[Closed] Running a vw t5 van as a family car? any experiences ..

Are you buying new or 2nd hand?
We run a T5 Kombi and is perfect for 3 small kids in seats, dog, buggy, bikes, surfboards etc. Its a 1.9 tdi 102ps and is pretty economical. Just beware of high mileage that haven't had the clutch and dmf replaced, driveshaft, dpf etc. Great multi purpose vehicle

Hi mate.

will be buying second hand.

I want one as the two lads wnat to take their bikes everywhere now and even though we have an estate car we still seem to have it packed to the limit just for a weekend visit to the in laws.

There is also a chance I am being posted to north scotland so thinking it will be far comfier than a normal car for the travel down when we visit.

We also have a do and he comes with us when ever we go any where so it limits the space we have in the boot.

I was told about a driveshaft problem that happens on most of the 1.9 ones??

yes i do, but its more a functional thing as i surf and, cliche as it is, you really can't do better than a van.

mine is a 1.9 85psi, had it converted although did the carpeting/flooring myself and fitted the cooker, its now worth more than i paid and although i don't camp that often when i do it is utter delight. brilliant on a run to be able to stop and make a decent coffee rather than pay silly cash for a lukewarm late.

engine wise its fine for cruising, bit underpowered on big hills, 30-35'ish mpg. no probs to drive day in day out.

only thing i would say is that mostly i run kids to school and stuff, 5 mile runs, i am seriuosly considering buying an older micra or something wih 50mpg and cheap road tax for that sort of stuff. over a year not a huge saving maybe, but day to day it will cost me less at the pump and easier to drive/park/avoid school run mums who have left their brain at home.

It's the clutch and dmf that's expensive. you'd probably pick up an 07 KOMBI with 80/90k miles for about £10k. Just check what seats are in it if its not a factory Kombi as there's cheap ways of throwing seats and side Windows in em. I would say avoid the 85 ps too as its a bit overpowered. You can tell when the drive shaft is worn as they clunk when you put them in gear. A worn dmf will normally start with a vibration then start to chatter sa it gets worse.

85 ps is underpowered *stupid predictive text

Get a 85 and have it mapped to 140

Is there a way of telling if it has factory seats or not?

With regards to the side Windows can you get them so they open?

Is there an ideal engine to go for?

Should I be put off by higher mileage ones and what it the rough cost of getting the clutch and dmf done?

Don't get opening side windows they WILL leak
Go for the 1.9 much more reliable than the 2.5 in t5 guise ...and cheaper to service and fix

I'd love a T5 but the Wife just wont go there. 😕

We do have a Galaxy though, bought for the same reasons as you. Ease of carrying bikes, kids in/out etc. Take out the rear seats the boot is huge. Take the middle seat out & it carries even adult bikes upright with wheels on. We usually take a camping cooker on picnics. The big tailgate gives a great covered area, plus the front seats turn 180deg. Just a thought in case, like me, a van is a step too far for the wife.
I honestly think that if we tried one the Wife would be up for it. We tow a big caravan so it would be ideal for that also.

I have a T5. Things to watch out for in my experience:

- DMF giving up spectacularly (although this could happen to a car!)
- Road tax can be more than most modern cars (mine is £240ish)
- Insurance can be more (for me anyway, more than double what I was paying to insure a car with the same power / value)
- MPG is lower. Mine is the 1.9 104 and does 40mpg MAX on a good day (calculated from fuel receipts / mileage)
- If it's classed as a commercial vehicle (which mine is) then you can get stung on some ferries & tolls (Calmac are OK, they treat it as a car but you can't get "touring" tickets)
- Not as much fun / slower on windy roads in Scotland

Other than that happy days, couldn't be doing with a car now.

The wife has already said they look massive and she cant take one shopping to sainsburys etc.

Im hoping a test drive would change her mind on that !

show us some pics of your vans then !

Have a look on the T4/T5 Forum. loads of info on these vans.
full of freindly helpfull people.

