Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 79 total)
  • VW transporters?
  • Zukemonster
    Free Member

    I’ve had a for Galaxys for the past 10 years or so and our current one has some terminal mechanical problems so we are looking at a new camping / surfing / biking / band wagon.

    Thinking of getting a vw transporter and converting to 6 seater ( if I can’t find one already done. ). Hoping to get something that will be used for all our family adventures and the extra space would be really useful. Maybe even having a rock n roll bed. I’m a musician and having a van I could sleep in occasionally after long distance gigs might be great.

    Thinking SWB as LWB just looks too big for daily driving round town etc…

    Any thoughts advice on getting one of these?

    Thanks. Z.

    revs1972
    Free Member

    I’m running a 1.9td T4. It’s slow, but that suits what I want, I.e slow down the pace at weekends and get away and enjoy ourselves.
    It was fairly high mileage, but it’s been reliable so far.
    Being SWB it’s not much longer than an estate car, but with masses of room inside.
    Rock and roll bed installed on rails, just got to get some units to fit fridge cooker and electrics etc
    Roll on summer

    mactheknife
    Full Member

    If you venture onto T4Forum Then thats the way madness lies.

    Go onto the conversion sections and follow some of them. I am currently converting a vivaro but those Transporters are a thing of beauty.

    One of my favourites Linky

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    CheesybeanZ
    Full Member

    I’ve had a few transporters and the extra 16″ you get with the lwb makes a huge difference internally and only a slight difference driving and parking .

    Dales_rider
    Free Member

    I have a T5 SWB I converted to a camper, you have to be mm perfect with measuring to get everything to fit in, doing it again I would get a LWB

    porter_jamie
    Full Member

    personally i would take the money you were thinking of spending on converting it and buy a caravelle instead. no potential insurance hassles and no lower speed limits because it is a van, and cheaper on dartford crossings etc because it is a car

    mark90
    Free Member

    the extra 16″ you get with the lwb makes a huge difference internally and only a slight difference driving and parking

    While I haven’t owned a SWB to compare it to I went for the LWB for the extra internal space (bikes straight in down the side behind the 2nd row seats). I can’t see the extra length makes any appreciable difference when driving, and only slightly when parking. Which to be honest seems to be mostly due to the poor steering lock. I was coming from a MB Iveco though, that altough bigger in everyway had a 2m smaller turning circle due to the RWD allowing good steering lock. I might look differently on the length if I was doing more city driving and parking.

    Mines a 2.5 174. I do like the 6th gear and extra pull of the 2.5 over the 1.9, good for towing. I do however think a 2.5 130 is ‘enough’, and that’s coming from a petrol head who generally thinks more the horses the better. Not driven the 2.0 to see how it compares to the older 2.5. I only got a 174 as that is what came along and ticked all my other boxes (M1 registered, twin siding doors, tailgate, A/C, twin captains seats. Also had some nice extras not on my list: sunroof, front swivels, T/C). Despite the power it is (usually) driven at a slower pace than my cars, more of a return to the days of having a Land Rover as my daily driver. I enjoy trundling along with a view over the hedges again 🙂

    Lawmanmx
    Free Member

    you ALL should be ashamed with all this ‘Talky talky’ but No pictures!!! 😡 hang your heads in shame and sort it out! 😆

    Zukemonster
    Free Member

    Yes pictures would be fab. I haven’t opened what I imagine will be a pandora’s box of excitement by venturing on the T4 forum yet, but heading over there now.

    Revs you say you installed the rock and roll bed on rails. does that mean you can move it forward and bac… sounds perfect for what I have in mind.

    SWB I think will suit us because:
    1: Mrs Z is going to have it as her short commute and that is what she is happy with
    2: We’re not going to turn it into a camper, just a day wagon, with perhaps a bed for odd time its needed. We have a huge and lovely tent we will use for the camping.

    I had forgotten about the lower speed limits for vans… ;(

    pjm84
    Free Member

    I’m cheating and have ordered/bought a California. Pick it up in March 😀

    steveh
    Full Member

    You can’t get a 6 seater with a rock and roll bed to my knowledge. The only R&R beds I’ve seen wth belts are limited to 2.
    As above the extra length of the lwb could be useful bu depends what you need to carry. My SWB kombi is for my needs – 3 people plus bikes whole, 5 plus bikes and gear with front wheels off.
    It also depends a bit on budget – there is a big vw scene tax, works both ways as residuals are good but definitely something to consider.

