VW T5 1.9 camper… tell me why not….

But then in a previous post I suggested you needed a bigger van…

yeah dash is identical to our 2007, minus grime and sticky cup rings

looks like a radio upgrade maybe?

think ours is worth about 5-6k. currently on 180k miles

the mot checker is quite a read

pendle remap on the 1.9, to make them more useable

My T6 has the 84Bhp 2.0 diesel engine and is a LWB. You notice the lack of power on inclines but TBH if you are a decent driver you get used to driving with the power available. It keeps up with traffic and we did a variation of the NC500 including Skye last year and even on the “short notice” very steep inclines it was fine. Im no driving god but I am pretty sympathetic and I managed to cruise around that, fully laden, with no issues. Long slight inclines on Motorways or A roads are a pain as there is little you can do until you inevitably slow and have to gear down, on a motorway thats a pain and you are down to around 50ish mph.

As above, its not a 2015 van despite what the ad says – its a T5 thats been facelifted (not necessarily a bad thing). I’d also be wary of any T5 thats been two-tone painted – its usually conversion companies who buy rotten builders vans, do a quick fix on the rust and spray the lower half whatever colour they have hanging around to give it that “retro” look. And £20k+ for that is mental money…

Ive a feeling it was a rental at some point, as they also hire vans out round Devon, hence the hideous stickers…..

Trouble is as soon as Im looking at decent T6s the price seems to go north of £30k even with 100k on the clock which seems nuts, alright the engine might be sound but othe bits, suspension etc… start to need replacing around that time…

How on earth are people paying, and affording, anything of £40k for something that probably sits on their driveway for 51 weeks ofthe year?!

How on earth are people paying, and affording, anything of £40k for something that probably sits on their driveway for 51 weeks ofthe year?!

Because someone selling a 2008 model reckons they can still ask £20k and why would it only get used for a week a year?

How on earth are people paying, and affording, anything of £40k for something that probably sits on their driveway for 51 weeks ofthe year?!

Eh? People who are going to leave their motorhome sat on the drive for huge chunks of the year don’t buy VW campers, they buy decent sized motorhomes. The reason people by Txs is because they are a reasonable compromise between motorhome and daily driver. And so they generally use them much more fur other stuff.

How on earth are people paying, and affording, anything of £40k for something that probably sits on their driveway for 51 weeks ofthe year?!

See my previous comments – mine has been made far more usable as a daily driver whilst still being able to sleep 4 so it gets used 52 weeks of the year.

A quick scan of the Autotrader pages seem to suggest its absolutely full of dreamers. If you’re on facebook, jump on the T5 Forum group. Its full of absolute whoppers but there are quite often realistically priced vans on there.

My advice – buy a T6 kombi so you start with a modern, decent spec’d base van and just use it – throw a mattress in the back and buy a Cadac portable stove and see how it works for you. Jumping straight in at the deep end with some chintzy camper with a dodgy paint job and some stickers is, in my experience, the wrong way to do it. Then slowly build the camper that suits your life (eg you may want a bed on rails – easier to do in an empty van. You may want something more utilitarian like the interiors that Stitches & Steel do. Your own flooring choices, full width vs 3/4 beds, your own electric setup – solar or just leisure battery etc etc etc

My comment about them sitting on peoples drives is just what I see on my commute to work – there are three that literally don’t move, and one of those I know still has a polythene cover on the bed…but that may be more about the area im riding through!  I know full well on here something like this is going to be used, I guess its the same as the £2,000 mtb that bought in lockdown that hasn’t seen the light of day in the last 12 months…

I might head over to gobony and see whats to rent for a long weekend, I know a couple of t6s semi local that are on there, see how it really is getting across country and the practicality of surfboards and wetsuits and then revisit…

There are a few reasonably priced ones on Ebay but I just dont have the knowledge or trust to part with large amounts of cash on there these days – will have a nose at the facebook page…

The listing has gone but didn’t this have a 17 plate on it? I thought you couldn’t put newer plates on an older vehicle?

Was an O7 or 08 I think

It was a regular plate on DVLA as far as I could see

Managed to find it – 57 plate

If you’re only using it a few weeks of the year/occasionally why not look for Vivaro or similar… Much newer van for the same money.

Or a H2 Ducato/Relay that you can stand up in and have bikes inside.

There are a few reasonably priced ones on Ebay but I just dont have the knowledge or trust to part with large amounts of cash on there these days – will have a nose at the facebook page…

Service history is key. It seems a lot of T5 owners have the mechanical sympathy of a potato so warning lights and servicing are overlooked in favour of flowery garlands, cheap coilover suspension etc

Trouble is as soon as Im looking at decent T6s the price seems to go north of £30k even with 100k on the clock which seems nuts, alright the engine might be sound but othe bits, suspension etc… start to need replacing around that time…

Look for the best 5.1 you can then? IME, a new model (T6) is not suddenly less worn. I would consider a lower miles but older van, like we have.

How on earth are people paying, and affording, anything of £40k for something that probably sits on their driveway for 51 weeks of the year?!

The mortgage can be paid down later in life for us.
We spent more than we wanted, less than we could.
It will be worth something when we sell it – I have already been offered £3k above what we paid for it, and ours is a less popular high top…

And we have put 8k miles, 35 nights and multiple ‘day coffee’ / mountain bike changing wagon / hillwalking refreshment wagon etc days on it since we bought it early November….So currently the price per night is in the hundreds, but rapidly coming down, heck I plan on another one or two nights this weekend, and mrs_oab just made last minute use of the beautiful weather this week to do 3 nights around Royal Deeside with a friend.

Or a H2 Ducato/Relay that you can stand up in and have bikes inside.

This.
Plus if you aim to use it a week or two a year, hire one. It is cheaper.

Id be using it at least once or twice a month for surfing trips to the south west – currently using my car and getting shafted for (summer rate) air bnbs…

and ours is a less popular high top…

But much more practical.

After our first trip away in our T5 the decision was made to get a pop-top. Trying to put your pants on without standing gets boring pretty quick.

But then the pop-top wasn’t really the answer, either…. It’s just a tent on wheels. A crap tent that doesn’t have a double skin so suffers from condensation. It flaps about in the wind. It’s obvious you’re sleeping in it with the roof up which is crap if you’re in town. You can hear everything that’s going on outside as there’s no insulation. Yeah, you can stand up in the van, but you’ll still hit your head on the edge of the roof.

Now have a H3L4 Ducato with enough space inside to swing a cat  kitten, bikes inside, shitload of storage.