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

I’ve bitten the bullet and have swapping the car for this.

Its ace 8)

What age and how much mate? Looks very nice!

Brand new and a fortune 😐 … one/two/three year old 4Motions go far nearly as much as new ones (if you can find one). Like my last car I’ll probably keep it 10 plus years so it’s all gravy in the end… but at the moment it stings 😳

I’m loving the looks and the ride so far… but the very basic stereo is crap so it looks like more cash is required 🙄

I’m loving the looks and the ride so far… but the very basic stereo is crap so it looks like more cash is required

the doors need more sound deadening. The standard speakers (which are pretty poor) aren’t helped at all by the booming door cavity. The HU puts out a decent signal apparently.

more info on the brickyard.

Nice looking van Messiah.
My T5 came with a very basic stereo. I put an Alpine double DIN from Halfrauds in it for about £100. Sounds plenty good enough for a van (with associated road noise).

The sound is fine but it has no bluetooth for handsfree or inputs for iPod/iPhone. I could spend £100+ on a parrot and Dension etc or just change the whole lot for a bit more… I knew this would be the case when I bought it so its kind of budgeted for by not paying for a full sat-nav which I really didn’t want. No hurry anyway… personalisation is part of the fun 😉

The Alpine I got has the iPhone cable out the back. Plumbed it through the punch out in the glove box. It has a 1/8″ jack and USB port in the front, oh and a CD player.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_868945_langId_-1_categoryId_265857

Actually £170, sorry. Sheesh, I must have been loaded, or giddy cos I just bought my dream T5.

What about a VW Caddy MaxiLife, based on the LWB caddy van and Touran chassis with a 140bhp 2.0l Tdi engine. great mpg, great performance, and eveything you need in respect of room and bike carrying. Its what i am looking at for my retirement treat in october……….but you bad men have now got me back on the T5/Kombi/Caravelle train now….really like the Beach/California models but £56k is out my price range of what i am willing to pay.
Caddy MaxiLife basic £19k ish, fully loaded Fiat Doblo £19k, Renault Kangoo fully loaded £19k.
I had promised the wife a new car but I have disappointed her before, she will get over it 😆

My wife is softening on the van / day van concept having seen a couple picnicing on swanage seafront earlier in the week and seen the strain on the mondeos boot from a week away with 2kids and no bikes.

I would then want a small cheap as chips runabout to commute / do business miles in.

If anyone fancies a 2001 VW t4 (ex aa) 2.5 tdi kombi that’s been converted into a 2 berth camper I’ve got my old one for sale as I’ve just got a t5 California.

I’ll get iton the for sale thread with somepics as I’m prob not allowed to do this here.

It’s got swivel front seat, insulation etc, alloys, sink, two burner hob, compressor fridge, split charge and hook up system, inverter, gas heater on a thermostat, loads of storage, a safe, pull down rock roll bed, 100l water tank underneath with elec pump etc.

Basically I’ve kitted it out for self sustained long term camping and cruising about. We regularly spent 3 weeks in France in it taking in the coast or mooching about in Devon/ cornwall. The fridge will run for 4 days off the internal batteries without needing charging and there’s enough water for a week or so without filling up. It’s also got internal silver insulating screens for the front windows and built in blackout curtains in the 2 rear side windows.

I’ll get some pics/ price up in the for sale section…

Re the Caddy Maxi Life, great van in all the ways you say, however with more than one sleeping in it you still need the bikes on the back.

Interesting thread this – so much to get your head around. We had a first look at vw vans the other weekend, and was an eye opener comparing them to similar priced motorhomes on the same pitch.

For full conversions, we concluded the pop up roof adds real expense, and if not we’d have to go LWB to sleep us both and our 18 month old ie me or him on the floor, unless we got a full width bed in. There is the clip on tent option but that seems a compromise and you have to store it somewhere?

Really like the idea of the kombi/shuttle, or a panel van just converted to this spec with rear seats/bed.

I have a T5 been using it for the last 4 years as my only car, drive wise it’s luxury compared to my previous but that was a landrover defender. Have a partial conversion, electrics, lined out, pop top. Made a bed that goes in the back and folds over the rear seats, kitchen pod etc that can all be put in/out in 20 mins. Spent 3 weeks in France last year with 2 kids (awning for long stay all in the van for the odd night) worked a treat. Doubt I would ever go back to a car maybe if I had a bigger drive and could have a bigger (sprinter sized) motor home and a landrover again.