    SaxonRider
    Full Member

    I have owned two VW T4s in the last ten years. In fact, I only sold on my last one (LWB) because we had outgrown it as a family. My T4 before that was a SWB. Both were ‘W’ reg, both had a 2.5 TDI engine, and both were bloody brilliant.

    The SWB I sold on with more than 220K on the clock and it still looked and drove very nicely, while the LWB had about 160K on the clock, and was less fancy, but went for well over my original asking price to a man who was going to convert it into a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

    Between the two of them, I drove T4s for about 10 years.

    I strongly recommend.

    spooky_b329
    Full Member

    Hi fellow singlespeeder 🙂

    I’ve seen a company doing seat swivels for the passenger double seat so you could look into having a fixed rear bench seat and having a simple bed that rests between the two rows of seats if its just for occasional use, this would allow the bed to extend into the cab and leave more space for Banjo’s/Sax’s/Bike’s at the rear. At £250 ish its also a lot cheaper than a crash tested rock and roll seat.

    I spent ages trying to find a double seat swivel for my Iveco but no one did them at the time.

    And on the length, its the width thats the issue, the length only comes into play if trying to parallel park 🙂

    deepreddave
    Free Member

    Been gauging prices for a while now and gosh are they variable. I would like a 9 seater shuttle with the 1.9tdi (2.5 ok tho;) but am open to a factory kombi too at a push if well insulated/sound proofed. High miles is fine as we’ll only do c5k a year but fsh is vital with the engines. Large scene tax and still uncertain as to swb or lwb….. doesn’t help that the better examples seem to be in the deep south and I’m oop north.

    Trouble is there really isn’t a competitor out there that ticks all the same boxes (why does hardly anyone else do a bench passenger seat so you can carry 6 and loads of kit?).

    Dales_rider
    Free Member

    steveh – Member

    You can’t get a 6 seater with a rock and roll bed to my knowledge. The only R&R beds I’ve seen wth belts are limited to 2.

    My van was a caravelle converted to a camper 2 seats up front, 2 seats with R and R bed and seat belts, plus I can put the double seat back in technically making it a six seater. Leg room on R and R seat would be limited to people with very thin legs however in a LWB the extra 14″ would allow normal people to fit in.

    alpin
    Free Member

    we have a T5 2.5ltr 130 LWB. awesome, it is….. full leather, two captains (passenger on swivel base)

    swallows bikes and other crap easily, although we have a bike rack. being a LWB means that there is enough room to sleep behind the 2nd row of seats. with all seats removed (camping modus) it is cavernous.

    we’re getting a poptop fitted in May. i guess that is when the real fun starts! don’t want a traditional conversion with a r’n’r bed, rather a bench down the drivers side, underneath which the fridge, sink/hobs is stowed along with some storage space.

    a few pics of this summers Deutschland Tour

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/r1gpBp]DSC_0495[/url] by sod_the_taxman, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/qHQyDk]DSC_0487[/url] by sod_the_taxman, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/qHGMGd]DSC_0116[/url] by sod_the_taxman, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/qHFwg3]DSC_0142[/url] by sod_the_taxman, on Flickr

    alpin
    Free Member

    porter_jamie – Member

    personally i would take the money you were thinking of spending on converting it and buy a caravelle instead. no potential insurance hassles and no lower speed limits because it is a van, and cheaper on dartford crossings etc because it is a car

    why pay all that money for a comprimised vehicle?

    they make sense in Europe, but not for UK roads, imo… sliding door is on the drivers side meaning that your passengers have to enter and exit the car from the road rahtr than the pavement.

    also, i find the interior a bit Germanic and staid (sp). a little too twee, as it were.

    the 2.0ltr engine is fine, but does not have the grunt/pick up of the 2.5

    mark90
    Free Member

    you ALL should be ashamed with all this ‘Talky talky’ but No pictures!!!

    Sorry 😐

    As you can see the ‘bed’ in the back fold up to allow loading right up to the back of the second row seats.

    There is also a second set of floor points for the second row seats to allow them to be fitted further back. Too close to allow third row, and missing the seat belts for the outer seats, though the center rear could be used. But the advantage is when camping this configuration create a nice open ‘lounge’ space with the front seats swiveled round. It still allows a decent load space behind the seats, although limiting with bikes. Simply fold the seat back down and the bed goes over the top of the folded seat. It’s quite a well thought out setup that the previous owner put in.

    dereknightrider
    Free Member

    Steer Clear of Shuttles, they’re deemed commercial for insurance and stuff unless you want to use them in London where you can get better rate on the congestion charge.

