MK II - safety advice needed

[curlykate]

we're transit novices who have been offered a MKII van for nothing. it needs quite a lot of welding work (at least £600's worth) and some interior work - it doesn't have a current MOT. we're desperate to get a van and get away at weekends, but don't want to spend money on something that will eat money. our other main concern is whether it's possible to fit proper seatbelts - we have a young baby, so need to be sure that she's safe.
sorry this is all a bit vague; we haven't seen the van yet, and don't have that much information on it, but can anyone offer advice on whether this van might be worth spending money on?
thanks,
Kate

[rover]

Hi.

If a MK2 needs £600 worth of welding doing its not really worth it, you can pick up good ones for that sort of money!

Have a look around these forums and you will find plenty of pics of MK2s, Fred is the woman you want for expert MK2 advice


Rover.

[madmark]

hi kate i wouldnt get it , as rover says it will eat money, is there any reason why you whant a mk2????? there is plenty of mk3,s out there for this money that you are going to spend on the welding, but be carefull most are rusting very bad so you will be in the same situation, you must check undernieth of whatever you buy! most transits are allready rotting on the wheel arches
so when you go to have a look at a van take somebody with you !

[Neil]

not worth it

[baconsdozen]

Have to agree,if you can't do the welding yourself its not worth it.

[Luke]

have to agree with everyone else on this if you cant weld - stay away!

but its always a shame to see a mk2 get scrapped - i presume cos it was being given free the owner must want to see it saved - see if they want to sell/give it away on here there may be some local scottish enthusiast who will be prepared to save it!!

if i was charging per hour on my mk1s the welding costs would have probly been £10000

[FredTransit]

This is as broad as it's long, ie if you are complete novice this may not be the van for you. BUT I would still see the van and take along somebody who knows the Mk, not just 'somebody who knows about cars', especially if they are used to newer cars. Take a look at the buyers guide and try to make an informed decision. Who told you the van needed £600 of welding? Was it the current owner, if so who told them? Welding, specially to do with the MOT, is not an exact sceince. We are currently running a Mk2 Luton (already owned by us, for some years) that was given a death sentance due to welding the mechanic/welder we were going to at the time couldn't manage, and that was more than 8 years ago! A van might have £600 of welding at one garage, and only £200 at another, and be written off by another. We shopped around and got the work done, she's still on the road.
As far as fitting proper seat belts I don't know what you mean. The seatbelts fitted to the Mk2 are the standard (driver's and outside passenger) 3 point belts, with a lap belt in the middle. They are exactly the same as the Mk3 and as far as I can tell up to much later than that. If it will pass the MOT on the belts, they are safe. How old is your baby? any van will need a 'Kitemark' safety standard child seat fitting for small children, preferably rear facing for small babies.

Welcome to the Forum by the way, I hope we can help you make up your mind.

[Gunslinger]

£600 of welding at garage prices is not actually that bad if they were charging by the hour, what you need to be able to do is weld yourself, if you cant, forget it.

As for eating money, yup, they can do that, trust me i know, and i can weld, also the cost of replacement panels might not have been included in that 'quote' plus other extras like sealing,painting etc etc

you need to know exactly whats going rotten, come back and ask then, because between us, i think we've seen most places these will rot, and we can then give you a better idea if its worth doing or if your just delaying the inevitable

also if the chassis/body is that bad, whats the running gear like ? remember these are now 20+ year old designs, you might be better off with something newer especially with a young family, however remember even newer stuff can be abused by builders these days and end up knackered in only a few short years !

good luck