Thinking of getting myself a van as not had one for a while since I got rid of my astra van and it is something I could do with really for lugging engines about etc.

So was thinking about going a bit bigger this time and getting a RWD transit so its a decent tow vehicle as well as being useful for carrrying stuff.

Noticed there are a lot of EX RAC vans knocking about on a 57-58 plate sort of age, normally for about 3-4K + VAT

Typically the 3K+VAT ones are about 150K miles, and the 4K+VAT ones nearer to 100K miles.

I'll probably do about 50K miles in it over a couple of years period while I own it so seems worth paying the extra 1K to get a lower miles?

The RAC all seem to have aircon which seems pretty important after the recent heat wave, and they seem to always be in pretty decent condition.

Plus being orange isnt a bad secondbest to my preference of yellow, lol.



Any downside to the RAC ones that I should be aware of though?

 

Only thing I don't like is the one piece back door.

 

TBH I prefer that cause at a trackday if you need to do some work on your car you can pull up close and use it as a bit of a shelter to work under, plus if you sorting stuff out near the back of the van same thing applies.
Likewide for sitting on the lip getting changed if I ever do moto-x again etc.

How come you dont like it?

 

only downside to one piece back door is you need to think about parking.

 

You'd like to hope they've been maintained properly lol.

Mate bought his T5 when he was made redundant from the VAG breakdown side - was all part of RAC. He's quite switched on, so must have been a good deal.

 

for the money you cant go wrong mate ive got 3 family members that work for the rac, vans are highly maintained just check it over and go on a long test drive if your lucky you might pick one up with 80k or 90k on the clock

 

my traffic is ex aa van and it has been perfect.
its a 2006 model we bought it in 2010 for Ł6000 with fully fitted tool box, air con, control box for ambers etc. 33000 miles on the clock.

most are high mileage the reason mine was low is it was the spare van that was used while drivers own vehicles were being repaired/maintained hence the low mileage. has a few dents as I guess got handed around to everyone and not treated the best but I bought on the mileage and its been perfect touch wood.

 

surely you don't pay VAT on a van?

 

but its a commercial vehicle being bought from a company

 

If the seller is VAT registered, then you do.

 

The only bad thing about having a one piece back door is you can't load anything by forklift. I had a caddy for 4 years with a single back door and loved it for pretty much all the reasons Chip has stated lol.

 

Beware the diffs
They have a really low gear to aid towing but rev their tits off at 70mph
I think its all of them but may e not
Check the transit forum
Those guys know everything about every transit even down to spotting incorrect trim or badging

 

^ there's a 'transit forum'? Lol

 

Better looking at BT or ex police

 

I just got a vivaro again 06 reg 115 Ł3500 ,Ł200 for a remap job sorted way better than my brothers transits he has a few

 

Better in what way?

I've owned both and worked on dozens of each and I only ever recommend the transit to people that ask.

 

iv owned both and my brother owns a few vans ,better in most ways comfy tows better pulls better ,better on fuel ,each to there own tho rest of my fleet are fords

 

Mine cruises at 70 no probs so possibly not?

 

Yeh, seems pretty busy, in the tech section there seems to one particular poster who answers 'prv' for any running fault on the later 2006> Transits.

(prv is the pressure relief valve on the end of the fuel rail that can fail and cause low fuel pressure)

 

Main reason for wanting a transit as opposed to its competitors is my mate who used to maintain a lot of vans for a van hire company reckoned the transits are a lot simpler to maintain and generally are reliable in the first place.

The movano etc look good for the money, but personally I'd just sooner have the transit.

Interesting about diffs, I would have thought the engines were torquey enough without needing to be geared down plus you could just be in a gear lower while towing if not?
And surely a low geared diff would ruin economy which is likely to matter a lot to the RAC?

Not the end of the world to swap a diff though im sure.

 

I'd guess an RAC van would have heavy duty 'Dana' axle and IIRC you need a tool to spread the axle casing to change the diff. You can get the axle ratio code off the vin plate, or if you know the reg, Ford ETIS if you know someone with a log-in.

Only thing I don't like about Movanos is..they're French. Mate had a Movano that the injectors failed and they were seized in the head, think he scrapped it in the end as it would have needed another engine.

Transit's aren't without their faults but the later 2006> don't have as many fuel pump/injector issues as the older ones.