    Buy a T5 panel van and convert it to kombi, My conversion cost 2 grand and was factory standard.

    Try Bognor motors they get some really good ex rental deals, mine was one owner less than ten thousand miles just over a year old not a mark on it.

    Olly
    Free Member

    Ive heard it said that the Caravelle gets a paint job from the “cars” department, and the Transporters get it from the Van department.

    Seems to me T5s are no better or worse than any other van, but the popularity means they sell better, therefore people look after them better, are willing to spend money on keeping them running well, therefore increasing their life span and sale ability.

    If you want to sell it in the future, get a VW. if you are going to drive it till it blows up, save your money.

    I saw a T5 for sale with 600k on the clock.

    Also, mines a 2.5 130ps. Its pretty much empty (panel lined, and a bench seat) and it isnt that quick with two people in it. I dread to think what a 1.9 would be like with 6 people in it.

    dereknightrider
    Free Member

    Then there’s The Rockton

    maxtorque
    Full Member

    If you can afford it, the T5 is an enormous step up in terms of everyday usability and “being car like” compared to the much older T4. One of the reasons you see so many of them, is that people just use them like cars!

    The SWB looks better, imo, and IS easy to park in normal sized spots, so if you were planning to use the van as your only car, i would consider one. But, if not, then the LWB is a much better bet for doing everything else but parking!

    Now, i should mention i don’t own a T5, but i have the next best thing, 3 riding buddies that do 😉

    Getting ready, i mean “phaffing” in Lanberis:

    Post ride near the long Mynd;

    Smashing it at BPW:

    Loading ’em up:

    Riding down the Wyre:

    #VANLIFE 😉

    bones
    Free Member

    Bloody great pics, chaps. Now I need one 😯

    luket
    Full Member

    We’ve had a T4 (2.5 LWB W reg panel van with DIY bed in the back) for 8 years but with a 1 yr old child and now wanting the van as a daily vehicle we bought a T5 combi this year. The T4 depreciated hardly at all in that time (although I haven’t actually sold it yet) and was not much trouble at the garage. One £1000 bill, otherwise nothing out of the ordinary.

    We went LWB again on the new one. My other half wasn’t concerned with driving it and you can get bikes in lengthways behind the rear seats. LWB combis are like hens teeth though.

    For what it’s worth, I think a captains passenger seat is a very big comfort advantage over a bench but this would take you down to 5 seats unless you go caravelle. Ours is a 180. Drives very well and I’m quite impressed with the economy so far. I would’ve been as happy with a 140 though.

    dadandlad
    Free Member

    I run a T5 SWB 4WD for my work, fully loaded with tools and it still pulls really well
    The 4WD is brilliant if you can afford it or find one

    porter_jamie
    Full Member

    Alpine I think you mean a California. Caravelle is the one with seats. Op needs 6 seats. I wouldn’t want to sit on aftermarket seats fitted to a van floor whoever fitted them. Oe seats can cost huge amounts. Plus you need belts and in the vans some of the car avenue belt points are missing

    Dales_rider
    Free Member

    alpin – Member

    why pay all that money for a comprimised vehicle?

    they make sense in Europe, but not for UK roads, imo… sliding door is on the drivers side meaning that your passengers have to enter and exit the car from the road rahtr than the pavement.

    also, i find the interior a bit Germanic and staid (sp). a little too twee, as it were.

    the 2.0ltr engine is fine, but does not have the grunt/pick up of the 2.5

    Doors both sides has a Caravelle, oh and its 2.5

    revs1972
    Free Member

    Zukemonster,
    Yes bed slides forward from travel and back for sleeping duties.
    I found that you need to get the rails spot on for it to slide with the unwin system .
    It does bang and clatter a bit when pushing it along the rails and I have 4 quick release fixings to turn to lock it in position, although this is a small trade off in my eyes for the versatility and being able to have the kids further forward when travelling.
    My bed is a JAC bed with leather upholstery that I got second hand from an older couple who never even sat on it as they decided they wanted an electric one instead.
    I still have to do the ply flooring and insulation when I get time.

