Corrosion

Good evening all,

If someone would be kind enough?

What is the general consensus here regarding body/chassis corrosion on the Boxer/Relay/Ducato family of base vehicles? I'm looking around years 2000 to 2005. I've had a lot of French cars from that era that were really solid, well, corrosion wise anyway...

Many thanks,
Col

I found tin worm on my 2003 Boxer in the bottom of front wheel arches behind the front wheels. Where the water and mud thrown up by the wheels sticks.
Easy position to weld. Rest of body and chassis is very good.

Front lower cross member on my 2004 Boxer base was replaced after 14 years but it was a bolt on replacement. Rear cross member had some surface rust but otherwise no signs of rust.
John

My 1997 Boxer symphony has no rust on the body and the chassis has been waxoyled so very little there either.

Dave

As the others have suggested rust not a major problem, particularly if the windscreen skuttle mod has been done to divert water down through the engine compartment but away from the cross member. 
By the way they are not French although branded Peugeot they are built in Italy by Sevil (never sure on spelling)

Hi, We have a 2003 Symbol based on the Peugeot Boxer. Pretty solid & rust free throughout except for a bit of bubbling just above the sill behind the drivers door. Caused by an ill fitting plug to hold the plastic rubbing strip trim which has let water inside the cavity. To be repaired soon, should be a simple job to sort (well, simple by classic car standards ....).

Many thanks to all who responded, 

Seems like a good base vehicle then? I had a Type 2 Combi and you could hear that rusting. Older design I appreciate, but corrosion is a killer so the Ducato/Relay/Boxer looks like a good proposition for an older type camper.
Cheers,

Not sure I can agree. I looked at quite a few vehicles before buying my '97 Boxer Symphony. They ranged from complete rot boxes to many with bodged holes in the sills. The one we bought looked pretty good until I spent a lot of time underneath it. The crap underseal used at manufacture is like a thin plastic coating. Over time with road salt getting in, rust was spreading underneath the underseal yet stilled looked ok. It was only after a good fettling with a shavehook and grinder to "cut" back the underseal that I uncovered the extent of the corrosion. At the end of the Winter for the past 3 years I was habitually scraping and filling underneath until last year when one of the jacking points collapsed. That was the final straw so into a repair shop where much of the inner and outer sills were cut out together with bits of chassis replaced and welded. Expensive but worth it if only to save my back! I think the moral of the story is - it depends. Some examples are better than others but you really need to inspect a prospective purchase carefully bearing in mind these are now old vehicles and you can't expect perfection. Good luck.

Good points there Crystalvoyager,

I appreciate taking each offering on it's individual merits, It was a fairly broad question that I asked and as you rightly state these vehicles are getting old now. I don't expect perfection, I just want to be fully armed when checking out prospective vans. I'm fully conversant with "bodging" in the classic bike restoration field.....some people shouldn't be allowed to own spanners.
Cheers.

I looked at 7 or 8 Ford and Peugeot Chassis Monocoques from around 2002/03 and they were all rusty. I'm pretty sure the panel vans will be as bad. I found one that was good enough and that had already had the jacking points done. I then spent a vast sum having the whole cab and chassis meticulously cleaned and protected. This sort of detail is the only way to make them last another 15 years and I know mine is a good one now and is future proofed. Be fussy, very fussy and be prepared to crawl right underneath with a torch and a screwdriver