At any given stage in the life cycle of a commercial vehicle, the manufacturer is working on a replacement for the minibus that you are thinking of leasing. Take for example the Transit 14 seat minibus at £259 per month, the ideal school minibus.
The new Transit has been in the making for two years and is only due out at the end of this year. In the case of the Renault minibus range, specifically the Traffic SL27Dci 9 seater, including sat nav. At only £266 per month, a fantastic club minibus that fits inside most people’s driving licence restrictions for seat numbers and weight, the Traffic is also being replaced this year, but should that put you off the existing models?
I don’t think so, in both cases the manufacturers have rectified or can rectify any problems. In both cases, they are backed up by a strong and successful dealer network.
Also, when a new van is launched, the minibus is rarely available at launch date, that puts delivery in both cases well into 2014 with prices as yet unknown.
In the meantime, other manufacturers produce great minibuses, for example the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Vito people carriers and full minibuses, Nissan have a Primastar 9 seater that is just £225 per month. VW and Vauxhall also both have a small range of minibuses, so that if the model change overs cause delivery issues, there will always be another option.