Considering new purchase

[Amicipat]

We have a 2004 3 litre 8 seater Alphard not converted. 
 

unhappily on Thursday we were involved in an rtc and our other car is now a write off.seatbelt injuries brokrn ribs but although very painful could have been so much worse. 
 

So discussion on what to do. Partner not 100%happy with current Alphard niggly things nothing major just bits not working or not even on our model we never realised there were so many models and specs. But we wanted to exchange for a less powerful engine now this will be our only car. 
 

Basic requirements. 
 

2.4 automatic

8 seats

double sunroof

as much as possible working from dash radio front and rear cameras head unit

indicator mirrors parking assistance 

good set of remotes

wood grain cab finishing 

 just for starters so can anyone point me in the direction of which model i should be looking for and the earliest year I will find all this. 
 

many rhanks

 

[Rojie]

1 hour ago, Amicipat said:

We have a 2004 3 litre 8 seater Alphard not converted. 
 

unhappily on Thursday we were involved in an rtc and our other car is now a write off. Seatbelt injuries broken ribs but although very painful could have been so much worse. 
 

So discussion on what to do. Partner not 100%happy with current Alphard niggly things nothing major just bits not working or not even on our model we never realised there were so many models and specs. But we wanted to exchange for a less powerful engine now this will be our only car. 
 

Basic requirements. 
 

2.4 automatic

8 seats

double sunroof

as much as possible working from dash radio front and rear cameras head unit

indicator mirrors parking assistance 

good set of remotes

wood grain cab finishing 

 just for starters so can anyone point me in the direction of which model i should be looking for and the earliest year I will find all this. 
 

many rhanks

 

 

Hello Patricia,

 

So you have an Alphie and want to buy another one ?

Possibly trading in your current one.

 

I think you should reconsider your direction.

 

What would I do ?

 

Firstly, I would list the niggly things on this Forum, and await responses.

 

This Forum is exceptional at offering advice / solutions.

Not always right first time but often are.

 

You may be able to rectify your issues far more cheaply than replacing your Alphie.

 

My only observation of your Alphie is that it has a four speed gearbox.

2005 to 2008 had 5. Later models models have 6, probably more on the very latest models.

 

There are many recommendations, on this Forum, for the better dealers. Check out the relevant section.-

 

If you intend to use your insurance pay-out to 'trade-up'; many informed members will advise you to go for the latest model you can afford.

 

Good Luck and Happy hunting.

[New Girl]

Good morning Roger think the heat might have got to you,Patricia said that current Alphard had been wriiten off !!

[Rojie]

2 hours ago, New Girl said:

Good morning Roger think the heat might have got to you, Patricia said that current Alphard had been wriiten off !!

 

Could be, but Patricia does say other car is a write off.

[Alasdair]

Thats how it reads Roger....the other car will give an insurance payout and they are left with the current unconverted Alphie that they are not too happy with, that has niggly bit and pieces.

[Amicipat]

Thanks for your input. It was not my Alphard that was written off as you rightly acknowledged. 
The main reason for upgrading is to lower the engine size now that this will be our only vehicle. 
we had been working our way through the various issues but some are unable to be taken further.  
The previous UK Owner had replaced radio which we needed to replace with a better one however when the fitter removed it he found all the internal wiring had been removed and only allowed for a very basic replacement and even this does not work well, certainly no sat nav.  As I am disabled I hVe both mobility scooter and wheelchair in van as well as 3 small dogs so alphie is absolutely ideal. 
we are both 76 live on Isle of Wight so am limited with places to do work and can do very little ourselves but we have a great guy on the island selling alphies so we were just hoping for model and spec so that he would have some idea of what to look out for us. 

 

  

[New Girl]

My sincere apoligies everyone the heat OBVIOUSLY got to me 🤪

[Rojie]

Hello Patricia,

 

If you are dissatisfied with the issues with your Alphie, it is entirely understandable you want to take this opportunity to upgrade.

 

You are extremely fortunate to live so close to one of the best Alphard suppliers. North Star Conversions.

They are, in my opinion, in the 'top league'.

 

Sat Nav is a simple issue to deal with.

