What to buy - a Ute or a Van? Which brand?
I had a long wheel base Mazda E2000 years ago, one of the best vehicles I have owned. Bought it second hand from a dealer, it was a Turkish bread van (could smell it too) had about 70k on the clock. I did about 70k in it before I sold it. Turned it into a camper van by adding a pop top roof and bed, kitchen etc. it was great to have the extra length for long timber. Mine was also registered originally with second row seats (didn't have them) having kids I would be very hesitant to put a baby/toddler in a front seat of a van, there is no room for error in an accident, crumple zone is non existent. Maybe look at one that has the second row option if you plan to have the grandchild in it?
I agree with others about kms not only relating to the engine, ball joints, steering racks, rubber boots etc. all wear out quicker than an engine will. Drive trains, suspension etc. are much more robust on a van compared to a car too.
The only downside to a van is head/cross winds, they are much more fatiguing to drive than a car on long distance runs, a big box kite on wheels!
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So why not for this too? Eh?
Those that know me will not be surprised to learn that I have a new and exciting use for Excel!
VAN ASSESSMENT! WOOHOO! :q
If I can use Excel for Vege garden layouts, Shed layouts, Recipes, Freezer Contents Control (really), then why the hell not use it to determine the best buy on offer? :2tsup:
Various weighted scores are allocated with higher scores given to more important features. Things like kms travelled and price need a higher score for a lower number, so I put in a weighted reciprocal function. Apart from the overall score (in bold blue) I also just added up the really important lines (Year-Price-Kms, and Auto through to Pull out drawers). This lsecond score is a very important addition as it also shows which vehicles might be getting a top score due to a whole bunch of desirable stuff that can be added later, like tow bar, roof racks, cargo barrier et al.
This secondary score has indeed proved its worth - what was previously the two top scores (208/206) are actually well down the list on the really important stuff (108/116), and previous 4th place (187) is now top dog (147, and I always had a good feeling about that vehicle).
Now before y'all start - I know there are a bazillion other parameters I could put in there (servicing cycle for starters) but one has to occasionally get away from the computer....
Example shown is just the VW Transporter section......there are others.