Rusty Boxers

We have had a 2001 Clubman for 7 years and it has been faultless and breezes through the MOT every year with no signs of rust. Despite loving the VW we feel like we now need more space and have decided to go for a Pollensa. Virtually all of the Pollensas I have checked on the Gov MOT site have had MOT fails or advisories at the least, for structural rust. 
Because of this I am narrowing my search for a Transit based Pollensa.
I was wondering what members views of the Boxer rust issue is? We are looking at a van from 2000 to 2004

We have had to have welding work done on our Peugeot based 2002 Pollensa twice after MOT fails over recent years.

However we feel that it is worth it, as we love the van and layout, it has good old fashioned switches, dials and relays for all the systems which also operate independently so if needs be I can repair or replace parts, although it has proved reliable overall anyway. 

From reading reports on here of problems with newer vans with centralised electronic control panels, they seem to be much more prone to failures which sometimes stops everything from working. At least if, say my water heater were to fail, I would still have space heating, lights, fridge, etc etc. 

Also when we have compared the quality of the conversion, it is considerably better than newer models which seem to use cheaper materials.

When you look at the price of new vans, there is no argument for us - we will do what we have to to keep ours running for a few more years hopefully even if it needs a bit more spent on it.

Hi

I’d be very surprised if you found that the Transits of that age have less rust than the Boxers - old Transit = rust (and I say that as a Transit fan)!

It’s odd how some vehicles are rust free and others riddled with it, but I suspect a lot depends on how often it’s been checked for rust in the past and how minor bodywork problems have been delt with.

That said any vehicle twenty years or more old could suffer from rust so I think It’s a case of buying the best vehicle you can and keeping a close eye on any developing rust.

Brod

Not sure about Boxers, but Transits of the early 2000s were not even galvanised.

Edited to add: Boxers of that era were also not galvanised. Boxers from 2007 onwards were galvanised.

Most have corrosion by now. The secret is to look at many, don't be fussy about the engine, model or condition of interior and find the best chassis you can. Front jacking points, cross members are vulnerable. Then fix whatever corrosion there is properly and rust proof it like it should have been when it was new. Just because it had an MOT failure once is not indicative of future problems if you keep the chassis clean and inspect it regularly.

I was told not to buy a van from seaside life,salty air. Also van used in UK winters with salt on the roads.

Knowing how cars used to rust before your very eyes, i bought a new Fiat 124S and had it undersealed before use.!

Micky

If you want a rusty vehicle, a Transit would be an excellent choice.
Here's some pics of the underside of my 2002 boxer (after undersealing) but no sealant was put on any part with other than surface rust. In fairness it was rust free anyway, the waxoyl was applied hot and injected through now sealed holes into every cavity.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Thanks for the responses. I posted for this very reason, to see if my assumption that boxers rusted more readily than transits was wrong. I fully intend to invest further in the new vehicle by comprehensive rustproofing, but just wanted a view on how owners of Boxers of this age are dealing with the issue.