Discrete units can be bought; they will not fit neatly into your dash console (which can be an advantage) but are easy to use.

[stopgapcat]

Just be a bit wary of going for the smaller engine - I was advised by the company we got ours from that the smaller engine has to work harder, so might not be that much more efficient than the (absolutely lovely) 3.0 litre V6 - and for our year (2006), I understand that the 3.0 came with a five speed gearbox, whereas the 2.4 came with a for speed gearbox. 

[Rojie]

4 hours ago, Amicipat said:

Thanks for your input. It was not my Alphard that was written off as you rightly acknowledged. 
The main reason for upgrading is to lower the engine size now that this will be our only vehicle. 
we had been working our way through the various issues but some are unable to be taken further.  
The previous UK Owner had replaced radio which we needed to replace with a better one however when the fitter removed it he found all the internal wiring had been removed and only allowed for a very basic replacement and even this does not work well, certainly no sat nav.  As I am disabled I hVe both mobility scooter and wheelchair in van as well as 3 small dogs so alphie is absolutely ideal. 
we are both 76 live on Isle of Wight so am limited with places to do work and can do very little ourselves but we have a great guy on the island selling Alphies so we were just hoping for model and spec so that he would have some idea of what to look out for us. 

 

  

 

There is an interesting thread on this Forum where members declare and compare the consumption they get.

There are, of course, many variables; but there are many opinions that the consumption isn't that different.

Having more gears will make a difference though.

 

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

[Rojie]

1 hour ago, Rojie said:

 

There is an interesting thread on this Forum where members declare and compare the consumption they get.

There are, of course, many variables; but there are many opinions that the consumption isn't that different.

Having more gears will make a difference though.

 

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

 

Just a small point to add to your decision making process.

 

How many miles per year do you cover, or expect to cover as a single car family ?

 

Consumption only really matters when you cover more miles.

 

Put another way, if you anticipate not doing many miles the cost saving on fuel (if there is any) will be grossly outweighed by the additional expense of upgrading.

 

Full disclosure. I am the type that runs vehicles for at least 10 years.

 

 

[Rick456]

Ref sat nav on this topic. We bought a 2004 3L Alphie with the original Japanese 2 slot (2 DIN I think it is called?) radio in. A fairly standard DAB radiop from Halfords with a screen that supports bluetooth means it will support both Google Maps and the Apple equivalent displayed on the screen so you don't need to buy Sat Nav upgrades. It is also wired to show the reversing camera image on the same screen. I think the radio unit was about £350 and we got a mobile bloke to fit it.

 

The 3L is a lovely drive even if it does like the drink a bit. As said elsewhere, it depends what mileage you are doing.  

[Nigel Heyward]

Have to agree with Rojie, as you live on the IOW, take a visit to Northstar and have a chat with them, outstanding company in all things Alphard.

[John Harrison]

On 6/11/2023 at 1:04 PM, stopgapcat said:

Just be a bit wary of going for the smaller engine - I was advised by the company we got ours from that the smaller engine has to work harder, so might not be that much more efficient than the (absolutely lovely) 3.0 litre V6 - and for our year (2006), I understand that the 3.0 came with a five speed gearbox, whereas the 2.4 came with a for speed gearbox. 

Hi. Our Vellfire is a 2008 2.4 Petrol auto.

I fitted a £7.50 Cruise Control lever to our Vellie and never looked back. Around town I get about 25 to 28 mpg and on a run I am getting between 31 and 33 mpg. It does change down and rev quite highly on steep hills but I have been told by about 6 mechanics that this engine is bullet proof and as highly recommended by all of them. Each of them told me that I made the best choice as the 3.5 is thirsting and harder to work on as there is not as much space in the engine compartment.

I am not a mechanic, but I have had numerous types of vehicle over the years and the only one that gets close to the Vellfire was my Chrysler Grand Voyager 2.7 Diesel.

The Vellfire is one of the best I have had; like driving an armchair!!!

A wonderful vehicle.

 

John Harrison. Wallasey, Wirral.

[Rojie]

All entries containing the Sales Pitch have been removed.

[John Harrison]

4 hours ago, Rojie said:

All entries containing the Sales Pitch have been removed.

Thank you.JBH.