Which is the best van to buy for my business?
QUESTION
Hi John,
I have just retired from QLD police and my wife and I are starting a coffee shop business and need a van with barn doors.
Online research suggests Ford Transit is best to buy.
Can’t afford new and have seen that the motor in the 2015 & 2016 maybe one to avoid.
I have $20 - $30 000 to spend and want a reliable van as it will be our only vehicle. Currently have an old Mitsubishi Pajero from 2002 with the petrol V6 and 400,000 on the clock to trade in, but don’t expect it is worth much.
Happy to go anywhere for the right vehicle. What do you think is the best van to get and can you help in locating one?
Thanks,
Brad
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ANSWER
Hey Brad,
Can’t help with locating the vehicle mate - we only do new cars.
Not really a van expert, but Transit seems OK (I rarely get complaints). But, to be realistic, the suitability or otherwise of a 5-6yo van will be in many ways more dependent on the life the van has led, than the intrinsic design of the vehicle itself. A lot of vans just get thrashed mercilessly, every day, and then pensioned off.
You don’t want one of those.
Therefore, I’d suggest choosing a van that’s best suited to the operational logistics to which you need to conform. If it’s a Transit, OK. Then get a trusted independent mechanic to assess the vehicle - before paying a deposit - to ensure all the lynch pins on the grenade are secure. Mileage and having had a hard life are more likely to lead to expensive failure than intrinsic design deficiency.
I’d also steer away from any van with an incomplete service history.
(And if there is a known design deficiency - say premature timing chain failure, or any other failure that can lead to catastrophic ‘knock-on’ engine destruction, or something - then just pre-empitvely replace that part to sideline this risk. Cop a little expense on the chin now, to avoid a heart attack while struggling to get a fledgling business out of the blocks.)
Sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance. Thanks for your service to the community, by the way.
All the best with the new business.
JC
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