New to vw camper

W

Watson54z85

New Member
Hi,

I've been to camper jam for a few years but have a tent and 5 series... what would be the best vw to buy to use a few times a year, left outside as I have no garage, family of 4 but have 2 dogs ( don't usually come to csmper jam). Looking for holding value so I guess a highline with windows is best? Presumably in black but anything to look for? Sy11 area.

Thanks
 
  • Like
Reactions: CAB
Hello Watson54z85, welcome to the T6 Forum. What sort of dogs or size To only use it a few times a year and have it just sitting there might make anything seam expensive, perhaps I have misunderstood. You could have a dedicated camper all bells and whistles or some thing like a Caravelle with adjustable and moveable plush seating. With a little manipulation of the seating along there runners sleeping arrangements can be accommodated. You could use it as an ordinary car the rest of the time, they have seven seats. The middle row of mine twist around and can be slid back and forth, even easily removed They are very versatile and adaptable. It just depends on what you want. Their are loads of guys on here with families and dogs, perhaps they might give a better more appropriate answer based on there own experiences. :)
 
Last edited:
@Watson54z85, firstly, welcome to the forum.

IMO, it makes no financial sense to buy a Transporter of any variety if you're only going to use it "a few times a year" - the van won't thank you for the lack of use, you'll still cop for the annual ownership costs (insurance, tax servicing, MOT) and you'll have a large investment sat idle, depreciating (albeit more slowly than most other vehicles).

A better proposition would be to hire a camper for the few occasions you need one or to buy a van and use it as both your daily driver and your leisure vehicle. If, for example, you went for a high spec Caravelle, with a few judicious mods you'd have a comfortable, capable and capacious family-friendly vehicle that can satisfy all your motoring requirements (all without the expense of running the beemer).

Anyway, that's my two-penneth - take it or leave it... it is your money after all. ;)
 
Hi, thanks for the replies. My thought was it wouldn't be suited to my commute of 25miles each way? I could still use it occasionally for that and taking the dogs and kids out, my couple of times a year was more for camping rather than use total sorry.

Thanks again 👍
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bav
Plenty of us use our Transporters as our daily vehicles. A 25 miles commute is the sort of driving a diesel prefers, and at 40-45 MPG (traffic conditions and driver diligence dependent) they handle that sort of use with aplomb.

Bav is correct, if you're only going to use it a few times a year just hire one and save yourself a fortune. Conversely, use it regularly as a daily and you can bin the car and avoid the problems that vehicles can suffer if left standing unused outside for long periods.
 
I would have thought 25mile commute would be ideal for the engine as it gets a chance to heat up, particularly so if driving on open country roads, perhaps not large conurbations with short stop and start 30/20 mph throughout. Like many modern diesels, what they do not tend to like is too many very short journeys from cold where the engine does not get much opportunity warm up. So just going around the block to buy a newspaper not so good. They are pleasant to drive, good handling with excellent vision, the more powerful versions quite quick. Available with 4Motion also. Your reference to 5 series I understand to be BMW or do you mean T5 as in transporter?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bav
Bmw mate. Its on 135k, so I figured it would be best to keep the miles on that generally rather than clocking up a camper, although the option would be there to use it. I'll have a think, thank you
 
As above, provided your commute doesn't consist of 25 miles of crawling through stop/start traffic, the engine would have ample time to get up to temp and to complete the inevitable regens. Just be aware that, regardless of your journey type/length, it's best practice to allow any ongoing regens to complete before you switching the engine off at your destination.
 
Broadly in agreement with advice so far. Transporters like to be worked to stay healthy. Doesn't mean they need to be a daily drive but it does mean they need to be out on the road and up to temperature regularly.

My usual advice is to hire to see what you want. It's easy to see the allure of well presented well loved vans at somewhere like Camper Jam but less easy to see them in the rain on a dull weekend.

If you are using the van only a few times a year do you need something as small (and with the brand markup) as a Transporter - maybe another base vehicle will give you more room with the dogs and be cheaper to buy and run? The Transporter's neat trick is it gives you a usable camper in the same physical space as a large SUV, that's vital if it's your daily drive, but as a weekend bit of fun is it as important?

Go and look at other options to make sure. Hire a Transporter and see if you like the drive - even a basic van for a day. Hire a camper for a weekend and try it, possibly trickier with dogs but shouldn't be impossible. Yes that'll cost a few hundred quid but you get a weekend camping out of it and know if spending several thousand pounds is worth it.

