Caddy selection

 

Buying a Caddy can be a daunting prospect, on the surface, they all look the same…mostly white, with a number of Electric Blues thrown in for good measure! Delve a bit deeper and you’ll soon find there are actually a number of key subtle differences between Caddy years. This article dives into the Caddy variations and what to look for before buying one. 

 

First things first, budget…A Caddy camper can take a couple of hundred man hours to convert and can easily cost thousands in materials. Please bare that in mind when selecting a van, there is no point dedicating a huge amount of time and money into a badly maintained old van, for it to breakdown as soon as your hard earned time is complete. The age old story of the man that built his house on sand comes to mind.

 

So once you’ve decided on budget, that will as a rule of thumb equate to the age of Caddy that you can afford. Below are some of the things to look out for and pitfalls I’ve come across in my time of buying over a dozen Caddy Maxi’s.

 

Engine -

 

Probably the biggest debate you will see on online forums will be the issues around the 1.6 engine and its problem with failed injectors. The Caddy has 4 injectors and on the 1.6 these are notorious for failing. If it fails the caddy has to be stopped immediately and await roadside recovery. It is such a common problem that roadside recovery vehicles will often have a replacement on them and be able to fit and calibrate on the spot within an hour. Costs can vary but expect to Pay between £500 -£800 per injector. I can vouch from first hand experience that it can literally leave you stranded but with almost 40,000 miles of Caddy driving and 2 injector issues in that time it shouldn’t be the be all and end all dictating your decision. 

 

Should you avoid the 1.6 all together?

Absolutely not, the 1.6 variant is still a fantastic Caddy, only some have the injector issues and there are still ways to mitigate the risk of one going..

 

Replacements - Buying a Caddy that has had the injectors replaced will tend to mean that the new ones are less susceptible to reoccurring issues.

 

AA breakdown and Garage cover - This type of Cover will mean that if an injector were to fail the AA will replace it for only a small excess fee (This was correct at the time of writing but there is a limit of the total repair cost they are willing to cover)

 

 

 

 

 

Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) compliant 

 

In order to drive charge free within the ever increasing ULEZ areas then you will need to buy a caddy that complies with EURO 6 emission standards. These Caddy’s were released in September 2015 and are equipped with the 2.0 litre engine. Not only do these Caddy’s have more environmentally friendly credentials they are less susceptible to injector issues. Of course this comes with a higher price tag to their 1.6 older sibling. Prices are starting to come down with Caddy’s of reasonable mileage available for less than £10,000. 

 

To check to see if a Caddy is ULEZ compliant then the following government website can be used 

 

 https://vehiclecheck.drive-clean-air-zone.service.gov.uk/vehicle_checkers/enter_details

 

 

Previous History 

 

A well cared for vehicle with regular oil changes, love and care will obviously be the ideal candidate for a conversion. But when buying from a dealer, or if the Caddy has had multiple previous owners, then its upbringing can be hard to determine. Below are a number of signs that your ideal Caddy has had a good previous life.

 

MOT history 

 

A good starting point that can be done before seeing a vehicle in person. Put the reg number into the government website here….

 

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

 

This will then show you the previous MOT tests that the van has had and the results, it will also list repair items so that you can get an idea by looking at the latest mot test if things need to addressed straight away.

 

I tend to look at all the testing history to build up a picture on how well cared for that Caddy has been. If it has the odd failure for items such as tyres, brakes and wipers I’m not too concerned. A big red flag worthy of walking away is multiple failures for components such as suspension and oil leaks with a shopping list of repair items. 

 

 

Photos 

 

An obvious one but still worth mentioning. Again, before wasting time and money going to see the Caddy in person have a good look at the photos. Look out for the following things – 

 

• Any signs of rust, especially around the bottom of the doors 

• Scratches and dents specially at the back of the Caddy 

• Seat condition, rips tears and stains 

• Inside the cargo area, look for broken flooring and general untidiness 

• Check the roof for rust and any holes from old antennas/roof racks 

 

Service History 

 

Look for regular yearly services or more if the Caddy is doing above average annual mileage. The cambelt should be done around 75,000 miles, with a stamp or proof of works receipt. 

 

 

Mileage

 

It’s not uncommon to find Caddy’s with milage running into the hundreds of thousand miles. It can be a good compromise if you want a newer Caddy at a lower price to look for Caddy’s with above average milage. Just be sure to check the items mentioned above and that regular servicing has taken place.

 

I hope this article was helpful in shedding some light on the Caddy selection process. Good luck