I've had a Galaxy 4 people 4 bikes in with wheels on, easier to drive than a T5.
But I love my T5 go for a caravelle if you can find one, thats what I got came with captains seats and a Webasto blown air heater

Missus and D1

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Van and a hill

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They are a piece of pee to drive.. Really quite refined for a van. You get a much better view as you are sat up higher. You just have to remember the wheelbase is a bit longer and not to cut corners with gateposts etc. I dont think you can really grumble at 40mpg either.
Factory kombi will have the removable rear seats which are a 2 and a 1.. they will have rectangular block type things that the seats fit into on the floor. Watch out for the double front seat fitted into the rear.
You can properly retro fit a panel van into a kombi but the seats can be quite expensive.

They actually very "car like" to drive, more so than many other vans. The clutch and gears are quite light.

As for Sainsburys', a T5 short wheel base fits in a standard space. My girlfriend drives mine no bother and has never driven a van before.

We're getting rid of an old 2.4 V6 (C240) Mercedes and I'm going to stop using my Discovery II (Landmark Edition with all the bells and whistles), as our primary car.
Nothing exciting in that...
However with the saving on fuel of £200 per month, (both did around 24mpg), we're lease hiring a brand new A3 Sportback for free (67.5mpg claimed combined cycle). In fact by putting the A3 through our business it only works out at around £180pcm.

My point is that for everyday transport, a T5, (nice wheels in my opinion) doesn't make financial sense...

Sparky spice.

I can see your point on that however we have a Mazda 6 estate already and that isn't doing much better than 40mpg so if I can get that out of a van than I would be happy.

we still seem to have it packed to the limit just for a weekend visit to the in laws.

Maybe learn how to take less stuff? 🙂 Or put bikes on the roof/back.

I had a hire van for 2 weeks, no way I'd have one as a normal driver. It was spartan, noisy, annoying to drive (and I normally love vans) and 85 ps was a joke. Underpowered AND only got me 35mpg if I was lucky.

On the other hand I also hired a Galaxy, and it was lovely. A really nice drive, way more comfortable, 170ps was great and it did 45mpg. The inside was a bit plasticy being Ford, but still miles better than the van.

go for a caravelle if you can find one

Aren't they £££££ though?

I can see your point on that however we have a Mazda 6 estate already and that isn't doing much better than 40mpg so if I can get that out of a van than I would be happy.

I could maybe have got 40mpg on a long trip but I can get 60mpg from my Passat, so if you can only get 40mpg from your 6 I suspect you won't get close in a van.

We have a T5 Kombi and a Fiat 500. Thinking of selling the 500 to save a bit of cash, and because the van can do anything. It's an absolute joy to drive, even for little old female me 😉

I had an 06 Kombi 130 for 6 years and it was ace.

Driveshafts go at 60k on older ones, no drama tho. Original side windows rubbish.

Only sold it as I thought I was leaving the country for most of the year and I got a much cheaper car.

Id have( and do have) a van over a car any day of the week

It wouldnt be a vw but it would be about that size if i changed from my pug partner.

Your audi might do 67mpg but my van takes 5 bikes or a load of rubble to the tip or a sofa to my mates or move house with it or go pick up a heap o materials - building or sheet/bar steel from the supplier - easy to convince em your trade as well 😉

I had my bike on the top of the mazda and I just didnt like it at all, really didnt feel comfortable driving round bends with it up there !!

T-r +1

Go for the 1.9 much more reliable than the 2.5 in t5 guise

That's cobblers to be fair, owners of 1.9's think they're more reliable, owners of 2.5 think theirs are. In reality there's good and bad ones of both, and lots of things vary as to which is the best. I've a 2.5 130 btw 😉

I have a 1.9 85 bhp 53 reg T5 and had new clutch and DMF with full VW service when I got it as svs history was only average but I must say from an engine point of view after having this done it starts first time every time and I only drive it every couple of weeks.

I'd have loved one with a bigger engine but a simple tune would sort that 🙂

Blazin-saddles ...ha ha the difference of opinion from 1.9 drivers to 2.5 drivers 😆

I've got a Caravelle T5 2.0 Btdi 180 (very quick for the size) with DSG and its easily the best car Ive ever had, and I've been fortunate enough to have some very nice cars. My last car was a new XC90 and the T5 is better in every way (apart from snow, should have got 4 motion).

