Buying an old MK2, need input!

[Shark00n]

Hey guys! It's my first time posting here so let me start with a hello.

So me and a few friends want to buy a new van to drive around our country (Portugal), go to the summer music festivals, and do a roadtrip to northern spain and back. It will be our van for the years to come so we're looking into buying something very basic, very reliable and very spacious.

So, a few Transits have come up but, with our very limited budget, we're thinking of buying this one





The guy's asking 1250€, i managed to make him lower it to 1000€ with an engine service and MOT done. That's around 885£.

It's a MK2, with the 2.4D York engine. It has 150.000km (less than 95.000miles) on it. It's a nine seater (which is perfect because there's 5 of us and we want the space to haul more people).

I think it looks pretty good, what do you guys thinks?
Is this a good, RELIABLE van? What can you tell me about the engine in comparison with the later 2.5DI units? Also, what sort of MPG can I expect from it?
What should I most look for when I go see the van in person and how can I bargain with the owner to get a better price?

Thanks a lot guys!

[Luke]

looks a nice example from the pics and the price is good, but you can tell it's had some paint as the door handles are black from the factory

the main problem with the york is its hard to start especially when its cold - but that shouldnt be a problem for you

look out for rot on the chassis rails especially around the spring and shock absorber mounts - check the body for filler around the rear arches, and along the sills between the wheels also along the bottom of the back doors

all that said looks a nice van and should be reliable for you

[Shark00n]

What about fuel mileage?
How many gears does it have? 4?

What are the main differences between the York engine and the 2.5DI engine?

Thanks!

[Luke]

yeah 4 gears but that being a minibus might have a 4.11:1 back axle
not sure on york mpg ive always had Di's you'd get 30-35 from a Di on a trip mabe a bit less around town, a york shouldn't be much less

[Shark00n]

4 gears... That's crazy for long trips

But do you think the York is more reliable than the 2.5DI? Or, even if it isn't as reliable as that one, is it easier/quicker/cheaper to fix and get back running again?

The last thing I want is a fiddly van. If I have a problem on the road I want to know that within a few hours I can get back up running again by myself or with the help of a simple roadside mechanic.

[Shark00n]

OK so I got more photos to show you. Turns out it's not a York engine, it's a 2.5DI one! Woohoo!!

















What can you tell me from the pics? Does any particular area look too bad? What's up with the radio, does it look like someone tried to break the plastic to steal it? Do you think all the wiring's OK? What about the seats and the engine compartment?

Things that I'm worried about:
-The state of those seats
-That wheel arch is looking pretty bad, is it serious/hard to fix?
-Those tires look sunburnt, are they safe for a few more miles?
-The radio thing, is it expensive to fix? Or should a radio work there?
-Also, he says it has 9 seats, I can only see about 6, where's the third row of seats? Can it be folded down and can't be seen in the photos? (look at the last photo, I can only see two rows of seats...)

The guys that's selling it lives like 300km from me, so communication's hard between us and I don't want to travel that far just to see the van and come back empty handed because it wasn't a good deal after all...

Thank you VERY much!