Looking at picking up a T6 and wondering if I am being dangerously stupid...

[dotcodotuk]

Hi there!

Avid mountain-biker here, looking to pick up a Transporter and thought I would ask for some advice from the T6 hive mind.

I have been searching high and low for a suitable Caddy Maxi that fits my spec and have been finding that everything is either stupidly priced or needing a lot of work, so my eye has started to get drawn to a Transporter and a couple of T6 models have slotted into my price range, both currently being used for the same purpose I intend.

Both tick all my spec boxes - panel van (if that is the right term?), DSG, SWB, Tailgate, Reversing Camera, Heated Seats, LED lights, Cruise and a few other niceties. However, they are both considerably higher-mileage than anything I have looked at on the Caddy front (150K+) and I am a little worried that I am going to get my fingers burned by buying a T6 at the lower end of the price range.

Whatever I buy will be a weekend machine, something to take three or more bikes in comfort to various parts of the UK without having to dismantle them (makes life a lot easier) and this is what drew me to a T6 with a relatively high numbers... I won't be putting a huge amount of annual mileage in and with a solid history, I was hoping there would be less risk of taking a bath on the thing over the course of a few years of use, assuming something like the DSG box does not decide to lunch itself.

Although eventual resale would be potentially problematic unless I find another buyer like myself, and there cannot be that many idiots around...

Am I being a stupid here or do my musings kind of stack up?

 

[Sackmycook]

I'd lose the heated seats and LED lights and your marketplace will be more diverse.....pretty rare items.

 

[Chris Sherwood]

I agree with the above, Reversing Camera and LED lights can be fitted later.

Just search for DSG, Tailgate, Cruise, not even SWB, if you can get a LWB in your price bracket, snap it up!

 

[dubber36]

Yep. Lose the LED lights as they will narrow down your search for a nice van. There are aftermarkets headlights that look similar to OEM LEDs that have projectors that will accept LED or xenon kits.

 

[Mud Digger]

https://bmvs.co.uk/sales/2015-volkswagen-transporter-2-0-bitdi-180ps-highline-kombi-van-dsg/

sorry spend your cash lol but Bognor Motors havs this van @ £ 30,000 Plus the dreaded VAT .......has a very nice spec to it low mileage

and a new engine it looks like

you would get a good Warranty and some peace of mind Bognor Motors is highly recommended / respected in here

theres even a low milgage Caddy with a huge spec https://bmvs.co.uk/sales/2018-volkswagen-caddy-maxi-2-0-tdi-bluemotion-tech-102ps-highline-nav-van/

 

[DaveD]

A high mileage T6 can still be a good buy if the price is right and the service history is complete.
There's a thread on here somewhere (that I can't find) with some owners T6's on over 300K miles and still going strong.
Resale value is only an issue when you sell it, but if you pay a price now that reflects the high miles you'll sell it for a price that reflects the miles and be in the same situation as if you bought a low mileage van.
All our vans will be worth much less in 10 years time!

 

[Mud Digger]

never heard of car pod but no VAT £ 21,000 55000 miles https://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/202203284018827?advertising-location=at_vans

needs a new floor in the back eclipse campers do a single section ply floor

 

[dotcodotuk]

Thank you all for the input!

I'd lose the heated seats and LED lights and your marketplace will be more diverse.....pretty rare items.

It may sound daft, but the rarity had some appeal - especially as both vans are single-owner from new. Makes me feel that they gave a damn about what they were buying in the first place. Totally not something I was looking for, just a bonus that two I found happened to spec them.

I agree with the above, Reversing Camera and LED lights can be fitted later.

Just search for DSG, Tailgate, Cruise, not even SWB, if you can get a LWB in your price bracket, snap it up!

LWB seem to have the conversion tax thing going on, at least from my initial searches. And while I am not opposed to an LWB if it was the right van at the right price, I am yet to find one that sits in my price bracket.

https://bmvs.co.uk/sales/2015-volkswagen-transporter-2-0-bitdi-180ps-highline-kombi-van-dsg/

sorry spend your cash lol but Bognor Motors havs this van @ £ 30,000 Plus the dreaded VAT .......has a very nice spec to it low mileage

and a new engine it looks like

you would get a good Warranty and some peace of mind Bognor Motors is highly recommended / respected in here

theres even a low milgage Caddy with a huge spec https://bmvs.co.uk/sales/2018-volkswagen-caddy-maxi-2-0-tdi-bluemotion-tech-102ps-highline-nav-van/

Thanks for the links, but not looking at Kombi models - no need for them. And £36k-ish is very over-budget!

