Duetto advise

Hi All

We are looking to convert from our 12ft caravan to a smallish camper. We need 3 travel seat and have started looking a Duetto's of around 2005/6. Ive convinced myself that the Transit base is the better version. Does anyone have any pointers as to things to look for?. Is rust common on these vans?. Is the diesel heating any good?
Any advice is welcome
Thank you in advance

Hello
         Fords rust they say,not always true,we run an 06 duetto n it has NO RUST, a few surface marks underneath maybe,it’s been waxoyled x2,doesn’t run on salted roads if poss,and been good as gold,depends on use/care history I guess.........check out purchase on ramps or crawl underneath.....take a torch....watch wheel arches f/rear.....sills,under bonnet chassis cos screen drains thro eng comp!
Diesel heating eberspacher I guess works well as long as leisure battery is good for start up,can be a bit noisy TIL it settles at low med heat,cheap to run........others may say different,best of luck
Dave h

I can recommend the Fords I have a 2003 2.4 mark 6 and drives like a dream, 

I was a bit dubious to start with as I had never had a Ford only VW`s before, she`s economical as well, I don`t have any rust on mine, she is waxoyld every year, was well looked after when I bought her,  if you get a good one to start with and then look after it all should be well. Do check for rust, although parts are plentiful and not expensive so a bonus if needed. 

Good luck.
Margaret

We have a 1996 Duetto, which we love, but Transits do rust. We looked into upgrading to a 2005-ish model, but found that the toilet compartment has been enlarged on the new ones at the expense of the wardrobe, which is now tiny. So we have decided to spend what we would have spent on changing vans, on dealing with the rust on the one we've got.

The other thing we found is that vans nine or ten years older than ours are still not immune from rust issues. It was interesting to look up the MOT history of vans for sale online, where the number plate was shown; in many cases the van had failed due to rust, and been re-tested a few days later, and passed. Buyer beware!

Achilles heel wrote:We have a 1996 Duetto, which we love, but Transits do rust. We looked into upgrading to a 2005-ish model, but found that the toilet compartment has been enlarged on the new ones at the expense of the wardrobe, which is now tiny. So we have decided to spend what we would have spent on changing vans, on dealing with the rust on the one we've got.

The other thing we found is that vans nine or ten years older than ours are still not immune from rust issues. It was interesting to look up the MOT history of vans for sale online, where the number plate was shown; in many cases the van had failed due to rust, and been re-tested a few days later, and passed. Buyer beware!

Yours is a LWB Transit where the Mk6 A/S used on later models are only mwb....hence the smaller wardrobe and also smaller cabinet under the sink. Given space is already at a premium in Mk5 Duetto's it's a big factor to consider and i think you made a wise decision. Quite why A/S went with the mwb i can only think was down to cost factor (Ford are not cheap!). 

For a Mk5 Transit my van is unusual in having absolutely zero underbody welding or rust and all four wheel arches (known for rusting on Transits) are the original arches with not even any cosmetic sign of rust. It was professionally rustproofed at new though and seems to have worked.

Interesting point you mentioned about looking at a vehicles MOT history as i do exactly the same. A few weeks ago i spotted a van for sale with unbelievably low mileage for the year so i had a look at it's history. Sure enough the mileage was genuine but failures almost every year! It had spent most of it's life just standing as some years had only done a couple of hundred miles. Outwardly the body looked good and the interior almost like new...but it's mot history told another story!