Buying Advice

I'm thinking of buying one of these - a 2000 lwb. I see there's a problem with dashboards on this model. Do the problems make the car undriveable or is it merely nuisance value? Is this likely to have been sorted on this age vehicle or is it a recurring problem? Also removing glow plugs seems to be a problem. Is there anything else which should put me off going ahead? Am I better off sticking with my '96 2.5tds?; I just fancy something a little newer.

Looking further at these. Parkers show a big jump in depreciation back from '02. were there model changes or something else to cause this?

MAF' s are a known issue (stay away from the chinese clones on eBay)
Dash is an annoyance, but can be fixed, and yes it is a recurring problem
Vac pipes are also common but is a very easy fix
MAP sensors are also known to go, but are less common than MAF's
Make sure the EML light illuminates when you start the car but then goes out after a few seconds
Check for rust in the usual fronty places

Can't think of much else to be honest

There seem to be a lot more 2.2 's about than there were. Can I ask why are you thinking of changing your 2.5 ? I've had one for 9 months now and am quite pleased with it. Small thought, I wonder if the 2.2 has a good heater

AAh it does does thanks boxcleva .Small point I know but after the feeble one on the 2.3 :shock:

,the only drawback is that the 2.5 goes faster and and a good heater so my wife likes it !
I should have read properly he is after something newer.

the 1 thing ive noticed that tends to afflict the 2.2 dti seems to be fuel pump failure but & im not certain if thats caused just by running out of fuel or not, its not the end of the world but looks to be a £500 fix.
but even knowing that i would rather have the older engined model as i have read members threads who have had fuel pump failure with the newer version have had nightmares trying to get theyre frontys repaired as the pump donsent appear to be repairable & new ones are a vx supply part only & somewhere in the region of 2k a go :shock:

Yes fuel starvation or running on veg oil is the DTI's Achilles heel.

Thanks for your comments. Two things against the 2.2 then are the pump - If I never use chip fat and never run out of fuel will it be ok? ; and the lower speed - do you mean by that the acceleration? I do like the 2.5 and wouldn't want to go a lot slower. Am I better off looking for a lower mileage '98 FSH 2.5tds?

You will be fine with the DTI if you take those precautions but also be very careful when changing the fuel filter as the pump need only be starved for a second or two to fail as a member here found out.

Careful as I think I can be 'a second or two' sounds a bit too critical for someone getting more doddery by the day. I'm thinking low mileage 2.5 may be my best option.

A garage should only charge about 20 quid to fit it and is only about every two years mileage dependant.