VW Transporters what do I need to know?

Dump the wife buy a van.. win win

Away to the VW dealers with her, coffee, chat etc etc that will sort it.

Just get one anyway 🙂

Looks like reality has set in then.

…” it’s a van, if you think I am driving a van you have another thing coming” I then showed the interior but was still met with “it’s a van” I then brought in my sister and bro in law for support. There response was “yeah we see a few of those around here(Wilmslow) everyone thinks stalkers own them with their blacked out windows. Lots of room to keep people captive”

Listen to your Nearest and Dearest, You’ll certainly not sell the concept to your missus by showing her a blinged-up, Rude-boi’s van…

You should have looked for pictures of young hip things, pulling Surfboards off the roof, While their Kids look utterly safe sat in comfy seats in the middle of it… Sell the aspirational lifestyle that She will go for, regardless of what you eventually end up stuck with, That’s how all marriages work…

FWIW My missus claims to “Love the idea of a Camper van” Quite what she thinks a “Camper Van” actually is is open to debate, Suffice to Say She would be well outside of her comfort zone driving anything bigger than an Astra Hatchback, but I’ll not let reality spoil the dream…

I can relate as swmbo said something similar, her concession was it had to be a vw as the rest looked massive and like builder’s vans (no offence builders of stw) to her.
I’m glad she had that stipulation as eventually a t5 came up locally in budget which is what I really wanted.
I suggest you just keep using your car and moaning about crap it is until she crumbles through boredom.

Mine (2012 T5 Kombi 140);

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IMG_0492[/url] by 100%of thetime60%ofthetime[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Seats 6. Can take 5 bikes in rear with wheels on. Very comfortable to drive with high riding position. I get 35 – 40 mpg. The wife gets 30-35. Front bench seat is not quite as comfortable as a single seat but is much more versatile. I’m VAT registered so was much cheaper than buying a big estate car.

You should have looked for pictures of young hip things, pulling Surfboards off the roof, While their Kids look utterly safe sat in comfy seats in the middle of it… Sell the aspirational lifestyle that She will go for, regardless of what you eventually end up stuck with, That’s how all marriages work…

like this? 2 adult bikes, 2 kids bikes, a tag-a-along and all the bits from a 3 week holiday in the Basque Country.

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IMG_0556[/url] by 100%of thetime60%ofthetime[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Van update: this doesn’t make pretty reading.
So I sat down with my wife and started to explain why this purchase was a good idea. All was going fine and she then asked to see a picture of one, this is where it all went wrong. I found a lovely lowered version about 4 yrs old and proudly displayed what we could soon own. The response? ” it’s a van, if you think I am driving a van you have another thing coming” I then showed the interior but was still met with “it’s a van” I then brought in my sister and bro in law for support. There response was “yeah we see a few of those around here(Wilmslow) everyone thinks stalkers own them with their blacked out windows. Lots of room to keep people captive”

my Gf gave the opposite response… was looking at 5 series, Mondeos and Accords with the view to being able to kip in the back. she then said rather than fanny about why not just get a van and be done with it. will still be using the bike to get to work and go shopping. which ever motor we have it will end up sitting still until the weekend.

currently eyeing up these:

10,5K without VAT and just hit 160,000km. 8 seat, but would make it into a 4 seater with a bed/storage/kitchen.

10,900€, 145,000km. 3 seats upfront and the rear has been converted (quite well) with storage & fold down bed.

peado-van…. hahaha

Im on my second T5 after a few T4`s
Fuel consumption….. I wouldnt have another T5 2.5TDI as it was too thirsty for (after a T4) and VW have now discontinued that engine.
Now have a 1.9 its a lot better on fuel but has 30BHP less so swings n roundabouts.
Also have a passat it does about 60mpg on a good run, so will do 650 miles on a tank at £70
The T5 will take over £100 to fill if its very low and will do 550 miles on a run.
But like quite a few people have said we always end up taking the van on days out, bike trips, holidays the lot.
They are not indestructible.

Low mileage usually ok but check for any DPF faults
Also check for worn drive shaft joints.
turbos can fail if the the boost control system siezes up.
And the 2.5 have various issues with the VW pump deus engine.

