[Closed] What's the point of a T5 type van?

It's the T5 as essential lifestyle accessory for biking

This only exists in your own head. It's only a bloody van. Why don't you try to be irrationally outraged every time you see someone driving a Ford Fiesta for being part of the essential Fiesta lifestyle cult? Then you'll see how deranged you sound.

I'm not being defensive. I don't know anyone on this forum and don't care what you think.

I do however own a T5 and have owned or at least driven all of the alternatives so if people need factual knowledge I like to help. The purchase price didn't bother me. I have no other expenses or offspring. The T5 hasn't been perfect but it's currently been around about three times longer than I've owned anything else. If it was a Ford Transporter or a Vauxhall Transporter I'd probably still have chosen it.

VW vans cost loads of money ,some of us (including me )don't have /wouldn't spent that much on a vehicle and are jealous is the gist of the thread !!

You are just not very good at taking the piss,are you?

No, I'm not!

Why don't you try to be irrationally outraged every time you see someone driving a Ford Fiesta for being part of the essential Fiesta lifestyle cult? Then you'll see how deranged you sound.

Ok but I've never heard of anyone making references to the Fiesta 'scene', or 'getting' Fiestas, both of which have cropped up here relating to T5s. And other people have referred to it too, people approaching them to talk about their vans. That tends not to happen with Fiestas?

I suppose people do post pictures of their lovingly waxed Fiestas on boyracertrackworld.com but I don't go to those sites. If I did, I'd probably be irritated (but not irrationally outraged) by them too!

A friend of mine has a bright yellow Ital ex BT van. It gets loads of comments from people. Even still has the Busby sticker in the back window.
He doesn't seem to mind.

Also don't think I've seen a picture of a tricked out highly waxed ducto or transit on here either.

does it need to be tricked out to be a vehicle for moving bulky dirty equipment ?

i guess im not worthy with my beat up old van .... ill leave the thread now i think ..... off to stick some chequer board vinyl to my rusty bonnet and fit some stretched smart car tires to my wheels so i fit in.......

[img] [/img]

It adds a whole new level to the enjoyment I get from driving my T5 knowing that I generate so much frustration and bewilderment in others. Wait until they find out there's a Mountain bike inside WITH DROP BARS ON! 😯

For those with campers, what do you do if you go somewhere for more than a night? Do you end up having to pack everything up each day to go out and then set up again each evening?

My mates old van that I think looks better than ANY T5 and certainly goes better:

Have been into custom vans since I was 6 with the old man and myself owning a few. VW have captured the market with making decent vans available to the masses and the aftermarket scene has caught onto this.

Are they good vans. YES
Are there better vans. YES.

Will people ever agree on them. NO.

I have a Vivaro LWB crew van as I wanted to be able to seat five or six and keep the bikes in a totally seperate area without taking the wheels off.

It adds a whole new level to the enjoyment I get from driving my T5 knowing that I generate so much frustration and bewilderment in others.

Nonono.. not driving it - that's fine. It's modding it, talking about it, talking about how it looks, and waxing it.

and waxing it

Are those jeans fire retardant that the old bloke in the Thames Trader is wearing ? Wouldn't want to bin it wearing that kit !

bookwyse - that's faster than my dad's Ford Thames, which took a faamily of 5 around Scotland for camping holidays so many years ago.
I've hardly seen another since the 70s

Edric, its a Thames 400e not a trader and they are normal jeans as that is all that is required to be worn at a Run What Ya Brung day at the Pod.

Moses, its running a big block Chevy, fully space framed chassis and will go even quicker than that. My old man has just sold his 1960 Thames 400E that he was the first person to register it. It was registered in 2014 and had less than 800 miles on it when he sold it about two months ago.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1960-FORD-THAMES-400E-CAMPERVAN-CALTHORPE-VERY-RARE-/151662181968?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item234fc53e50

I drive a trafic lwb high top for work. Good enough van and ok to drive.
I've a very nice Volvo xc60 and a 1981 vw t25 that I've had for 13 years.
I've had so many good times in the vw I doubt I'd ever sell it, even tho it drives like a tank, has no power steering, the brakes barely work and it gets about 20mpg, but I smile every time I drive it.

unreliable big expensive bits of very ungermanlike engineering, more italian for its niggles really, my camper is currently totally stripped out to get to one small broken wire. i don't think mine has ever gone for more than 3minutes without the dash lighting up like an xmas tree and i utterly detest all the 'dubber' chav element b$llox that they seem to attract... but i love mine and am about to sell and buy another to convert knowing full well all that mine has played up will no doubt happen again.

