Getting snowed under

[couchie]

Hi.

I'm wanting to get a transit, like all of us I want to get the best my cash can buy. I can go up to about £2000ish. Maybe a bit over for the right one.

The problem is I've looked at so many on ebay I've got brain ache. Ithink I can get a 2002 model may be 2003, I need to know, how can I relate the model number to engine type & cc, then the different ps, I think I'm after 100ps up(I tow a twin wheel trailer on & off). Then there's fwd, rwd etc etc.

I would like a swb, low to med roof with under 100000 miles.

Am I being realistic.

Thank's in advance. Chris

P.S Great forum, I intend to use it a lot once I've got the vehicle.

[ake]

for towing you want a RWD

[Luke]

how oftern do you intend to tow if its a lot then like ake says go for rwd with a towing diff 5.14 but if you do it will limit your motorway speed when not towing

[couchie]

Hi.

Not towing that often, & probably never very far, but I have the use of a big twin axle trailer so I wan't to be sure I've got the option. But I think economy when driving normally is more important. I've got my eye on two at present, an 01 260, 100ps done around 60000, & an 04 swb 100ps done 92000. Not sure weather to go for age or milage, they both look tidy. What do you lot think?

[Altransit]

What do you lot think?

A 260, or even a 280, won't legally tow a loaded twin wheel trailer, unless it's very light, because the GTW is only 3500kg.
For towing a trailer that size, you really need a 330 swb or 350 mwb/lwb Some on here would say you need a higher output engine to tow with, but I have used a 90ps lwb to tow a large trailer with car, and had no issues at all. The van was heavily loaded as well

[couchie]

Ok, Thanks.

So I have to think about how important the towing side is. I suppose my main concern is a tidy van, lowish milage, in my price range. Are the heavyer models as economic to run? & do decent ones come up for sale as often, & are they all rwd?

Lots of questions I know, I'm a bit ignorant when it comes to model numbers etc. Perhaps I'm focusing to much on the ebay thing & buying private. Can anyone recomend a good online dealer or another site I can look at?

Where I am in Wales is a bit out of the way to start driving about to look at lots of vans.

Thanks for all your input so far, much appreciated.

[ake]

You can buy 330/350 FWD vans, but they are not plated for towing as highly as the RWD versions. The RWD vans have a 2.4 litre engine so are in reality a bit heavier on fuel. There are hundreds of places selling thousands of Transits, so you can afford to be fussy.
EX BT vans are a pretty safe bet

[couchie]

Thanks all of you, so far so good.

I think I'm getting to narrow it down a bit. I recon on something 280 up 100ps+. Probably 2.0ltr front wheel drive because economy is more important than towing, I don't think I'll be towing anything to heavy more than once in a blue moon.

What are these motors like to run on veg oil? I've been doing a bit of research for our car & I'm considering putting in a two tank conversion, one for veg with a heat exchanger, one for normall derv. you switch over to veg once the engines warm then switch back to derv a minute or two before you switch off to prime the system with derv ready to start up again. Has any one here tried one of these conversions on a tranny? I'd love to try it but I've heard the more tech an engine is the more chance there is it can do some serious damage. Any input from someone with some knowlage would be great.

Maybe I should just get the van then start a new thread!