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I've just stuck our camper up for sale, it's on Autotrader, a paid Ad on here and a Facebook 'VW T5 campers for sale' group. It's basically the same ad in all three places, give or take the odd picture as they have different limits on the number of pictures you can have. I'm toying with sticking it on eBay too.
It's not even been up for 24 hours yet so I'm not exactly expecting to have been flooded with interest by now, but if there's any glaring errors or omissions with the ad itself that might be putting people off then I'd rather get them sorted early doors.
So, this is the ad from the classifieds here, do your worst...
VW T5 Camper, Amdro Angel conversion – Singletrack World Magazine
Substitute “road bikes” with “gravel”?
What year is it?
I also like to see the reg of the vehicle in photos.
Have I missed it or do you not say what year the vehicle is?
I'd recommend adding that, and more exterior and cabin shots, including the reg plate.
Would-be buyers will want to have a nosey at the MOT history before they contact you.
Two issues...
• Hardly anyone views the STW classified now. This needs to be on Autotrader.
• You don't show the reg number - If people hide reg numbers so you can't check MOT history easily I just skip to the next advert. You don't even say how old it is.
Ah yeah, I'll add the year here (2004, 54 plate, it's a filed on the Autotrader/FB ads so got missed here when I just copied the blurb). The Autotrader/FB ads have the reg plate in a photo, the ad here was restricted to the number of photos so that's one of the ones that got chopped. I'll have a rethink.
Right, reg photo added.
Because I'm super picky about buying vehicles.....
Pics of the wheels/tyres - are they Chinese ditch finders or premium?
A pic of the engine bay
Reg plate for MOT history.
I'd mention it's the legendary PD engine
I like that - that is my kind of VW/camper, it's not on big daft wheels or 'slammed' and looks super practical.
Ps. Give the bumpers a wipe with Owatrol Polytrol.
Pics of the wheels/tyres - are they Chinese ditch finders or premium?
Let's say 'mid-range'
A pic of the engine bay
There is an engine bay pic in the Autotrader ad.
2004 Silver Volkswagen Transporter for sale for £10,000 in STOCKPORT, GREATER MANCHESTER
Reg plate for MOT history.
Done
I'd mention it's the legendary PD engine
I'll add that.
I like that - that is my kind of VW/camper, it's not on big daft wheels or 'slammed' and looks super practical.
It really is. I have a slight niggle that it's not very 'scene' may count against it though. Make me an offer 🙂
Yeah+1 for bumper black stuff. Easy to apply and restores all that faded grey without making it brittle.
I would also add some service/ mechanical info. What big items have been done? Clutch/ turbo/ egr valve/ exhaust manifold etc. So buyers know what doesn't need doing.
Also you will get inundated with the 'whats your lowest price bunch straight away' and folk who don't turn up. Give them a general postcode area but not your street and tell them to call when they are there. Then give them final directions. Avoids letting the dodgy folk know where a nice camper is located.
Make me an offer 🙂
I'd rather not my usual car buying amount is £500!!!
We have a small T@B320 caravan so aren't in the market for a camper but I do like Amdro stuff (I have a Berlingo as well and know of their Bootjumps) so would be your target market for yours. I think this will sell quickly.
How do these fare for rust? Might be worth mentioning if it's had any welding / underside protection
Dumb question, but I haven't sold a car for 15 years - insurance for test drives. It's insured for me and MrsIHN to drive, that's it. If/when someone wants to test drive it, how does that work?
Most policies cover a driver to drive another vehicle but it only covers 3rd party - they prang it on a test drive and your insurance would be picking up the bill to repair yours.
Single day/hourly insurance is available.
Whenever I've sold a car either I've driven it myself and given a full demonstration of accelerating/braking etc or I've let them drive it themselves but only in the confines of my yard/street area. I'm fully upfront with buyers and have had long conversation/WhatsApp with 100's of photos beforehand so the buyer has been usually pretty committed at that point.
How many passengers can it legally seat in the back? I can see a seatbelt receiver on the bench but no belts or how many.
(I'm not interested but, having 3 children, it really limits camper buying potential)
Most policies cover a driver to drive another vehicle but it only covers 3rd party - they prang it on a test drive and your insurance would be picking up the bill to repair yours.
