van time! T4 vs T5….

i’ve jacked the idea of buying an estate after having looked at three motors yesterday. yeah, i could sleep in the back, but bikes would have to go outside and the GF isn’t that keen on living in the back of a car for a week.

so vans… specifically a Transporter. reason being is that there are lots of them around and resale value is pretty good.

is it better to go for a low milage T4 or a newer T5 with a few more miles on. kinda thinking that a late T4 should have fewer niggles than one of the first T5s off the production line. the T5 just looks a little smarter (vanity)

and… 1.9 or the 2.5 motor?

and can bulkheads just be unscrewed?

going to have a look at a few of the following next week….

white T5

blue T5

these have only one front seat, but woud want two single seater up front anyway…

another very yellow T4 (he has quite a few)

very yello T4

T4 is slow, noisy and agricultural
T5 is fast, plush and pleasant

That’s the short version. Someone will be along to say the exact opposite any second.

EDIT:

and can bulkheads just be unscrewed?

Bulkhead is easily removed but there’s studs on the floor of the T5 that need grinding off. Not sure about the T4

Watch the congestion charging emissions thingy in that Lonjon, T4’s won’t pass the emissions control checks and you’ll have to pay £200 a day to get in, if that bothers you at all that is.

sharkattack – Member
T4 is slow, noisy and agricultural
T5 is fast, plush and pleasant

hhmmmm I’d go more for…
T4 is an older van
T5 is a newer van

obviously the layout of the gear stick and the like is better in the T5, but as a place to be I don’t think I could really put one far ahead of the other.

OP, you do realise that re-sale value is all relative? e.g. you spend ££ you get ££ back, you spend £ you get £ back

bikebouy – Member

Watch the congestion charging emissions thingy in that Lonjon, T4’s won’t pass the emissions control checks and you’ll have to pay £200 a day to get in, if that bothers you at all that is.

shouldn’t be too much of a worry. i live in Germany 🙂

forgot about the gear stick… have driven both through work. a colleague has a T4 that feels really tight despite having over 400,000km on the clock. however, i think he did rebuild/put new engine in it.
the T5 feels like a nicer place to be and gear stick position is better.

@legend… yeah resale is relative, but it would appear that if you board out and line the back you can add value. many older/high mileage vans being advertised for 3-4k.

I’d also like to state…Don’t read too many forum opinions!

Just go see some vans. Judge each on its individual merits. When you go digging online you get arguing and horror stories.

For example I’ve got the most notoriously unreliable Transporter ever created according to internet lore (early T5 2.5 130bhp) and yet 10,000 miles into ownership and it hasn’t cost me a penny more than a full service. I love it and it goes like a rocket by van standards and I still get low 40 mpg’s on a run. I’m very happy with it.

And now I’m off out for a pint. Take it from there guys!

The bottom half of the bulkhead in my t4 is welded in.

The 2.5 T5’s had terrible problems with the DPF but you can get them programmed out, and get it remapped at the same time.

What ever you pay for either the T4 or T5 you won’t really lose anything on them when you sell.

From the yellow vans ad:

Feinstaubplakette: 3 (Gelb)

I assume you’ll need a 5 (green) which early T4s didn’t have.

T5′ s. Are soo much better than the old t4 ..

*I have a T5 btw 😆 *

Listen to andy8442.
I had a 2.5 t5 and as soon as it came out of warranty it shat it’s self on a very regular basis.
Turbo
Catalytic converter
Oil in the diesel which consequently blew it up on the way to a race
The the dpf filter went in the Pyrenees, that alone was a nice £2500 to add to the holiday bill.
Basically every thing that could go wrong did. This was a slight annoyance I did spent 10k on a conversion.

Anyway, I sold it and have a brand spanker now. It’s lush………….. So far!!!

@ Edukator… need a 4 (Grün) for Munich, i think… but i see lots of T4s in town, so you must be able to do something about it (such as print off your own 4-plakette like a mate of mine does for his old Chrysler :))

T5 drive more like a car, feel like my passat estate but higher, T5.5 even more so.
T5 are a lot more refined the 174bhp ones are pretty quick too.
However being complicated there is more to go wrong electrical issues have been known and engine issues dual
Mass fly wheels etc can be quite pricey.

T4 not agricultural as such but more ‘vany’ if you know what I mean basic not turbo one are either slow 2.4l or incredibly slow 1.9.
The 1.9 tdi (don’t get td they’re crap on fuel and gutless) are quite nice and can be chipped to 130bhp or the 2.5 is pretty good too.

I have a 2.4 T4 that is currently being sorted out (read money pit rebuild respray conversion)

I’ve been running a 2.5 tdi T4 for 5yrs. Bought it with 106,000 on, it’s now done 156,000. Ex plumbers van with decent service history.

Costs so far

cam belt and water pump at 118,00 because whichever nugget did it at 70,000 didn’t do the water pump!

Clutch at 147,000 £470.

Rusty rear arches.

Other than that, just mots and service. Oh, and obviously I’ve spent plenty on colour coding, lowering, etc, but that’s all through choice.

Drives like a van, whereas I’m told newer ones are more car like.