Pleasure to drive, been to the alps twice, drive it every day and gets around 34mpg. Massive inside, children love the space. Wish I'd have bought one years ago.

Have been using a T4 camper van as the second family car for the last 5 years. Not been a problem, arguably more fuel efficient than the landrover freelander. Handy for the space when you need it (just pull out the seats), nice driving position. bit noisy, kids love it, v good manoeuvrability, Does look a bit crap pulling up to a business meeting in it I should think (problem for the wife, not me 🙂 )

I am going to be retiring it to the garage this spring as I want to limit the miles that get put on it as I want it to last as a family holiday mobile for another 10 years. The Mrs will then get the freelander and I can get myself a defender.

I had my bike on the top of the mazda and I just didnt like it at all, really didnt feel comfortable driving round bends with it up there !!

Drive slower? Put it on the back?

It's definitely useful to have a van, for sure, but I wouldn't put 'inability to pack light' as a good reason 🙂 I'd rather have a normal car and a trailer tbh.

As I said, I have a Discovery for loading up with kit or rubble sacks.
I also have a 5 berth 7metre motor home with a roof rack big enough for 5 kayaks, a Fiamma 3 bike rack plus a tow bar for more bikes or trailer, (I also have 4 trailers up to 5m in length).
Neither of which I wish to use "as the one and only family car in the household", for anything above 10 000 miles P.A..
I realise that a T5 can move sofas, (although you can't get one into our local tip), and is good for lugging stuff inside and out.

HOWEVER...
As for running a T5 as a family car, you could probably get another car with the fuel savings by not using it day in day out. Plus a small family car shouldn't have as high service costs and it would give greater family flexibility. So why not have both?
With fuel expected to rise to £2/litre in the next few years, vehicle mpg should not be an after thought.
Just chucking in my two pennies Trail Rat!

Thanks for the replies so far, they have give me a lot to think about.

FWIW I dont have an inability to pack light. I have to growing lads, a springer that needs a cage and all the paraphernalia that goes with us all. As you can imagine things get a bit cramped even in a reasonably large estate car like the 6.

WE are also thinking of doing some camping in france and have seen a nice awning/tent that goes onto the side of the t5.

which would be better the swb or lwb?

Tbh swb........... the disadvantages out weigh the advantages on the lwb

erm ... what does that mean??

EDIT.. just re read that !!

cheers

steve

We've got a T5 Multivan as our family car and we love ours. Only trouble is that so do car thieves in this part of the world and our last one got nicked two months ago. They are fine to drive, no real difference to a car and as said being higher up is something you will soon love about it. If you have the standard wheel base version they are no longer than a standard estate car but they are slightly wider. I would recommend getting parking sensors if they aren't fitted as the rear is completely unsighted when reversing.

the T5 is better in every way (apart from snow, should have got 4 motion

You don't need a 4motion. I've got the same van and winter tyres transform them. I've been in lots of taxis in Sweden & Finland in winter and they hammer around on winter treads. Conti Vaneos fitted to ours are awful in snow.

We went from a Lexus 4wd to the velle. Its nowhere near as refined but its very good. Its a brilliant family vehicle but its only 35 MPG tops (MPG isn't the 180s strong point), normally ~29. My wife uses it all the time & the parking sensors are pretty handy.

And another SWB T5 Kombi owner here...

Just done a 760 mile day from Edinburgh - Fontainebleau. Very comfy, 33mpg @ 70 mph av as per trip computer. Great vehicle, very car like with the footprint of a estate car.

Offside driveshaft prone to fail, its a warranty item
Possibly fragile dmf clutch but VW is not the only one with this
1.9 poss more reliable / economical than 2.5 but the jury is out
£225 ish tax, Factory kombi not bound by van speed limits
Loads of info on the T4 / T5 forum

If your local to Edinburgh and want a look, just shout,

Rick

Getting giddy about picking up a nearly new VW California Beach 114 Bluemotion on Saturday. It'll be used as a daily driver but I work from home and will probably use Mrs' car a bit more to avoid sticking unnecessary miles on it. It has parking sensors...

