I’ve no interest in them personally. They’ve always been in the same category as shoes with cuban heels or vegan recipes to me. I’m aware they exist but that’s about the extent of my involvement.

Then yesterday I walked past a dealership with a number of T5’s for sale. **** me! They’re not cheap are they? 😯

So…. other than the Guardian supplement statement it makes, what’s the appeal? Or is that it?

Am I missing something? Because that seems like a hell of a lot of money to sleep in the back of a van in a field?

Wouldn’t you rather spend the money on decent hotels? And driving a car that isn’t a transit with a sofa and a camping stove in?

Yours

Confused of East Lancs

Golf GTi is arguably a lifestyle vehicle.

I don’t have one, but if money were no object I’d have kind of camper.

There aren’t hotels in all the wild locations people might want to stay (especially for biking) – plus there’s something relaxing about living in a field in the countryside for a few weekends a year.

Is this a T5 bashing thread, or just a SUV bashing thread ?

Need to know, in all honesty they’re different demography and we don’t want to go slagging some off for no reason do we 😆

Please, define “lifestyle” vehicle, there’s a laddio.

We have a motorhome (7.5m) and a car.

If we could only afford one vehicle I’d probably go for a small van conversion over car plus caravan.

I think a lot of lifestyle vehicles are often aspirational rather than actually used in the wilds on a regular basis.

How many people take a T5 to a remote spot with no toilets and crap in a bucket/portapotti? A motorhome is far more practical ‘off grid’ but a pain in most major towns.

Cars are a status symbol.
Either to show others how well you’ve done, or simply to convince the owner that they’ve got what they wanted.
Or they’re an expensive toy.
Or they’re a tool for the lazy.

Take your pick, though I’m sure other options exist.

What do you drive and how much is it worth? I’m sure I’d pick something different.

Thing is binners, once you’ve got a £9k bike you need an appropriate vehicle to hang it off so others can see.

I think a lot of lifestyle vehicles are often aspirational rather than actually used in the wilds on a regular basis.

I aspire to have an aspirational lifestyle vehicle, if i’m honest..

DrP

Not all users/buyers go to dealerships and buy brand new T5/6.

Our T4 Multivan cost just over €10,000 in 2009.
Since then it’s done 3 or 4 weeks a year in Europe.
Probably 15 weekends away per year in the UK. And it was a daily driver for the first few years we had it.

Still in great condition, and still averages over 40mpg.

Not bad value for money I don’t think.

I agree, the recent popularity has inflated the prices somewhat and VW seem to be riding the trend. Have a look on pistonheads at the cost of some of the converted ones!

I’d be very tempted by one but it seems they are very nicakable at the moment and I live in mini beirut so will be avoiding until that’s levelled out a little.

My parents have a T5 (or T6, I’ev no idea, it’s new-ish), yes it was eye wateringly expensive.

I think it’s great, their house is provided by dad’s job so unless they go away somewhere he effectively ends up on call 24/7 so it gets used a lot (previously they had a canal boat moored a few miles away for the same purpose). They’re probably away either on day trips or for the weekend 3x a month at least.

Summing up the pro’s, could you at the drop of a hat decide to stay in a remote beach-front hotel in Scotland with no other guests for miles around Friday (tonight) and Saturday night? They can and do.

It’s be even more useful if they were MTB’ers/surfers or whatever. Drive upto Glentress from London after work, get 8 hours sleep in the car-park, shred trails, lunch in the van, afternoon at Inners, off to Ae for the night, shred for another day, drive back and not have to unpack anything until Monday after work.

wild locations

There aren’t roads in wild locations

There aren’t roads in wild locations

You’ve clearly never driven through Rotherham

Summing up the pro’s, could you at the drop of a hat decide to stay in a remote beach-front hotel in Scotland with no other guests for miles around Friday (tonight) and Saturday night? They can and do.