The vauxhall vivaros are known for gearbox faults and injector pump failure.

you pays yer money…………….

heres a pic of my first with bikes and kit for 5 people on a scotland trip

Quite like the California beach. Pricy tho.https://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/range/camper-vans/california-beach/

Could do without pop roof but fancy the seven seat option, ability to turn seats into a bed and the table inside.

Balanced viewpoint

They hold their value well vs They are overpriced

In the theme of recommending bikes you own… get a Sprinter van…

So I sat down with my wife and started to explain why this purchase was a good idea.

New wife tbh.

I brought home a rusty 30 yr old van as a surprise. We had fish n chips and champagne (cava) in it that night. Back of that 1st camper with some fairy light and an audiobook was the happiest place in the world.

We’ve had 5 Campers since then, feels wrong without one, all this chatter about driving positions and nonsense. We’ve had such awesome nights in our van within a days drive. Loads of little corners to explore.

Get one, life really is short.

for me it has to be a mercedes sprinter over a vw.
had both, one seemed to be lying about reliability, the other had crap paint.
i will always go for a merc now, you just have to factor a spray job into the cost or they look like they’re rusty. although that seems to be true for the newer t5s now anyway.
loads of my mates have vw and they all love them to bits, but i have spent nothing but brake pads and tyres on my merc taking it from 100 to 180 thousand miles whereas my brother is currently having his engine rebuilt at 100k.
i have a swb sprinter so the footprint is just a little wider than a t4 but has loads more space and i get 30mpg average. 35 on the motorway

You can’t get dried, changed, prepare food or lounge around in an estate.

You can’t ‘really’ do much of that in a T5 either, unless you’re a 4ft midget.

Having a proper awning on the side (with front & sides) made it easier to do things like this, but then it was just a slightly heavier duty tent bolted onto the roof that rolled back into a tube. Plus it made you look like a plumber with a pipe holder on a roof rack.

You can’t get dried, changed, prepare food or lounge around in an estate.

You can’t ‘really’ do much of that in a T5 either, unless you’re a 4ft midget.

Well, having lived in one for six months, I can and I’m 6’1″. I can’t stand up straight, obviously, but I don’t need to, because I can do it all sitting down.

One thing you do need to know about a T5 is that the nut on the gear linkage, found in the engine bay, can work loose, making it impossible to select a gear and feeling like your gearbox has died. It is however easily fixable in about 2 minutes. I know this now after a slightly worrying three quarters of an hour on Sunday waiting for the RAC…

You can stand up in a T5 and your 6ft1? Obviously you’ve got a higher topped model then.

“Well, having lived in one for six months, I can and I’m 6’1”. I can’t stand up straight“

Over the years I’ve had a Sprinter, Astravan, Movano, three years ago while I was looking to change to my current van I decided to have a Vw Transporter as I like Vw, I’ve had a classic Beetle, numerous Golfs and a Passat which have been great cars. However I ended up with a Vauxhall Vivaro Sportive CDTI as I couldn’t get over the fact that the Vw equivalent (spec wise) was £8000 more! The Vivaro has been a great van, really nice to drive and does an average of 38mpg for most of my driving!
I have however just ordered a new van, I did look at at Vw and Mercedes with the Mercedes being vastly better and I almost ordered one but whilst driving home I passed the Ford garage and called in. I couldn’t get over how nice the new Transit Custom is, great styling, 155bhp, 6 speed box, fully loaded, the only thing I didn’t go for was the Satnav and lane assist. It’s still about £6000 less than the Vw equivalent!

Ps My Vivaro is for sale if anyone is interested 🙂

And speaking of Mercedes how about a Vito?

I know the old ones get a bad press but there seems to be a lot of newer ones around albeit they don;t seem to have the same following in terms of owner’s forums and so on. Price wise they compare favourably to a T5 is this because they are still a bit crap?

You can’t get dried, changed, prepare food or lounge around in an estate.

You can’t ‘really’ do much of that in a T5 either, unless you’re a 4ft midget.[/quote]

I’ve lived in a T4 and had no problems with doing all those things.

Two of us manage to get changed/sleep/lounge/sort food out/eat etc, easy enough in our current T4 Multivan.

I brought home a rusty 30 yr old van as a surprise. We had fish n chips and champagne (cava) in it that night. Back of that 1st camper with some fairy light and an audiobook was the happiest place in the world.

