Is it all worth it?
- Thread starter PeteK80
- Start date
medal medal medal....
Please don’t go. I’ll Trump that Bav!
Besides all the other useful reasons, this Forum is helping…….
(Complete as pertinent)
Now, before anyone starts stoning me, it's worth remembering @PeteK80 that the Transporter isn't the only van you can go camping in.
The Transporter pulls off one trick remarkably well, if you need the most space in a van that still physically fits where most large cars will, it's pretty much the only option.
But it does have a lot of brand tax that other badges on the front may not.
The important thing for you sounds like you're worried that time is passing and the opportunity to go and try these things out is also passing. If you've not tried camping or similar at all then my advice is try to not hit your "perfect" solution first time until you know what you want.
An option for you is to go and hire a campervan for a couple of trips. Yes it's a spend but so is buying a full conversion and finding it's not for you. Doesn't have to be a VW, but to get a good comparison don't go and hire a US sized RV either!
Or you could look out for a tidy cheaper Kombi and stick a camping pod in the back. Not a huge outlay and both could be sold on if you decide it's not for you (whereas a conversion may have a more limited market). A camping pod would give you and your boy enough to camp in, take a tent or a side awning and you'd have space for the family.
I was "lucky" in that I had a couple of Cali Beach owners in the family so I knew both the attraction AND the reality of ownership, but the more we looked into what we wanted we realised a much better fit for us was a Caravelle to day trip in with our parents, confirmed by hiring one for a long weekend and doing a road trip in it. We ended up pulling the trigger because we were also aware of passing time and opportunity.
I love my van, but I bought it because it was the right fit not because of the brand. We looked at the Merc equivalents too and briefly toyed with buying a new Defender (still not sure we went the right way now I've lost my AWD estate!)
And, as you may have noted, generally around this place you just have to be a fan of the vans, owning one is kinda optional, so whichever way you go stick around and we'll put plenty of temptation your way. Your SECOND van is the one where you get it right...
The Transporter pulls off one trick remarkably well, if you need the most space in a van that still physically fits where most large cars will, it's pretty much the only option.
But it does have a lot of brand tax that other badges on the front may not.
The important thing for you sounds like you're worried that time is passing and the opportunity to go and try these things out is also passing. If you've not tried camping or similar at all then my advice is try to not hit your "perfect" solution first time until you know what you want.
An option for you is to go and hire a campervan for a couple of trips. Yes it's a spend but so is buying a full conversion and finding it's not for you. Doesn't have to be a VW, but to get a good comparison don't go and hire a US sized RV either!
Or you could look out for a tidy cheaper Kombi and stick a camping pod in the back. Not a huge outlay and both could be sold on if you decide it's not for you (whereas a conversion may have a more limited market). A camping pod would give you and your boy enough to camp in, take a tent or a side awning and you'd have space for the family.
I was "lucky" in that I had a couple of Cali Beach owners in the family so I knew both the attraction AND the reality of ownership, but the more we looked into what we wanted we realised a much better fit for us was a Caravelle to day trip in with our parents, confirmed by hiring one for a long weekend and doing a road trip in it. We ended up pulling the trigger because we were also aware of passing time and opportunity.
I love my van, but I bought it because it was the right fit not because of the brand. We looked at the Merc equivalents too and briefly toyed with buying a new Defender (still not sure we went the right way now I've lost my AWD estate!)
And, as you may have noted, generally around this place you just have to be a fan of the vans, owning one is kinda optional, so whichever way you go stick around and we'll put plenty of temptation your way. Your SECOND van is the one where you get it right...
Same here. We decided to get a camper van after years of tent camping. We compiled a list of features that we needed in a van, the top items being 4WD & Automatic, that narrowed down the field somewhat. After we had discounted Mercedes (I hate Merc vans with a vengeance, I'd rather have a Ford and that says more about Mercs than Ford) there was only VW left. Our next van won't be a transporter due to the demise of the "Proper" transporter, who in their right mind would pay VW prices for a re-badged Transit? Our next van will most likely be a Crafter.