What is classed as the kombi then?

Is it the van with the second row of seats?

Watching with interest... 😈

I have a t4. Brilliant. Just hastle free. Would quite like a shiney one but it keeps going.

"Kombi" is the VW speak for second row of seats in a more basic format than the full on passenger carrying vehicles

T5 Kombi then up to "Shuttle" then "Caravelle". Difference is fit out inside, more plastics, interior lights, aircon vents etc etc.

Kombi often works as less plastics in the back = more space and less damage with bikes and stuff of everyday life..

Thanks for that!

This might sound like a silly question but if you have non opening side Windows for the rear seats do the rear passengers get hot or do the fans work effectively enough?

Also what are the running cost like for servicing etc?

If you have non opening windows then caravelle and shuttle have other vents in the rear to get air con / heat around. I think any window problems were sorted before 2008, mine has no leaky windows ....

Probably best to take a clean bike to the VW dealer and get your mind bent by options and look at the difference between LWB/SWB and van/kombi/shuttle/caravelle....

HTH

Those with swb kombis, can you get a bike in the back without taking it apart? Or do you need the lwb?

servicing on the 2010 on models are every 25K miles or 2 yrs, not sooner... and i was quoted a package price of £349 for 2 services bought upfront and that was from a vw dealer. thats for 4yrs of servicing and 50K miles. thats about 1/4 of the price it cost to service my freelander.

get on the t4/5 forum. i learnt enough on there to fully build a camper from an ex aa t4. i just costed doing another one on a t5 but went with a second hand california instead...

i wouldnt be without a vw van. the missus is happy to drive it as her main car but the parking sensors on the t5 help...

check out bca auctions for a t5. i bought my t4 at auction 6 yrs ago and saved a heap.

I have a SWB Kombi and with all the rear seats in there is plenty of space for bikes to go in diagonally.
[img] [/img]

I take the single rear seat out and the bike will go sideways along the back the the double seat with the front wheel turned. and lashed to the headrest.

I am going to get it lined soon and get a load of lashing points put over the back to hold bikes etc. which should make it more practical.

Get some pics up then!!

What's a California?

California = top spec = top money

@chrispy. What model is that and does it come with pimply rubber as standard? Can the single of the three middle row seats be taken out on its own? Ta.

Hi boblo,

It's a T32 5.1 Kombi twin slider. I got it second hand so i'm not sure if the rubber floor is standard but its actually pretty good as it is like memory foam.. ie. stuff sinks into it a little bit so doesn't move around as much.

The single seat does come out and since taking that picture I only run the two rear seats as removing the single one makes the van more practical for me.
I have only had the van for a week and I love it already.

Because I was pretty sure of getting the lwb version but looking second hand they are much rarer! Still might get the lwb because it provides more options in the future.

California is a T5 based VW factory built camper with a pop top roof as opposed to a conversion. Comes in two versions - one with a kitchen and storage called the SE and one with more seats more like a people carrier called a Beach.

@crispy.

Tell me some more about your van as it looks quite ideal for me!

What age is it, miles and how much if you don't mind me asking?

Twin sliding doors? Is that rare?

Overall what do you think?

Sorry Renton, my interest has been piqued too....

What's the dimension between back of front seats and inside of rear door please. I.e. what's the longest thing you can get in on the floor of the loads space if the rear seats are out?

2353mm if it is tall and comes up the back seats if it is flat and slides under then 2570mm

See here under dimensions

https://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/range/transporter/transporter-panel-van/

I think some of the MPGs quoted for T5s are wishful thinking/creative accounting. I get around 25-28 on mine, but it is the 130 LWB so that makes it a bit more costly.
I really can't see how you could get anywhere near 40mpg without driving like a nun.

Interesting thread... !

Mpg is a much talked topic and the word "depends" is used a lot...

