Used Vauxhall Combo review and buying guide (2001 to present): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Vauxhall Combo should you buy?

For carrying a family, the Combo Life sold from 2018 to 2024 is the one to look at, since it's the Combo designed around passengers, with five or seven seats. The petrol and diesel versions were dropped early on, leaving later ones electric only. There's little reported about how it holds up, so judge each one on condition. Sit in it before buying: the front seat cushions are short and don't support your thighs, and the XL's rearmost seats come out but are heavy to lift.

The Corsa-based van sold from 2002 and the Fiat-built van from 2012 share the engine that decides most purchases: the 1.3 CDTi diesel. Built between 2005 and 2018 with a particulate filter, it can push unburnt fuel into its own oil, and its oil cooler can fail too. On the older van, a batch of 1.4 Twinport petrols from 2002 to 2006 had camshaft bolts that worked loose.

Don't treat the 2012 van's 1.6 or 2.0 CDTi as a way round that: they use a particulate filter too, so check the oil level and smell on any diesel Combo. Wheelchair-accessible Combo Tour conversions of the older van also turn up, with a rear ramp and floor anchors; check the ramp works, along with any electric winch or lowering suspension fitted.

Which Combo engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The 1.3 CDTi diesel (Fiat's 1.25 Multijet) with a particulate filter is the engine to approach most carefully, in both the older van and the 2012 one, on vans built from 2005 to 2018. When a regeneration fails to burn its extra fuel, that fuel drains into the sump and the oil level rises, typically between 50,000 and 100,000 miles, until the engine runs on its own oil, can't be switched off and destroys itself.

That 1.3 CDTi has a second known weakness. Its oil cooler is built into the oil filter housing and cooled by engine coolant, and when it fails, oil and coolant mix. It shows up between 70,000 and 120,000 miles as a coolant level that keeps dropping, overheating, or a creamy residue in the header tank, so a high-mileage diesel needs a hard look.

The 1.4 16v Twinport petrol in the 2002 to 2006 van can shake its camshaft bearing bolts loose, which snaps the camshaft, typically between 50,000 and 90,000 miles. It's been traced to a batch of Spanish-built engines whose numbers start 19F, and Vauxhall offered to check the bolts, so read the engine number and, if it starts 19F, don't buy without proof that check was done.

Gearbox choice is a manual or an automated manual: Easytronic on the older 1.3 CDTi, Tecshift on the 2012 van's 1.6 CDTi. There's nothing reported against either, which isn't proof they're tough, so on the test drive make sure the changes come through cleanly when pulling away on a slope and creeping through traffic.

What should you check when viewing a used Combo?

Pull the dipstick on any diesel before you drive it, a 1.3 CDTi above all: oil above the top mark, or oil that smells of diesel, means fuel from failed filter regenerations is collecting in the sump. A DPF warning light on the dash points the same way. Ask for the receipt for the last oil change, then check the level again once you're back from the test drive.

Take the cap off the coolant header tank on the same engine while it's cold. A creamy, mayonnaise-like sludge means the oil cooler has failed and oil is getting into the coolant, and a level below the mark or a temperature gauge that climbs on the drive says the same. On a 1.4 Twinport petrol, listen for metallic noises from the engine and feel for rough running or a loss of power.

Ask where an older van came from: ones that served in the Post Office fleet are limited to 70mph, which you'll notice on the first dual carriageway. Then ask for proof the March 2006 recall was done, which dealt with water getting into the ABS wiring that could short out and start a fire. A 2007 recall to check and replace steering arms, since steering control could be lost, only affected a few vans built that year.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Vauxhall Combo cost to run?

What do Combo owners like about them?

The older van handles far better than you'd expect of a van, with an almost sporty feel through bends, and its five-speed manual has a light, easy shift. The Crewvan version adds a row of back seats while keeping metal panels where windows would be, so it's still classed as a van rather than a car.

The Combo Life is comfortable and easy to drive, and with a sliding door on each side, getting into the back is simple. The back row has Isofix mounts for three child seats, and it comes as a five or seven-seater, so there's room to suit the size of the family.

In the 2012 van, the cab's built to take a beating and is easy to live with. The steering wheel adjusts for reach as well as rake, the controls fall to hand, the deep windscreen and low bonnet give a clear view out, and the big mirrors show plenty behind. Door pockets and dashboard cubbies swallow clutter, the lockable glovebox fits a laptop, and the low load floor saves your back.

• The 2010 Combo Tour conversion features an updated design, creating a longer and wider internal floor for wheelchair users.
• This utilitarian MPV, based on the Opel Corsa, offers a huge amount of interior space with convenient sliding rear side doors.
• This Combo model offers very good handling characteristics, providing an almost sporty driving experience for its class.
• The rear ramp for wheelchair access has been updated to a modern, gas-assisted, one-piece design that is simple and light to use.
• The wheelchair securing system uses four-point anchors on the floor, now moved to create a wider and longer space of 770mm by 1680mm.