Pedro Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Hi all, I'm canvassing opinions again as this is probably one of the broadest spectrums of people I have the pleasure of knowing I've just sold the CB500 at vast profit and got rid of the Landy to my brother a few weeks ago, unfortunately at a loss However, this has left a bit of a hole in the household transport and for some time I've been musing over the idea of getting a small diesel van, roughly in the £850 area. Looking around, there seem to be a hell of a lot at this price and I have to admit to preferring the Ford's. Does anyone have experience of the either the Courier or the escort based 55 ? Cheers, Pedro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 at that price they will be dogs, but probably similar to the landy drive wise and reliability wise. Personally I'd buy a cheap petrol fiesta or similar for half that price and run it to death, economy will be similar and you can get some that have had a very easy life for peanuts. If you need the space etc just rip the back seats and interior out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeylove Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 I hated my escort 55, underpowered and underbraked but loved my tranny, am sad ive got to sell it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oly Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 I have had some dealings with a farmer in staffs who buys ex post vans for £200 a throw from a guy in Stone, may be worth a look. After all, not sure you'll get much better for £800. The farmer allows his staff for rag them until they die, which is generally 2 years, which is cheap motoring in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusk2dawn Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Hi all, I'm canvassing opinions again as this is probably one of the broadest spectrums of people I have the pleasure of knowing I've just sold the CB500 at vast profit and got rid of the Landy to my brother a few weeks ago, unfortunately at a loss However, this has left a bit of a hole in the household transport and for some time I've been musing over the idea of getting a small diesel van, roughly in the £850 area. Looking around, there seem to be a hell of a lot at this price and I have to admit to preferring the Ford's. Does anyone have experience of the either the Courier or the escort based 55 ? Cheers, Pedro Some time ago I ran a fleet of vans including both escort 55 and couriers both 1.8D, imo the escort wins hands down, the back end of the courier is skittish, the payload was stated as max 500kgs , but they dragged their butts fully loaded, of the two body and service parts were more available for the escorts and they were more comfortable drive over distances with better roadholding. THEN I bought some Vauxhall combos 1.7D in max payload, a different beast altogether with better mpg, a tad faster and deffo more comfort in the cab. As long as its white you can get away with murder D2D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myzeneye Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 i had escort 55's for years... there o.k and do the job.... vauhall combo aint bad and has a higher roof which is better.... had a berlingo when i worked for b.g.... that was a really good van ...fast..... in my early days, i bought many a van for a grand.... they worked well and where reliable..... what ever you get, throw a timing belt on it, some new glow plugs and give it a good service... treat it well and it'll do you proud im sure.... ive got a tranny now, which is o.k, very good mpg, but very boring, i want the new model as mines 54 plate.... i was gonna buy a van for myself recently, the choice was the merc vito or the nissan primastar ( which is the same as the vaxhaul and renault vans only has all the gadgets!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAN88 Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Mate you can,t go wrong with ford van always had transits and escorts that transit lump should knock not missing abeat driving a new one but it an,it as good as the smiley bonnet that engine was sweet i,m a transit junkie the transit as got to be good thats why all the ####,s drive them buy a smiley bonnet you wont regret it R reg to X propa bus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweedledee Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 veedub caddy small van or transit in the larger size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAN88 Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 i had escort 55's for years... there o.k and do the job.... vauhall combo aint bad and has a higher roof which is better.... had a berlingo when i worked for b.g.... that was a really good van ...fast..... in my early days, i bought many a van for a grand.... they worked well and where reliable..... what ever you get, throw a timing belt on it, some new glow plugs and give it a good service... treat it well and it'll do you proud im sure.... ive got a tranny now, which is o.k, very good mpg, but very boring, i want the new model as mines 54 plate.... i was gonna buy a van for myself recently, the choice was the merc vito or the nissan primastar ( which is the same as the vaxhaul and renault vans only has all the gadgets!) mate just sold a 04 PLATE VITO what a let down merc best commercial yer wright injectors went whilst still in warranty then they went again 18mts later did merc want to know sorry mate over 12mts (main agent) this time they had sealed them self in the head can u get them out NO the snap in head so its £200 per injector £1000 for head couple of hundred for bits engine has tobe dropped because of bulk head total parts, labour,VAT, APPROX 3 TO 4 GRAND SO dropped it that day brought a brand new transit had many transits should never had changed the vito had only done 59,000 and it was heavy on fuel and FRONT TYRES TRANSIT is returning 43mpg its got all the bits green tints, electric this and that etc hope this is help fully (ps them