Surely, if they were driving it third-party on their insurance and pranged it, my insurance would say "tough luck, we're not covering it cos they weren't insured under our policy"?
How many passengers can it legally seat in the back? I can see a seatbelt receiver on the bench but no belts or how many.
Legally, it can seat five overall. There's three seats in the cab (driver plus twin passenger seat) and there are actually three seatbelts in the back. One doesn't work though and one of the others is just a lap belt. They're folded away, I put them back in place to pass the MOT and then fold them away again.
The reality as a van is it is probably £4K over priced (especially at this time of year). It is a 21 year old standard van with 166K miles with a pretty basic camper set up. You can buy a 10 year newer model with less mileage for similar money. OK yours does have a camper set up but it is pretty basic and not worth a £4K premium IMHO. I think you will struggle to get more than 6-7K in the current market at this time of year.
The reality as a van is it is probably £4K over priced (especially at this time of year). It is a 21 year old standard van with 166K miles with a pretty basic camper set up. You can buy a 10 year newer model with less mileage for similar money. OK yours does have a camper set up but it is pretty basic and not worth a £4K premium IMHO. I think you will struggle to get more than 6-7K in the current market at this time of year.
Yeah, I'll admit I wasn't sure how much to pitch it at, but looking at similar age campers on Autotrader I don't think I'm miles off (in terms of asking price anyway, obvs the others may be overpriced too).
Most policies cover a driver to drive another vehicle but it only covers 3rd party
I really don't think that's the case any more. Some, (and maybe you are lucky in this respect) but it's not a standard feature of insurance any more. And as pointed out, the camper van would not count as a 3rd party vehicle during a test drive.
^Its on my 3 policies. I wouldn't be covered to repair if I drove Ihn's van - only the 3rd party I crashed into whilst driving it.
Its why I don't 'have a go' in my work colleagues exotica.
with a pretty basic camper set up.
It’s actually an excellent camper set up, much better than all the shiny things with a rock & roll bed… but only if you’re the target market, which will be quite a limited pool unfortunately.
We had the same in our T5 for 5 years and when we built the new van kept the furniture and supersized it 🙂
As for the ad… clean the van, take loads more photos in the sun, back to black on the bumpers, clean the cab mat and put something on it to freshen it up (not the silicon slippery stuff though).
Good luck, I imagine it’s not a great time to sell a camper.
Suspect that will sell quickly...I'll like the fact it hasn't been butchered with elastic band tyres. It looks good to me.
Not really for me as I can't see where the bikes would fit inside, but that is just my preference.
Most policies cover a driver to drive another vehicle but it only covers 3rd party - they prang it on a test drive and your insurance would be picking up the bill to repair yours.
Single day/hourly insurance is available.
Whenever I've sold a car either I've driven it myself and given a full demonstration of accelerating/braking etc or I've let them drive it themselves but only in the confines of my yard/street area. I'm fully upfront with buyers and have had long conversation/WhatsApp with 100's of photos beforehand so the buyer has been usually pretty committed at that point.
We got day insurance for test driving the boys new car, it was about £17 for a 24 hour period.
Not really for me as I can't see where the bikes would fit inside, but that is just my preference.
The beauty of the layout is that it will easily fit two road/gravel bikes or an MTB in the boot (wheels off), with room to spare for kit.
Also, because it's not all fancy-pants inside and you don't need to be paranoid about scratching any snazzy gloss-black cupboards, if you stick a big dustsheet down you can easily fit two MTBs (wheels off) in between the two bench seats in the back.
clean the van, take loads more photos in the sun, back to black on the bumpers, clean the cab mat
I'd literally just washed it! That's one of the reasons the bumpers look so discoloured cos they're still damp in places (although I will get some back to black stuff). Point taken on the cab mat, I'll have a another go with a stronger cleaner.
Unfortunately, to take more photos in the sun means a six-month wait...
with a pretty basic camper set up.
It’s actually an excellent camper set up, much better than all the shiny things with a rock & roll bed… but only if you’re the target market, which will be quite a limited pool unfortunately.
