “right” it probably is but if you have any niggling doubts, just walk away.

I had a gut feeling as soon as we pulled up, and it wasn’t good. It just deteriorated from there really - I don’t know how many ‘Pauls’ there are in Romania but I don’t think he even gave his real name. My hunch is he’s trying to turn over write offs and low value cars to naive buyers.

 

[Greencap]

TBH, at that sort of mileage if it drives OK, no warning light on dash, a recent ish MOT, a good-ish service history then that is about as good as you can expect second hand. As mentioned, as the mileage goes up so does the maintenance.

There will be bits that need dodging to it no doubt.

Thanks, I think you’re right. I know there’s a risk with any vehicle, and there’ll certainly be regular maintenance required considering the age and price range im looking at. Just hoping to weed out the real lemons (as below)! Cheers

 

[Greencap]

Buy the vehicle, the owner is almost irrelevant, dealer or Doctor always, always "buy the vehicle"

I have seen some absolute shockers on MB agents forecourts and some absolute scumbags selling a decent car.

A little old Lady I knew thrashed the knackers off her car and ploughed into and onto anything, whilst "forgetting" to have the car serviced as she "didn't use it much" and she bought it new so it would be alright.

If you can "get it on a ramp" then all the better especially if they know them well.

Thanks for the advice. In this case I had major doubts about the vehicle and seller so it was an easy decision. But I hear what you’re say, the relationship with the seller is over when you get the log book whereas you have to live with the vehicle a lot longer. I’ve got a local mechanic I trust who will inspect a potential vehicle, but that depends on me finding something locally. Otherwise I’d have to get an AA (or similar) inspection done. Cheers

 

[M80]

2.1L, the 1.6 is the later Renault isn't it? I've not seen one pre 2015 anyway, so likely installed in the 447 shape.
Pre 2010 gives the more robust 646 engine, the later 2.1 is the 651, with known gremlins.
The earlier is higher road tax, unless it has been registered as N1 (commercial) during 2 specific date periods.
The later comes with nicer door mirrors and DRL's, not much else as I remember.

 

[Greencap]

2.1L, the 1.6 is the later Renault isn't it? I've not seen one pre 2015 anyway, so likely installed in the 447 shape.
Pre 2010 gives the more robust 646 engine, the later 2.1 is the 651, with known gremlins.
The earlier is higher road tax, unless it has been registered as N1 (commercial) during 2 specific date periods.
The later comes with nicer door mirrors and DRL's, not much else as I remember.

Thanks, I’m most likely looking at a 2010 - 2016 model. So I guess I can expect some issues perhaps?

 

[M80]

Thanks, I’m most likely looking at a 2010 - 2016 model. So I guess I can expect some issues perhaps?

That's the om651 engine.
Some reading here, and t'other side, can forewarn of possible / likely issues.