    mattbee
    Full Member

    SWB T5 here. Full width R&R bed gives 3 belted seats in back, front bench is just tolerable for 2 so I suppose it could be called a 6 seater.
    We have a seat swivel on the bench, plus a B pillar mounted small table which can be swung all the way out of the sliding door.
    For one – two night climbing or Mtb trips we just use it as is, with a Jetboil for team and ready meal duties. Longer trips involve a Kyham drive away awning that takes about 10 min to put up, with proper cooker, table & chairs, Portaloo etc…
    My 26″ bikes used to sit nicely across the back of the front seats, bunged in pace. New 650b one just fits like that but is neater with front wheel off.
    Got a removable towbar and rack so can easily carry 5/6 people and bikes.
    Ours is the 1.9 with a Pendle remap to circa 140bhp. Pulls nicely and still returns mid 30s mpg wise which isn’t bad for a van.

    Stainypants
    Full Member

    We have a T5 Caravelle and we absolutely love it bought of a guy who’d specced it to the roof but used it to take his kids to school in (which distroyed the DPF). After spending a few thousand getting it sorted its now perfect for our family (5 of us).

    Used for our annual trip to the Pyranees, as a day van, we sleep in it occasionally and use it as a mobile living room. It came with a diesel heater that runs off a second battery and you can set a timer.

    If was to do it again might go for a California Beach but to get full leather and the heater would cost nearly £40K.

    Getting ready to do Drum Mountain

    Kids in the back

    argles gazost

    top of the superbangeers

    tang
    Free Member

    If anyone knows of a T5 kombi or Van going give me a shout. Just started the hunt, about 12k tops.

    Sundayjumper
    Full Member

    I bought a LWB T4 Caravelle last year, for general all round use rather than a specific conversion. The main point of a LWB is you get ~1.8 metres behind the second row seats so you can get bikes in fully assembled. Here’s an XL Stumpy:

    Oodles of space 🙂 You can seat six people but the middle seat in each row is only a lap belt, if that worries you.

    Driving a LWB is fine, and parking is OK but you’ll find it’s longer than most parking bays in supermarkets etc. They’re pretty easy to work on and parts are cheap, plus a very strong owner base for help & advice.

    If you want an alternative multi-seat van type thing try reading the Mazda Bongo forum. Dear God. That will confirm that the VW is the right choice !

    joepose
    Free Member

    Had a gorgeous T4 caravelle 2.5tdi, great family holidays and used daily for the school commute.
    Would love another but really don’t miss the bills.
    If I were looking again today id take a serious look at a bongo. Same fun much less expense.

    joepose
    Free Member

    UncleFred
    Free Member

    I’ve got a SWB T4 Multivan, 2.5TDI R&R bed with 3 belts, 2 rear faceing buddy seats with belts so it’s a 7 seater. Fammia rack on the back but can get an MTB behind the back seats with the wheels off or 3 in the centre with front wheels off. I’ve also got a Kyham drive away awning which has 2 bedrooms and a living area.

    Its getting on a bit but has “only’ done 176k so nearly run in.

    Zukemonster
    Free Member

    Liking the pics here! But I am convinced this is the thing of us to get now!

    Need to get Mrs Z to look at a LWB to see what she thinks, but don’t hold much hope!

    I’m liking the idea of seats that you can have in different positions (forward or back)

    Time to do trawling and see what I can find!

    Z.

    Dales_rider
    Free Member

    mattbee – Member

    We have a seat swivel on the bench, plus a B pillar mounted small table which can be swung all the way out of the sliding door.

    Where from fancy one.

    steveh
    Full Member

    Dalesrider – I meant more that you can’t get an R&R bed that seats 3 with belts, there are options to still get 6 it would seem then but definitely not common.

    robbo167
    Free Member

    Hi singlespeederx2

    That was a lwb we used in wales last year..at the time we had lwb,swb T5’s and a Reno Traffic 6 seater swb,the Lwb was the most popular to drive and the most versatile..the Traffic I thought was pretty good for the money,the swb was always the short straw vehicle.

    mattbee
    Full Member

    Seat swivel form Kiravans and the table leg was from some motorhome place who’s name escapes me I’m afraid, with a top from eBay.
    SteveH, my Cannons Forge R&R bed has 3 seat belts. As do plenty of other brands, rib, Smartbeds etc…It needs to be full width for that though.

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