We’ve had 5 Campers since then, feels wrong without one, all this chatter about driving positions and nonsense. We’ve had such awesome nights in our van within a days drive. Loads of little corners to explore.

This is the approach that might work, a “Banganomics” based Demonstration of the merits of Van / Campervan ownership to ‘Er indoors.

Buy the sensible family car that she’ll be happy enough with day to day then set aside a small budget for an older panel Van as an “on the side little project” for you to convert, Sprinter, Transit, Ducato, Master, Vivaro, Movano… There are lots of options, Forget the T5 for now, what you are looking to do though is demonstrate the potential of a van, that pitch for the “Dream Van” comes once you’ve proven the point… Baby Steps.

they don;t seem to have the same following in terms of owner’s forums and so on. Price wise they compare favourably to a T5 is this because they are still a bit crap?

you answered your own question there…..

they didnt market them with the aspirational lifestyle of the camping/surfing/cycling like vw do on the tv… they showed them as work horses for the tradesman.

coupled with rust issues due to not galvanising the body work – and not sorting this out till 2008 !

I have however just ordered a new van, I did look at at Vw and Mercedes with the Mercedes being vastly better and I almost ordered one but whilst driving home I passed the Ford garage and called in. I couldn’t get over how nice the new Transit Custom is, great styling, 155bhp, 6 speed box, fully loaded, the only thing I didn’t go for was the Satnav and lane assist. It’s still about £6000 less than the Vw equivalent!

Ps My Vivaro is for sale if anyone is interested

We’ve got a new Transit Custom on the way too – can’t wait. Also a Vivaro crew cab up for sale when it arrives!

Two of us manage to get changed/sleep/lounge/sort food out/eat etc, easy enough in our current T4 Multivan.

This.

Two of us manage to get changed/sleep/lounge/sort food out/eat etc, easy enough in our current T4 Multivan.

This.

Say “If you really loved me…” and then start to cry.

😉

I love Transits, however I just couldn’t buy one to turn into a person-mobile. For some reason they just look commercial and any other use makes me thing ‘ratcar’.

A T5 though- just seems more lifestyle applicable. Possibly because you see less T5’s used for commercial use/Transits are more populace in this area?

Possibly because you see less T5’s used for commercial use/Transits are more populace in this area? good marketing.

new transit customs look great

Transit Customs look nothing like a standard Transit though especially the Limited version, I think they’re much nicer looking than the Tranporter (which I also like btw)

Also going off what I hear from 2 garage owners I know, the Vws aren’t the most reliable either?

my t4 just passed it’s mot with 210k on the clock. only a bulb. it is an 88bhp tdi and has been very reliable really, i got it with 165 on the clock, and i did all of the belts, the clutch and dmf and a halfshaft since i got it. averages 37mpg. transits do drive much better though especially the new ones.

Just checked the price of a new Transit Custom, not a particularly cheap alternative to a VW, slightly bigger van I guess though however I suspect that that’s the appeal to many of the T5 that it’s big enough for a family, bikes etc but slightly smaller all round than a Transit, Vivaro etc..

Transit should get better as a second hand option with the depreciation and so on.

The thing is, the price on the screen is the price you pay with VW whereas the sticker price seems high on the ford but by the time they’ve applied various discounts it comes out considerably cheaper!

The Transporter premium price thing is all relative. If you are buying second hand and can afford the initial outlay the Transporter will be easier to sell and will depreciate less if you want to change.

porter_jamie how much did you pay for it and how much (if any) oil does it use per 1,000?

“The Transporter premium price thing is all relative. If you are buying second hand and can afford the initial outlay the Transporter will be easier to sell and will depreciate less if you want to change.”

and like all VW when they go wrong , parts cost a fortune. – but since you paid a premium and paid a fortune to fix it , you feel you can justify a ransom to sell it

I’ve read this thread and the conclusion appeared to be the same as the in the magazine!

IMO that looks every bit as good as a Transporter

Are T5s in a different league to T4s?

Not in a different leage but the T4 1.9 is a bit under powered the 102 2.5 T4 drives really nice. The T5 feels a bit more modern, gear change is better etc.
The problem is they stopped production of the T4 in 2003 so the newest one your going to find is already 11 years old. getting hard to find with lower miles and people want mental money for them 🙁