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Just been offered a 2004 kombi with 100k for £6k from a friend of a friend. What should I be looking out for on a van this age? He has 7 years of history. Tempting as I could afford the triple bed seat on rails and pop top, which is all I want.
My top is just a bit of scrap plywood 😳
Kitchen refit on the cards, just not sure if we are selling the van in summer so not decided on the best way to do it yet. (its not a T5 before anyone asks how much, its an Iveco!)
We had a 2.4d Camper and a 2.5Tdi caravelle. Amongst the best vehicles i've ever owned. Bags of space, great fun and great community. What other vehicle offers so much. Would have another one tommorrow
Ours...
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Was a basic panel van - now with full camper conversion (Smart Beds Evo, Reimo roof, run of vohringer (sp?) units, Waeco hob/sink and fridge etc, full retrim in cranberry leather and alcantara, twin swivelling captains up front) with other mods to engine, suspension, wheels etc. Sleeps 4 people, lets me make a cup of tea and cook breakfast and all in something the same length as a Passat.
Loads more planned this year - new coilovers in the next month or so and some tidying up/subtle mods and an Eberspacher.
Best thing we ever did - looking forward to a full year in it this year.
The Eber is the best thing I ever bought for ours.
Has been handy for camping, but even better this winter javing the timer on it set so that when I go out to get in it for the drive to work not only is it toasty warm but any ice in the screen has melted. Not done any scraping at all this winter, even at half 5!
Tang if it's in half decent condition and not total basic spec (84bhp, white and no toys at all) it's cheap enough. Things to look at are as with any diesel vehicle - has the clutch/flywheel been done, i not is it rattly on start up from cold, last service, last mot fails or advisories etc.
Love my T4.
Best thing I have ever bought
Cheers Steve, I'll start asking some questions!
Would Mrs Zuke notice if you just looked at a LWB first?! Worth a try 😉
DaveyBoyWonder
Ouch, barn doors 🙁
2.5TDI SWB here. Absolutely love it. Bags of character. Sleeps 3 in total comfort, 4 is cosy. IME the awning is a must for storing all the usual crap on a trip.
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Pony is an optional extra
Can't believe no one has turned up to yet to call everyone fashion victims and tell us about how they do everything a VW can do in their little Berlingo etc....
Anyway, get the LWB. Makes absolutely no difference to the drive but give you a sizeable chunk of interior space on a van which isn't really that big if you want to sleep and sit around in it.
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130bhp 2.5 here. 90,000 on the clock. In three years it's had a starter motor, oil cooler and a horn. Spent two months trucking around Europe in it and it's probably the most sensible thing I've ever bought. Borrowed money to get it but according to asking prices on Ebay for similar vans I could probably advertise it for what I paid.
Oh, and I started off wanting a T4 until I drove one back to back with a T5. Very agricultural but, as with everything, some people love them.
I really need to stop reading these treads, not making my hankering after one of the VW's wane at all! 🙂
What are they like as your sole vehicle? as it's either go with one of these or an estate when I change car in the next 12 months.
EDIT: Sorry forgot to say will need to be able to take a baby seat too.
Re baby seats our Kombi has isofix points on all three rear seats and is inevitably roomier than a car for baby seat fitting. Ours is 2013, not sure how far those go back but I think isofix was standard on ours.
If be happy with it as a sole vehicle although it has obvious disadvantages compared with a car. Principally economy - very good for a van but somewhat different to a small estate car.
Using mine as a sole vehicle has worked out great, useable for lugging kit for work, bikes, climbing and kayaking kit. Dog likes it as it's easy to get in with his dodgy hips and back as the side step is nice and low.
I get mid to high 30s mpg wise form my Pendle'd 1.9 84hp, now giving circa 130hp. I'm sure with a 6 speed box I'd do better.
However, I had spent 6 years using assorted Landrovers as my daily drivers, from Series 3 to RRC. Means my ability to judge what is 'acceptable' from a vehicle may have been skewed a little, if I came to it from a car I'm sure it would feel lumbery, slow and expensive to run...
2008 T32 SWB here with 98k on the clock. In the classifieds at the moment because I fancy a fast car, but frankly I know I will regret it as soon as it's gone so this thread has been very helpful in reminding me how brilliant T5s are.
Mine's a factory Kombi with twin sliders, 2 captain seats up front & a 2 bench in the back. I've insulated & carpeted it, lowered it on 40mm H&R springs (NB - if you want to go down this route, & you will, then the the options are more limited/expensive on the T32), 17" alloys. Engine is the 1.9 104ps but it's had a Pendle remap to around 140, which made a big difference. A 6th gear would be nice.
