I've heard of these vehicles racking up huge mileages, but even so, 450,000 is a lot of kilometres and the thing could be a breakdown just waiting to happen. If it's been meticulously maintained, you might get a few more years out of it, but there's every chance it could be ready to go bang in some way. Certainly, the asking price should reflect this.

This model Vito was beset by a huge raft or recalls for all sorts of things, so make sure those have been attended to., Mechanically, the most common big-ticket item was a timing chain that could wear out (often long before 450,000km had passed under its wheels). Because the timing chain in the turbo-diesel engine is at the back of the engine (the transmission side) access is fiddly and the job to replace the chain, guides and tensioners is a relatively expensive one.

Mitsubishi’s L300 Express was available as a four-wheel-drive model way back in the 1980s (83 to 86) and was a very popular van to convert for camping thanks to that all-wheel-drive grip that allowed it to tackle rough roads with little problem. After 1986, a few of the later model Express 4WD vans (often badged Delica) made it into Australia as private imports, and there are a few of them around now to choose from.

The requirement to be able to stand up inside the vehicle will limit your choices a little, but popular vans like the Toyota HiAce, Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz Vito were available in a high-roof configuration. Even though they lacked all-wheel-drive, generally rugged construction means they should cope with dirt roads pretty well. They just won’t have the grip for off-road work.

As with any second-hand commercial vehicle, try to find out what it did in its previous life. A van that has been used for hard labour might well be worn out. And don’t forget, nobody bought these things new for anything other than a working life.

If, on the other hand, you’re shipping for a brand-new van, there are plenty of options from Ford, Mercedes, Peugeot, Fiat, Toyota and more. The vast majority of them use a turbo-diesel engine so will be quite economical and many also offer an automatic transmission for ease of driving. Choose the one that suits your intended layout best in terms of side and rear doors and the ability to climb from the front seat into the van area without leaving the vehicle (some have cargo barriers that will prevent this).

Again, a problem like this is very difficult to diagnose via remote control. You haven’t given me much to go on here, but my first suggestion would be to have the car scanned at a workshop and see what error codes materialise. From there, you can take a much more targeted approach to working out which of the hundreds of possible components is causing the problem. Don’t forget the basics, either, such as contaminated or old fuel in the tank. Modern fuel doesn’t like sitting around in a tank and can `go off’ over time.