No. even if I had driveway full of RVs and caravans, my delightful offspring and a crazy busy life would put end to those dreams 😉

DrP

The thought of being able to chuck my bikes (plural), gear and most of my cycling family into one comfortable, well made vehicle is quite a compelling one. If I could sleep in it too then that’s a bonus.

However, having seen the prices of them, I don’t want one that much. I’ll settle for an Italian saloon car and a bell tent instead.

There aren’t roads in wild locations

MEhhhhh, it’ll do.

(not their van, just just google image search for remote scottish beach campervan)

No. even if I had driveway full of RVs and caravans, my delightful offspring and a crazy busy life would put end to those dreams

Lucky git’s only work a 4 day week.

I suppose it works best if you share hobbies in the family or couple, or are single. Having said that the OH has decided she wants one.

Mate of mine bought a T5 and had it converted by a specialist – 9 (?) month wait and £50k +

With 3 kids sleeping in it is a nightmare by all accounts

It’s for posh Glamping camping bin boy.
What’s not to like?

Oh hang on,do you hate camping? 😉

Mate of mine bought a T5 and had it converted by a soecialist

Jeremy Corbyn?

As opposed to a Kampfervan?

jambalaya – Member
Mate of mine bought a T5 and had it converted by a soecialist – 9 (?) month wait and £50k +

With 3 kids sleeping in it is a nightmare by all accounts

Freudian slip Jamba? Not all VW drivers are hippies 🙂

[edit: beaten by a better joke from PP and 38seconds!]

Beats sleeping outside Gregg’s on a piece of cardboard to get the first pastie out the oven.

£50k is only five and a half triathlon bikes.

I’d like one when the kids move out / don’t want to come. But it’ll be second-hand

I’ll settle for an Italian saloon car and a bell tent instead.

with money leftover for a nice pair of sunglasses 8)

Mate of mine bought a T5 and had it converted by a soecialist – 9 (?) month wait and £50k +

It’s those damn soecialists again isn’t it! First Venezuela, now camper vans. The bastards!!!

Damn. Too slow. Was a gift I suppose 😉

Just fat finger typing on the phone

@fast camping is fine its the concept of doing it in a van which costs twice an equivalent car which you could put a tent into the boot ?

Must be all that money the country’s awash with post Brexit.

I think it’s great, their house is provided by dad’s job so unless they go away somewhere he effectively ends up on call 24/7 so it gets used a lot (previously they had a canal boat moored a few miles away for the same purpose)

Read this loads and still imagine your dad on 24/7 ‘urgent’ call out firing up the motor on a canal boat to get to a job. Is he a lock gate repair man 😉

I had a socialist campervan once.

Had to sell it.

It kept Stallin’

Mate of mine bought a T5 and had it converted by a specialist – 9 (?) month wait and £50k +

With 3 kids sleeping in it is a nightmare by all accounts

I spent 2K on a T4 and its ideal for taking 3 kids camping with bikes, boards, kayaks, whatever. Not really a lifestyle statement, more practicality once you realise a S Max or XC90 isn’t big enough for 5 plus camping gear and toys.

Campers are a different story, I’d not want more than 3 in a camper conversion myself.

For us, and our white builders-style Vauxhall (which was second hand and ALOT cheaper than a T5), the appeal was having the space to put our bikes, walking and kayaking kit in for one trip and not having to take everything out when you get to a place to find the one bit you need. In the winter slop it’s great to get changed in. In the summer we play darts on the board hung in the back door. We take a tent and sleep on sites, and know we have enough space to chuck the box of bike packing stuff in if we want to go wild. It’s our only transport, it isn’t pretty and we’ve had so many great adventures as a result of the extra space.

@perchy 🙂

They’re not cheap are they?

Not read the other replies so don’t know if this has already been said but take a look at the price of a new T6 California.

I priced one last week, decent spec and with a couple of options added in it was nearly £70k! Think they start about £57k. I know they hold their value but who the **** buys these new?

I’d love one but I couldn’t justify spending that on a camper that size and my wife doesn’t do 2nd hand cars.