Buying again, I would go LWB. With the bench seat in there's not quite enough room to get 29ers in length ways with the front wheel off, ok at an angle though.
They get do get cold & wet in the winter & ice on the inside is a regular occurence. Found that a couple of those crystal bags you get in shoe boxes, popped on the dash, helps.
2007 with twin captains and a triple seat for the second row, none of which have isofix. Maxi Cosi Tobi fits well and gives junior a good view out the windows. Our group 0 seat was fitted using seats belt rather than isofix and that also fitted fine in the van.
It's my sole vehicle, but I work from home so no commute to consider. We have another car in the household, the wife's, which I rarely drive.
If they could tow 3.5 tonnes in any weather I would have one tomorrow. However, I will have to stick with the Land Rover and a considerably smaller usable space out back.
absolutely love mine. Bought as a panel van but slowly got things converted as as i could afford it. now sporting a pop top
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echo what others have said. Best thing i have ever bought. Also love adding more to it (thinking of a heater/thermostat next)
Ouch, barn doors
Yep, I'm devastated at being able to keep one side closed and pile stuff up behind it on top of the back part of the bed and then simply close the other door.
Looked at both options, barn doors suited us better and was easier to find as everyone seems to naturally think a tailgate is the be all and end all.
We run ours as our only vehicle but when we bought it, we had the intention to see how it went and if needed, get a small car for the wife to use for work, nipping to the supermarket etc. We may still do this as it is a bit restrictive getting into some car parks etc.
Welshfarmer;
You need the baby version of my van!
3.5t towing capacity, ladder chassis, 180bhp, cheap as chips. Even got a front push/towbar on this one, and it'll be roomier than a T5.
Mine is 2.8t towing capacity, much bigger and only 120bhp/single rear wheels but it tows that 2.8t over grass/muddy slop most weekends. (or pushes with the front towbar) Mud and snow tyres help immensely and you can also get a locking rear diff, although I imagine they are rare.
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P.S Its not a 4x4, they don't do done.
DaveyBoyWonder - Member
Good to see you are happy with "Barn Doors"
I have had a barn door van and find the Tailgate more user friendly when using it as a camper.
I can get in the back with bikes on the rack as the VW 4 bike rack attaches just to the tailgate [unlike some other makes]
Using it as a day van it provides shelter for changing when raining, down side is getting into it when someone parks too close.
Just my observations.
A few pics of the conversion a few years ago.
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I've got a California, it's my second one. While not for everyone, and eye wateringly expensive I love it. This is my only vehicle and also my company car (!) which raises some eyebrows. We use it every other weekend for at least a night plus usual holidays - planning a week in NW in June then 4 weeks in France end of July plus weekends etc. Plenty of room for us with wind out awning plus sides. Well made for what it is, small enough to use every day and gets in most car parks. Its the 180 4motion manual I have, 2014 model. I stick an Atera bike rack on it which has 3 bikes and gets out the way of the tailgate. All good. But not for everyone.
down side is getting into it when someone parks too close.
I find this depends on what has parked too close. Something high like the back of another van, then yes the barn doors need less space to open. The lower bonnet of a normal car the tailgate can often clear as it lifts in a space that would not allow a bar door to open fully. Pros and cons to both door styles. I prefered tailgate, but it wasn't a deal breaker and would have had barns doors if that's what came up on an otherwise 'right' van.
Having lived with it a while now I think the twin sliding doors makes a bigger difference that the rear door style. Especially having kids.
Transporters are awesome no matter what rear doors they have 😀
😀
You can swap from barn doors to tailgate (at least on a T4 you can) a number of people on other forums have done this.
db
(T4 with tailgate)
You can do it on a T5 too - bit of a faff but Vagnostics do a conversion I believe.
I did look at many T5s with barn doors but as they were all ex "Tradesmans" vans they were not that well looked after, I was very lucky to find an ex motability 2 year old Caravelle. Took 3 months looking though
Spud -a bit late sorry but the seat covers are these:
They're good covers but lack the zips on the front seats to get into the rear pocket and slits in the armrest covers for the adjusters.
Good but not as good as the inka ones.
Cheers Squealer, appreciate that.
If anyone has one to sell or knows any good ones for sale out there if be interested. Don't have a huge budget but something to take the kids away over the weekend would be ace I reckon
double post
Been having a good look at prices and have a good idea what I want... budget seems to be inevitably going up and up...
The big pain I'm finding is most of the 4-5 yr old vehicles are still sold + VAT... not being VAT registered really cuts down my choice of what I can afford....
Was really hoping to get a 4motion one, but they seem to be like gold dust, so I think I'm going to be giving up on that idea....
Z.