I found that the wind is a big factor too, driving into it can muller your mpg ... so overall 30-35 is probably about right...

front wheels off and bikes top n tailed, its possible to fit 6 across the back of a swb... pimply rubber mat is a option to stop loads sliding around and is comfy to sleep on...

All dimensions are available from VW ccomercial as pdf's...

With nun-like driving on french autoroutes (cruise control set at 60mph, keep chuntering along for 4hrs at a time) I regularly get 39mpg (measured) and once got 40mpg.

Normal use is around 35mpg.

It rather depends on a) the way you drive and b) the engine configuration.

Mine is a very simple 88bhp TDi. I reckon chipped or higher powered variants are only more fuel efficient when you do a lot of accelerating/decelerating, not with cruising.

Just been on the t5 forum!! There are some very nice vans over on there!!

For those of you that have them how do your partners find driving them?

Is it worth fitting front and rear sensors to aid parking?

How big is the tank and what sort of range do you get from it?

Only worth fitting if your partner cant use mirrors......

Think its an 80 litre tank (save those 5p off Tesco or ASDA coupons) and range is 500 - 600 miles but see posts about mpg on the T4/5 forum, there is always something posted about this...

1.9 may be more frugal but may need to work harder, plus 5 spd box
2.5 may be more frugal but will accelerate harder and use more fuel, plus 6 spd box.

a dpf will also use more fuel than a catalytic converter.

I think there is something in the simple lo tech engine thing. These Euro 4/5 compliant vehicles are so full of sensors sometimes they do seem fragile.... sensors failing etc etc.

Heres mine:
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Mate that is very nice!

I noticed it has the side Windows that open, do they leak at all?

What model is it to get that much bhp?

Is that classed as a kombi then?

Looks good that!!

Can I ask how much it cost you?

Think we have the thread to ourself...

Side windows dont leak at all, but curiously the drivers footwell gets wet ?

Its a T5 T30 (refers to the vehicle weight.. T28 T30 T32) 174 mapped up and the dpf removed. It was dyno-ed after the dpf removal and it now makes all that lovely torque lower in the rev range. Plus the graph was rum after the first map when the van had less than 5k miles

Its a factory Kombi, with M1 chassis so car speed limits as opposed to N1 which is a van and often the base for conversions (and curiously the new 5.1)

Cost, got a deal off a STW regular who used to be on here and the VW commercial mgr in Carlisle... think with the spec I wanted it was £24k ish..

Keep going on the T5 forum, there are way more knowlagable and better spellers than me...

get a 85s and get it mapped,£130 rfl a year, good fuel consumption,all cars have there own problems my T5 has just done 62000 , if something gose tits up with it I shant worry to much, allways going to be hit and miss buying a used motor. service history Is a must tho.

http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=147

I made up som ebike supports that I will try and post up here if I can remember how to do it.

Renton, IIRC there were two issues with the VW sliding windows.

The VW sliding windows (ie Caravelle ones) do not fit the van bodyshell very well as the two vehicles are different. Also the sliding windows rely on a channel to get rid of the water. On the factory Kombis these channels were being inadvertently blocked by the bonding agent.

The aftermarket sliders are designed to fit the van bodyshell and therefore should not leak. But they vary in quality and much depends on how well they are fitted.

I have SDG ones which are a bit more expensive but very well made.

I have an 06 LWB T30 104bhp. Been using it as a daily commuter for last two years. Get something like 30-35mpg but its had a full conversion so a bit heavier than a Kombi.

Really comfortable driving position for longer journeys and i find the higher position is less tiring due to better forward visibility .

Find parking sensors useful for the LWB, in public car parks. Occasionally find its too long for normal carparks, but only maybe two or three times in last 3 years.

Bit underpowered when loaded, but ok for A roads, ie 60mph limits.

Ive had mine re-registered as a motorhome, so normal car speed limits apply.

Due to weight, i think wear and tear us a bit higher than a car.

I find extra length useful as we can seat five and carry five bikes, plus cooker, fridge etc.

