[Closed] What's the point of a T5 type van?

I'm wondering what he did to change the value of the vehicle, losing no cash for 3 years is interesting so what was the investment?

It also depends what you want, for a rough and ready, insulated van with a place to sleep, store bikes an kit, sit, drive and a bit more it doesn't cost the earth, mine was probably £500 all in. That was on a van that cost £2.5 and that I sold 5 years later for £750 but only as I needed it gone, sold in 2 minutes on ebay so definitely underpriced. Doesn't have to be fancy to be practical, was happy with mine for a week or so and could have done way longer if I had the time off. Having done a week in a coach built camper it just wasn't as practical as bike van.

Now that I do like the sound of. Your moneys working but it aint costing you a penny.

Aside from maintenance/tax/insurance etc (say, £500/£250/£500), and £10k you could knock off the mortgage (say £500 interest a year). They look to depreciate by mileage and condition rather than age though. Low(ish) mileage C15 based romahomes are still £8-£9k! So use it as a car and it'll lose £1k a year, leave it in the garage and it'll not lose a penny.

Wierdly, just looked up my car on the insurance price guide, it's actually worth more this year than last (C-max in horrible light blue)!

Buying two vehicles where one would do? That's a waste, no?

Buying a van doesn't necessarily mean having two vehicles, especially a small or mid sized van. My T5 replaced an Iveco and a Focus estate.

Although admitedly it wasn't the worlds finite resources I was concerned about wasting, it was my own (2x tax, 2x ins, 2x MOT, 2x servicing, 2x depreciation, etc)

molgrips - Member

Buying two vehicles where one would do? That's a waste, no? Cars are costly to produce. I'd guess much more so than a caravan.

Caravans are more costly to produce than tents. I'd guess much more so than a tent.....
Plus you have the mpg hit of towing them around.

molgrips - Member

Just stating things as I see them. If you think it's not a waste, then let's hear your arguments.. if you want

But why do you need an argument about whether it's wasteful or not?
People have a different way of doing things that don't always tally up with your way of doing things and they always seem to be wrong. You don't think a van is necessary but other people do, and your only argument against the good reasons that people have for getting a van is that 'I don't think that's a good reason, so therefore it's not a good reason - just get an estate car like I have'.

Why do you have a caravan and go on caravan holidays, when you could get a tent which would be much less wasteful? I own a tent that sleep 4 with ease and fits in my 3 door Ibiza. It doesn't noticeably affect my cars mpg when I take it away on holiday, has used tons less resource than a caravan would have to produce, isn't an unsightful eyesore on the driveway and doesn't slow fellow motorists down when I am moving it around.
A caravan is a waste & you shouldn't own one because I don't. I don't see the advantage of a caravan, so why should you?

😉

In fact, why go away on holiday? It's so wasteful. Just sit in your back garden and bask in the smugness of all that fuel you are saving.

Bikes - well, they are wasteful because of the raw materials to manufacture them and ship them from Taiwan then you stick them in your car and drive somewhere to ride them round in a circle and then stick them in your car and drive it home again. Wasteful. Just get rid of them, especially if you own more than one.

Don't get me started on shoe leather!!!

Buying a van doesn't necessarily mean having two vehicles

As I mentioned in my original post.

I like the idea of a camper but I think a caravan might be more suitable for my needs.

For those with campers, what do you do if you go somewhere for more than a night? Do you end up having to pack everything up each day to go out and then set up again each evening?

Pretty much however we usually have a mix of a few nights in one place, if you pick your spot you can do everything from base. The one advantage we have found, esp with a bog and bog tent now, is that if we do go somewhere and want to stay, we can. If we had a caravan we wouldn't do that. It has limitations in that if you are miles away from shops etc then you might have to load up to get a pint of milk but with a big fridge and some planning we have been off grid for 5 days no worries. In a California that is.
Setting up takes about 5 minutes - stop, check van level (iPhone on kitchen top, put roof up and chuck topper on if v wet or v cold (2.5yr old sleeps up there), wind out awning, get seats out of tailgate, rotate front seats, have a beer. Loading up takes a few minutes longer but we can do starting to pack to rolling in 15 minutes.

For those with campers, what do you do if you go somewhere for more than a night? Do you end up having to pack everything up each day to go out and then set up again each evening?

Walk, cycle or even catch buses and leave the van where it is. Even when we change location it only takes us 30-40 mins to pack everything away. The advantage of a small van is you can not fill it with to much crap.

Just been looking on autotrader and the like.

Can anyone point me towards somewhere where I could see (online) a T5 (or equivalent) with:

- captains chairs that swivel to
- table (moveable/flip uu etc) and benchseat
- small stove unit
- a boot for bikes with tailgate

Don't need a camper and the like, but like the idea of a table to sit around and drink tea etc, plus a 'boot' for the bikes etc.

google image T5 Beach

The stw is strong in this thread.

