2012 Ford Transit Pricing and Specs

In 1997, the Ford Transit was offered with a pair of diesel engines and a petrol engine. But the most powerful of them (the petrol) could muster up just 83kW, which, combined with the weight of the vehicle (around 1600kg) plus the weight of the camper conversion (maybe another tonne with full water tanks etc), equals paltry performance and acceleration.

The simplest thing to do is make sure the engine is tuned to its absolute best. But even then, you’re fighting an uphill (literally) battle thanks to all that mass, not to mention the appalling aerodynamics of a campervan. If you don’t mind spending a lot more money, you could upgrade the engine and transmission to a more modern one but, at that point, you’re probably better off buying a newer van altogether.

Maybe in 1997 life was quite a bit slower and your vehicle wasn’t such a mobile roadblock. That said, plenty of modern day caravaners are happy to sit at 80 or 90km/h, so maybe you just need to find the right mindset and become a bit more Zen with your camper. Of course, even if you do manage that, some driving tasks such as overtaking and merging into traffic will require plenty of forward planning and understanding from other motorists.

The crucial number here is the towing capacity of the Transit. This model ranged form 2000kg to 2750kg (depending on body and wheelbase) so a Daihatsu car shouldn't take you anywhere near that limit. That, of course, is if you flat-tow the Daihatsu behind the motor-home. If, however, you tow the car on a trailer, then you might (depending on the trailer's size and construction) find you're getting close to that limit in some circumstances.

The other problems will be the same ones faced by anybody who tows a decent sized load; wear and tear on the mechanical components and the sheer cost of fuel, particularly diesel.

The model you've nominated has a timing chain, which, in theory, should be good for the life of the engine. However, that's not always the case, and some specialists recommend changing the timing chain at intervals of 200,000km. That is still a pretty decent innings for a hard-working vehicle like a Transit and is longer than the change interval for most engines with toothed rubber timing belts.