Anyone want to buy a decent split screen 71 camper? I know the van very well. It has the classic conversion interior.

Never mind " Whats the point of a T5 ? "

Whats the point of those stupid side bars that people put on them ?

( I'm a very happy Trafic SWB Campervan home converted Van owner ........ looked at VWs but decided that the Renault was better VFM especially as all models have the 6-speed g/box unlike the T5s)

Lets face it, what's not to like. Freshly waxed and shining in the evening sun.

[img] [/img]

That's a thing of beauty

Toyota Previa

Get a Moto-X bike in it (with the front forks compressed) .
Fast cruiser, totally reliable.
Plenty of companies doing camper (and LPG)conversions.

[img] [/img]

i had to sell the five and I'm quite happy drinking instant coffee...

reported. 😉

My interest in VW vans principally stemmed from finding an S Max a bit too small when loaded for camping with the toys, and the fact that they are galvanised so as long as you keep on top of maintenance you can run one for as close to forever as makes no difference (going by mileage of some on sale). Was actually looking for Vito's but they are a bit rarer in a reasonably comfy Dualiner spec (round here anyway, Braunton was swarming with them).

[quote=molgrips ]And other people have referred to it too, people approaching them to talk about their vans. That tends not to happen with Fiestas?

I've now made a note to approach other Mondeo owners to talk to them about their cars.

I have to say I like my T5 Cali but the bloody rattles after 3 months of ownership are annoying me.

Ok but I've never heard of anyone making references to the Fiesta 'scene', or 'getting' Fiestas, both of which have cropped up here relating to T5s. And other people have referred to it too, people approaching them to talk about their vans. That tends not to happen with Fiestas?

Or maybe we're the wrong demographic to find that sort of thing in.

VW's tend to command a higher resale value than other equivalent models meaning they tend to be owned by people with more money to burn at a particular price point. For this function, we're talking serious money which, all said and done, is the kind of money Mr Average STW can fling about. Mr Average STW will tend to be middle aged and not really into the hot-hatch scene and a Fiesta driver most likely would be late teens/ early 20's and into that sort of 'scene'. There are plenty of scenes out there, you just need to have a browse along the car magazines in Smiths to see. Fords, VW's, Hondas, Jap Cars, French Cars, Italian cars, [s]Traction Engines[/s] diesel cars etc.

I heard Alfa drivers get particularly delighted when they pass each other, probably because they realised that double the number of Alfas previously thought are working on that particular day.

Mol grips, caravans cost money to run don't they?...insurance, servicing a loan, paying to park it in a field somewhere etc. not as expensive as a van, but an additional cost over running another vehicle, which for a large family caravan needs to be a substantial car with a high enough towing weight. Then you've got the faff of getting ready to go somewhere...picking up the van from the farmers field, loading it up etc. when you want to use it, so not quite as 'ready to go' as a van. And after all that you're stuck at 60mph on the motorway.

1) Such a substantial car is no more than a 2.0 diesel for the monster my folks own. Weight matters more than power in that things case. Hardly defying convention.

2) What field? Some folk might do that but not all, most seem to keep it on their drive.

3) The exact same speed restrictions also apply to vans despite what some may think.

Under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, a "car derived van" is defined as:- "A goods vehicle which is constructed or adapted as a derivative of a passenger vehicle and which has a maximum laden weight not exceeding 2 tonnes."

We're done with all these pocket-sized vans 😉

[img] [/img]

It just smacks of rank materialism, that's all.

Says the man with many bikes, a wife, a Passat, two kids (if that is not excessive I don't know what is 🙂 ) a caravan, a prius, a house......

Back to speed limit school dave.

