Looking for a bigger car and fancy a Transporter…mainly because it’s big and cool. Test driving some sensible estate cars tomorrow which are cheaper and more economical and probably drive better….and have more seats.

However, we don’t intend to do any camping, I’m about to have jnr#3 arrive so biking will be reduced.

What other benefits can I proclaim it to have (read: how can I sell it to Mrs CJR?!)

Do you really only get the best out of a T5 if you intend to sleep in it or regular chauffeur gnarly rock band drum kits etc?

Thank you and good night….

mainly because it’s big and cool.

Well, they are big.

Somebody will tell you about residuals when they mean over priced 😉

If you want to look at vans try the market at your price point

I like our T5 but it’s a money pit.

And anyone who tells you they drive just like cars has clearly only driven shit cars.

With a  T5 You can open the boot.. and wheel the buggy straight in the back.

I say buggy.. as its child number 3 you probably wont be using your bikes for a few years.

They are great for throwing everything in the back or using as a mobile changing room.

You might even get to put your own bike in it once or twice a year.

Our T5 is our main family vehicle. We’ve had it a year but had a T4 for 11 years before it.

I don’t know how people live without a van in their lives. When the kids were little the pushchair lived in there and we could do nappy changes, lunch, clothes changes etc in the boot.

Now they are older we are forever swapping the road and mountain bikes in and out for clubs and weekends. They can change in there and we never have to worry about taking too much stuff. You can have the bikes in there and do the shppping etc.

Car boot sales, garden waste to the tip, friends and family furniture moving keeps us busy too.

I’ve slept in my van twice.

I genuinely cannot see many downsides to owning a van. Fuel economy isn’t great and they don’t go ‘that’ fast but you can still get around with most other people on the the roads.

Edit: and it cruise well and is comfortable. Maybe road noise and ride isn’t comparable to a top end estate but we did 2000 miles to the alps and back this summer, 80mph on the cruise control with the a/c on and it was the most relaxing transport considering the amount of stuff we had with us.

Nappy changes

Buggy storage

and tip trips duly noted!

I’d be looking at large MPVs. Stuff like the seat Alhambra is big inside, hah huge seat configurations and when in 5 seat mode has a vatv space in the back, and even luggage space with all seats up.

Vastly superior to drive than a van and far quieter/more refined. Much better mpg too.

Flashy has refrained from commenting on the relative ‘coolness’ or not of said vehicle, as his love of ugly tyres and special shoes has deemed him untrustworthy on the subject.

Got a t5.1caravelle. It’s been a game changer for us. Can cart us, all the associated crap that a 5, 3 and 0 year old need and still have space for a set of grandparents. For biking I can just throw the trailer in the boot and drop the bikes on the rack. Our summer holiday to the alps was a complete joy & a lot of that was down to the space and comfort of our velle  .

That said: they do drive like a really bad car. They’re slow, rattly and don’t handle particularly well. They have a serious, crippling, drinking problem (our 180 4 motion will do 18mpg around town, 25mpg laden up on a run). You should also look out for the hidden VW danger: they’re really not that well made. Since joining the T5 forums I’ve never before seen such a vast array of tales of fundamental mechanical woe: like engines destroying themselves with £8k repair bills; doors that refuse to unlock, at all; driveshafts made of cheese… and I’ve been on a lot of car forums over the years.

the headlights are utterly crap. I even stopped to check the bulbs had been put in right one night shortly after buying ours.

have you looked at a transit custom?

That said, there’s something about one. They’re very endearing.

I genuinely cannot see many downsides to owning a van.

Other than it being like a car, except worse.

have you looked at a transit custom?

Yep, drives really really well and well worth a test drive.

Other than it being like a car, except worse.

Vans are different, I can’t stand up in the back of a car, or put 6 bikes in or sleep in one with a few bikes etc. etc.

If you want a car get a car, if you want flexibility look at the vans in your price range, the more modern the more choice of vans that are good.

Haha…I like where this is going.

Shit mechanicals, made of cheese, slow, rattly and thirsty…yet still maybe…

Vans are different, I can’t stand up in the back of a car, or put 6 bikes in or sleep in one with a few bikes etc. etc.

That’s me convinced.

That’s me convinced.

What that they are different?

I’ve driven heaps of things recently, the A3 S-Line was a great car to drive but having to take both wheels off the gravel bike was a pain. Doesn’t make it worse than a van.

Had a Peugot 2007 – that was worse than any van I’ve driven, utter shit heap for a 1 year old car

Astra, not bad but a bit small, bigger than the A3 but hard to sweep out

Peugeot Partner van – good, but a bit narrow and seats were a bit funny

get the picture, sort out what you want and then you might work out what you need. If you assume you need a car then get a car.

Having driven from Ft William to Manchester this week I’d rather have been in the Transit Custom than the Mondeo I was in.

get the picture, sort out what you want and then you might work out what you need. If you assume you need a car then get a car.

Thanks for the advice.

