Ex Ambulance Base Vehicle - Fiat Ducato Maxi Automatic

Unusual Base Vehicle for sale.

For sale is my ex-Ambulance (West Midlands A522), the base vehicle is a Fiat Ducato Maxi (longest and tallest) which comes with a 3.0 litre engine and a quite rare automatic gearbox conversion (done by the ambulance service). At present time the vehicle has covered 294,793 miles though this will go up slightly as I am using the vehicle.
The vehicle has been downplated by SV Tech (who originally uprated for the ambulance service) from 4.25ton down to 3.5ton to allow driving on a category B licence (though no mechanical changes were made so this would be reversible if desired for extra build weight, or to lower the tax rate). The paperwork was also completed to change from an Ambulance to a PLG, allowing the vehicle to be taxed properly for driving. For those in congestion areas the engine is a Euro4.

Current weight is 2.45ton empty, with ¼ tank of fuel and no passengers, depending on conversion there will need to be weight left for cargo/passengers. If you wanted to remove more weight the ramp supports are huge and heavy, though it would then need some welding to patch over the hole from removal.

I have owned the vehicle since 2021 with the original plan to convert as a support vehicle for sports and the occasional rental (there are not many automatics for rent), however with the arrival of a baby limiting time on the vehicle, and the subsequent costs of nursery!, I have decided it is time to test the waters to let someone else take over the project.

The vehicle has had the interior stripped with most of the ambulance equipment and paneling removed taking it back to the base vehicle, this allowed me to remove all the redundant electrics, isolate and fix a leak that had been present due to the window installation, and touch up any areas that had signs of surface wear. This also saved 1ton of weight and exposed some poor insulation material which has been removed.

There are several elements that have been either heavily customised or removed during its ambulance life particularly in the cab, such as the radio system, please review the photos and feel free to ask any questions. The roof has 2x low profile fans and originally had an opening skylight though this was damaged before my ownership with a piece of clear Perspex having been fitted over the opening hole (I had planned to replace this with a larger Heki opening skylight). Externally there are 6x white lights that work for illuminating around the vehicle, though they are disconnected at present. There is a very sturdy battery carrying cradle at the rear of the vehicle where the electrical cupboard was originally situated. There was originally UNWIN track on the floor which has been removed, though the holes are still there at present, I was due to fill these, but I will leave as an option for the new owner in case they wish to fasten any equipment there. There is one large hole ahead of the drivers side rear wheel that is for a diesel heater (or a great spot to run services through to the outside of the vehicle). The vehicle also has self-levelling air suspension fitted to the rear.

There was an issue with the gearbox caused by a faulty brake sensor that has now been rectified, and the same with the Airbag ECU that had a fault caused by some old wiring that has been replaced by a specialist vehicle electrician. I have also had the front suspension shocks replaced, and replaced the windscreen wiper motor and linkages with the newer versions that include protection from water ingress.
The ramp is still present and has been useful for sports equipment (and prams), though the electrics were removed before I had the vehicle (the motor is still present, and you can manually actuate).
I have kept a lot of the interior doors, lights, winch etc. please see list below and these would be sold with the vehicle to be used as desired. I was hoping to add some of the ambulance touches back into the vehicle during conversion.
– Several Cupboard Doors, see photos – the latches are quite good. 3x clear doors and some in the white plastic.
– Part of an Erbespatcher D4 4km diesel heater (this was heavily damaged by the decommissioners as it came off fleet and is basically just the chassis and control, possible use for spares or repair from a donor unit)
– 2nd glazing with integrated blind for the fixed window
– Shrouds for the high level windows.
– Lights from the roof (6x DEMCO light, White or Blue LED lights)
– Fan shrouds for inbuilt low profile fans x2
– 12v spotlight
– call buttons
– yellow handles for getting in and out
– Intellitech timer (designed for medical reasons but thought would make a quirky kitchen timer)
– JVC CD Head Unit (wiring is there but needs a double Din cradle for fitting, I was going to fit a custom built unit using a Raspberry PI)
– Random ambulance 12v ports – again they just had the ambulance feel to them

Being as honest as possible there are some issues with the vehicle which if I was keeping, I would rectify.
The MOT flagged that there is some welding needed on one of the sills, with a small hole under the driver’s door. The replacement panel is about £100 online.
There has also been some intermittent warnings of the ASR system (resets on restart), this is likely the sensor on the brake pedal.
The cab fans can be a bit temperamental and will likely need a new fan motor.
In the past there was some water ingress in the engine bay so there is some light rust, I have repaired the scuttle, upgraded the drains (a common issue on Ducato style vans) and sealed the scuttle with silicone to the window screen and it has not been an issue since.
I have tried to reflect the issues in the price.

The vehicle is being stored at a limited access storage site near Huntingdon (Cambridgeshire) but happy to meet in the local area if anyone would like to view.

So if you want something that isn’t a standard white van, is a bit unusual, has a nice ramp for either sports gear or for accessibility reasons (not many on here that do), is an Automatic (which makes driving it easier) and has a nice powerful 3.0 litre engine then this could be your base vehicle. Ambulance body style, and high roof are also both on the DVLA checklist if you wanted to have registered with them as a camper van in the future.