140 every time, the 180 is a massive risk. I got lucky/unlucky and bought a 2.5 4motion, A bad 180 could have seen me kiss 7k goodbye if it was a bad one. Did a lot of research and decided a 180 with similar output to a 2.5 was a strain on a 2.0 motor.

After buying mine I learned all about the 180 oil issues, phew!

 

^^^^^^^^ What he said

 

IMO the 180 engine has been rather unfairly stigmatised. We know that there were lots of problems during the first couple of years, and we get occasional reports of high wear in slightly more recent ones but... they were sold in quite large numbers, so in relative terms it's not by any means certain that you would have problems. There are still plenty of happy owners out there.

If you're looking at one, the thing I would want to be certain is that it has been services rigorously, with oil changes well within the 20k mile mark each time. You might also want to research about the version numbers on the cooler attached to the EGR valve (though in my personal opinion the failure mode suggested for that part is a bit far-fetched).

Having said that, I've owned a 140 for 6 years from new and had no issues at all (other than the sliding windows which are a bad design, but common to all of the range with factory opening rear windows anyway), so my personal vote would go for the 140.

 

I agree, however you can check all the cooler version numbers, and it could have had a new version installed after the damage is done by an unscrupulous dealer/owner to mask this.

140

 

Guys, thanks for your advice. I called up Euro Brand in Hertford who was recommended on these forums elsehwere, and he said it's better to avoid the 180 unless you are going to sell it before 60k.

He then went on to tell me about the wonders of the 140 and his stock of 100k-200k mile Caravelles for £17k! It's really got me thinking as I've literally never owned a non-lease car and they've all been brand new.

So now I'm considering a 100K+ 140 which is mental to me.

 

Guys, thanks for your advice. I called up Euro Brand in Hertford who was recommended on these forums elsehwere, and he said it's better to avoid the 180 unless you are going to sell it before 60k.

He then went on to tell me about the wonders of the 140 and his stock of 100k-200k mile Caravelles for £17k! It's really got me thinking as I've literally never owned a non-lease car and they've all been brand new.

So now I'm considering a 100K+ 140 which is mental to me.

1 thing worth noting. A lot of caravelles will be ex mobility, which has its positives and negatives. Positive is it should be bang on with servicing and may have low mileage. Negatives. If it's converted for wheelchair use it will show signs of this with mounting points on the floor and poorly refitted / repaired bumper if there was a lift fitted.

There are lots of badly "repaired" vans about. Eyes open

 

I agree totally with Triffic, a voice of reason! Having said that, I really do think VW need to do better when they get things wrong.

Perhaps us internet-savy buying public should get together and agree some ground rules about what is acceptable when a vehicle goes wrong once out of warranty and what is expected from a van over time. In this particular case, what consitutes 'normal' oil consumption and what should be a sensible engine life from a 20 -30 -50 thousand pound vehicle.

 

There's plenty of people running remapped 140's out there to get you closer to the power figures of a 180 reliably enough.
Mine's remapped and is used a daily driver including 3-400 mile round trips every other fortnight. Love it!