New van - Toyota or vw

[Al Jardin]

Evening
Right, looking to replace faithfull old VW T4 with a newer van. Reviews on new VW T5 not good so may look at Toyota Hiace panel van 5th generation. Any advice, good or bad opinions greatly welcomed.

Al

[dig dug dan]

my mate had a toyota for 5 years and it was faultless. He did find the engine sluggish, and it was a bit thirsty though.
What about the luton built ibc van (renault traffic, nissan primastar and vauxhall vivaro) they are good vans, and i had one for a week once it was good.

[lutonlagerlout]

what do you need from your van?
do you do a lot of miles?
LLL
???

[Al Jardin]

LLL
We do a fair amount of miles but, primarily, it will be used for carrying our gardening equipment & maybe a trailer in the future. The old T4 we have is ok but could do with a bit more bhp plus they get electrical niggles which are a bit annoying.

Al

[lutonlagerlout]

fuel consumption is my only gripe with the cabstar at 40P a mile on avg. our tree surgeon has a navarra with a top and a trailer and he reckons that works just fine
LLL

[michaelthegardener]

if we keep getting winters like these im going to get myself one of these watch me



Edited By msh paving on 1292923961

[Al Jardin]

Merry christmas to all.
Great van. I'd love to get one if I had £10k+ for a post 57 plate 2.5. My 97 T4 front wheel drive copes well in the snow.
Ideally a 02/03 T4 2.5 tdi or maybe late toyota hiace 120 300. These seen to go for sensible money but, being rear wheel drive, what are they going to be like on mud or snow?
According to some specialist vw forums the early T5's have expensive problems. Shame because I'd love one.

Al

[Ted]

I'd just get a Landcruiser 80 series and trailer. It's a huge fairly luxury two tonne go anywhere estate wagon that can pull several tonne too. And highly reliable too. Only problem is MPG of 15 or so.

[lutonlagerlout]

thats 40-50 p a mile ted
add insurance and running costs and you have an expensive pick up
LLL

[dig dug dan]

Only problem is MPG of 15 or so

its what we call a "planet warmer"!

[Al Jardin]

What's diesel going to cost in a couple of weeks? £1.35ish a litre after new vat, duty increase & crude being at $91.00 a can I guess. Economy is important but Toyota are damn good.

Al

[Ted]

thats 40-50 p a mile ted
add insurance and running costs and you have an expensive pick up
LLL

Fuel economy-wise, it is not cheap but surprisingly your Cabstar is not much better. I'm not sure what insurance class a Landcruiser is in, but you might be able to get an 80 on a classic car insurance policy these days... Tyres are expensive but most parts are surprisingly cheap so if you can fit them yourself it is a simple strong car to run.

It is not a pick-up, it is a large estate wagon similar in size to a Range Rover. I am a bit anti crew cab pick-ups as IME they can't carry much weight in the back, are normally very uncomfortable in the back seats, only carry five persons, offer no secure area for tools, and many are not great off road.

A Landcruiser is a cheaper, more reliable version of a Range Rover. Not as bling or desirable and not quite so luxury either. But they depreciate far less than a Range Rover. Mine can seat up to seven, has a cavenous boot if you put all the seats down, is excellent at towing and is one of the best 4x4s I have ever driven.

The best Landcruiser is the 70 series which they still make for most markets but not for the UK. After the 80 series, they made the 90 series (Prado), the 100 series, and now the 200 series. But these newer models don't possess the original Landcruiser toughness and are more pitted against modern SUVs although they are still good off road.

So it is an expensive to run vehicle that is excellent to tow with and due to its boot size is van-like or people carrier-like. But it is probably only worth considering if the OP really needs a decent 4x4.

[michaelthegardener]

one problem with trying to insure it as a clasic would be it needs to be commercial insurance surely ??? im quite happy with my 2.0hdi citroen dispatch get about 35mpg out of it but its no good here cos its smaller than what you allready have

[Al Jardin]

Cheers Ted.
I like the 200. Very arable bling. I've decided on a Toyota Hiace 120 300. A panel van suits our needs perfectly & has the security for our gear. They seen to be very reliable and not very thirsty, if you drive like a geriatric which I do.
If you know anyone who is selling a late ish model, 55, 56 plate with no more than 60 - 70k miles on the clock, no vat & fairly local let me know.

Cheers.

Al

[Al Jardin]

Thanks Micheal
I was typing mine while you were posting yours.
Yeah, too small. The 300 is a long wheel base model. Bit more flexibility.

Al