If you’re in the market for a new vehicle these days, you may find the prices staggering. And that means the market for pre-owned is growing.
Requirement: You manage your own small business and you need a vehicle that’s smaller than a truck but bigger than a wagon. The obvious choice, of course, is a conventional panel van. Here are five examples we found on Gumtree that should each cost you less than R170 000…
2013 Fiat Fiorino 1.3 MultiJet
Get down to business in Italian style with this European panel van. The Fiorino is praised for its comfortable wrap-around seats, egronomic dashboard and abundance of storage space (with some hidey-holes big enough to swallow a laptop). The small MultiJet engine, however, isn’t the strongest.
The Caddy has proved its worth over and over again here at CAR. Unfortunately, this particular one isn’t the diesel model, but instead features a naturally aspirated 1,6-litre petrol engine delivering 75 kW to the front wheels. Still, it should do a top job for door-to-door activities.
2016 FAW Sirius 1,3 VCT-i Panel Van
This is where things start to get serious. Thanks to its steel-plated floor, the Sirius can handle plenty of rough goods. In terms of interior capacity, it’s the smallest on this list, but it at least has a respectable ride-height. Thanks to its naturally aspirated 1,3-litre petrol engine, it’s also pretty cheap to run.
2014 Renault Kangoo 1,6i 16v Expression
Owners of the Renault Kangoo tend to love this model thanks to its practicality, durability and low running costs. In terms of specs, it’s pretty basic, but the Kangoo is clearly designed to get the job done.
2013 Opel Vivaro 1,9 CDTI Panel Van
Not only is the Vivaro the largest on this list, it also has the most capable engine. Granted, it is also the most expensive of the five, but with 3 100 litres of space in the rear, it’s highly capable.
