snail59
Regular.
I have my eye on 2 Vauxhall Combo vans. A 1996 1.4 Petrol and a 2001 1.7 Diesel. Both are in good condition the petrol has done 104k and the diesel has done 80k. Any opinions or advice regarding the two please.
Petrol or Diesel
- Thread starter snail59
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shocker
Landlord.
The diesel hasnt even run in yet . Whats the smoke like when started from cold ? What color , how much ,water vapour ? I know very little about modern petrols , though . Does it have service history ? You can look online at all its MOTs now and see all the fail points and advisories , thats probably the best tool at your disposal . Get under it and tap it with a hammer all over . Scrape away any convenient mud build up behind sills . Run a magnet down the sills . Get the carpets up in the back and in the footwells . Do you get noise cornering full lock low speed ? Is the steering notchy ? How high is the clutch ? How smooth is the gearchange ? Do some hard emergency stops and hill starts , put some stress on it and see what doesnt sound or feel right . Could go on forever ! Sorry 
artyb
Landlord.
it depends on the price difference and the number of miles you cover,
diesel can be up to 60p a gallon dearer so having a petrol car can save you money,
diesel can be up to 60p a gallon dearer so having a petrol car can save you money,
31bb3
Landlord.
Id go for the diesel personally just swapped my car from 1.6 petrol to 1.9 diesel better mpg and half the price in tax
shocker
Landlord.
Honest John , the telegraphs motoring bloke does a good review on most vehicles , worth a look
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/vauxhall/
doesnt appear to have your prospective motor listed but the engine will be in something else and I would imagine its car based as most small vans are , so find the equivilent . If it has the fiat multijet diesel , that is a very highly thought of engine but must have the cambelt changed at the correct times and the services done likewise or it becomes expensively difficult . Saying that its true of all common rail diesels . Are you planning on doing your own servicing ?
What have the vehicles been used for ? If its multidrop then that can be bad news , its often better for the engine to be run hard for longer than to start and stop over and over for too many reasons to list here . Another usual with car based vans is overloading . They are pretty much what they say CAR based , but people tend to go on the theory "if it fits in then the van can take it" . Sadly this is not the case and regular overloading can play merry hell with the rear suspension and hubs .
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/vauxhall/
doesnt appear to have your prospective motor listed but the engine will be in something else and I would imagine its car based as most small vans are , so find the equivilent . If it has the fiat multijet diesel , that is a very highly thought of engine but must have the cambelt changed at the correct times and the services done likewise or it becomes expensively difficult . Saying that its true of all common rail diesels . Are you planning on doing your own servicing ?
What have the vehicles been used for ? If its multidrop then that can be bad news , its often better for the engine to be run hard for longer than to start and stop over and over for too many reasons to list here . Another usual with car based vans is overloading . They are pretty much what they say CAR based , but people tend to go on the theory "if it fits in then the van can take it" . Sadly this is not the case and regular overloading can play merry hell with the rear suspension and hubs .
pitkin2020
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mileage would be my deciding factor, even though the diesel will do much better MPG if you only doing 5-7k a year you won't have any real saving when compared with a petrol. Service costs are usually more for a diesel (parts more expensive), parts in general are more expensive but are usually more reliable.
To compare I have had to replace a fuel pump in 2 of my astras, one being diesel one being petrol. The petrol fuel pump cost me £50 brand new the diesel pump cost over £700 for a refurb!!!
The purchase cost is usually more for a diesel too so again if your doing low mileage the saving now will be the petrol due to the price of diesel compared with petrol.
I'm guessing as you are comparing the two condition is pretty much identical, as already mentioned check the MOT history online for both, service history and how they drive.
To compare I have had to replace a fuel pump in 2 of my astras, one being diesel one being petrol. The petrol fuel pump cost me £50 brand new the diesel pump cost over £700 for a refurb!!!
The purchase cost is usually more for a diesel too so again if your doing low mileage the saving now will be the petrol due to the price of diesel compared with petrol.
I'm guessing as you are comparing the two condition is pretty much identical, as already mentioned check the MOT history online for both, service history and how they drive.
snail59
Regular.
Thanks for the advice people some good pointers there :thumb:
