Looking to buy a new Kombi/Crew van for my business and the label slut in me would obviously drag me to my local VW lifestyle dealer (commercial vehicles) and direct me towards a new VW T6. I went the day before the new registrations came out, the salesman was helpful and using a piece of A4 paper from a printer kindly wrote down some costs..

When asked to view one I was walked around the block to see the sales managers parked off site and literally had the doors opened for me and allowed to pop my head in. On the way back he then proceeded to rip the P out of some customers who were there to pick up one of about 8 brand new highly specified California vans and happily admit they were all just ‘units’ to him and the fact they cost £50k was immaterial to him 🙄

As a salesman myself I have always lived by the mantra of people buy from people they like and this guy was really getting under my skin. So I took my fag packet quote then ran. Tried three other dealers and all but one failed to call me back. A few days later I asked him for a quote for a fairly highly specs’d factory order panel van, which took a week of chasing to get.

I went back one day as I was passing and jumped in the front of a T6 panel van and was appalled at the lack of legroom for the driver, so decided crew van is deffo the way to go.

Today I’ve been to a local Ford dealer who have some new Transit Custom’s in stock and whilst I’m not tempted by the new utterly chav-ish M Sport model which looks like it’s been ram raiding a Halfords/RIPSPEED shop, I did like the fairly well specified Limited edition.

I got some figures and I’m seriously left thinking of any reason to buy the VW.

yes they’re the darling of the adventure/outdoor world but they cost a bomb, the residuals are never anywhere near what they’d like to think. The trannie residuals aren’t great but better than Renault/Vauxhall/Nissan sisters and the build quality was very impressive indeed.

It’s a big purchase for me but will I silently weep every time i see a nice VW when I’m in my ford or shall I be smug that the fact my van does everything the eve dub does but for less?

I drive a Tourneo for work – a Transit custom with full seating. Compared to my Trafic it’s lovely to sit in and feels better finished inside. It’s also dog slow, accelerates like it’s dragging a boat anchor, appears to have a leaky fuel tank resulting in appalling mpg and handles like a blancmange. I’d rather have a Trafic anyday – it’s nippier, has decent mpg and goes round corners without upsetting the occupants.

i’ve a T5, the T6 is essentially a facelift of the facelift T5.

not long ago i hired a new Transit for a job. it had 450km on the dial when i picked it up. the sliding door rattled, that is, something inside the door rattled which was annoying on a 500km journey. the steering felt vague compared to my 2008 van. it would happily sit at 190kmh on the autobahn. didn’t worry about what it was drinking as customer was footing the fuel bill.

If I was buying/leasing brand new and therefore likely to hand back/chop back in after 3 years I’d probably get the Ford since I reckon I’d be on the roundabout of new every couple of years & monthly payment would trump final value.
If it was a second hand (or maybe new if the business is flush enough!) bought outright and not so quick to be rid of it I’d probably go VW as they hold their value much better. A 10k VW now will be worth pretty much that in 5 years as long as looked after, whereas a 10k Tranny will be more like 6 in 5 years.
Saying that, I’m considering getting rid of my T5 for a crew pickup as I’m sick of getting stuck in fields, sites etc…

I’m also looking for a replacement new Kombi/crew van too and likewise amazed at the lack of response and chasing needed for dealers. I need an auto so more limited (can’t find a trannie, vivaro auto etc, do they exist?) so inevitably been looking at VW but also Merc Vito – looking at the latter today, the only dealer who did actually respond to phone and email queries.

I bought a delivery mileage Transit Limited Custom LWB in January. It was £3k cheaper than any 2 or 3 yr old VW, is very well equipped and 3 mths in I have no regrets whatsoever. No rattles or squeaks, has all the extras I need as standard. Very impressed. ( Private purchase and I came from a 2 yr old BMW 5 series tourer)

I got a new design pre-registered (10miles on clock) Renault Trafic 12 months ago for £14k including VAT. It’s a fairly basic model, business+, but has all the stuff I want. Goes fine, nothing squeaks or is loose, good enough mpg, makes zero lifestyle statement (although it is a lifestyle rather than work purchase – carrying, surfboards, bikes etc for extended trips with Mrs OD) All I want in a van. I get the VW style thing and understand the residuals point (to some degree) but not my thing really, and I’m a bit of a tight wad!

I have a T5 kombi LWB. All very nice, no real complaints.

I had a hire Custom in Austria and drove that flat out through Germany and was really impressed with it. We were 6 up, luggage and it held 105-110 really well!

I drive a 9 yr old T5 and love it. A mate has a high spec transit custom and it is very nice, goes really well. I can see the transit being a strong contender when I come to trade up the T5.

Got a 13plate transit custom as a works van ours are spec’d with all the toys some of my colleagues have come out of t5’s and they reckon the transits kick the s### out of the VW’s if you can get a well spec’d one and your using it for work NOT lifestyle go for it imho