My little sloot. it’s a great van. I wanted the biturbo, but couldn’t really justify the extra wedge on a van.
I'd wanted a 150hp T5 to campervan up but wifey wanted a T6 and 4WD. I said that will eat up our conversion money and she was adamant she wanted 4wd in case she and her girly mates got stuck in mud at one of those crusty festies they go to. So for that 0.1% case we ended up blowing our entire fund. I am therefore manually doing the conversion peicemeal myself. Ive done the leisure battery electrics, the hookup, the thermal insulation, the sound deadening and the paneling and carpeting. Im trying to book it in for the poptop and RnR seats. Oh and have replaced the tinny speakers and amped it up. TBH, its been fun. Easy to work on and it isnt rusting away before my eyes like my old T2. Its nippy and quick off the lights, but its a van. So 204hp is not really necessary. A 150 would be plenty, but I do love the 7sp dsg.
This is it, put £7500 into it and pay it off at a decent chunk a month and I'll have some cash sat in it, it won't do more than 15k miles a year, and I'll look after it so it won't get wear and tear like a work van, just need to work out the best way to go. Part of me wonders if a new one on PCP with big deposit is the way to go, but I doubt it would work out unless I literally keep t forever.
I have this exact plan, insulate it, carpet it out but put a flat floor in (something fairly hardwearing) and put some leisure electrics in without going silly, and some lighting in the back. and then just have a airbed that I can blow up for sleeping!
Dont forget the sound deadening too Phil. I used these guys. The T6 forum is so good. Very very helpful people, I cant commend them enough. https://www.deadening.co.uk/ https://www.t6forum.com/threads/guide-sound-deadening-and-insulation-how-to-do-it.13665/
If you’re giving it back at the end of your PCP thats your time and money literally gone elsewhere, IMO finance it to buy or ensure you buy it at the end of your pcp.
i had a T3 and T4 and wanted to get the T5 a few year ago... all my mates with them told me not to, and i ended up with a Mercedes Vito/Viano 3,2 V6 which although drinks like a sailor on shore leave, is a great bus and has taken me to Uk, Poland, Czech republic etc and has never missed a beat other than some AC pipes. i also looked again last year at the T6 facelift and they are expensive and what you get for the money compared to the V-klasse /Vito I picked up a new 300d LWB earlier in the year and its a great machine
Thanks for all the input everyone, I think in order of preference it's still VW, but I'm not gonna cut my nose off for £5k just to have a VW badge, 2nd fav would be a Mercedes. The Ford Custom for me is a little 'over styled', I'm only 37 but it feels slightly 'young', no offence to anyone that has one. If it was a Ford it would probably be a more standard one.
Ha, yeah I had the 3.0 litre V6 turbo diesel last time. Thirsty bugger all right but comically fast! Traffic lights GP was a hoot and caught out a LOT of people. Twas fun… And just for shits and giggles I had it chipped up to ~255hp… The 2.2 190hp feels gutless in comparison but it’s more than adequate and returns excellent mpg…
I forgot to mention my other van is a V6 3.2 petrol ... you never get tired driving as you get fresh air filling up every 200 km
Ive barely driven (twice) our car since we got the van some 18mnths or so ago. Right at beginning of lockdown 1. I love driving a van, who knew? I like the high seating position and its a more relaxed drive coz its a van. Plus its funky and my iphone connects to the disco unit automatically. Oh and the ac works in the van. Im too tight to replace the condenser in the car for 1% of the year.