Peugeot Partner van – good, but a bit narrow and seats were a bit funny

Horrid, hateful things! I have a real dislike for them, the seating position is really painfully uncomfortable after a few minutes driving, let alone after a couple of hours on motorways.

Transit Customs are ace! Great vans to drive, and without the ‘T’ tax as well.

Liked our T5 for camping, chucking bikes in, chucking anything in really.

Not ‘car like’ but then again not a bad thing to drive (although I actually preferred the Vivaro).

Take away the camping bit and our Galaxy does 80-90% of the stuff the T5 did just as well or better, it’s just a little fiddlier with bigger loads.

Cheaper to insure, tax and fuel, more comfortable and far cheaper.

I only miss the van if I’m carrying multiple muddy bikes, or want to pick up some full size sheets of ply or something but worst case it’s £35 a day to hire one from SSD near me.

Just get an estate car. I drive at 2017 150 highline for work and it’s an awful thing. Noisy, thirsty and really slow. Whilst I can appreciate its about as good as vans get, any car from the last 15 years is more refined, nicer finished and better to drive. Yes they look quite nice tarted up but would never own one unless there were no other options

Thanks all

I’m quite surprised by the negativity given the amount I actually see out on the road. If they’re so bad, why are there so many!?

I have a ten minute walk to work, I saw four nice looking  ones on the way home last night. I’m about to walk to work this morning, guarantee I see at least one even at this time.

When we went to Ardrock, me and the Mrs felt like we were in the minority not owning a transporter!

“Whilst I can appreciate its about as good as vans get”

10 years ago maybe. Not now. They have been left for dead by almost everyone else.

As for Peugeot seats. Nowt wrong with wm. Been out to the Alps twice in mine.

Ford seats in anything that isnt at least a little specced up are much worse. It’s like they forgot the lumbar support.

How ever if you try and set a partners seat up like you would in a car you’ll suffer . It’s a van it needs to be set up as you would in a van .

We had a hand-me-down T4 for 2 years, after graduating from a dreadful MPV.

With 3 growing boys, it was ace. Throw bikes in, camping stuff in, and just go. When it died, we looked at a T5 – high price and low spec. Plumped for a Transit Custom instead.

I was going to suggest a Pug Partner/Cit Berlingo mpv – been a fantastic car for me. Driver seat seems very comfy to me…400+ mile drives absolutely no problems. However someone else above has said opposite so probably just my weird posture.

Van is very appealing but not a vw – no longer the best by a long shot and the badge tax is shamefully bad…however that is just my opinion.

Nah dick it’s counts dodgy posture to account for busted knees

10 years ago maybe. Not now. They have been left for dead by almost everyone else.

Really? I can appreciate that there are lots of vans around now that are as good, but left for dead? That’s a bit silly.

And that’s the hard bit about trying to get reviews and experiences from folks online with trannys,  it’s difficult to find honest views from someone who isn’t an evangelist or a hater.

I had one for a while, was good to drive, but I hardly justified having a van so big (was a 250bhp LWB) and it was always needing stuff fixed,  as it was 10 years old, and well,  a tranny!. Everytime it was in the garage it was 400 quid. Became a running joke tbh. I’ve a few mates who have had zero issues, same as any vehicle really, just yer luck.

Oh, and I hated spending 100 quid on diesel, that pissed me off. Went back to a civic, and if I need to sleep away, I’ll book a B&B. Getting older and softer. 😊

Agree re the badge tax now, bonkers.

My introduction was a 7 year old ex RAC with 160,000 miles which had been converted into a Kombi.

it was faultless in the 3 years I owned it. A few rattles and squeaks but a good family workhorse capable of long trips.

My driving increased so I replaced it with a 2014 betterer one and that too has been fine over 2 years so far.

my wife originally took some convincing that a van was a good idea but would now have an issue with me replacing it (she owns and exclusively drives he own car though). As a family car the space inside is the one thing you can’t really argue about. Bikes, dogs, family paraphernalia all goes in.

Biking trips aren’t too frequent for me either but trips to the Lakes and this years Alps trip had 4 people with bikes and gear fitted easily. The back was full but passenger areas were clear.

The same would apply apply to any van this size of course, mine is a SWB T5.

Jumped in wife’s uncles 2018 transporter the other week to get a lift.

Was underwhelmed it was just dated , the factory captain seats were not comfy( very narrow and I’m.not a fatty)  The factory fit dual din screen for the cameras looked like it had been bodged in via trebuchet

Reminded me of my 2004 MK4 golf actually it had the same issues hell even my 2005 Iveco has a similar feel when you get in  it has a similarly dated looking dash being one of the last to be ergonomically a van

Jumped in a mates 2016 transit custom. It looked like any other modern  ford car., was comfy and quiet. If it lasts only half the time that’s ok. It was only a 1/3rd the cost of the transporter above.

Transporters need asmuch repairs as any other vehicle ime.having friends who pay the tax and have had the joy of lunching drive shafts wheel bearings and engines

The only advantage I see is that if you want cookie cutter mods there are loads on the shelf for transporters

Yeah, get a van. 3 kids? Well that’s 5bikes in a few years everytime you head out. Then there’s camping stuff, tips, kid ferrying around with or without drum kits, getting changed in bad weather. They fit uk carpark spaces, visibility is better in the spray and it will do the same mpg as a modern eco type petrol hatchback (ie not great, but not awful).

