School me on Vans...

[BMWTouring 20]

yeah, but the E30 doesnt have the aerodynamics of a 1900's castle and a crappy carburetted engine.

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

yeah, but the E30 doesnt have the aerodynamics of a 1900's castle and a crappy carburetted engine.

yeah yeah i know that, just for comparison etc. cant imagine it would be much heavier than the E30 though, its the SWB model. is 12-13L/100km about normal for a van then?

[Allanw 1052]

economy is probly about right - vans are never amazing with the weight, boxyness etc.

My VW Transporter is BIG and square, I get about 12L/100 kms driving from home to work (10ks each way, half town, half winding hilly country) with It's subaru 2.5 EFI engine (I do give it a good squirt at times though!!!!!).

Those econovans aren't great for economy - Mum had a couple of E1800 short wheelbase ones in the mid 90's that they ended up LPGing, because they were hungry, but often loaded up and did big kms. They were great vans though.

Most vans won't do too much better than that - even our POS work van (2006 Hiace auto diesel turbo 4wd) only gets about 10L/100kms, and it's mostly open road and empty, or with maybe 200 kg max in the back. The transit loaner we had got the same, but felt twice as fast.

My Mate had a electronics repair shop and picks up TVs and Stereos etc in a mid 2000's Mitsi L300 2.4 EFI - he's getting pretty similar mileage to me.

I wouldn't expect much better than you're getting, around town :-) 800 kgs is a bit of weight!

PS - these ford/mazda vans can rust along the gutters - I'd spray some cavity wax in there from the inside of the van, sometime during summer when it should be pretty dry. The condensation sits on a seam in there and causes the issue. They're often OK, but can get expensive to repair if they are failed on a WOF - worth the $40 or $50 for a few cans of good wax.

[BMWTouring 20]

yeah it wont get much better man, my brother whos a plumber brought a brand new Hiace last year 2.7 VVTi petrol and he averages 12.5l/100km crusing around, whereas in his old 3.0 diesel he would get 8l/100km haha but it was gutless as anything!

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

ok cool thanks for your help!

[camera doctor 25]

I think its doing about 3 grand at 1000km/h, but then the 316i does the same and thats getting like 6L/100km

WOW .... That is one fast Van :D :D

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

WOW .... That is one fast Van :D :D

probably has something to do with the fuel economy??

[antil33t 90]

Drop an M20 into it, so you can tick tick tick all the way home.

[LMT UK 0]

[quote name='_Ethrty-Andy_' date='Dec 19 2012, 0

Anyway, I changed the dizzy, rotor, leads and plugs for a $5 note (well it felt like that) certainly a LOT cheaper to maintain than any BMW new or old! Goes really well, but seems the economy isnt the best and never has been. ive just dealt with it because its a work vehicle, but seeing as i wont need it for several weeks when I close up shop, i might as well take it to bits lol.

---

run on 91 gas, 1997 Ford Econovan/Mazda Bongo etc (boxy shape, not the newer rounder shape)

I think a lot of diesel buyers get seduced by mpg figures, but forgetting the real cost of keeping it on the road.

Modern dual mass flywheels and common rail injector pumps cost a packet when they go wrong and add very little value to the vehicle. Old school technology is usually so much cheaper and easier to fix.

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2918]

common rail injector pumps cost a packet when they go wrong and add very little value to the vehicle.

Apart from the huge leap forward in terms of fuel economy, emissions, power and torque due to much higher pumping pressures and much closer controlled injection sequencing? Common rail pump is usually a simple vane or screw type pump with a pressure relief valve - pretty simple to maintain and repair.

Old school technology is usually so much cheaper and easier to fix.

The old mechanically governed pumps you mean - that wear badly and then lose any injection accuracy they had leading to clouds of either black or white smoke, clogged injectors, coked up heads, rooted particulate filters and catalytic converters? Some parts can be simple to replace, springs, etc. in the governor mechanisms, but worn cams/cam rings, rotors etc. can be hard to source and costly to buy.

Common rail diesels are chalk and cheese to the old injector pump engines in so many ways mostly in terms of driveability. Even the improvements from Gen I (E46) to Gen II (E9x) into Gen III (F30) are leaps ahead each time, and there's even more potential in there yet.

[LMT UK 0]

Apart from the huge leap forward in terms of fuel economy, emissions, power and torque due to much higher pumping pressures and much closer controlled injection sequencing? Common rail pump is usually a simple vane or screw type pump with a pressure relief valve - pretty simple to maintain and repair.

The old mechanically governed pumps you mean - that wear badly and then lose any injection accuracy they had leading to clouds of either black or white smoke, clogged injectors, coked up heads, rooted particulate filters and catalytic converters? Some parts can be simple to replace, springs, etc. in the governor mechanisms, but worn cams/cam rings, rotors etc. can be hard to source and costly to buy.

Common rail diesels are chalk and cheese to the old injector pump engines in so many ways mostly in terms of driveability. Even the improvements from Gen I (E46) to Gen II (E9x) into Gen III (F30) are leaps ahead each time, and there's even more potential in there yet.

I know what you mean, modern turbo diesels have improved no end. Also the emissions thing is important for uk LEZ low emission zone.

The little added value bit I meant if you get a ford transit and replace the DMF and fuel pump, both common faults, costing nearly all the value of an old vehicle, but it isn't worth much extra on resale value just like most repairs.

For a small business doing mainly local deliveries, one expensive fault could negate all the year's mpg savings. For _Ethrty-Andy_ his old school petrol van might prove to be a cheap hack over the year.

Mercedes sprinters and VW LT seem popular at the moment, both in uk and RHD export markets. What do you rate as the best modern vans for reliability?

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2918]

Ahhhh, totally mis-understood your post *face-palm*, now I see what you mean by the added value bit. Receipts for major items being replaced tend to put buyers off rather than show that it has been maintained in my experience as well.

It's been a while since I was working with vans and light commercials so not totally in touch with the newer stuff. I worked as part of the team designing the engines for the Ford Transit / Iveco Daily - so I would avoid those !

A mate of mine runs a big fleet of mini-buses and small coaches and swears by Mercedes-Benz won't buy anything else, I think a lot are based on van chassis, is it the Vito? He puts LOTS of hard miles on them and has had very little problem, however, I know he is a stickler for servicing and maintenance.

I guess you pay a bit more for a Merc, but you tend to get what you pay for in-life.