Caddy looks decent, just a shame it is a manual. Will keep BM in mind - appreciate the recommendation as had not heard of them before.

A high mileage T6 can still be a good buy if the price is right and the service history is complete.
There's a thread on here somewhere (that I can't find) with some owners T6's on over 300K miles and still going strong.
Resale value is only an issue when you sell it, but if you pay a price now that reflects the high miles you'll sell it for a price that reflects the miles and be in the same situation as if you bought a low mileage van.
All our vans will be worth much less in 10 years time!

Thank you - that was kind of my thought, given the price and the history on both. Still need to go look at them both in the flesh, but so far they check out well - FSH from main dealers, tonnes of paperwork and receipts and single owners from new. Just trying to mitigate risk in buying high-miles for a type of vehicle that I know very little about!

never heard of car pod but no VAT £ 21,000 55000 miles https://www.autotrader.co.uk/van-details/202203284018827?advertising-location=at_vans

needs a new floor in the back eclipse campers do a single section ply floor

That is in the same price bracket as the two I am looking at now, albeit wayyyyy less mileage! But I am stuck on ideally wanting a DSG with a Tailgate.

 

[T6ChrisO]

When you go to look at the vans or enquire over the phone etc, always worth asking when the cambelt was last done as they need to be replaced every 4 years. Something I didnt know when buying my van. Its not a massive cost in the grand scheme of things but its still a cost and something to think about

 

[Salty Spuds]

Thank you all for the input!


It may sound daft, but the rarity had some appeal - especially as both vans are single-owner from new. Makes me feel that they gave a damn about what they were buying in the first place. Totally not something I was looking for, just a bonus that two I found happened to spec them.


LWB seem to have the conversion tax thing going on, at least from my initial searches. And while I am not opposed to an LWB if it was the right van at the right price, I am yet to find one that sits in my price bracket.


Thanks for the links, but not looking at Kombi models - no need for them. And £36k-ish is very over-budget!

Caddy looks decent, just a shame it is a manual. Will keep BM in mind - appreciate the recommendation as had not heard of them before.


Thank you - that was kind of my thought, given the price and the history on both. Still need to go look at them both in the flesh, but so far they check out well - FSH from main dealers, tonnes of paperwork and receipts and single owners from new. Just trying to mitigate risk in buying high-miles for a type of vehicle that I know very little about!


That is in the same price bracket as the two I am looking at now, albeit wayyyyy less mileage! But I am stuck on ideally wanting a DSG with a Tailgate.

What is this “conversion tax” of which you speak??

 

[JOG]

I’d retain the heated seats and factory fitted LED lights in your spec

 

[WinFreak]

i bought my T6 for mountainbiking too, had a few items on my list that were must haves and it only took a month or so before I found the one I thought was right.

It had to be a kombi, LWB, leds and tailgate, sub 30k and anything but white.

Ended up with one with 100k on the clock which seemed fine but then the egr valve went within a few weeks which was a £1200 fix. Also noticed since that a few bits have been resprayed in a slightly different tint of Indium grey which is a bit of a shame.

Seeing as I paid quite a bit less than that 30k it doesn't seem too bad i guess, there's a bit of spending money left and it was always meant to be a work horse for taking the bikes to places that are often hard to reach so it not being pristine makes life a bit easier!

 

[JOG]

i bought my T6 for mountainbiking too, had a few items on my list that were must haves and it only took a month or so before I found the one I thought was right.

It had to be a kombi, LWB, leds and tailgate, sub 30k and anything but white.

Ended up with one with 100k on the clock which seemed fine but then the egr valve went within a few weeks which was a £1200 fix. Also noticed since that a few bits have been resprayed in a slightly different tint of Indium grey which is a bit of a shame.

Seeing as I paid quite a bit less than that 30k it doesn't seem too bad i guess, there's a bit of spending money left and it was always meant to be a work horse for taking the bikes to places that are often hard to reach so it not being pristine makes life a bit easier!

