Skoda Superb – felt a bit cheaper in the cabin, but oodles of space, huge boot, 3 kids in the back Ok, had the flip out towbar and 4×4 which I rather liked

If you want one with a factory towbar, you might have to search for months to find another, I did…

What spec level was it? If it helps, I have zero rattles or creaks from mine at all, they’re really just a rebadged Passat.

Have yo tried a Passat? Maybe nicer than Superb on the inside but not sacrificing too much space?

Biggest thing I found was to get the spec I wanted most of the kit was an option on the Passat. Bar a couple extra boxes ticked on mine, it’s standard spec (ok, so it’s the L&K model so literally has almost everything specced as standard…).

Passat wagon is vast. I have one. But there are only four of us, one of whom is still (just) in a car seat.

Sell the Van whilst it’s worth a fortune, you can always buy another one, and is suspect they will be significantly cheaper in a years time when the market crashes!

Buy a cheap large estate, perhaps even one with a big petrol engine that does just 25mpg, because mpg is irrelevant if you only do a few miles, and means you get a big, well spec’d car for your money

BTW, i’ve been wating to buy a van for about 18 months now, since we sold our derv estate and have gone EV only. Unfortunately that co-incided with van prices going mental, so we have help off to try and avoid getting burnt…….

If you find an estate that can comfortably seat a family of 5 for a long journey, then please let me know*.  (Former SMax, curernt C4 Grand Picasso owner, family of 5).

I’g go for a galaxy/sharan if you want to get rid of the T6, but I’m not sure whther it’ll constitute a saving given second hand car prices at present.

*EDIT: Without anyone arguing about who sits on teh lump in the middle of the rear bench…

We have had a T5 Caravelle for the past 10 years there are 5 of us. We also had a Galaxy the two aren’t comparable. We take a full camp and 7 bikes plus water sports stuff around Europe every summer there’s no way you could do it in a Galaxy. It costs me a fortune to keep it going it just failed it’s MOT again but I would be without it. Just got to figure how to get breakdown cover for out next year.

We are going to Morzine in it in a few wee hours and

Consider subaru outback too, although there’s no performance option these days.
Gret cars though.

Based on the Passat we had I think you will struggle with an estate when/ if your children are larger. So I would suggest looking at a S Max type vehicle.

Left field suggestion, new Dacia Jogger – brand new so warranty – even with all the options under £18k, Galaxy sized and can be had with 5/7 seats.
Hybrid version next year.
Yes its a Dacia and it has a silly name.
Probably my next car.

Update on grief, stage 5: acceptance

Thanks for all the ideas.

We debated it more as a family, rationally and emotionally! It was agreed that for at least the next few years, the single most important factor for our secondary vehicle is… flexibility. (And that we love the vehicle as a close second!)

With that, hard fought, conclusion, shaped also by all your inputs, the van stays!

Consider subaru outback too, although there’s no performance option these days.
Gret cars though.

love mine but the middle seat in the back is still compromised by the transmission tunnel.

my van is due an MOT on monday and the central locking decided to shit itself yesterday so the passenger door now won’t open consistently which means it definitely won’t on monday. sunday will be spent replacing the lock if the parts show up tomorrow…I’m getting tired of spending money on old, shit german electronics.

YES! Right call, vans are great and you would miss it for sure.

Please continue to look down on those idiots in there tiny estate cars at the traffic lights and feel superior! 🙂

new Dacia Jogger – brand new so warranty – even with all the options under £18k, Galaxy sized

prepare to be disappointed if your expecting galaxy sized.

its not.

its c~ 10% smaller in every direction.

good outcome!

the (slightly tongue in cheek) order, depending on make and model, is
MPVs < any other car < estate < van

Yes its a Dacia and it has a silly name.

At least it’s not called a Jacia Dogger.

Absolutely the right decision we had a Galaxy and a T5 Caravelle and the Galaxy was nowhere near as useful as the T5. From load capacity, swivel seats parking heater, being able to change in it. We take ours around Europe every summer with huge camping set up 7 bikes and Watersports kit plus 3 kids. You can’t do that in a Galaxy. I wouldn’t be without it, though it fails the MOT every year and cost me an arm and leg to keep going. My central locking went mental last year too @jam-bo It would unlock the passenger door if you pressed the lock button twice, thankfully I have a good auto electrician.

Well, sorry to disappoint the van lovers, but the T6 is sold!

It was 2 weeks ago that both me and the missus realised together that in 8 weeks, the van had been on one skip run of about 15 miles, and another couple of short scout related journeys. Bye bye.