As for the OP's original question, "is it all worth it?", the definitive answer is......wait for it......it all depends. We were lucky enough to be able to buy our van outright cash, so for us it was a no brainer, we've had on average 120 nights away in the van each year for the last 6 years. If we hadn't spent the money that we had in the bank, we wouldn't have had the holidays & adventures that we have had. On the other hand, if we had got into debt to buy a van that was sat on the drive for 48 weeks a year, then that is pure economic folly imho. So the answer is, can you afford it & will you use it. If the answer to either of those is no, then move along.
I bought a van to convert because I fancied having a campervan and I like a project. Only one van sprung to mind for a camper and that was a VW because it's iconic and synonymous with the word campervan.
Converted it myself and we started using it and luckily we loved it.
That was 4 years ago, and I'd genuinely say it's changed our lives.
We've done about 45,000 miles in it. Loads of trips to Scotland for 2 or 3 weeks at a time, Norway for 5 weeks, Spain and Portugal for 10 weeks, just back yesterday from 4 weeks in Spain and already planning our travel adventures for France/Spain in September. We will likely do Orkney for 3 weeks in May too.
But in addition to those trips we've joined in on the forum events and met some great people and had some great fun-filled weekends away with people who we now call friends.
What is not to like?
Oh yeah, also I can meet up with mates in Wales or wherever for mountain biking and put the diesel heater on, make my breakfast and have a brew then get changed and ride. When I get back to the van, while they peel their wet clothes off outside and get in their car to drive home I pop the heater on, get towelled off, get changed, have a brew with my feet up before I drive away.
I've had an Audi S4 4.2 V8 for the last 15 years. Since I got the van I've done about 400 miles per year in the Audi. I much prefer the van. The Audi sits there unused and so needs yet another starter battery.....grrrrr.
Edit: Is it worth it? For us, YES!
Converted it myself and we started using it and luckily we loved it.
That was 4 years ago, and I'd genuinely say it's changed our lives.
We've done about 45,000 miles in it. Loads of trips to Scotland for 2 or 3 weeks at a time, Norway for 5 weeks, Spain and Portugal for 10 weeks, just back yesterday from 4 weeks in Spain and already planning our travel adventures for France/Spain in September. We will likely do Orkney for 3 weeks in May too.
But in addition to those trips we've joined in on the forum events and met some great people and had some great fun-filled weekends away with people who we now call friends.
What is not to like?
Oh yeah, also I can meet up with mates in Wales or wherever for mountain biking and put the diesel heater on, make my breakfast and have a brew then get changed and ride. When I get back to the van, while they peel their wet clothes off outside and get in their car to drive home I pop the heater on, get towelled off, get changed, have a brew with my feet up before I drive away.
I've had an Audi S4 4.2 V8 for the last 15 years. Since I got the van I've done about 400 miles per year in the Audi. I much prefer the van. The Audi sits there unused and so needs yet another starter battery.....grrrrr.
Edit: Is it worth it? For us, YES!
Last edited:
Worth the money is quite debatable!
I’d rather pay a bit more for something that I know has desirability that I will enjoy rather than save a few quid and not be as happy. I’ve always loved the Transporters street cred and the people who I’ve met as enthusiastic owners. ( all personal taste blah blah !) Being a bit of a petrol head I like to have road vehicle for practicality and driving pleasure - although not always the most cost effective solution!
I’d rather pay a bit more for something that I know has desirability that I will enjoy rather than save a few quid and not be as happy. I’ve always loved the Transporters street cred and the people who I’ve met as enthusiastic owners. ( all personal taste blah blah !) Being a bit of a petrol head I like to have road vehicle for practicality and driving pleasure - although not always the most cost effective solution!
You got to love a 4.2 V8 S4 very nice indeed
I’m on my third transporter now and absolutely love them mines a work horse during the week and family wagon on the wkend! There great for family life chuck everything in the back and off you go!
Have a nice motor as well as the van but as @Bigsidavies said it hardly gets used.