Kind of interested though as the parents are thinking of buying a good camper this year.

For those with campers, what do you do if you go somewhere for more than a night? Do you end up having to pack everything up each day to go out and then set up again each evening?

I'm not sure what you think needs packing up and setting up? I lived in a camper for 4 solid months a few years ago, you very quickly get into a routine but it only takes a few minutes to pop the roof up or set the bed up once you are familiar with it all.

Less is more with camper living, if you are intending on setting up a whole luxury outside area with chairs and tables or something that you need to pack up then that will take longer but usually you could be on the move within a few minutes of waking up if needed.

Ah I do miss having a camper!

So after five pages we can conclude that some people like VW vans and some people don't?

People are using up lots of words and energy to basically say "Your van was too expensive and you should have bought something cheaper. I'm going to bang on about it in a new T5 thread every few months even though your choice of vehicle has zero effect on my life. And I hate your face."

EDIT:

"You spent HOW MUCH on your house? But I can do everything you can do in my pile of pallets for x% saving over 35 years etc. etc. etc...."
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But why do you need an argument about whether it's wasteful or not?

I pointed it out. You lot started arguing 🙂

It just smacks of rank materialism, that's all.

My T5 cost the same as I paid for the estate car it replaced. The tax is £50 more but the Insurance is £100 cheaper. On a long run the car did 55mpg the van does 40mpg. Around town they are the same mpg.
I can fit five people and their kit in the van, in the car I could fit two and their kit.

Being able to sling everything in without it needing to be taken apart or bashed against anything else makes it all worthwhile. I've long since learnt that engine performance has absolutely no bearing on how quickly you get anywhere in the real world.

If you don't get that, stick with a car. As far as I'm concerned I wouldn't change back to car for any reason. I had planned to get a runabout but the swb T5 is as easy to drive, park, etc as my large estate was.

No they aren't cheap, especially not full blown campers, but then people spend a fortune on all sorts of daft supercars and they're utterly pointless except in a "way they make you feel" way.

BR have a google for the Transporter specialist in Newtown, Powys.

Re the packing up thing, it depends what kind of holiday you have. We're out with the kids, they like stuff to play with and there's always balls, games, colouring and what not scattered about. It's a bit different if you're a young couple being awesomely cool and trendy or whatever it is you do 😉

If you don't get that

Arrgh.. what is it about the language here..? I don't 'get' that.. I'm one of 'them' on the outside.. I have not seen the light.. bah.. no wonder I'm winding myself up...

Good insight, thanks.

The thread's turned into a defensive masterclass from the T5 owners justifying to themselves, as much as the 'STW nay-sayers' why they own one 😉

I'd love a LWB by the way, I think they're great, would be brilliant for lugging my family of four, two dogs, all our stuff and our bikes on cottage self-catering holidays. If I were a rich man etc.

[i]£30k+ for a 6 year old camper van conversion[/i]

We looked at a one year old bluemotion a couple of weeks ago that had just been kitted out professionally as a camper and it was £36k. They didn't have anything over 4 years old on the forcourt and I think that was just under £30k.

Anyone had a proper VW California and a t5 conversion - just wondering what the difference is between the two.

Anyone had a proper VW California and a t5 conversion - just wondering what the difference is between the two.

molgrips - Member

It just smacks of rank materialism, that's all.

To you, it does perhaps? Not to everyone.

I don't own a van and can't see me ever owning a van. But I don't look at people with them and think that it's 'rank materialism'.

You do own a caravan don't you, molgrips? Or have I got that all wrong?

It just smacks of rank materialism, that's all.

What does, owning a van that you use instead of walking everywhere? Hardly.

I've no problem with owning T5s or any other van as campervans. Reasonable way to get a holiday.

It's the T5 as essential lifestyle accessory for biking that seems wrong somehow. I'll admit that *something* is rubbing me up the wrong way about that but I may not be entirely aware of what that is.

EDIT plus I only started this as a light pisstake.. not sure what happened.

I'll admit that *something* is rubbing me up the wrong way about that but I may not be entirely aware of what that is.

Weeksy - yea I live on a housing estate, the house does all I and my family require of it.

Brassneck - yea the suspension is adjustable on the move, three preset heights and each corner independently adjustable for camping.. Google accuair e-level for details.

I only started this as a light pisstake..not sure what happened

You are just not very good at taking the piss,are you? 😛

It's the T5 as essential lifestyle accessory for biking

This only exists in your own head. It's only a bloody van. Why don't you try to be irrationally outraged every time you see someone driving a Ford Fiesta for being part of the essential Fiesta lifestyle cult? Then you'll see how deranged you sound.

