Out With The Old...

The other day, and with a little sadness, I bade farewell to my trusty Citroen Berlingo van. We had been together nearly seven years, and in that time had travelled approaching 100,000 miles together. Much of the time, the cargo area only carried Cupar's dog-crate and my tool boxes, though in summer, a lawn mower, strimmer and other tools would also be carried. At other times, the van had been pressed into service to transport various items of furniture, DIY materials, and huge quantities of shopping bought on trips south or to Inverness.

The Berlingo has never once let me down, but with its increasing age, I had become more and more aware that expensive repairs were inevitably 'just round the corner', so a replacement vehicle was sought. I find it invaluable to own a van. It is so easy to simply pile any kind of stuff in the back in a way that I am quite sure would not be possible with a hatchback or estate car - even a big one. Additionally, the Berlingo is a very convenient car-like size on the road, is adequately comfortable to drive, and very economical on fuel.

So, it will come as no surprise that its replacement is a near-identical sibling. Yes - the Berlingo is still in production, albeit with a few completely un-necessary updates to equipment such as air conditioning, a digital radio and reversing sensors... But the engine has also been updated and is now Euro 6 compliant - so although a diesel - it is not the 'dirty' variety that we currently read about so much.

Here's my 'spot the difference' photos of the old and the new. Not too difficult to see a different registration number - though my 200 XMF plate was also on the 'old' van until a week or so previously.  The slightly more observant may notice that the 'new' van is silver - not white. I am no longer a 'white van man'...! Lastly - yes, the new van is badged as a Peugeot Partner, and not a Citroen Berlingo. The two are, in all but name, the same van, but I was not able to find a Citroen version of the age and specification that I was seeking, so for the next few years at least, my workhorse will be a Pug, and I hope will prove as trusty as the outgoing Citroen.

The Old...

The Old...

The New...

The New...

As a footnote - it is interesting to see how much greener Roskhill is looking today than it was a week ago when the first pictures were taken!