Hi I am on my 2nd t5 after a t4 here's what I know
The first one we had was a 2.5 factory kombi. It was a 6 seated so had 3 up front. Anyo e in the back was a bit shut out. The 2.5 had a lot of power but was thirsty. There are known problems with injectors and heads vw no longer use this engine.
Was advised by a mate at vw to get a 104 tdi. Couldn't find a kombi for anything like sensible money so looked at shuttles. Found a tidy 8 seated shuttle and took out the back row of seats. It seats 5 now. It has opening side glass, we never open them. It also has front and rear air con and heating. Having 2 normal seats up front is more comfortable and stops the front / rear divide. Performance was fine but I had 15% more power re map and its nicer now.
Personally I would avoid a caravelle as the interior is too precious for bikes and dogs and they all use the 2.5 engine.
Kombi caravelle and shuttle all classed as car, so car speed lots applied.
Tailgate much more useful than 2 rear barn doors
Double sliding door ( one on each side) very handy with passengers / kids.
Wanted opening rear side glass but in reality don't use it.
Costs £100 to fill fuel tank will do 550 miles on a tank
Will take 4 men and bikes and gear for a week long road trip around Scotland with a bit of careful packing:-)

Thanks for all the replies!!

I will be chopping in a 60 plate Mazda 6 and will be adding a bit of cash to it so my budget it anywhere between 9 and 12 k.

I think I'm going to look for a converted combi or a shuttle and remove the rear seats.

Ideally I want captains seats upfront and then a row of three with one seat removable.

Will look at the 1.9 85bhp as I'v. Been told these remap to same Power as the 102 but cost less to buy.

Do you think I can get a half decent van for that money?

Should I be put off by high mailers?

Any recommendations on where to look for a decent one.

Each to their own, but i went for the twin doors, as you can still open them with bikes on a rack on the back. Plus easier to access in car parks etc, especially if LWB.

But the tailgate looks nicer.

We use our slider windows a lot.

Shuttle sounds ideal for what you want, ie more car like than converted van.

We went low mileage, ie sub 30k but had a load of issues at 60-70k, ie drive shaft, dmf etc. So if you go high mileage most of those things may have already been replaced.

First one

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Second one

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Third one

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And current one

[IMG] [/IMG]

I don't think I'll ever go back to a car!

How much does re-mapping affect insurance prices??

not everyones choice of colour watch out for the VAT on vans!

not mine btw cant vouch for it just saw the ad

http://vans.autotrader.co.uk/used-vans/volkswagen/transporter-shuttle/2007-volkswagen-transporter-shuttle-1-9tdi-pd-102ps-s-minibus-diesel-healy-road-vfpa-8a6ae6dc3cf64fc6013d16dad9ec44de/makemodel/make/volkswagen/mileage/min/99999

or this

http://vans.autotrader.co.uk/used-vans/volkswagen/transporter-shuttle/2007-volkswagen-transporter-shuttle-1-9tdi-pd-85ps-se-minibus-diesel-healy-road-vfpa-8a788d133d017a39013d16dad9e51828/makemodel/make/volkswagen/mileage/min/99999

But it's greeeeeeennnnnnn!! 😐

Anywhere to look at some nice converted vans on the net for sale?

fleabay always loads on there, I stalk regular (waiting for lotto win)

Top tips

1./ Get a lifting tailgate
2./ Find a caravelle if you can = no VAT + classed as a car for all things ferry/speed limits/VED
3./ Buy the VW 4 bike carrier = with 1./ above you can open it with bikes on.
4./ Twin Sliding doors if possible
5./ Go for a 2.5 130 if you can find one. Timing chain as opposed to belt

For bikes in the back get

[url= http://www.dungannonelectrical.co.uk/unistrut_bracket.html ]This unistrut[/url]

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and these

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fix the channel to a wide piece of wood fastened to the rear load anchorage points. Set the brackets to fork width and front wheel off and secure with QR.

Check out this vid demonstrating the clearance of the Atera rack if you have a tailgate and want a lower tow bar mounted rack.

http://k3yak.com/atera-strada-dl3-fitted-to-vw-t5-california/

Here's the strada on my T4, works brilliantly.

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