primstars,euro vans have engine mangement probs) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweedledee Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 i hear vitos and sprinters are awfully troublesome. they take a fortune to keep on the roads. thats why my boss uses transits.my last one had 150 thou on it and just 2 broken springs.but you ought to see the rough terrain we have them on every day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr lee Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 i had escort 55's for years... there o.k and do the job.... vauhall combo aint bad and has a higher roof which is better.... had a berlingo when i worked for b.g.... that was a really good van ...fast..... in my early days, i bought many a van for a grand.... they worked well and where reliable..... what ever you get, throw a timing belt on it, some new glow plugs and give it a good service... treat it well and it'll do you proud im sure.... ive got a tranny now, which is o.k, very good mpg, but very boring, i want the new model as mines 54 plate.... i was gonna buy a van for myself recently, the choice was the merc vito or the nissan primastar ( which is the same as the vaxhaul and renault vans only has all the gadgets!) mate just sold a 04 PLATE VITO what a let down merc best commercial yer wright injectors went whilst still in warranty then they went again 18mts later did merc want to know sorry mate over 12mts (main agent) this time they had sealed them self in the head can u get them out NO the snap in head so its £200 per injector £1000 for head couple of hundred for bits engine has tobe dropped because of bulk head total parts, labour,VAT, APPROX 3 TO 4 GRAND SO dropped it that day brought a brand new transit had many transits should never had changed the vito had only done 59,000 and it was heavy on fuel and FRONT TYRES TRANSIT is returning 43mpg its got all the bits green tints, electric this and that etc hope this is help fully (ps them primstars,euro vans have engine mangement probs) I run a vito and yes they have issues. Injectors are a big one. Absolutely no need for a new injector though in most cases as one of my good mates is an independant injector specialist and on the ones merc use they pretty much always just wear out the washer in the bottom. A 1 pence item, yet the dealers will pull your pants down and charge and fit a new injector. Mate just services them and sticks a new washer in. Did 3 of mine all the same. Cost 3 pence in washers and about £50 in labour. Speedo going is a bad one. Works out at £500+ once you have ordered a new instrument panel and had it coded. I have never heard of front tyres wearing fast though. Sounds like your mate could do to drive slower or get his tracking checked out. On the subject of seized injectors I have removed 4 so far which were all carbon baked in. Last one only took 25 minutes. Longest was about an hour. Garages tend to have a ham fisted approach to someone elses vehicle because the mechanic isn't directly affected by the cost so they pretty much end up swinging on pullers and levers to get them out. Tis quite good on fuel mine (110CDi) and doesn't half bomb along on motorways with a full load. Not a transit fan sadly and I did look seriously into a T5 VW transporter but again, heard too many horror stories of gearbox and waterpump pulley woes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAN88 Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 i had escort 55's for years... there o.k and do the job.... vauhall combo aint bad and has a higher roof which is better.... had a berlingo when i worked for b.g.... that was a really good van ...fast..... in my early days, i bought many a van for a grand.... they worked well and where reliable..... what ever you get, throw a timing belt on it, some new glow plugs and give it a good service... treat it well and it'll do you proud im sure.... ive got a tranny now, which is o.k, very good mpg, but very boring, i want the new model as mines 54 plate.... i was gonna buy a van for myself recently, the choice was the merc vito or the nissan primastar ( which is the same as the vaxhaul and renault vans only has all the gadgets!) mate just sold a 04 PLATE VITO what a let down merc best commercial yer wright injectors went whilst still in warranty then they went again 18mts later did merc want to know sorry mate over 12mts (main agent) this time they had sealed them self in the head can u get them out NO the snap in head so its £200 per injector £1000 for head couple of hundred for bits engine has tobe dropped because of bulk head total parts, labour,VAT, APPROX 3 TO 4 GRAND SO dropped it that day brought a brand new transit had many transits should never had changed the vito had only done 59,000 and it was heavy on fuel and FRONT TYRES TRANSIT is returning 43mpg its got all the bits green tints, electric this and that etc hope this is help fully (ps them primstars,euro vans have engine mangement probs) I run a vito and yes they have issues. Injectors are a big one. Absolutely no need for a new injector though in most cases as one of my good mates is an independant injector specialist and on the ones merc use they pretty much always just wear out the washer in the bottom. A 1 pence item, yet the dealers will pull your pants down and charge and fit a new injector. Mate just services them and sticks a new washer in. Did 3 of mine all the same. Cost 3 pence in washers and about £50 in labour. Speedo going is a bad one. Works out at £500+ once you have ordered a new instrument panel and had it coded. I have never heard of front tyres wearing fast though. Sounds like your mate could do to drive slower or get his tracking checked out. On the subject of seized injectors I have removed 4 so far which were all carbon baked in. Last one only took 25 minutes. Longest was about an hour. Garages tend to have a ham fisted approach to someone elses vehicle because the mechanic isn't directly affected by the cost so they pretty much end up swinging on pullers