I’ve had a couple of T4s and a T5. All pretty good.

Had a woodruff(sp?) key go on one of the 1.9 T4s, which caused a few issues otherwise both were faultless.

T5 was fantastic too- did about 90k in mine. It chews half-shafts on the 130 & 174 unless it’s a relatively new one and has a modified shaft. I had the convenience module wiring under the drivers seat go; a five minute job with a soldering iron to fix.

I’d just go with which ever is the best in your budget; I suppose being newer the T5 should have fewer body issues…

I have a T5.1…10 plate

Drives like a car. Is ace. Can’t get bikes in the back cos it’s a full on camper.

pretty sure cant drive t4 in low emission zone around london if thats a consideration

cheers…. but doubt i’ll be in London that often 🙂

so the “basic” 1,9 T5 it is then….

mk7 Transit.

Part of that resale is brought about by the ammount of dosh you need to chuck at them to keep them on the road, i found parts to be scary expensive for my vw…. So people chuck heaps of money at them to keep the, on the road , like any car there are good examples and there are bad , shame vws good or bad cost a bomb.

I do love the phrase “just run in for these engines” the you read milage 190000 miles….. Oh and the price 10k

This is our current Bike van. its one of the gutless 1.9TD varieties it slows right down to 30 going up hills with 4 dudes and 4 bikes in it and I still love it.

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one day it will grow up into a T5… just waiting for the lease to run on my passat and its on.

Get a Toyota Hiace and have no worries

A good late t4 is better than a ragged T5, but the market knows this and prices reflect it.

What about a good late T4 V a good late T5
Or a ragged T4 V A ragged T5

Pictonroad – that was sort of my thinking. I decided the t4 was less complicated, therefore I was happier to buy it and run it to a high mileage. Only time will tell.

As above, I have spent plenty of money on it but very little on actual running costs.

My t4 td is slow and noisy but I love it. 600miles on a tank so not bonkers on fuel.

My mate sold his t5 and bought a t4. The 5 broke expensively too many times.

Ive got a lwb t5, was on 60k when I bought it 3 years ago and has just turned 120k this week. Its the 102bhp 1.9 engine and has been faultless so far. All that ive spent has been on routine servicing so hasnt been expensive to run. Probably helps i do all the work myself so have never had to pay garage labour charges.It also averages about 600 miles to a tank of fuel.
Only minor downside can be parking in town but if you get a swb that wouldnt be an issue.
My brother did have a t4, one of the 888 limited edition ones and hated it, was gutless and not very good to drive. He changed it for a 174bhp t5 and has had that for the last few years.

Autos out lists ex Deutch post t4 and t5 vans…

What sort of mpg are you getting from your T5s and which is the most fuel efficient engine?
Are they on a par with run of the mill people carriers?

T4 is slow, noisy and agricultural

You’ve obviously not seen mine 😉

Neal power graphs or it is please 😉
My t4 has a ripsnorting 88bhp 😀

Only have this one, smoothed out more now though.

Roughly 100bhp more than yours 😉

My T5 is 1.9tdi originaly 85hp…..now remapped to near 140hp returns 45mpg mostly

Tbh you wont be disappointed with either variation if its a good example

I have a 2006 T5 LWB.. was a 9 seater.. now a 6 seater with enough space for 5 fully built bikes and enough gear for a days riding.. Recently did a weekender with 4 people and 4 bikes with enough gear to last about a month… So good having lots of space…

I believe that pre march 2006 t5’s have a lower tax rate than post march vans.. might be worth checking out.. Fuel economy on the 2.5’s isnt too bad.. a full tank at £90 will do 520 miles

Neal, nice! 😀

It’s certainly nice to drive ! 🙂

It’s probably a fair bit higher now as I blew the turbo so had a custom beefier one made up. Not had it on the rollers since though.

The main issue with the 2.4 non turbo I have is the gearing in top so it’s really happiest at 65 on the motorway, alhough there is a mod of putting a golf final drive in to raise this a bit.
Saw a 6 speed bolt on mod. But is £2k or something :-0

I have a very early T5 so miss alot of the electrical nonsense.

1.9 85bhp.. Soon to be going for its remap (should be between 135-140bhp after). Currently it returns around 40mpg on average (43ish on a run and mid to high 30s on normal journeys).

I’ve fitted caravelle seats in the back which can also turn into a bed. But keeps all comfortable on a run.

I used to be a nightmare changing vehicles all the time.. Quite happy to keep this for a long time now! 🙂

08 plate 1.9tdi T5 here, re-mapped to 138ish by Pendle. Drives really nicely – have lowered slightly on H&R springs. No way that I can get much above 38mpg though – really misses a 6th gear.

93k miles & has been relatively cheap to run, apart from drive shaft a couple of months ago.

My only regret us getting a white one, it’s a bugger to keep clean. Think I’m going to have to get the T-cut out.

I bought a Kombi style T5 1.9 85 with a carpeted rear 3 seat front and 2 rear. I Was going to get a runabout for work/town etc but its so nice to drive I’m not going to bother. For a 10 mile 50/50 open road urban commute I get 36mpg.