The LEDs help in those hard to reach places and the heated seats to take the chill away after a ride out

 

[Insert Coin]

I’m with Jog, I’d want led lamps and bum warmers.

 

[WinFreak]

The LEDs help in those hard to reach places and the heated seats to take the chill away after a ride out

Mines got the leds, I wouldn’t want one without but had to compromise on heated seats. Got a twin slider back for it which I am very pleased about

 

[JOG]

Mines got the leds, I wouldn’t want one without but had to compromise on heated seats. Got a twin slider back for it which I am very pleased about

Heated seats are a much easier (and cheaper) retrofit than LEDs!

 

[WinFreak]

Heated seats are a much easier (and cheaper) retrofit than LEDs!

That was my thinking, not sure I can be arsed with it though, the cloth seats don’t seem to get as cold as leather ones would

 

[dotcodotuk]

What is this “conversion tax” of which you speak??

Priced higher than usual as being 'ready for conversion' - into, presumably, campers?

Seeing a fair few adverts with that mentioned in them at the moment, but could be a case of Baader-Meinhof.

i bought my T6 for mountainbiking too, had a few items on my list that were must haves and it only took a month or so before I found the one I thought was right.

It had to be a kombi, LWB, leds and tailgate, sub 30k and anything but white.

Ended up with one with 100k on the clock which seemed fine but then the egr valve went within a few weeks which was a £1200 fix. Also noticed since that a few bits have been resprayed in a slightly different tint of Indium grey which is a bit of a shame.

Seeing as I paid quite a bit less than that 30k it doesn't seem too bad i guess, there's a bit of spending money left and it was always meant to be a work horse for taking the bikes to places that are often hard to reach so it not being pristine makes life a bit easier!

As it is just myself and the missus, or myself and two mates, a van is perfect - otherwise like yourself, a Kombi would be ideal. A mate of mine who rides with his three kids has one in what sounds like a very similar spec to yours and I can totally see the appeal.

The more attractive option of the two I am looking at has an excellent spec and comes in around £23k but has done 167k on a 17-plate. Seems in great condition from the photos and videos I have and has a stack of paperwork, with receipts from a main dealer. Although, having looking through them again, there has been a fair amount of work done over the past few years... not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

I am not precious about the condition, but I like things to be nice and tidy. Although like you say, it will be going into places that are hard to reach - and not just DYFI's car park!

 

[dotcodotuk]

When you go to look at the vans or enquire over the phone etc, always worth asking when the cambelt was last done as they need to be replaced every 4 years. Something I didnt know when buying my van. Its not a massive cost in the grand scheme of things but its still a cost and something to think about

Thank you for the pointer, will ask that tomorrow.

 

[Chippie1]

Priced higher than usual as being 'ready for conversion' - into, presumably, campers?

Seeing a fair few adverts with that mentioned in them at the moment, but could be a case of Baader-Meinhof.


As it is just myself and the missus, or myself and two mates, a van is perfect - otherwise like yourself, a Kombi would be ideal. A mate of mine who rides with his three kids has one in what sounds like a very similar spec to yours and I can totally see the appeal.

The more attractive option of the two I am looking at has an excellent spec and comes in around £23k but has done 167k on a 17-plate. Seems in great condition from the photos and videos I have and has a stack of paperwork, with receipts from a main dealer. Although, having looking through them again, there has been a fair amount of work done over the past few years... not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

I am not precious about the condition, but I like things to be nice and tidy. Although like you say, it will be going into places that are hard to reach - and not just DYFI's car park!

Prices are high at the moment and I’m sure when you come to sell if you sell things will have calmed down and you won’t see your money back but saying all that these are different times we are seeing everything’s a premium at the moment! I’ve seen basic vans and I mean very basic no electric windows air con etc selling for ridiculous money! Don’t let mileage put you off these vans are good for hundreds of thousands of miles if well maintained! And the fact the one you are looking at has had recent work done is a bonus! money you wouldn’t have to spend! If you like your van with the premium extras and don’t want to compromise and it’s in your budget then go for it as long as your aware if you were to sell in a few years time you might lose a bit but ha ho you’ve had a nice spec van and hopefully some good times in it! Best of luck