tips on buying a second hand Van

Spicy_McHaggis

londonTiger wrote: »

surprise nobody asked. why did it take you 14 attempts to pass? how many years have you been learning to drive for? AFAIK there are 3-6 month wait for tests when i passed 6 years ago.

That's because it's got nothing to do with what the OP asked.

londonTiger

I was hoping for some suggestions for a £3500 ish van as well. My original budget was £5000 but £3500 would be a nice purchase as it would leave me with £1500 in my back pocket.

Out of curiosity, why is a £3500 van so bad? I had an employer who had a £1000 LWB van that had seen better days. It was so beat up that the boss decided to just fit a padlockable gate lock on the door after it got burgled.

Boss bought a brand new mercedes from dealership while I was working there - some priorities.

But the van did OK. It started when it needed to. It had dents in every panel but it was reliable.

Spicy_McHaggis

londonTiger wrote: »

I was hoping for some suggestions for a £3500 ish van as well. My original budget was £5000 but £3500 would be a nice purchase as it would leave me with £1500 in my back pocket.

Out of curiosity, why is a £3500 van so bad? I had an employer who had a £1000 LWB van that had seen better days. It was so beat up that the boss decided to just fit a padlockable gate lock on the door after it got burgled.

Boss bought a brand new mercedes from dealership while I was working there - some priorities.

But the van did OK. It started when it needed to. It had dents in every panel but it was reliable.

A burgled van? What sort of building is that?

And you're giving legal opinions on another thread. :eek:

patman99

The guy next door to me paid about £800 for a 54 plat Pilot diesel. He drives it all round the country with his job.

Flying-High_2

patman99 wrote: »

The guy next door to me paid about £800 for a 54 plat Pilot diesel. He drives it all round the country with his job.

Any Pilot van especially the Sherpa Shaped one I'd be suicidal driving round the country in on a daily basis.

Amazin

londonTiger wrote: »

surprise nobody asked. why did it take you 14 attempts to pass? how many years have you been learning to drive for? AFAIK there are 3-6 month wait for tests when i passed 6 years ago.

variety of reasons, tbh if I can go back in time I would've got a different instructor although I do feel its unfair to blame on him. Before I passed my test, I did try a different instructor and some help advice from him. I would also try a different test centre.

I was able to find driving test every 1.2 month. sometimes almost 2 months of waiting until I discovered a site where I can pay bit extra but they will help me find test cancellations.

what you all think of this van? too good to be true?

http://www.gumtree.com/p/vans/mercedes-vito-2009/1101491844

londonTiger

Amazin wrote: »

what you all think of this van? too good to be true?

http://www.gumtree.com/p/vans/mercedes-vito-2009/1101491844

i would say so, but worth enquiring just in case.

londonTiger

patman99 wrote: »

The guy next door to me paid about £800 for a 54 plat Pilot diesel. He drives it all round the country with his job.

never liked the ldv vehicles, they look like something Iran would build. they look 40 years behind. until recently i thought ldv were dead like british leyland or something/