Newbie looking for a Camper Van – decisions and compromises!

[Northtim]

Hi all, recently joined this forum and have found lots of valuable info but head is spinning a bit.

I’m looking for my first VW Campervan having liked the idea for a couple of years. Living on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales I see plenty of vans passing by and need to try the experience, there are lots of weekends and short breaks that my wife and I and our dog want to try, along with getting to some meets. No doubt we will soon be hooked (and broke but happy) by Van ownership and the VW community.

Lots of decisions though so I’m trying to rank the wish list to something sensible and have come up with this….

Must Haves:
Highline spec
SWB (lots of fans of LWB I see, but we have compared and happy we want SWB as it will be my wife’s daily driver)
Known reputable converter
Decent Electrics (whatever those are!!)
Aircon
Pop top
Max approx. 4 years old
Mileage below 50,000
Diesel heater

Strong likes:
150bhp engine (my daily drive is a Touareg so wary about the lower powered engines)
Tailgate
Rib bed (width???)
Roll out awning (Fiamma or Thule)
Mileage below 30,000

Would be nice:
Towbar
Solar
Heated Seats
Reversing Camera
Apple Carplay
T30??
4motion

Are there any other things missing we should be putting somewhere in the wish list?

Trying to do this on a budget of about £40k so there may be compromises. Started on a budget of £30k but now decided to try and keep age/mileage down and at the original budget there seem plenty for sale but giving up too much on our wants or dubious new conversions of older vans.

We haven’t ruled out getting a van converted ourselves and should speak to a converter, but I expect that may blow the budget. Any recommendations on convertors in/around Yorkshire? I see Highlife on social media and AJC seem to be recommended on here?

Can you help me with the bed – I think a Rib bed is what we want, as wide as possible without going for narrower units. What width would that be? We want storage behind the bed for bedding/paddle board etc. I see ads with “Genuine California” beds that seen to have that shelf/storage behind. Are those Rib beds or something else?

Sorry - long first post but I’d appreciate advice and opinions, whatever they are!

 

[bobbybasic]

5K more buys you this: For Sale - 2019 T30 150PS DSG VW Approved converted Campervan, 31500 miles. £45,000

 

[Sackmycook]

As above, this van hits the mark

 

[Northtim]

Yeah, I'd seen that listing already and drooled! If only it were a bit nearer as I have absolutely no time to travel that far to view it for the next few weekends.

 

[kipperman]

How patient are you? Our 2019 ( so falls outwith your 4 yo stipulation but largely fits the bill otherwise) Bilbox Celex 150bhp with around 17000miles on the clock will be up for sale when we get back from France end of September.......

 

[GUMY]

Another new member is at the same stage as you and has been posting here - worth comparing notes!

We took the plunge about 5 months ago. Your lists could almost have been copy and pasted from mine!
RIB bed was on the must have list (ours is a 120), for the rear storage space.
150bhp (and DSG) would have been on my strong like list (my previous car was an Octavia with the VAG 150bhp / DSG), but this narrowed the search down too much, as well as hitting the budget. I'll admit the 110bhp is pretty gutless when hitting Yorkshire hills fully loaded, but I find driving a van is different to a car anyway (lower expectations for a start!) and on a daily basis, short journeys around home, it doesn't bother me. Motorway cruising isn't a problem either - especially with adaptive cruise control.
We also originally started with a 30k budget (although to be fair, the idea was germinating for about 10 years!) and gradually increased to and beyond 40k. In the end we upped the budget even further and compromised on several "would be nice" features (such as fancy alloys, bars & spoilers etc.) in favour of a standard spec (although Highline) brand new base van from a reputable converter with 3 years warranty (both VW and conversion) - well, OK, SWMBO persuaded me to compromise on the nice to haves (She didn't have to try hard!)

 

[Northtim]

How patient are you? Our 2019 ( so falls outwith your 4 yo stipulation but largely fits the bill otherwise) Bilbox Celex 150bhp with around 17000miles on the clock will be up for sale when we get back from France end of September.......

Patient enough, unless the ideal Van is available locally I would be struggling to look at anything before mid/late Sept. Any pics?

 

[ginkster]

I’d suggest hiring a couple to see exactly what you want/need/like. Bed is normally 112cm unless you get narrower units. Personally I find it a bit narrow for 2 and would sacrifice the units next time.

Don’t worry about T28, 30 etc. If there is only 2 of you a T28 is absolutely fine. If you find you want a bit more capacity it’s a £275 paperwork exercise to get the max mass increased to T30 (or higher - mine is 3150kg) with no mods.

Don’t rush either. There are plenty of vans about and it is a very expensive mistake if you get it wrong.