and levers to get them out. Tis quite good on fuel mine (110CDi) and doesn't half bomb along on motorways with a full load. Not a transit fan sadly and I did look seriously into a T5 VW transporter but again, heard too many horror stories of gearbox and waterpump pulley woes. mate my van was rear wheel drive so if i was bombing around would.nt my rear tyre wear in three years never put tyres on rear on the van was yours the front wheel drive model if so the van was different in many ways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr lee Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 i had escort 55's for years... there o.k and do the job.... vauhall combo aint bad and has a higher roof which is better.... had a berlingo when i worked for b.g.... that was a really good van ...fast..... in my early days, i bought many a van for a grand.... they worked well and where reliable..... what ever you get, throw a timing belt on it, some new glow plugs and give it a good service... treat it well and it'll do you proud im sure.... ive got a tranny now, which is o.k, very good mpg, but very boring, i want the new model as mines 54 plate.... i was gonna buy a van for myself recently, the choice was the merc vito or the nissan primastar ( which is the same as the vaxhaul and renault vans only has all the gadgets!) mate just sold a 04 PLATE VITO what a let down merc best commercial yer wright injectors went whilst still in warranty then they went again 18mts later did merc want to know sorry mate over 12mts (main agent) this time they had sealed them self in the head can u get them out NO the snap in head so its £200 per injector £1000 for head couple of hundred for bits engine has tobe dropped because of bulk head total parts, labour,VAT, APPROX 3 TO 4 GRAND SO dropped it that day brought a brand new transit had many transits should never had changed the vito had only done 59,000 and it was heavy on fuel and FRONT TYRES TRANSIT is returning 43mpg its got all the bits green tints, electric this and that etc hope this is help fully (ps them primstars,euro vans have engine mangement probs) I run a vito and yes they have issues. Injectors are a big one. Absolutely no need for a new injector though in most cases as one of my good mates is an independant injector specialist and on the ones merc use they pretty much always just wear out the washer in the bottom. A 1 pence item, yet the dealers will pull your pants down and charge and fit a new injector. Mate just services them and sticks a new washer in. Did 3 of mine all the same. Cost 3 pence in washers and about £50 in labour. Speedo going is a bad one. Works out at £500+ once you have ordered a new instrument panel and had it coded. I have never heard of front tyres wearing fast though. Sounds like your mate could do to drive slower or get his tracking checked out. On the subject of seized injectors I have removed 4 so far which were all carbon baked in. Last one only took 25 minutes. Longest was about an hour. Garages tend to have a ham fisted approach to someone elses vehicle because the mechanic isn't directly affected by the cost so they pretty much end up swinging on pullers and levers to get them out. Tis quite good on fuel mine (110CDi) and doesn't half bomb along on motorways with a full load. Not a transit fan sadly and I did look seriously into a T5 VW transporter but again, heard too many horror stories of gearbox and waterpump pulley woes. mate my van was rear wheel drive so if i was bombing around would.nt my rear tyre wear in three years never put tyres on rear on the van was yours the front wheel drive model if so the van was different in many ways Yup, mine is FWD. Know where you're coming from then with RWD. HAd RWD vans in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulf Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 (edited) I say Ford, I curently drive a 04 MK6 transit, and have driven the escort van before. Reasnably reliable and parts are cheap. Not a lot more you can say. Drive wise nothing special but not particularly bad either. My next van will be a Ford again probably another transit due to capacity ( a MK7) Edited September 2, 2008 by paulf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro Posted September 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 in my early days, i bought many a van for a grand.... they worked well and where reliable..... what ever you get, throw a timing belt on it, some new glow plugs and give it a good service... treat it well and it'll do you proud im sure.... Bought a high mileage but clean escort van for £600 which has just had all new belts, glow plugs and a service. Drives straight and sounds not too bad. Well chuffed The only ****** was the flippin insurance I hadn't realised that "classic car insurance" (for the Landy), doesn't attract no claims bonus - so I've had to start from new again Thanks for all your replies gents, (I wont let Mrs P. see al4x 's though, it'll only give her ideas!). P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferretman Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 my dad has just done the same thing and got a escort van really nice 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 if its an escort van are you sure its really nice :lol depends what you compare them to but I've never had a driver describe them as a nice drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_HMR Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 From Ireland but recently bought a van over in england. Was looking at the 1.8 diesel fiestas but turns out i got a 1.3petrol Ford Ka van. If you can stomach the slagging they're a great car comfortable to drive ploughs away easy at 80mph not a rocket by any means but would describe as nippy. I got a 02 plate with 50,000 on the clock for £1200 i did have advertising on it and one small ding but have but 4000 miles on in the last 2 months and not a bother to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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