Have a nice motor as well as the van but as @Bigsidavies said it hardly gets used.
As a mid 40's stepdad with two stepsons at 20+ years it's one of my biggest regrets not getting one sooner. I blew the budget on a panel van to convert last year and in hindsight wish I'd bought a T5 for £5k less so I could pay for a basic conversion. If you can find a van converted for the money you have that does NOT have a Bitdi I'd say go for it. If you aren't fussed about a VW camper there's plenty of options for less money. You could maybe hold about £2k from your budget for potential repairs if you get a dodgy one but it won't be dodgy for long if you fix it. You can probably sell it for nearly the same as what you bought it for if not more, if you don't like it after a year. Anything up to 150k miles with full service history is an option imho
Good luck! We're here for you!
Good luck! We're here for you!
Everyone i just wanted to say a huge thank you for the advice and encouragement, which has really put me on the right path.
I'm delighted to be the new owner of a fully converted T5 which I'm picking up in the morning.
Question is, as its a T5 am I now banished from this forum?!?
I'm delighted to be the new owner of a fully converted T5 which I'm picking up in the morning.
Question is, as its a T5 am I now banished from this forum?!?
Thanks Badjamin, well said....
Nah, you're still welcome. Every family has its Prince Edward
I thought he was OK?Nah, you're still welcome. Every family has its Prince Edward
But Prince Andrew?!?
Phil1
Member
Congrats, can’t wait to see some pics
Kick in the nuts that oneNah, you're still welcome. Every family has its Prince Edward
A while back the perception of BW being reliable might have held water. These days, as long as you’re not buying JLR or Peugeot then you’ll probably find reliability is much the same across most brands.
Someone else mentioned the ‘brand tax’ and there is something in that. Transporters have always had that desirability. And while it means they are a little dearer to buy it also means you lose less on them over time.
While I have had to spend money the DMF and chose to ‘upgrade’ the shocks (in a vain attempt to add comfort), as well as the cam belt (which you need to do in any ICE vehicle at some time), the vans value now is actually more than what I bought it for looking at similar and on Autotrader so the fun it’s provided over the last four years has all been free!
I know others that sold theirs for what they paid or more as well. All depends on how much of a bargain you get I suppose but I’d advise don’t miss out on the joy you’ll get by owning one, life’s to short.
Wow that seemed to move quickly! Congratulations on your new purchase.
I would say though if you are buying a converted van it’s worth considering that ( if done professionally) the conversion cost should be at least £10-15k when done on top of the van price so if you /2 as second hand then at least £5-7.5k of the price is the campervan, plus wheels/style/VW camper markup, so what you will be paying for a base van at an all in price of £25k is much less than you’d think, then you need to consider if paying £25k for that van is the right think to do.
We went through this when looking for a van to convert and ended up buying a new van as the van is the vehicle you are buying so made sense to pay a premium for that as a starting point. When buying a converted van it gets very difficult to understand what exactly you are paying for (20k van + 5k camper, 10k van + 15k camper, 5k van + 5k camper + 15k VW premium etc!).
I would say I think it is still a buyers market at the moment so there should be some good deals out there and buying a T5 (or T5.1) is in many eyes seen as a sweet spot!
I would say though if you are buying a converted van it’s worth considering that ( if done professionally) the conversion cost should be at least £10-15k when done on top of the van price so if you /2 as second hand then at least £5-7.5k of the price is the campervan, plus wheels/style/VW camper markup, so what you will be paying for a base van at an all in price of £25k is much less than you’d think, then you need to consider if paying £25k for that van is the right think to do.
We went through this when looking for a van to convert and ended up buying a new van as the van is the vehicle you are buying so made sense to pay a premium for that as a starting point. When buying a converted van it gets very difficult to understand what exactly you are paying for (20k van + 5k camper, 10k van + 15k camper, 5k van + 5k camper + 15k VW premium etc!).
I would say I think it is still a buyers market at the moment so there should be some good deals out there and buying a T5 (or T5.1) is in many eyes seen as a sweet spot!
