I really love the look of the Ducato, and the fact that it may just be the only van that can mount a queen sized bed across the width. I'd love to turn one into a camper, but I am terrified to buy one. Especially after reading all of the horror stories here (among other places)

productreview => fiat-ducato

I'm doubly put off from having read a post here (by Mongrel) about the Ducato being made by three manufacturers and pulled apart for left hand drive conversion here, and absolutely no-one taking responsibility for failuers under warranty, repair yards not wanting to touch them etc.

boostcruising => 805081-Fiat-Ducato-rant33

But then I have also found this post from 2012 with Fiat acknowledging a problem and promising to rectify it, although there is no details about whether any of this is part of that, more just a problem with their presence in Australia I guess.

carsguide => car-news fiat-boss-will-fix-australian-problems-19526

Ive heard of dealerships masking known problems, cars sitting in repair yards for weeks because noone can repair them etc. If I were to buy one, it would likely be just coming out of warranty (so I'd probably put on an extended warranty), but a $20,000 failure would wipe that out, and everything left in my bank account along with it

So, from the Ducato owners, are they safe to own (compared with other large vans)? Has Fiat/Chrysler's professionalism improved in Australia over the last few years? Did they resolve the paint peel issue on the newer models? If you had your time again, would you buy another Fiat Ducato?

Having one of these abominations and spending quite a bit of money over the past 8 years, I would be inclined to keep mine until the next 'event' at which time I will tow it to the tip.
I would never buy a new one, nor would I buy a used Fiat vehicle again. I'm fortunate that I am able to carry out my own repairs otherwise I would have binned it long ago.
I buy all my parts from either Europe or Great Britain at less than half the asking prices here.
I will be shot down in flames by many Fiat owners on this forum for the above comments but my experiences have left a sour taste for the Fiat brand.
Before you make a decision, research the brand's reliability records, parts availability, service and of course the warranty which is quite difficult to access.
While some owners have had no poor experiences, it is the owners who have had problems who will be your best litmus test.
Good luck with your research and decision.

Sorry to hear of your troubles mate. Seems a like a risky machine to own. Interesting that you can get your own parts from overseas, not that I'd have the know-how, nor the space to do anything like that myself. Seeing as you seem to know your way around working on them, would you recommend any of the competitor vans?

I'm also interested to hear peoples good impressions (of vehicles with over 100Mm on them).

Cheers

Markea, I really wouldn't stick my neck out too far with recommendations per se.
Fiat/Chrysler in Australia only sells the vehicle and will not follow up with anything that resembles good or even reasonable service. I think a lot has to do with product knowledge and training and the fact that many vehicle retailers are in it for the very short term. Dealers tend to change brands regularly and this is not an opinion, but actual fact. I dare not use any dealers names here.
Anyway, back to 'recommendations'.
If I were to buy another van, I would look closely at Kia or Hyundai as a preference and of course Toyota shouldn't be overlooked. Diesels are overrated for domestic use, so petrol would be my preference. There is plenty of information around the net to allow one to make a rational decision on whether to go petrol or diesel.
There is not much choice when it comes to commercial vans in Australia so the field is a bit light on.
If you buy a used vehicle, check the service history. Walk away if they tell you, without any evidence, that they have serviced it 'every 5 or 10 thousand kilometres'. Changing the engine oil is not a service and has no bearing on how well the vehicle will perform for you.
Enough of my ranting.

Mark, I own a Ducato x295 based motorhome. The MH was built in UK and sold via a local importer to the AU market. In 2015 when I took delivery of mine the Fiat warranty was 2 years. Since then it has been increased to 5 years. I did read all the horror stories on various websites however I did proceed with the purchase. End result is that I have had 4 years & 61,000 Kim's of trouble free motoring. I am based in Sydney and have found a Fiat Professional service dealer near home that specialises in MH & caravan repairs & knows the product. Send me a pm if you want details. In summary based on my experience I would buy a Ducato again. Cheers,

Hi MarkEra
I am on the West Coast of Australia. Our West Australian Fiat Professional people, do not seem to carry any stock for older (2006) 244 series, Fiat Ducato. Therefore original parts are sometimes six to eight weeks away. They also seem to have a small problem of confusing their prices, with their telephone numbers. There is now an Australian Fiat Ducato Motorhome site. Early days yet, but hopefully the information will start flowing to it, through its members. I would not recommend a Fiat in Australia, for one main reason. The Fiat Commercial workshops, and spare parts, are very few and far between.

I was in contact with three 'major' Fiat dealers in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria over a period of nearly four years trying to source a new water pump for my 2008 Ducato (3 litre). With prices all over $1,100.00 just for the pump and labour quotes from $5,000.00 to over $7,000.00 to install the part with possible incidentals from $1,000.00 to $2,000.00 on top of that.
Apparently there was only one pump available in Victoria but no belts anywhere in Australia at that time which meant a wait of about 6 to 8 weeks to procure one from somewhere in Europe.
Even now, parts are not readily available in Australia for Fiat vehicles.
I was told that it is an 'unwritten' policy that Fiat/Chrysler carry only 'emergency' spares, whatever that means. My mate won't say any more than that.
I eventually found a pump in Britain for $288.00 or so and an aftermarket belt in Victoria for $119.00.
All the Fiat dealers reckoned on 5 to 7 days just to replace the water pump. My son and I did the job in a day and I now know that it is about a 4-5 hour job. It was almost four years before I was able to find a brand new complete engine which I had stripped and rebuilt by a bloke who built racing engines, so I actually have a beautifully built engine with a ton of power and returning 6-7 litres per 100 kilometres. The only 'used 'parts on the engine are the alternator, a/c compressor and the rebuilt turbo.
The Fiat/Chrysler dealers in Australia really have little or no product knowledge and 'customer service' is foreign to them. I'm sure they must wonder why Fiat/Chrysler sales have dropped so dramatically with several dealers dropping Chrysler products from their showrooms altogether.
Well, there's another rant in the bag.