Buying a vw camper van advice wanted

[AuntieBiz 10]

Hi There

 

Hubby and I contemplating buying a VW Camper van and wondered if anybody has any hints or tips, what to look out for, what to be careful about etc etc

 

Many thanks

[H_C_T 10]

Depends entirely on which model you are looking at? Bit of a difference between a split screen and a T5!

[AuntieBiz 10]

Depends entirely on which model you are looking at? Bit of a difference between a split screen and a T5!

 

Which is why we were asking for some advice. Thanks for your reply though.

[Bruno 10]

You might be better putting what kind of budget you have.

 

Things to take into consideration, do you have the time to get the use out of it?

 

Have you looked into how much it will cost to park on a site overnight?

 

Would a caravan be more appropriate ?

 

With a caravan you can leave on a site, get in your car and explore the area you are visiting.

 

My brother bought a motor home 18 moths ago, think he has used it 3 times, so can be dead money if you don't put it to good use, think he was also surprised at the cost for parking it up on sites on the few occasions he has used it, in saying that he is hoping to put it to good use this summer.

[Tradescanthia 10]

I was told about site fees, specially Cornwall, extortionate. Also about having to book pitches well in advance. Surely that defeats the object of having a camper van ???

I saw a website selling new VW campers, made in South America, shipped over here and converted and fitted out. Final cost ?? £40,000 to £60,000. I reckon a conventional caravan has GOT to be a better bet........unless you have unlimited funds and unlimited holiday entitlement

[Gordonb 11]

Think you will find various forums dedicated to Campervans as opposed to motorhomes.

[ktuludays 10]

make sure you have deep pockets and a good set of tools and spanners.

 

We used to own a bay window camper and we loved the 3 years of ownership.

 

Things you should consider though are running costs, they need constant maintenance eg oil changes every 3000 miles on the aircooled engines.

 

They are very simple to work on if what you need to remove/undo has not rusted solid in position. if you aren't confident with spanners, tools etc.. the bills can get quite high.

 

If you are used to driving a modern car then they can take some getting used to, these buses can weigh up to 2 tonnes and have brakes made of cheese (in std form).

 

You'll never got caught speeding as a std 1600 aircooled in a bus will top at at 60mph (ish). 55mph is a good speed for them with a prevailing tail wind or downhill slope seeing the extra mph.

 

Having said all that the hard work and cost is over ruled by the sheer fun and enjoyment of sitting on a cliff top with a brew/food prepared in your bus as others sit in their cars eating their butties.

 

check out http://www.volkszone.co.uk and http://www.justkampers.co.uk for some excellent help and buses for sale

[Bad_Hair_Day 10]

Might be worthwhile going to some VW shows and having a good look at all the different types available. If you're after something old (split screen or bay) they're all different inside, so you'll get a feel for what you want it to have & how you want it to be laid out. The older vans aren't easy to drive (compared to modern vehicles) & sometimes aren't very reliable, BUT you'll have a lot of fun owning one & they do put a smile on people's faces!

Sheffield Volkswagen Owners Club have a facebook page & website worth looking at.

[AuntieBiz 10]

Thanks for the advice. We are going to go to some shows as we need to get a feel for what's on offer. I think a splittie is out of the question so we're considering a bay or potentially a T25. Have joined the VZI forum and they have been fab, and also the Sheff VW FB page. Also been looking at Pistonheads to see what's out there and The Samba.

 

Definitely don't want a caravan (no offence) and we've had offers of help from peeps from the Vzi forum who are willing to help us when we find something we like.

[H_C_T 10]

Which is why we were asking for some advice. Thanks for your reply though.

 

Well as you've now indicated you're looking at a T25 or a Bay, I'm glad I didn't post loads about my T5!

 

I used to own a T25 and loved it. Had it 5 years and in that time only had three breakdowns, one which I fixed myself with tin foil (?!) by the side of the road, one which my boyfriend fixed having bought the parts for £50 (garage tried to charge us £300), and one where the spark plugs needed sorting. Not bad for the mileage I did in it, went to the Alps and back 4 times, Isle of Skye, etc and no problems other than the ones I mentioned. Did 70mph on the motorway no problem. Had it converted to LPG which took some of the petrol costs down. It was really comfortable and fun to drive, although the lack of power steering was a struggle when manoeuvring in tight spaces! I'd definitely recommend the T25 for trips around the UK.

 

The reason I sold it and bought a T5 was the trip down to Devon when we broke down. As mentioned above we fixed it ourselves for the cost of parts, but to do so we had to cut our holiday short as we couldn't keep driving around for another week before fixing it and the garage were going to charge us £300 which we didn't want to pay. I was very attached to it and it was a difficult decision but given the amount of use we get out of our camper, it was worth us going for the newer model before more things started to go wrong and I started pouring money into it. The main concern was breaking down in Europe.

We're travelling round Europe for 5 weeks in our T5 this summer and spent 10 days in it in the Netherlands over Easter. We've found that as long as you avoid devon and cornwall, the camper makes going away very affordable. Wales and the Lakes have plenty of places to park up off road, not on expensive campsites.

[AuntieBiz 10]

Well as you've now indicated you're looking at a T25 or a Bay, I'm glad I didn't post loads about my T5!

 

I used to own a T25 and loved it. Had it 5 years and in that time only had three breakdowns, one which I fixed myself with tin foil (?!) by the side of the road, one which my boyfriend fixed having bought the parts for £50 (garage tried to charge us £300), and one where the spark plugs needed sorting. Not bad for the mileage I did in it, went to the Alps and back 4 times, Isle of Skye, etc and no problems other than the ones I mentioned. Did 70mph on the motorway no problem. Had it converted to LPG which took some of the petrol costs down. It was really comfortable and fun to drive, although the lack of power steering was a struggle when manoeuvring in tight spaces! I'd definitely recommend the T25 for trips around the UK.

 

The reason I sold it and bought a T5 was the trip down to Devon when we broke down. As mentioned above we fixed it ourselves for the cost of parts, but to do so we had to cut our holiday short as we couldn't keep driving around for another week before fixing it and the garage were going to charge us £300 which we didn't want to pay. I was very attached to it and it was a difficult decision but given the amount of use we get out of our camper, it was worth us going for the newer model before more things started to go wrong and I started pouring money into it. The main concern was breaking down in Europe.

We're travelling round Europe for 5 weeks in our T5 this summer and spent 10 days in it in the Netherlands over Easter. We've found that as long as you avoid devon and cornwall, the camper makes going away very affordable. Wales and the Lakes have plenty of places to park up off road, not on expensive campsites.

 

Thanks for this we also need to consider if we'll fit two labradors into a T25 or T2 as well

[H_C_T 10]

We have one collie/springer and he has spent a lot of holidays with us in the T25 and now in the T5. My old 25 had a full width bed and when he was a puppy his crate went on the bed next to us, leaving us plenty of room still for the two of us. We loved the full width bed as it gave us room and flexibility. When I went to the alps it meant that three of us could sleep across the back relatively comfortably when I wanted to pull over and sleep on the drive down (I was the only driver and Leeds to Switzerland in one go was too much!). We didn't want to lose this feature when we got the new van, so when we had it converted we went for the full width bed again. We are trying to be stricter with our dog now, and make him sleep on the floor in his bed (after a week of coming with us when mountain biking, running, etc, he doesn't smell so good and I don't think many campsites approve of showering your dog in the facilities!)

When we're staying in one place for a few nights we put up the awning and he sleeps in that.