I do have one in bits at work at the minute, 2011 2.2 fwd with no oil pressure, the oil pump drive/chain/guide etc lay in the bottom of the sump, only 48k miles! New engine and turbo (turbo seized and the securing nut for the shaft was in the intake pipe).

 

Just out of interest does anyone know how much power will the diff anecdotal what's handle

 

Thats interesting about the axle ratio being on the VIN plate, cheers for the tip.

Im sure they still go wrong, as ALL vans do, but Mike's argument was that when they do go wrong, transits are easier to work on and the bits are readily available.

 

If they're anything like our (fleet) Transits, they get raped everywhere, infrequent servicing and repairs, and generally not looked after or loved. I'd NEVER buy an ex-fleet van!

Plus trust me, the one piece rear door is an absolute cunt. I'd much MUCH rather have a twin rear door!

(also, nearly all fleet Transits are FWD, not RWD, now. All ours are, and I'd suspect the RAC are the same)

 

in sure there are some RAC transits which are 4x4?

 

Possibly. We have some specialist vehicles too. But I'd bet that 99% of the fleet are the same FWD ones that 99% of our fleet are. Just like most fleets.

 

Seen BT ones 4wd before, not many though.

When I worked at Brooklyn Ford in Worcester, their Malvern branch had the job of kitting out a fleet of RAC vans, I think they were rwd, swb, but not sure tbh.

 

Chip only reason I don't like it is the lack of accessibility when putting a pallet in with a forklift. Bar that, no reason.

 

Get one bought chip we have a fleet of trannyd where I work and tbh we hardly do anything to them.The mk5 trannys are a bit rusty now.We have welded a few of them up now lol.I live the way the mk6 trannys drive. There so comfy and handle well.

 

My neighbours a builder and has run a ex RAC van for years without any issues and he does load it to the limit

 

Most RAC transits are RWD mk6 and mk7 so they can legally tow more weight, some of the newest ones may now be the 4wd version

Auld

 

The garage i ran maintained the RAC in my area for years, they were all standard vans ( no up rated axles etc) and were front wheel drive. The patrols are not allowed to do anything on their on vans. They want for nothing whilst in service and serviced above the routine service schedule.

 

all transits from the rac are rear wheel drive and patrols can do stuff to their own vans such as servicing and replacing parts, they are all swb that have been uprated for towing

(only know this due to my old man being a patrol for 35 years with the rac)

 

Same as me Chip, that's what I do. I've worked on dozens (probably hundreds) of each. As you say, they all have their problems but overal I'd take the Transit above anything else. Aside from mechanics the transit feels a better drive too. I actually had a sport vivaro new in 2010 & thought I loved it at first. It was only after a while I started to hate it, back ache, really crap brakes, naff handling. Got back in a transit and it just felt right.

I've changed loads of clutches and dmf's on transits but that's only because the road gangs would fill them with Tarmac and tools then tow a mini digger!. Saw a lot with EGR faults but that's down to people pottering around town in them. My last one had done 100k and I thrashed it about & never had EGR faults. I can't really think of too much you'll have a problem with on the year you're looking at. Obviously DMF will be noticeable, EGR faults can usually be sorted with a clean up (bit fiddley the first time rwd) vacuum pump oil leak, rear hub seals leaking, strange probs with instrument clusters (I found this to be a fuse that corrodes for some reason) seen this a load of times, discs are more time consuming to change than most vans so bare in mind of discs are needed. 5 speed gearboxes I've replaced due to bearing noises.

 

http://fordtransit.org/forum/

 

being an rac patrol I know when the vans are decommissioned they are tidied up,repaired as necc and sold on.tbh think they a good option as they come with a twin battery system,bigger 16 inch wheels and tyres,plus I believe all the box sections are left in the vans

 

Good shout on EGRs Jamewrx, they were very common when the 2006> came out.

Not cheap either.

 

You can get a metal gear kit for the egr valves from ford now.Ive changed a few of these.

Chip stop fookin about and get one bought.

 

i looked into getting a mk6 ex rac van, but have heard some many horror stories regarding, pumps, timing chains, diffs on the mk6 2.4, so i hunted high and low and found a mk5 'x' plate tdi one, been a brillant van, abit on the arches, but thats just a usual tranny issue

 

All Rac vans I've seen have been swb rear wheel drive and have been well maintained, but the bodywork has always been a bit iffy. Mismatched paintwork, etc surely you could load a pallet through the sliding door?