Well, we have ours because we bought it for a specific purpose; travelling around Europe for a summer, for which it was great.

Ours is not a big money conversion though; £8k for a 50k mile panel van (in 2010), plus a £4k camper conversion kit which I fitted myself.

We’ve kept it cos

a) it’s ace for camping in (it’s basically a metal tent, with a decent fridge and some heating)
b) it’s a practical vehicle in it’s own right (It’s basically the same dimensions as an estate car, but bikes fit in it fully assembled, you can get changed in it, loads of room for trips to the tip etc)
c) occasionally it’s useful as a free B&B after a night out when discreetly parked on a side street 🙂

I have a 2009 T5 California. Had it for 6 years now. A Transit with a sofa in the back it is not.

This is my 4th Camper. Ok, they have all been VW and the first 2 were ’70’s air cooled.

I would not rather spend the money on posh hotel.

Always loved camping and generally always been happy to do it in a tent or an old S*** box camper. However, small editions to the family happened to coincide with a nice windfall so we went for the Cali.

Small enough to get into Supermarket car pars yet kitted out well enough to enjoy ‘wild camping’.

It may be Glamping but I see more and more Cali’s around in recent years so we don’t tend stand out quite like we did when we first got it, which is nice. I do still get a little embarrassed when pop the roof up as it is hydraulically powered and should really play the Thunderbirds theme tune while doing it.

Anyway, up yours to the nay sayers. I got myself a bloody Cali!

They’re brilliant. Really they are, I’ve had several VW vans before I became poor. No interest in any of the ‘aspirational’ aspects. Nice to drive, roomy, very very versatile, and they enable a lot of other fun stuff.

They’re too expensive I grant you that, but badges aside, vans are great. I don’t really understand people criticising other people’s choices. By all means don’t join them, but just because you don’t agree doesn’t mean people are wrong.

(Unless you’re talking about reading the Daily Mail, then, in that case, they are wrong.)

I spent 2K on a T4 and its ideal for taking 3 kids camping with bikes, boards, kayaks, whatever.

That’s why you don’t have any money for a jacket. 😉

I had a socialist campervan once.

Had to sell it.

The fuel gauge was constantly in the red.

The clue’s in the name, if your ‘lifestyle’ isn’t being in the countryside away from home the majority of weekends, then it probably doesn’t make sense. In the same way a sports car makes no sense if you have kids (and probably fills the same sized burning hole in your pocket).

Read this loads and still imagine your dad on 24/7 ‘urgent’ call out firing up the motor on a canal boat to get to a job. Is he a lock gate repair man

Haha, no, he works for the National Trust so get’s to live in the house he manages.

@fast camping is fine its the concept of doing it in a van which costs twice an equivalent car which you could put a tent into the boot ?

That’s pretty much what I do with my C-max, with the back seats out I can even sleep in the back with a bike if I want to do a weekend away (or sailing races).

But, the difference is comfort. However much I enjoy camping, it’s still battling the elements (too hot, too cold, too wet, ground too lumpy) and nature (picking 101 slugs off the inside of the flysheet before packing it up in the morning). Vs a proper mattress, a proper duvet, and a proper breakfast in the morning tat doesn’t taste like titanium camping mug.

I had a socialist campervan too and also had to sell it.

Wasn’t conservative enough with fuel consumption

bought a T4 in 2008 for £5k, stuck a Ikea futon in it for 7 years- wife and I were away most summer weekends surfing, running around the countryside & generally having a great time.

had a proper conversion in 2015, e.g. rock n roll bed, fridge, hob, sink etc for another £5k. Alps trip next month – we shall mix it up with a few night’s on campsites and a few “off piste” evenings.

we’ve never really referred to it as “lifestyle” vehicle…. just a campervan.

I would never sell it.

but would agree that when you have a VW badge slapped on the front (whether that’s a T4/T5/T6) your probably looking at a 20% hike in price