How.... how do you afford a van?

Don't be in a rush to buy, it's worth waiting for the right van to come along.
My ADHD makes it so difficult to be patient though. Plus the wife said she really liked the look of it... very rare and unlike her! #bitesknuckle
 
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Mate, respectfully you sound like one of the 300 emails a week I used to get from folk almost frantic to get a VW during the pandemic, so much so its scary.
I Used to have people offer me their kidneys.....well....not literally but you get the point.


25 years experience working on the base vehicles and building campers has lead me to one conclusion. Why?

I dont mean to dampen your spirit, hey its your money, your life but there's some things that You should hear (you won't listen as you're fixated...I get that) but im trying to help you.

Ask many of the many folks on this forum who bought a van during the pandemic for 20, 30, 40k and realized its sat on the drive doing nothing and they realise they're never going to get back the full cost when they sell it because in the first place the dealer slapped 5-10k ontop of what its actually worth taking advantage of the feeding frenzy and autotrader is now saturated with hundreds of cheap high spec vans that were bought in the frenzy and are now smeared in buyers remorse and the owners can't sell them.
You'll always pay too much for a VW. ALWAYS unless that seller is literally desperate.

Youve got to also consider, can you afford to run it?
Fuel will cost you way more than a car, Considerably more, insurance will be ridiculous, and keeping it on the road will cost you an arm and a leg unless you're mechanically minded and prepared to do it yourself.
case and point, since October 2023, I've spend £2300 on just parts for 5 different jobs on my 2016 T6 Highline....its my daily driver as well as a dayvan/camper conversion...they aren't fancy aesthetic jobs...it was cambelt, gearbox, suspension etc.....I did the work myself. So imagine what it would have cost at the dealer or a garage charging £25-55 an hour.
This forum is full of people who respectfully would admit themselves they have zero mechanical knowledge lamenting the 2k they just paid VW to do a job that an amature mechanic did for £250 in parts.
There's more to owning a VW bus than just taking photos of it before and after you've washed it with that gimmicky snow foam nonsense.
I know, I know..... buzz Killington over here ruining your fun and all that, but don't buy into the 'Cult' of VW... you know.

Here's a good example of what I mean. My friend bought an old Birmingham city council minibus for £1000 about 10 years ago, an LDV convoy i think.
Funny looking, pug nosed high top minibus.
The fun hes had in that minibus doing it up, making it into a camper, spraypainting the outside like a hippy bus is beyond anything I've ever experienced in a VW.
Its HUGE inside, you can stand up, walk about, theres LOADS of light because of the big windows, his wife went hippy crazy on the furnishings.
When we go camping together I spend 99% of my time seeing how much more fun hes having in his Jesus bus...people love it too, always asking if they can have a look in it, smiling and enjoying it.
I offered him an ex AA van, VW T6 that needed a bit of work doing for 16k 2 years ago. Nice van... he turned it down and bought a new sofa, a posh mattress for his bed at home, took the family to Florida and spent about 3k on refurbishing his Jesus bus instead.

The spirit of camping isn't about VW....thats a lie modern people started based on romaticising classic campers and the hippy lifestyle. The spirit of camping is About you, it comes from within.
You ask anyone here in this forum and I bet you would be surprised at the amount of people who wish they hadn't spent that money.
Hit the nail right on the head well said that man
 
For that money, I know someone getting shot of a California Beach!
It woulda definitely been on my shortlist but she's adamant it's gotta be a young van and the sliding door is on the wrong side - again, hope you get at least £22k for it hehe
 
possible option is vehicle auctions - I’ve bought (not the van) from Aston Barclay before much cheaper than I could from a forecourt. Bought it without seeing it and it flew through the MOT no advisories.

You can sign up to Aston Barclay and BCA auctions Without cost, and I’m pretty sure they get ex fleet (RAC, AA, British Gas etc) vehicles coming through.

I’d been looking for over a year to find the right vehicle, something will come ip.

But having got a project in the garage from 18 years ago, they’re a labour of love.

Good luck with the search.
 
What a great thread with some sound reasoned advice. My own story self converted a 2018 t6.

Loved the conversion process and we love using it and do use it a fair bit weekends away absolutely brilliant two weeks in Switzerland etc.

However if I did it again I'd buy older higher mileage higher spec. 2018 30k miles and it's had the p20ee error luckily software update fixed it, noisy engine, dodgy clutch, have to baby it over regens. Compare with my 125k diesel car, in 8 yrs nothing has gone wrong. Ours is 102 5speed no aircon. Hate it. Yes it trundles along ok but there is no power for overtaking. I really regret spending so much given the compromises we have. Short term buying excitement long term regret.

And so to toilet matters, we hired a van before buying and spent two weeks dancing around the toilet. Like others said build it into the design. Raise it up to make it more comfortable so it doesn't feel like you are squatting on the floor. Get your self build how you want it. If there's two of you think outside the box our design is a bit different but it works for us. There's nothing I'd change other than we have binned the rattly tambour doors.

So a lot echoes what's already been said. It's not the van, it's how you enjoy using it. We have friends that bought a 2 grand transit and converted it for what I spent on exterior cosmetics on ours. But they have been all over the country and love it. 7104c8af-82ff-4a20-be77-c87636561ada-1_all_2905.jpg
 
noisy engine, dodgy clutch, have to baby it over regens. Compare with my 125k diesel car, in 8 yrs nothing has gone wrong.
Seems a constant on this forum and certainly something I have found. Really not impressed by quality or reliability. Other than that owning a camper is awesome though, but next time not a VW.
 
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Is it possible to remove S/S anti tamper plates or have them sprayed to match the body work... 1714172332046.png
 
I’m sure it’s possible but it’s possible they have been fitted to cover break in damage so could be at least one hole underneath them
 
I’m sure it’s possible but it’s possible they have been fitted to cover break in damage so could be at least one hole underneath them
Everything is possible, just about finding a good bodywork person :) Its going to cost a few days of labour though I am guessing. Maybe a £1k?
 
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They are a little unsightly but paying 1k to remove a security device seems like something that could backfire at some point! Mine doesn’t have them and I guess they are less useful after putting windows all round the van but still.
 
@Badjamin I wonder if the plates were fitted as part of a security upgrade with the deadlocks or both were fitted after break ins your never know until you remove them or just leave them chips away or similar company would probably blow them in pretty cheap as there's no repair to do
 
I'm pretty sure they are fitted by drilling holes and bolting from the back as well as glueing them on......At least the ones I have seen on YouTube are.
Don't think it will be an easy or cheap fix to remove them. Painting them would be the cheapest route to go down.
 
Had my Kombi a year now, and I agonised over the decision for a LONG time.. in the end it's the best thing I did. :) Especially for the family life.

We sold our main car to fund it, and have a smaller car as a second car but tbh I always jump in the van when heading out.
 
Just purchased my 1st VW. Been wanting one for years like yourself!

Not much help to you in how you can get one but just giving my story.

My mother passed away 2 years ago and left me her estate. Not a massive amount but enough to make a difference to my life.

Everyone told me to rent it out and be sensible. I took financial advice and rented it out and took out a buy to let mortgage on it. The idea was to purchase another rental to set the kids future up.

I had £90k sat in savings for 2 years just scared to do anything with it.

Have just blown it all in the last 2 months! £50k on a joint venture rental with the mother in law and the rest on a t6!

Scary spending that sort of cash like that but what was the point of it being sat there.
Thought you only live once and wanted to make memories with the kids while they are young!
Picked the van up last week and absolutely love it.

If you do get the opportunity just take it! Life’s too short
 
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