Where I live I am not allowed to keep a caravan on my drive - it's written in my deeds, so if we got a caravan - or indeed a proper motorhome that wasn't being used as a daily drive, then it would need to be stored off my drive. So that is where a T5-like van would come in handy, for work commute and weekend family fun as well as more conveinient biking vehicle. It is a lifestyle thing - but isn't that what cars are basically, in that you buy one to suit your life? Are those with their sports cars, 4x4's etc. not buying them for a lifestyle - or at least an attempt to project to others an image of a lifestyle?

I have to say I like my T5 Cali but the bloody rattles after 3 months of ownership are annoying me.

My 85,000mile Subaru is squeak free because I hunt down any sound (usually window glass against rubber seal- so use lubricant or the seat back steel hoop mount. Anything else- abit of thick cut foam placed will help.

Oiled and greased everything poss? Fitted anything aftermarket? Open and a couple of good retightens with the screwdriver works wonders. Tyre pressures right? No aftermarket wheels? It shouldn't squeak unless you rag it over speedbumps and potholes IMO!

wobbliscott - Member

It is a lifestyle thing - but isn't that...

...almost the point of being alive?

Sort of OT- but read an article this week about a woman who was suffering from depression. She came to realise that she was existing and not actually living.

Maybe we all need a lifestyle vehicle in our life and then USE IT to the nth degree.

never driven a camper then hora.

they all rattle like **** from factory.

every one ive hired (ok admittedly fullsize fibreglass body ones) sound like a cuttlery drawer strapped to an orange 5 falling down the stairs

id expect a cali to be no different.

its the nature of moving parts - doors , fold out beds stuff flexing and twisting ...... i now know i wouldnt want an "actual" camper for any length of holiday unless it was my own and i could take steps to as you say hunt down thenoise and remedy the cause.

every one ive hired (ok admittedly fullsize fibreglass body ones) sound like a cuttlery drawer strapped to an orange 5 falling down the stairs

The interior of my car looks grim, like a mud-pit but its silent to drive. I HATE rattles!! Whenever I travel in a old minicab I grit my teeth.

Toyota Previa

GOOD CALL.

i agree on previa.

we batter them round the middle east through the desert.

they take a royal beating and come back for more.

400k km on the last one i got from the office there, drove tight like it was new.

It had had the carpet changed out for someones kitchen lino though.

As a big fan of campervans for adventures and stuff I can see the point of them as a spare vehicle. Extra vehicles are a luxury and if you're chucking money then why not get something "cool" (if a van can be cool) and that fits your lifestyle? I've driven almost every van going and can say the T5 is the nicest- best to drive and a nicer place to be. If it were my own money I'd not pay that much, I'd get a Vivaro which is almost as nice to drive, doesn't fall to bits and is much cheaper. But if money were no object I'd get a T5. But it'd have to be a camper. A normal van? You may as well just use your main car. I do pretty much all my adventures in a Fabia hatchback with a towbar bike rack...

Having one to use every day sounds awful. It might be a nice van but it's still a van- thirstier than a car, noisier, less refined, less comfortable, bigger etc.

Where I live I am not allowed to keep a caravan on my drive - it's written in my deeds

Mine too - but it was made clear to me that such things might not be terribly enforcable. Certainly not had complaints yet, in 6 years.

hora - the T5 Cali has a whole house inside it so the areas where it rattles are numerous and varied.

pjm84 - I hear you. Key culprits - folding table not being secured at bottom, stick your hand on it when you push it to get the bottom anchor, bench seat drawer is essentially full of rattles! - ours went away when i put carpets in the back, drivers window when down is a T5 fault, mine also has like a really really really irritating noise in the dash which isn't the moo valve but sounds like a bit of plastic tickign against something. Drives me potty.

[img] [/img]

This thread seems to have created quite a stir on here! What would happen if we attacked the STW favourite, the Skoda Octavia? Would we bring down the internet?

This thread seems to have created quite a stir on here!

Well if you enjoyed this one there'll be another one along in about 6 weeks.

The T6 comes out at the end of this year. Heaven help us.

My experiences mean that I reckon most of these vans fit the mash's view on it.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/camper-van-gives-illusion-of-freedom-2012061430501

Of course, that's very much unfair to those who get rather more use out of them (several on this thread) but I think it's fair to say that a large number do match up to the mash article.