Price from motorway/wbac had gone down a bit since feb, but when motorway put it out there the winning bid was even higher than previous best offer earlier this year. Mental! deal signed yesterday, quite remarkable to put 20months and 21K miles into a car, and have it increase in value by many thousands.

I was just so taken with both value and practicality of a petrol Superb estate, that’s been bought. Comes with spare set of winter wheels/tires (how very Swiss) which is dead handy, not the factory fit tow bar but a standard detachable one. Arrives Friday, distance sale from a Skoda dealer.

Interesting chatting with the T6 buyer, from Sytner group, about the state of the market. He observed the arse is now starting to fall out the second hand car market. Apparently things have really stalled, and prices are going to start dropping.

However, Commercial vehicles & vans, and caravelles/californias in particular, he said will only hold value now as the new replacement is complete mince and massively delayed.

Also told tales of new cars being sold with owners having to sign waivers regarding missing or non-functional bits due to supply shortages, just so they could actually get the car – e.g. SOS units taped over and missing, single key fobs only etc.

So, sorry to announce the passing of the van, onwards with ‘normal’ family motoring!

Good choice on the Superb.

It was 2 weeks ago that both me and the missus realised together that in 8 weeks, the van had been on one skip run of about 15 miles, and another couple of short scout related journeys. Bye bye.

A while back I did the opposite: had T5 campervan plus a nice BMW 330i. Found I wasn’t using the car so as a trial parked it up and went van-only for a couple of months. Promptly sold the car. Currently back in a similar situation with a car and van and, again, the car rarely gets used (you’d think I’d learn…). When it comes to it, the car will be sold again.

caravelles/californias in particular, he said will only hold value now as the new replacement is complete mince and massively delayed.

Is that referring to the T7/Transit collaboration? I’ve not kept up to date with it’s gestation but it’s got massive boots to fill. I’m guessing it’s not meaning the wee leccy microvan thing that’s simply too small to be a camper IMO.

He observed the arse is now starting to fall out the second hand car market. Apparently things have really stalled, and prices are going to start dropping.

Interesting –
I have just not sold a V70, it is shopped into Cazoo on Friday for 10% less than they offered a couple of months ago when I first started looking.
I have also ordered the new to me car – and managed to haggle on the price of it, which again I was not expecting.

There are a few really silly priced cars out there at the moment, but many are sitting unsold for many weeks – a couple of Octavia’s I was watching haven’t sold in 2 months…

Good choice on the Superb.

That too. Neighbours have one – it is mahooooosive.

However, Commercial vehicles & vans, and caravelles/californias in particular, he said will only hold value now as the new replacement is complete mince and massively delayed.

I noticed that WBAC offer on my nearly 2 year old transit dropped by about £2K a month ago , when I checked again the other day, it had gone back up to what is was + another £500, making it over a grand more than I paid for it when bought new

Interesting about the comments regarding the second hand market. I’ve been looking at either a superb or a crew cab van of some sort. Van prices still seem silly high but the superb prices do seem to have been dropping recently. Can now get a decent one for circa 20k in the age spec I want. Almost back to pre-covid prices.

I noticed that WBAC offer on my nearly 2 year old transit dropped by about £2K a month ago , when I checked again the other day, it had gone back up to what is was + another £500, making it over a grand more than I paid for it when bought new

I’ve not checked mine recently but did just now out of interest: £19.5k for our nearly 5-yr old 67-plate Transit Custom DCIV. £4k less than we paid new (which included about £1.5k in extras which WBAV don’t take into account). Certainly bears out the statement that some vehicles are still holding value.

Edit – not that I could afford a replacement if I chose to sell it!

Is that referring to the T7/Transit collaboration

Yes, and as a 2x T5/6 owner the T7 really is nothing like the same vehicle. It’s a jacked up squarer bodied people carrier

For those thinking of selling a van, I would note that WBAC/V and Motorway both quoted about the same for my T6, but as motorway essentially put it out to auction the price finally received was much higher. So, likely better going down that route.

Yes, and as a 2x T5/6 owner the T7 really is nothing like the same vehicle. It’s a jacked up squarer bodied people carrier

Just had a look on VW’s site. The ‘Multivan’ ain’t cheap. As you say its nothing like a T5/6 replacement. I’d trash that interior in no time, although could say the same for a T5/6 Caravelle which I’d ruin just as quickly)

Nobody’s asked the most important question about your Superb: what colour? Friends have one – 4×4 and I think might be petrol – and it’s silver with a cream interior. Not a practical interior colour for biking but looks lovely.

Mine has a cream interior too, it’s why I’ve got the towbar and rack!