We had the same in our T5 for 5 years and when we built the new van kept the furniture and supersized it 🙂
As for the ad… clean the van, take loads more photos in the sun, back to black on the bumpers, clean the cab mat and put something on it to freshen it up (not the silicon slippery stuff though).
Good luck, I imagine it’s not a great time to sell a camper.
Agreed. When we bought our T5 12 years ago it had a fairly blingly camper conversion (was a conversion company's ex-demo van). Was great at the time but for anything other than poncing around in fields with other VW campers it was next to useless. I ripped the interior out a few years back and fitted a kombi setup with wipe clean flooring and coincidentally, an Amdro kombi bed which is an excellent bit of it. Again, not poncy, just decent and works.
Is ten grand too expensive? T5 camper prices are still all over the shop so I don't think this is wildly too expensive. You'll always get the "its a 2 grand van with some ply in the back" people but Amdro kit is top notch - they're like the Surly of the camper conversion world. Utilitarian but works really, really well.
Echo the above comments about treating the bumpers - for top notch stuff then C3 is ace. Otherwise I've heard Cherry Blosson black shoe polish works (albeit doesn't last as well).
What are folks thoughts about sticking it on eBay?
Re test drives, lots of short period insurance policies available. Some are app based, like Cuvva so quick to use on the spot. I am looking for a car now and have it ready installed on my phone.
Tidy looking van that. Friends have a similar age VW van but not converted other than fully lined which they bought earlier this year as they had two old vans that packed in, in short order. There van is tatty but the owner had a massive service history, so mechanically it's been great. They are happy with a fold out footon to sleep on.
Back to black won't last but I've some stuff that really good at restoring plastics, but it's expensive. It lasts. Probably similar to the products listed above. It's clear and needs about 24h to cure (ie no rain).
What are folks thoughts about sticking it on eBay?
Its worth a go. Theres also loads more T5 FB groups - T5 Forum (ignore the "don't sell stuff" rule, everyone else does) and the cringe named Transporter Boyz. Both have good member counts and will get it a bit of good exposure.
Oh and another tip if you get desperate to sell - change the tyres for some big off-road knobbly things and label it a swamper and it'll sell in 5 seconds.
I'd like to see more pictures all the way round, close ups of tyres so I could see brand and get an idea of tread.
Has it got full size spare.
I'm generally not interested in seeing back to black stuff but I think in this instance it would be a good idea.
+1 the list of works done
Any rust or bodywork done - front wings would be straight on my list (I have an 07 T5)
Price wise I dunno. My 2.5 is prob about 5k but what people would pay for a camper is anyone's guess. I think someone might buy for a year/big trip then sell on so afterwards without really losing money
Firstly - you asked for honest opinions so I'm just trying to be helpful. Serial car buyer and seller....
3 photographs showing the exact same view of a table... but none showing the wheels and tyres close up...Your wasting real estate there with autotrader.
Theres far too much focus on 'camper' and nowhere near enough on the 'van'. Needs much more detail on maintenance, underside, condition, repairs, maintenance etc.
Aesthetically it looks very old and tired. Needs a good valet and clean. Interior looks filthy. Shiny worn steering wheel and grubby pedals, seats stained, etc.
Make the effort to at least pull it off your driveway so you can get some photos from a useful angle!
Note that the autotrader technical data states it has 5 seats, yet that doesnt seem immediately truthful. Red flag for me straightaway. Whats on the V5? Is that rear bench pull tested? It looks to have a seatbelt clip fitted but if its not actually working, thats worse than not having one.
Finally - 10 grand seems absolutely insane. Sorry, but it does. Its a 21 year old fairly worn looking panel van with a load of wood thrown in the back.
they're like the Surly of the camper conversion world. Utilitarian but works really, really well.
Heavy and overpriced?
they're like the Surly of the camper conversion world. Utilitarian but works really, really well.
Heavy and overpriced?
Also a pretty good description of a VW transporter but not what I was getting at.
Nice van. Not the best time to sell a campervan. After the clocks change much worse. January terrible. April-May the best time. Depends if you want to wait until then.
I got a good result on my T5 bumpers with boiled linseed oil. Understand it doesnt last though. Maybe buy a cheap cab mat to cover the grubby floor
I'd do the first exterior picture with door closed & first interior picture with all the cupboards closed
The ad is fine but if we were being perfectionists:
I don't know what a PD engine is or why it's legendary.