Don't get me wrong, I love my van and I'm not saying don't buy one. But they're expensive to buy and run and a bit of a heart over head so I'd much rather you went into it with that knowledge. There are many threads of folks who've made a quick purchase and then realised it wasn't what they needed.

My personal journey we have Californias in the wider family and a good friend looked after a classic split screen for a while and another bought one of the "modern" Brazilian (?) ones. All lovely vans. But when we went looking we realised we wanted days out more and ended up hiring a Caravelle. That's what I ended up buying and adding a small kitchen to as it's a better mix of daily practicality, taking family with us, days out and occasionally overnighting. I often say I ended up buying a campervan I don't sleep in...

roadtripper

Thread 'Roadtripper's Caravelle tinkering'

Hey folks, been lurking for a while gathering useful advice as we considered if a van was right for us and now we have one on the drive the time was right to join fully and do the VIP thing to (potentially) do some electrical tinkering. Thanks everyone who posts advice here, it's a massive help even before you take the plunge and join in!

We have 2 California's in the extended family and at the annual meet up always rather liked them, but we've run Volvo XC70s for nearly 15 years as we enjoy our of season road tripping around the more distant parts of the UK. Always thought about putting...
  • Like
  • Love
 
Watson54z85 said:
Bmw mate. Its on 135k, so I figured it would be best to keep the miles on that generally rather than clocking up a camper, although the option would be there to use it. I'll have a think, thank you
Click to expand...
Vehicles are a huge decision in most people lives unless related to musk and even he has problems so it seems! So looking and asking question is the start but if you want others to give some opinion or advice they need more information on intended propose, new or old vehicle, whether it needs to be ready to go or build up ones self over a bit of time, buy own bed and units ect ect, what vehicles to avoid due to potential problems if older version what to look out for that sort of thing.

I love mine its a 2019 199bhp Caravel Executive 4Motion with diff lock. It is used for multi purposes Firstly I live totally off road on a remote small holding usually Landrover type of existence. I have owned many 4x4 vehicles large and small a few ex military very capable machines and took them to exciting off road places. I looked at the transporters and felt that the 4Motion versions with a bit of small modification could at least transport us too and from the property after I attended to some parts of the trackways. Well it does its primary job very well, 4Motion is good if maintained and the diff lock makes it so much more assured It has larger Off Road All Terrain Tyres next will be some necessary suspension modifications and snorkel. It still catches its towing hook on some parts of my 1 mile approx access trackways and it gets very wet here in the winter so flooded roads. We can camp in it, carry coal or stone too the holding, go shopping ect. Seven leather seats middle and rear moveable along trackways, centre also rotatable and removable rear bench need plenty of spinach or wheetabix. Its quite fast easily keeps up with traffic and more and gives a superb view of the countryside affording a better look about for road safety purposes and is very comfortable. Ideal for transporting family friends and children. Great to drive! It is a money pit in the sense of keeping it up to muster servicing tyres and such as adding bits modifications so on and as anyone else on here will state, it begs to have more spent on it to suit ones proposes be that cruising around the country, camping and so on. I think for many they are a way of life more than purely a commuting machine they are so versatile and lend them selves to modifications. The other thing is, people on here will encourage you to buy this or that and it becomes a bug a way of life for many.

I am equally sure that others with different choices of Transporter can give enthusiastic reasons to look at their choices also.
 
@Watson54z85 I'm afraid it's likely already too late. Like most of us that click the join forum button and 'start thread' I'm afraid the matrix now has you.

You will likely be heavily afflicted with 'VAN' before the year is out. Only loved ones can hope to pull you away from this addiction.

I can recommend highline 150ps engine
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Dellmassive
  • Sticky
Camper Jam 25 - (4th - 6th July 2025) - 4 Jul, 2025 - Weston-under-Lizard
2
Replies
36
Views
4K
Dellmassive
Dellmassive
T6Bob32
Bob's Camper Conversion
Replies
13
Views
804
T6Bob32
T6Bob32
L
Driving Camper across Europe 1st time Advice
Replies
10
Views
1K
Lotuscamper
L
T6ChrisO
Opinions on selling up......
Replies
16
Views
755
Stay Frosty
Stay Frosty
Gibboa73
New Member from Coventry
Replies
3
Views
520
DeBangis
DeBangis
Back
Top