T4 question - updated - the search is on!

[Guy]

got a text from a mate who is looking for a T4

2.8L VR6 auto T4 caravelle? Dodgy, thirsty, nightmare or worth a look?

Or would you stick with manual 2.5TDi T4?


answers on a postcard please

[Diamond Hell]

Just horrendously thirsty.

OK if it's reflected in the price and he's not going to be doing mega-miles.

[Guy]

okey dokey...

T4 required

SWB/LWB combi/caravelle.. preferably a combi

engine - min 2.5TDi, VR6 considered

or IF T5 is a better long term option then this will be considered too, ONLY if they are a BETTER option in the long run

budget £4k for a T4

£9k plus for a T5

this van could form the basis of a project so it has to be clean and straight but not top spec with all the bells and whistles

if anyone comes across anything could they please reply to this thread.. thanks 

based in Salisbury so south of England would be preferable

[Wayne]

Stick with a TDI

[Organisys]

T5 tdi ADL.

[Guy]

T5 tdi ADL.

why T5?

sorry, not being a PITA, just my friend has heard that T5's aren't as good (an investment) as a T4

[Organisys]

T4 has done most of it's depreciating, that's all.

T5 a much nicer van.

[Diamond Hell]

This:

http://bit.ly/k3aexg

or this:

http://bit.ly/iEqRYh

or this:

http://bit.ly/l9xwXt

Because unless you're a tradesman you want a tailgate and you want only a single sliding door and it doesn't matter whether it's a 130 or a 174bhp model, because if you get a 174 it'll eat components if you're harsh on it.  If it's a 130 it can be chipped to 150 which is plenty.

Oh and make sure it's got AC and electric windows and mirrors, as some don't and a lack of AC would be particularly irksome.

What does your mate want to do with it?

The T5

[Guy]

liking those suggestions Thomas..

He's a builder based in Salisbury but he doesn't use his van that much for building work.. he'll add roof bars for long/oversized loads

he wants something more comfortable, practical for leisure use as he often pops his bike (Triumph) in the back for road trips and holidays round europe.. he often sleep in there too so it'll be a custom conversion. but sleeping in the back of his current van and the previous one is a bit dark as there are no windows!

we were thinking of a 130 which could then be mapped to something more preferable

he currently has a Vivaro which is in VGC but he thinks it'll only lose value whereas a VW will hold its value a bit better in the long term... he wants to swap the Vivaro over while it is still holding good value

[Diamond Hell]

As he's in Salisbury, send him out on the A36 towards Warminster, to stop off at Calypso Campers: 

http://www.calypsocampers.co.uk/Tee5.htm

To talk about how to convert the van to suit the bike requirement.  I would recommend a Reimo roof and someone like Arthur at MAD in Bristol fits a lot of these roofs.  The one thing to note about fitting the roof is that Arthur says he's amazed at how many spot welds there AREN'T on the T5 vs the T4, but obviously, it's still a rigid structure and the trimmers that go in around the hole in the roof put a lot of the rigidity back in the van.

Obviously if it were me I'd be gunning for a 4Motion, but that's my own personal bent.  The big thing about the 4Mo is the extra sure-footedness and extension to the van's capability, as well as the ability to continue getting to work whether we have the same sort of weather as last winter again!

The T5 does drive amazingly - SO nice. 

Does he mind sitting on the wrong side?  There is a HUGE choice of vans available in Germany, with very similar prices and you can cherry pick your spec a lot closer.  The mobile.de site can be viewed in English and is very flexible.