The Doblo will scrapped next week after 6.5 years of service albeit expensive towards the end.   So I am car-less which I can't afford to be. I have seen what I like down south but how do you know if you're buying a good 'un and I'd be useless at bartering.

Any ideas please?  I need a vehicle asap, I have a couple in mind that would suite (Transit Tourneo/Vauxhall Vivaro crewcab) I know I'm not going to find what I want in Scotland, and I'm limited to what I can afford but I don't want to buy a shed on wheels after viewing online ads. The AA charges £190 to check out a vehicle, something I can't afford to do as I will have to hire vans for the meantime until I buy a vehicle.

If you went to a VW/ Vauxhall dealership that also does used vehicles, they could possibly source one of the types your looking for, Honda did this for me when I was looking for a CRV last year.

I bought mine from Evans Halshaw saw it on line but it was over a hundred miles away, it came with a warranty and had anything been wrong I could take it to any of their garages.
The whole deal was done over the phone and they delivered the vehicle and took mine in part exchange.
Have a look on Auto Trader and see what is available, get an idea on price for the make and models you are interested in and haggle hard, it pays to be a bit cheeky sometimes. I found if I said I will do the deal today if you settle for  xxxx price worked, he went away and spoke to his boss and came back and agreed the deal.
Also sometimes you can get them to give you extras such as a tank of fuel, car mats, service, road tax etc. as part of the deal.
Good Luck

You might be better to go to a dealership rather than try to buy privately Christine. It might appear more expensive but it can be cheaper in the long run if you do happen to end up with a lemon - at least you would have some comeback then.

What is it you are thinking of Christine?  Another Fiat?  Perhaps we can all get scouring the area for you :-)

I agree with Marion Christine, buying cheap cars online or unseen is great if you can do the work required on them yourself, but as you'd have to pay a garage to do it I would try to get something locally from a garage with a bit of warranty.

Being the car buyer in my family because the OH just isn't interested and also me being non mechanical I recommend not buying on the Internet but going to a dealer/reputable garage.

You might pay more but at least you have some cover if anything does go wrong.

Dealerships are way out of my budget I'm afraid and there's not anything on offer that I want.  I have an idea of the size I need, it's finding it.

I will be hiring  a van but that means I run at a loss this coming week, something I can't continually do.    The only income I have is my own, I have minimal savings and lots of outgoings, so I have to stick with what I can afford.   

And the thing is with on-line ads, they are local to someone and would be viewable, they're not in my area though that's the problem!

Just to add, one I have seen down south is a classified advert on ebay from a Motor Dealer.  Only one owner & FSH.

I have often seen Ford Rangers coming up fairly cheap that are a few years old.  they tend to have quite high mileage but would definitely suit doggy people and would keep the dog smell and mess contained to the cab.  http://www.ford.co.uk/Cars/Ranger?campaignid=ford-ranger&advertiserid=google&bannerid=ppc-ford-ranger-ford-ranger-exact&searchid=ppc-ford-ranger-ford-ranger-exact

A friend of mine has a toyota hi-lux that she uses for dog walking and it is very reliable and again once they are a few years old, you can pick them up fairly cheap.

Like Celli said, local dealerships can source them for you and there is no obligation to take it if it doesn't meet what you are looking for.

I need a van type not a 4WD.      I could never afford the price of the tyres!

We are up in Scotland and 2 cars ago, we bought a car from ebay from a 'dealer' in Yorkshire.  My OH made sure that he paid by Paypal (but he had to cover fees) and then he got the train to York where the dealers wife picked him up from the station and he drove home in our great new car.  Worth every penny and then some.  But the good thing is, if you use paypal (or credit card) you have come-back.  Don't pay cash!!
I can totally recommend Ebay for car sales as we bought our next one from there too.  And our caravan.  And I suppose, if you got there and it wasn't as described, walk away.  Usually sellers are willing to send extra pics and answer questions to seal the deal.
Also, You have drove the van you are after, haven't you?  You don't want to buy one and not know how it drives.  Take a local one for a test drive before travelling down south.

I got my last car from a car auction in Essex. It was a security car for use with dogs. Low mileage and full service history. After three years when the warranty expires the fleet of vehicles are replaced by the said company and are placed in auction. I paid about £1,500 less than if i had brought it from a dealer. I've had the car six years now and she is still as reliable as ever!

Why dont you just take a trip to the car auction at Errol tomorrow night (Tuesday) or Friday, just for a looksee. There might just be something there that takes your fancy. If you contact them beforehand they may allow you to go for a look prior to the auction.

Is there not a car auction at Kinross also?

>Is there not a car auction at Kinross also?

Yes, but Christine lives about 5 minutes away from Errol. ;-)