Any body same as me and trying run your business with an old vehicle iv got an 1989 merc 308 t1 recovery truck and i don't think Ive had a week were something ain't going wrong this weeks saga is the allty again not charging i find this out on the way back from the lakes to Manchester with an Astra on the back this meant no lights and no heaters no music horrible i could buy a newer truck and get in debt but were is the fun in that so come on who else is like me struggling make a living but still love what your doing

 

i would have thought safety would be your priority not your pride

 

tbh i cant really see that newer stuff would be anymore reliable. just have more to go wrong

 

Smiley transit would be my workhorse if it were me

 

Problem is if you dont get it sorted you could end up putting more money into the truck than your earning.

If you cant do finance have you thought about contract hire?

 

Not much sense having a breakdown truck that's likely to break down ?

 

Look at the cost of hp/lease on a newer truck ,and work out how much your old grubber costs a month in parts and man hours to maintain,and a newer truck is more cost effective on fuel,dont wat to sound harsh but i wouldnt want my car recovered by an old truck which the gyppo,s wouldnt even run lol,good buisness is got a lot on presentation so stop playing and get your self down to your iveco/daf/man dealer

cheeRS stu

 

a good mercedes 611 or 711 would do your job great and not to expensive we run that chassis in buses and we never has a more reliable chassis

 

Yeah,shocked your having troubles with a merc of that era,they are bombproof!!!

A good transit would be more reliable but rust like hell.

Only a suggestion but would a decent trailer and something like a maverick/terrano suit your needs better?

That way if a big long haul job comes up then you could always hire a brand new 4x4 to tow it?my trailer has an awesome electric winch and I've never had any issues with what I tow on it.

Might keep you below the radar of the old bill and the taxman if you get my drift?could make you more competitive then as well?and you can operate all year round.

 

lets just clear this up i also run an 06 plate transit wich is no more reliable than the merc the wheels very rarely stop turning on both trucks i sell cars for a liveing and the merc is realy the truck for that side of the buisness both trucks get more spent on them than most cars on the road the merc pulls stronger faster and can carry more weight than the transit and if i was stranded at the side of the motoway i couldnt care less if a robin relient stopd to recover me much like the rest of the people i recover. i spend a fortune on insurances not like the blokes you see in transits recovering cars who are just insured on a transit tipper and not for recovery

 

You're trying to run an 1989 Merc 308 as a work horse?!?!?!

Good luck is all I can say!! We used to maintain loads of them and all I can say is they can keep any garage from going bankrupt!

If you want to stick with a Merc, get a sprinter. Be warned the high milage 5 cylinders and 4 cylinder 8 valve engines are prone for head gasket failure between timing casing and number 1 cylinder. The later CDIs are better but can crack heads on the higher milage engines. They also suffer from burnt injector seats which is another whole new set of problems.

If you're not bothered about a Merc then find a clean late model old shape Transit and swap your bed off the Merc. If you can find a turbo and manifold from a turbo model you can fit that and turn the fuel pressure up on the pump and they go really well. They're utterly utterly bomb proof if stayed on top of and as long as you find a looked after model, it should give you no issues. In fact, I think I might know of a Transit truck for sale.

 

So when your driving along with no lights, no heaters to demist your windsceen etc then you cause a accident with about 3 1/2 tonnes of metal thats fine, like you say there would be no fun in that would there. Next time your in the lakes send me a pm so i will stay at home that day.

 

i want one as a 2nd car/van