Yes - my favourite motor is a DAF.
I do love the cute lil gear selector on the automatic boxes.
I hate Scania’s and MAN’s - I just can’t rest anything on that stupidly sloping dashboard.
That should cause MAN and Scania’s share value to plummet then 
David Miller:
That should cause MAN and Scania’s share value to plummet then
Hopefully yes - what a stupid dashboard innit ?
DAF also wins my vote as well for my favourite rigid vans i’ve driven so far.
The LF in particular is a very nice van, and definitely the best sounding turbocharger when you change from 3rd to 4th gear you can hear it roaring streets away! Only crappy thing is the steering lock on the 45.150, but the 180 is ok.
MAN’s are absolute crap, period.
The Volvo FL220 takes some getting used to but is ok once you get to grips with it. Seems to hiss a lot more than any other van i’ve ever driven though.
Never driven a Scany so can’t comment although they look pretty rugged and impressive from the outside, and reputation wise they seem to fare quite well.
…wonder if the Renaults drive well, they certainly look nice on the outside. I’ve mistaken the Renaults for DAFs a few times, similar mirrors and cab shape.
I learned in an Iveco Cursor, and soon realised that the older Iveco’s are - as my instructor said - “the Skodas of the truck world”. Things have changed though, the new Skodas are good, and after driving the new Eurocargo a few times, can’t complain much either!
ps - what do DAF and MAN actually MEAN anyway? Are they acronyms for something or did some guy just say “yeah we’ll just call it a DAF (or a MAN)” … often wondered…
DAF in Dutch means Brilliant 
And MAN is just rubbish full stop.
I was only saying yesterday to someone just how much i hated those crappy DAF’s and that crappy switch which can take forever to do anything,couldn’t find anybody who actually liked it.No 12 volt socket for ■■■■■ sake!
Do they all have that voice warning thing or is just ours,sick of telling it to shut the ■■■■ up.
Leave me with my I-shift thanks,proper truck.
smile!:
DAF also wins my vote as well for my favourite rigid vans i’ve driven so far.The LF in particular is a very nice van
and definitely the best sounding turbocharger when you change from 3rd to 4th gear you can hear it roaring streets away!
Roaring? I think you need to get it looked at pal, turbos don’t “roar” , they whistle.
The Volvo FL220 takes some getting used to but is ok once you get to grips with it. Seems to hiss a lot more than any other van i’ve ever driven though.
Volvo FL = OK?
…wonder if the Renaults drive well, they certainly look nice on the outside
i meant box vans, sorry it’s a habit we always call them vans.
The FL220 is crap you’re right but i’m so used to it now that i can cope with it
whistle is a better word actually, you’re right again. I meant it more in the sense that it’s loud
what’s wrong with saying the renaults look good though?
smile!:
what’s wrong with saying the renaults look good though?
Ah you’ll soon come to see that Rob, or he off the ever right opinion, does not speak well off anything with a diamond badge, 
Though i’ve been driving Renaults for the last 12 years, and see nothing wrong with them Or maybe i’m instutionalised
I’ve mistaken the Renaults for DAFs a few times, similar mirrors and cab shape
.
Its the Premium cab, or Midlum i think its called, that Daf use under licence on their lighter rigids, though dont know if they share the engine
I always rated the Renault very highly, too. Did an awful lot of earning with my old R reg 385 Premium. It never let me down in any serious way and is still going strong now. The most serious thing to go wrong in the past year and a half was the main compressor pipe rotted out.
You ought to hear the CAT twin turbo set up through the stack. It does sound good.
Of course, wasn’t Renault something to do with Paccar?!!
bobthedog:
I always rated the Renault very highly, too. Did an awful lot of earning with my old R reg 385 Premium. It never let me down in any serious way and is still going strong now. :
Yes i had an R reg Premium new, only fault with it was down to the Gaffer speccing 8 speed boxes, thought he’d save the price of a splitter, but i clocked up 450000 trouble free clicks in 3 years with it, and its still plodding away on building site work
Of course, wasn’t Renault something to do with Paccar?!!
Not to my knowledge but they are linked to Volvo, not that they needed to, At one time, where i used to work we had the GT 290’s, and them little 9.5 litre lumps were bullett proof, beleive me, we did our best to kill 'em, but they just wouldnt lay down and die, shame the cabs used to disintegrate around them
turbos shouldnt whistle
that means there leaking
smile!:
ps - what do DAF and MAN actually MEAN anyway? Are they acronyms for something or did some guy just say “yeah we’ll just call it a DAF (or a MAN)” … often wondered…
DAF = van Doorne Aanhangwagen Fabrik (or something like that) Hub van Doorne being the founder of the company and the name means Van Doorne Trailer Manufacturers (or something like that) 
MAN = Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg
Renault used to belong to Mack which is a Paccar company.
I used to drive a G290 for Thompsons. I was lucky, though, as mine wasn’t built in Britain like they were after 87. I bought a 340 Manager from them for £1250. Had alloys on it and it went well. Never hurt my pocket at all. The only call out I had to make for repair was for a broken alternator tensioner, and I had to replace the limiter on it.
My Premium was excellent. I would take it anywhere and be sure I would get it home. I drove 1000 miles with no turbo boost once, back from Austria with a load of apple juice. The throttle linkage wore away and I lost the pedal so I cobbled it up, stuck new cable ball joints on and it went better than ever.
Then the ITC light came on and Renault said it would fail the test through emissions. I tried the test and the result was 0.02 ppm so I didn’t change the unit for nearly 2 years. Cost me £500 for the unit and I got a mate to change it for me for £175. Made 1 mpg difference. Apart from silly things like light bulbs, 1 injector pipe and the like, this was all it ever did to stress me out. When I sold it there was 970000 on the clock and it still didn’t cough black or use any oil.
It was an excellent truck. Renault had it right with them. Some people hated them but I got the truck for 60% of the price of a similar aged Volvo and worked it hard. Those who slate them simply do it because of the badge. Fine by me. Kept the price of them down.
bobthedog:
Renault used to belong to Mack which is a Paccar company.It was an excellent truck. Renault had it right with them. Some people hated them but I got the truck for 60% of the price of a similar aged Volvo and worked it hard. Those who slate them simply do it because of the badge. Fine by me. Kept the price of them down.
Ah didnt realise Mack was owned by Paccar, though i allways thought that Renault owned Mack, not the other way round, but who’s arguing
Agree totally with all of the last paragraph espeicialy the last couple of setences. Though i’ve never been an Owner Driver
bobthedog:
Renault used to belong to Mack which is a Paccar company.
I though PACCAR was Kenworth, Peterbilt, Daf and Foden? Is Mack not in with Volvo and Renault?
Coffeeholic:
bobthedog:
Renault used to belong to Mack which is a Paccar company.I though PACCAR was Kenworth, Peterbilt, Daf and Foden? Is Mack not in with Volvo and Renault?
I thought Renault owned Mack
bobthedog:
Those who slate them simply do it because of the badge. Fine by me. Kept the price of them down.
If/when i’ve slated them in the past it’s been because of the seat & gearshift which have never felt ‘right’ to me. However, I speak from the drivers perspective.
If I were ‘paying the bills’ then maybe i’d be saying the same as you (Bob) and plenty of other owners/operators.
I think i’m too old and too tight to ever be drawn by the ‘bling factor’ - my own ‘bling factor’ is based on my bank account statements!!
Of course DAF’s are excellent. Especially the XF SSC. 
Now just need one of my own. 
Volvo’s are OK the rest are ■■■■■■■ 