I'm not being defensive. I don't know anyone on this forum and don't care what you think.

I do however own a T5 and have owned or at least driven all of the alternatives so if people need factual knowledge I like to help. The purchase price didn't bother me. I have no other expenses or offspring. The T5 hasn't been perfect but it's currently been around about three times longer than I've owned anything else. If it was a Ford Transporter or a Vauxhall Transporter I'd probably still have chosen it.

VW vans cost loads of money ,some of us (including me )don't have /wouldn't spent that much on a vehicle and are jealous is the gist of the thread !!

You are just not very good at taking the piss,are you?

No, I'm not!

Why don't you try to be irrationally outraged every time you see someone driving a Ford Fiesta for being part of the essential Fiesta lifestyle cult? Then you'll see how deranged you sound.

Ok but I've never heard of anyone making references to the Fiesta 'scene', or 'getting' Fiestas, both of which have cropped up here relating to T5s. And other people have referred to it too, people approaching them to talk about their vans. That tends not to happen with Fiestas?

I suppose people do post pictures of their lovingly waxed Fiestas on boyracertrackworld.com but I don't go to those sites. If I did, I'd probably be irritated (but not irrationally outraged) by them too!

A friend of mine has a bright yellow Ital ex BT van. It gets loads of comments from people. Even still has the Busby sticker in the back window.
He doesn't seem to mind.

Also don't think I've seen a picture of a tricked out highly waxed ducto or transit on here either.

does it need to be tricked out to be a vehicle for moving bulky dirty equipment ?

i guess im not worthy with my beat up old van .... ill leave the thread now i think ..... off to stick some chequer board vinyl to my rusty bonnet and fit some stretched smart car tires to my wheels so i fit in.......

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It adds a whole new level to the enjoyment I get from driving my T5 knowing that I generate so much frustration and bewilderment in others. Wait until they find out there's a Mountain bike inside WITH DROP BARS ON! 😯

For those with campers, what do you do if you go somewhere for more than a night? Do you end up having to pack everything up each day to go out and then set up again each evening?

My mates old van that I think looks better than ANY T5 and certainly goes better:

Have been into custom vans since I was 6 with the old man and myself owning a few. VW have captured the market with making decent vans available to the masses and the aftermarket scene has caught onto this.

Are they good vans. YES
Are there better vans. YES.

Will people ever agree on them. NO.

I have a Vivaro LWB crew van as I wanted to be able to seat five or six and keep the bikes in a totally seperate area without taking the wheels off.

It adds a whole new level to the enjoyment I get from driving my T5 knowing that I generate so much frustration and bewilderment in others.

Nonono.. not driving it - that's fine. It's modding it, talking about it, talking about how it looks, and waxing it.

and waxing it

Are those jeans fire retardant that the old bloke in the Thames Trader is wearing ? Wouldn't want to bin it wearing that kit !

bookwyse - that's faster than my dad's Ford Thames, which took a faamily of 5 around Scotland for camping holidays so many years ago.
I've hardly seen another since the 70s

Edric, its a Thames 400e not a trader and they are normal jeans as that is all that is required to be worn at a Run What Ya Brung day at the Pod.

Moses, its running a big block Chevy, fully space framed chassis and will go even quicker than that. My old man has just sold his 1960 Thames 400E that he was the first person to register it. It was registered in 2014 and had less than 800 miles on it when he sold it about two months ago.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1960-FORD-THAMES-400E-CAMPERVAN-CALTHORPE-VERY-RARE-/151662181968?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item234fc53e50

I drive a trafic lwb high top for work. Good enough van and ok to drive.
I've a very nice Volvo xc60 and a 1981 vw t25 that I've had for 13 years.
I've had so many good times in the vw I doubt I'd ever sell it, even tho it drives like a tank, has no power steering, the brakes barely work and it gets about 20mpg, but I smile every time I drive it.

unreliable big expensive bits of very ungermanlike engineering, more italian for its niggles really, my camper is currently totally stripped out to get to one small broken wire. i don't think mine has ever gone for more than 3minutes without the dash lighting up like an xmas tree and i utterly detest all the 'dubber' chav element b$llox that they seem to attract... but i love mine and am about to sell and buy another to convert knowing full well all that mine has played up will no doubt happen again.

Anyone want to buy a decent split screen 71 camper? I know the van very well. It has the classic conversion interior.

Never mind " Whats the point of a T5 ? "

Whats the point of those stupid side bars that people put on them ?

( I'm a very happy Trafic SWB Campervan home converted Van owner ........ looked at VWs but decided that the Renault was better VFM especially as all models have the 6-speed g/box unlike the T5s)

Lets face it, what's not to like. Freshly waxed and shining in the evening sun.

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