VAN EXPERIENCE
The Trial Magazine adventure through life continues to throw surprises at us, some good some bad — the latest surprise though was very good! We all need transport, and for the job we carry out it has to be a van; why a van, you may ask? First and foremost you can carry motorcycles in it, secondly pallets of magazines and thirdly — the most important part — you can sleep in it when required, and this does not always mean at night! Seriously, vans are what we consider a good all-round tool for our job. It was a nice surprise a few weeks ago when we were invited to the Mercedes Van Experience day in the Midlands; let me explain how we got there.
It’s ten years since I went self-employed and back to my roots as a welder, and I purchased a second-hand Mercedes Vito for my new company Yoomee before in 2006 moved into Media and magazines with CJ Publishing. To help keep the magazine costs down Yoomee continues to purchase the vans to the present day. I purchased a new Fiat Scudo as it was a good small van which could accommodate my needs, and it impressed me that much that I then had one of the new Scudo models in 2008.
In 2010 I initially wanted another Scudo but delivery was quoted at twenty weeks would you believe! With a lead time of seven weeks on Renault Traffics it was one of the French vehicles that found its way to the office. I liked the Renault so much that in 2012 I took delivery of another, although this time it was an automatic which was an excellent vehicle.
ALL CHANGE
In the early part of 2014 I was on a business trip in France and found myself in a Mercedes Vito van. It impressed me; firstly with the comfort and secondly with how much room was afforded in the front. It did set me off thinking ‘I must try one before I order a new van later in the year’. The business plan I have in place with Yoomee allows me to swop my vehicles every two years. I had seen very early pictures of the all-new Renault Traffic models and fancied one but on making enquires I was told there would be no automatic models until late 2015 — too late for me to wait.
My wife and I were then on our holiday in Christchurch in the March and I had a good look at a new Ford Transit, which I must admit on first impressions quite impressed me. Once again I made a few enquires only to be told no automatics would be available until 2015! No automatics, is the world mad, I ask? Automatic transmission has to be the future for all vehicles; why manually change gear when you do not have to? Hmmm, where do I find a Mercedes van dealer, are they any good I ask? A call to my good friend David Dench at Tri-Angle Kia confirmed that the vans were very good, and he recommended the Sport Dual Liner models.
It was a Saturday night at the Hulme residence watching the TV with a glass of wine when I noticed from issue 43 of Trial Magazine (yes before you ask I do look at all the issues in detail to keep my mind fresh with new ideas) a van in a picture!
MERTRUX
At Trial Magazine we always enjoy the evening of entertainment at the Sheffield Indoor Trial run by Martin Crosswaite and Martin Lampkin; in my opinion it’s the best Indoor trial in the world.
This year they had the riders racing over a range of Mercedes vans with the company Mertrux supplying the vehicles, and I asked myself the question “Who are Mertrux”?
After jumping onto Google we soon had the company details. My brain then reminded me that they had supplied Gas Gas UK with a Sprinter model a few years ago and John Shirt Jnr had mentioned that an old friend who rode trials called Lee Camelio worked there. A quick call to ‘Jnr’ and I had his contact phone number…result!
A call to Lee was very positive and he put me in contact with James Rowley who was the guy to speak to for new van sales. I was very concerned that the Mercedes would be out of my price range but after taking my Renault off me the figures began to add up and in no time at all we had a new vehicle on order.
It’s a small world, they say, and it’s quite by coincidence that in the early days of Trial Magazine I could not find a delivery company to take Trial Magazine in when it was delivered after printing, which took place in Belgium.
Richard Lomas of Lomas Distribution, a trials fan I might add, is quite local to us and he arranged for me to have all deliveries to his depot. Richard purchases his Mercedes vehicles from Mertrux; as I said it’s a small world.
HAPPY DAYS
So it was a very happy me who made my way over to Mertrux at Derby to collect my new van. I was introduced to both Ian Marshall, who is the Managing Director, and Colin Oakes, who is the Dealer Principal.
In conversation it turned out that both Ian and Colin are motorcycle enthusiasts and Ian even has an old Honda TL 125cc. James Rowley, who is the Van Sales Executive and Lee Camelio, who is the After Sales Consultant, showed me around my new Mercedes Vito 116 CDI Sport Automatic.
It’s a five seater but all the rear seats can be removed at any time, quickly and easily, to give me a van capable of carrying three trials machines.
My first trip in the van was a good one to learn about the vehicle as I picked it up on the Wednesday and then headed up to the Alvie Two-day Classic Trial on the Thursday. It was a round trip of over nine hundred miles, which gave me plenty of chance to get used to my new vehicle – and it’s mint.
I returned home on the Monday and it was straight into work on Tuesday. The first phone call I took was from James inviting me to the Mercedes Van Experience Live day at Pro Drive in the Midlands, wow!