Also they aren’t full of in-yer-face tech like modern cars. Simple dash.

Imo you shouldn’t lower them as lots are. Think about muddy fields, tracks etc associated with mtb races/events/venues.

Yeah, your wife will love one.

Tbf, mine is 11 years old. No idea if the newer one are any good. I haven’t progressed beyond having a cd player as decent tech.

Look at Leighton Vans, you can buy one for £50k + vat, bonkers.

Have you considered a Vito? Better van in almost every way.

Really? I can appreciate that there are lots of vans around now that are as good, but left for dead? That’s a bit silly.

The price probably counts to that, what you get from another brand is very different in terms of spec, age and miles.

And that’s the hard bit about trying to get reviews and experiences from folks online with trannys,  it’s difficult to find honest views from someone who isn’t an evangelist or a hater.

You can get one from most of the main hire people if you are looking newish, had  base and a mid spec one for 3/4 days each. Mid spec was easy to drive, comfy and economical in van terms. Had all the new mod cons up front and munched up the miles. Base drove similar but was slightly less refined in the cabin and toy department.

Not really sure why people bother comparing vans and cars. I’d never buy a van on the basis of how it compared as a driving experience.

Our van (Transit) has been almost* faultless and extremely easy to use. The only usability issue we’ve had in 2/3 years is with a single car park near Denver Sluice with height restrictions. More than made up by getting two people, one dog, two bikes, one kayak, and a heap of running kit in comfort, inside, and with an overnight stop, from Fife to Norfolk on multiple occasions. Although if your expecting an experience as refined as that of a large German estate you might find more usability issues than me. But I’m more interested in having the Super King sized bed so don’t care.

I dont even even think the tax and fuel are that much of a cost issue due to the long and trouble free service intervals. The insurance is no different to the car that came before it. The only real negative I’ve found is the environmental impact.

*Apart from the sliding door sill (now dealt with) this 2011 van is free of rust problems. Which is something of a surprise to me tbh.

**we may have different ideas of comfort

Because I didn’t believe the hype….

I’m quite surprised by the negativity given the amount I actually see out on the road. If they’re so bad, why are there so many!?

Well, this is simple to explain.

Lifestyle Vehicle & VW badge goes a long way on image purchases.

There are far better Vans out there, mainly because the old adage “VW Build quality” was surpassed in 2006 when Renault and Peugeot got together and designed a platform that worked well as a daily driver.

Ford overtook VW a few years back when the Tax rules meant Subbie tax breaks meant a van was a cost effective option, since then Ford has slowly been among the leading group making vans drive like cars (almost)

Most of my surf mates have Transporters T5’s and there isn’t one who will replace it with another T5. All vehicles though are slammed and painted garishly with “yo dude”&”rad to the max” type stickers which says a lot about my surf mates.. the serious surf mates drive Merc Sprinters and VW Caddies or Ford Transits or their compact variant.

I’ve owned vans and I think they’re awesome for people like us that carry tons of crap around, yet I still want it to drive reasonably well and still return 30-35mpg so I chose a Traffic. It took abuse and still drove well over the 70k I owned it.

So I all comes down to “lifestyle” do you live a lifestyle or want to look like you live a lifestyle.

Hmmm Vito or Transit custom sounds worth a look.

With the transit custom am I aiming for ‘double cab’ to get the family seats? Or other variants?

T5’s are not money pits. Any car/vehicle can be a money pit if you buy a duff one. Mine was 3 years old when I bought it and hasn’t cost me anything other than the usual running costs. It returns about 35mpg average but I don’t drive it particularly economically so you could get more also it’s a 5-speed gearbox model so 6-speed would be better. Comparable servicing and other running costs to cars. It has the engine and gearbox out of a golf/Passat so no reason why they’d be any more or less reliable or costly to run than a golf.

It doesn’t drive like a car but drives fine.

Are they cool? Well there is a scene if you want to engage in that, others seem to think they are cool. I bought mine because it fits the bill, but having had it for 18 months now really like it and am enjoying ownership. Not because it’s a T5 but just like the van thing. I think i’d prefer a new Transit as they look better to my eye but couldn’t afford one of those at the time and they look bigger so might be slightly more of a PITA as a daily drive.

Mine is a camper, but it’s also incredably useful on a day to day basis as as a bike van especially when away on biking weekends with mates. The only downside is the wife won’t drive it so when going out as a family if she’s driving we have to squeeze into her BMW 1 series.

Just don’t forget what seems to be the obligatory vanity number plate.

T5 something or something T5.

Didn’t believe it and pleased? Or didn’t believe it and wished you had spent more on the same-specced vw?

All vehicles though are slammed and painted garishly with “yo dude”&”rad to the max” type stickers which says a lot about my surf mates

A sign of something if ever there was one…