Thread: 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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Thanks Cal. Yes I understand about ball joints and so on all being subject to wear, and whilst they sure can be expensive they are small beer compared to replacing an engine (or transmission).

The problem with a second row option, whilst appealing, is that it takes a fair amount of time to put the row of seats in/out. If there was a fold up to the side option then that would be very groovy (like in Toyota Prado). Folding down still presents storage problems.

True on both counts.
Depending on what length of van you go for, you may be able to leave the second row seat in place and still get a 2400x1200 sheet in. It's been a long time since I had my van and I can't recall what the distance was. Sounds like for what other requirements you have you don't need a long wheel base though.
It's a daunting process looking at vehicles, best of luck with it. I wish I still had mine, bit hard to get 4 kid in the back of it though!


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Those that know me will not be surprised to learn that I have a new and exciting use for Excel!

VAN ASSESSMENT! WOOHOO!

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?

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.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

The problem with a second row option, whilst appealing, is that it takes a fair amount of time to put the row of seats in/out. If there was a fold up to the side option then that would be very groovy (like in Toyota Prado). Folding down still presents storage problems.

I agree. We had 1986? Mitzi passenger van for about 10 years and for ~5 of those years it was our only vehicle and I got sick of using it to cart even mildly grubby stuff and then having to clean it out to SWMBO specifications, especially the carpet which I could never really get clean. Eventually SWMBO bought a sedan for herself and the van became mine to do as I wished. I planed to removed the seats on a needs basis but I did that once and then left them out permanently. Even when folded down they took up too much room. Eventually I took out the middle seat and after the chainsaw dumped a load of oil on the carpet that came out as well. I don't recall ever regretting taking the seats out.

I admit I probably carry grubbier stuff than most folks would.

Brett, I just thought of yet another thing to consider....cost of Rego. The fees are based on weight. So if you are going for a larger van try to be sure it is less than 2 Tonne (unladen weight). Over 2 T the jump up in price is a lot. Some of those larger ones would be like driving a tunnel around (ambulance size and up)

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Now that we've sorted out where to get the vehicle serviced.........

A question I had earlier may have gotten buried. As I understand it, a Diesel is good for many more kms than a petrol engine. In other words, purchasing a diesel with say 200,000 kms is not really a big issue, where I could expect a petrol engine to be approaching end of life (or major work).

Am I on the right track?

I think this depends.

If the diesel is a turbo, has the turbo been looked after or abused? As far as I know this is something that is very hard to assess.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

There are a very great many ex-Ambulances available atm. These are Mercedes Sprinters, so I thought I'd pay a visit to the local chaps and pose the question "Knowing what you do about how these are driven, would you buy one second hand?"

"NO WAY!" was the answer. "They get driven over median strips all the time, and go from cold zero to hero immediately almost every time they are driven."

As I expected, hence why I questioned him.

but given your expected usage is around 5,000 km per year -- this may not be an issue if the price is right.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Those that know me will not be surprised to learn that I have a new and exciting use for Excel!

VAN ASSESSMENT! WOOHOO!

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?

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).

given that a van often has stuff in the back obscuring the view out the back you should quickly adjust to relying on the side mirrors for rear vision. This makes the rear window and wiper less important. remember that a reversing camera can be fitted pretty easily.

Later common rail Diesel engines are expensive for parts and if fitted with a DPF, must follow a certain drive cycle to initiate burn off so some freeway/tollway driving is essential.
Just some more curves to keep in mind

Having gone through similar about 12 - 14 months ago (and I was only looking at station wagons) I also made a similar table but more for make and model. It can be enough to make your head spin.
And then, just when you decide on a vehicle some other ****** buys it, and you start again. There was one vehicle I looked at with an aftermarket audio system/reverse camera. I trying to make inquires about it on the phone first I was told it was working fine and had been tested, another time it was not working and would be replaced with an original unit. Go figure! I gave that car and dealership a miss afterwards.
Look at the base vehicle and what it is and what cannot be changed - eg airbags, ABS, kms on the clock and service history and be prepared to spend a bucket of money for the must haves and would nice to have things like tow bars and racking and passenger side window. Reversing cameras, gps, under floor draw and shelving can all be put in later.

How far are you prepared to travel? (How much do you want to spend? As little as possible is the common answer.) The internet can be your friend. Perhaps narrow it down to a few makes and years and then go from there.
Good luck and good hunting. PS take a couple of headache pills now and spend some time in the shed.

Originally Posted by ian

given that a van often has stuff in the back obscuring the view out the back you should quickly adjust to relying on the side mirrors for rear vision. This makes the rear window and wiper less important. remember that a reversing camera can be fitted pretty easily.

Yes, good point. I've already adjusted the scores and weightings a little bit, and might down grade the rear wiper.

Rear vision is a problem. I had a reversing camera in the previous van that I rescued before it got towed and keep meaning to fit it to the current van. Before reversing out of our semi-blind driveway I usually try to walk around the van to see if anything low down is behind the van and also look up and down the street footpath to see if anything is coming. I started doing this after one of the neighbours kid was riding a tricycle down the footpath and only just missed him. Rear camera wouldn't have helped much in that particular situation.

Some aspects of modern diesel engines are hideously expensive. For example, the injectors on late model Landcruisers are around $1100 each: There are eight of them. Each has it's own mini computer I'm told. A colleague at work told me this about the Landcruiser he had just purchased.

Chambezio makes a good point about the rego cost. Definitely look into that. It may go on gross weight of 4.5 tonnes, but I think each state has it's own version.



Regards
Paul