Fix the broken seat belt and show photo of how it can legally seat three in the back.
Photos are a bit gloomy on the interior - can you get some better lighting?
"Regularly serviced" is a bit glib for an older vehicle where maintenance is important. Can you list out what's been done in the last three years...?
Maybe buy a cheap cab mat to cover the grubby floor
Excellent idea, ordered (and some Polytrol for the bumpers)
Fix the broken seat belt and show photo of how it can legally seat three in the back.
Yeah, I'll put the seatbelts in to show them properly. Unfortunately the broken one is not fixable without a lot of work to take the furniture out to access the retractor. It can still seat two legally in the back though with the remaining belts, and three up front.
"Regularly serviced" is a bit glib for an older vehicle where maintenance is important. Can you list out what's been done in the last three years...?
Yeah, feedback (yours and others) taken on board about lack of servicing detail. To be honest I can't remember what's been done - I take it for a service and MOT, the (trusted) garage says "{something} needs doing" and I say 'OK". I'll dig through the receipts and add some detail.
I don't know what a PD engine is or why it's legendary.
Its only legendary amongst VW fan bois who have one. They're (supposedly) nigh on indestructable, can run them on various liquids that aren't diesel, cheap to fix/maintain and doesn't have all the various modern bits bolted to it that potentially cause problems like DPFs etc. In reality its just a really common old tech diesel engine thats pretty reliable.
I take it for a service and MOT, the (trusted) garage says "{something} needs doing" and I say 'OK".
Which translates into sales blurb along the lines of "Meticulously Serviced by my trusted local VW expert garage for X years, and including the following:" (significant items in last 4 years;) "Date; item" (significant items eg Cam belt & water pump. exhaust etc etc). You want buyers to look past the age/mileage and focus on that its been very well maintained, reliable and you have had no major issues. That era of T5 I think was pretty much the high point of Transporter reliability which is why good examples are sought after.
re: Back to Black, use 'Solution finish' plastic restorer instead, best available.
1.9 PD engine is well know, though thought of as a little powered in a T5 (owners disagree), but can be tuned. Though the tuning is limited by the gearbox.
It's better than the 2.5 motor in that it does cost potentially £700 tax a year now!
As for overpriced.. It's T5 camper, they are all without question overpriced, so seems about right.
price is a bit high, even for a Transporter. expecially without the fancy bodywork people hang off them.
i got £9k, iirc, for a 2.5L 54 plate, with 100k miles on it, 5 years ago. in the summer.
i got £9k, iirc, for a 2.5L 54 plate, with 100k miles on it, 5 years ago. in the summer.
What a coincidence, I bought exactly the same 2.5 van, 54 plate, also for £9k but mine only had 65k miles on it.
This was in summer 2011 when it was 6 years old. How much a is a 6 year old Transporter now? I'm not even going to waste my time checking.
I really miss having a van but the prices need to chill the F out.
This one looks alright for my needs but I'd want to pay 5-6k really. No doubt someone will buy it it but you've missed the Instagram/YouTube vanlife gold rush.
Yeah, I'll put the seatbelts in to show them properly. Unfortunately the broken one is not fixable without a lot of work to take the furniture out to access the retractor. It can still seat two legally in the back though with the remaining belts, and three up front.
Sounds a little bit flaky and homebrew tbh. Better to sort it out, explain capacity clearly...or sell for "project" pricing...
The seatbelt things does sound a bit naff.
Also i thought there was a 'if fitted' seatbelt rule where if its fitted and available it MUST work to pass an MOT
Also i thought there was a 'if fitted' seatbelt rule where if its fitted and available it MUST work to pass an MOT
Dunno about that, but the defective one has been unbolted at the top so is, effectively, not fitted and it's passed many MOTs since.
TBH I wish I'd never fitted the rear belts. It was originally a three seater, the V5 got changed to five seats (and to 'motor caravan ' after it was converted and the seatbelts fitted. They came as an optional extra in the kit and they're bolted into the proper mounting points in the walls and through the floor, but I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times they've been used in all the years we've had the van.