We would destroy a cream interior! I’ve gone full spinal tap – none more black (inside and out) 🙂

Interesting about the comments regarding the second hand market. I’ve been looking at either a superb or a crew cab van of some sort. Van prices still seem silly high but the superb prices do seem to have been dropping recently. Can now get a decent one for circa 20k in the age spec I want. Almost back to pre-covid prices.

If you’re waiting for a ‘crash’ you’re going to be waiting for a long time, what you’re probably seeing is the ebb & flow of what is now normality.

A sizeable part of the company I work for is Tier One OEM supply chain & the industry bar a few exceptions is still a mess & will continue to be one for at least another 12 months, with a fresh round of supply chain challenges due to raw material shortages.

A quick look at my previous car, which I sold just over two years ago puts it at nearly £4K more than I sold it for & it would now be coming up to 5 years old (topical, as it was a Skoda Superb Estate), so not even close to pre-covid. The van we replaced it with (fancy spec Transit custom crew cab) is an endless source of being badgered by the dealer we got it from, to sell it back at a substantial increase on what we paid for it, 18 months later.

I have a new car on order, which is now delayed until March ‘23 & it’s now not uncommon to hear of 24 month lead times on some cars, which you would expect to have in a few month in the past.

Apart from a bit of cooling, I’m not sure we will see the price gouging of recent years for a long time yet.

Just sold my 2008 T5 for two grand more than I paid for it in June 2017. Crazy. Cash in the bank and I will likely get a Superb or Octavia. Great minds, OP.

I will of course regret getting rid of the van practically every weekend, but I won’t regret it for the remaining 5 out of 7 days each week. Not a ‘daily driver’ IMO.

Wow!

We have a VW Touran 7 seater which is a good compromise. Nice Silver SE model, 2011, dead reliable. Got 50mpg on a recent run down to Truro with 5 up.
It came with a lovely cream interior, which I have replaced with a sort of muddy brown, bike oil/black dog/blue jeans stained colured one.
Not sure what I will do when i come to sell it, but the cream original colour is still under there somewhere ..
Any suggestions?

If I already had something like a T6 Caravelle I wouldnt swap for an Estate.

I recently bought an estate (bloody huge one). I don’t regret it, but the useable space is less practical than an SUV / Van etc.

We now have an SUV and estate and the SUV although smaller gets used more if taking rubbish to the tip etc, just because of the extra height

I have an ex-demo 62 plate California Beach that I got for a steal in 2013. Despite being a daily driver I’ve WFH’d for a long time and consciously kept the miles down. I might have Britain’s least depreciated motor 🧐

As owner of a slightly scruffy T5.1 with over 260k miles on it, I’m just going to hang on to it for a while longer. I can’t see the point in paying over the odds for another van which may well be in worse condition just because it has lower mileage or is younger.
I really fancy a Kombi conversion by CJ Leisure into a camper with a bike store, but base vans are so scarce that it’d be next year before one was built.

I really fancy a Kombi conversion by CJ Leisure into a camper with a bike store, but base vans are so scarce that it’d be next year before one was built.

I’d get the conversion done on what you have already. If you get a newer model further down the line, then get it all transferred to that.
I don’t think there is much difference between a T5 and T6.1 from the front seats back is there ?

I will of course regret getting rid of the van practically every weekend, but I won’t regret it for the remaining 5 out of 7 days each week. Not a ‘daily driver’ IMO.

This is the rub really. I was absolutely certain I wanted/needed a van again, then hired a Shuttle and remembered they really aren’t that great compared to cars. Then of course I’ll want to pile stuff (bikes, whatever) in the back and suddenly the need is strong again.

I don’t think there is much difference between a T5 and T6.1 from the front seats back is there ?

Not much other than the rear light clusters and shape of the tailgate to accommodate them. Although the barn doors are the same shape as when the T5 was released.

Driver, passenger and sliding doors are interchangeable.

2 months ago the garage doing the MOT on my T5 dropped it off the ramp and smashed it up. I’ve since been driving around in a courtesy car – a 70 plate Sharan. For the first week I marvelled and how comparatively smooth and efficient it is but after the novelty wore off I realised how much I miss my T5 🙁

So be careful what you wish for I guess

No idea if I’ll ever get my van back or even where it is, but that’s almost worth of a thread of its own.

maxtorque

BTW, i’ve been wating to buy a van for about 18 months now, since we sold our derv estate and have gone EV only. Unfortunately that co-incided with van prices going mental, so we have help off to try and avoid getting burnt…….

Posted 3 months ago

Piggy bank well and truely broken:

Breathed an enormous impecunious sigh of relief when I sold my T2. Happily been on estates ever since.