Back to speed limit school dave.

Nope, quite aware of them. Simply sticking a window on the side doth not a dual purpose vehicle make though, as I already pointed out is must be under 2040kg unladen, depending on the model you go for you can easily breach that limit.

https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/car-derived-vans-and-dual-purpose-vehicles/car-derived-vans-and-dual-purpose-vehicles

https://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/range/transporter/transporter-kombi/specification

EDIT: Hmm, I see your point, vans can still do 70 if not towing, the police link I was quoting from said 60. Helpful.

Whilst my van has been reclassified as a motorhome, so does it come under the 70mph for motor home or the 60 for LGV. A very grey area.

From SK's first link above

Motorhomes or motor caravans (not more than 3.05 tonnes maximum [b]unladen[/b] weight) 60/70/70 single/dual/motorway

Assumed my medium wheelbase Sprinter campervan was 50/60/70. How do I find the unladen weight for the vehicle please ?

So long as it's also re registered as a campervan, nit just banging a window in the side.

Andy - check your V5 to see what it's registered as and what it weighs.

Thanks Mikewsmith, will do

[img] https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/re1bognsEZpg6qgU5RNAF6hzLQ25Noh6P4pUwmh8Og=w1024-h768-no [/img]

Will be getting a new van shortly due to a dealer ordering cock up. .

I suspect the same rattles will occur with the new vehicle. The dash rattle seems to be related to the VIN area / sticky foam rubber that has fallen behind the dash. The rattle above my head is annoying. I cant seem to trace it. The drinks holder rattles when extracted from the dash.

However the "camper" part is pretty good and rattle free apart from the occasional clunk typically originating from items in the fridge.

The rattle above my head is annoying

Well, had a look at a couple of large estates and a couple of vans today...

Mondeo - old model seems like it's larger (or at least, boot aperture looks larger...) but rare as RHS 2nd hand around here
- new model looks nice, but all fittings felt plasticky and it didn't look as big as I expected

Audi A6 - As huge as I had expected, nicely built, but pricey and high CQ.

VW vans - boot much larger than I'd previously thought and second row seating area similarly spacious. Impressed, but need to get my head around running costs vs purchase costs vs depreciation

Also need to understand the various spec options. TD130 Highline looked nice

Looking out the window at our Galaxy with two canoes on roof, four bikes on the back and another in the boot, I can see the benefit of a van today. 🙁

Whereas our swb T5 just swallowed two bikes whole plus all our camping and biking kit for a week away, still leaving enough room in the back for us to sit on the rear seat/R&R bed and brew up. When we get there, quick bit of shuffling stuff about and the bed will fold out. Can be done with bikes inside if I take the wheels off and slot them under the bed, but for ease we'll probably just lock them to a chassis member overnight with a cover over them as usual.

Fitted myself, colleague, personal kit, bike and 15 x 65 litre rucsacs for a D of E expedition this weekend into the SWB T5. 8)

😆

I fit a family of four into a VW Passat this weekend and towed a caravan.

What game are we playing again?

I fitted a family of 4 plus a buggy into my LWB T5 this weekend and went to Asda to pick up a couple of stair gates 😀

We're playing 'justify my lifestyle vehicle choice' Mol...

On the other hand a good few years ago now my 205 3dr took my wife and I with 2 mtbs and a tandem (pretty much dismantled fully mind you) along with our luggage for a trip to the south of Grance and we didn't need confined space training.

4 people vauxhall vectra, 2 massive tents, climbing gear and loads more
4 people mazda 6. 4 bikes, paraglider and more

2 people LWB med high transit 4 bikes double bed, room to hide, climbing gear and enough room to live for 2 weeks.

The T5 is bigger than a estate car, it's smaller than lots of other vans.

Folk running t5 vans should get a proper wee van in a transit and enjoy some genuine space! Save the extra 5 grand on purchase and spend it on a shiny bike instead

What game are we playing again?

Well, believe it or not, I didn't start this thread as a troll against van owners (or estate owners...)

Current estate car is too small, and goes back to the lease company within the next 6 months. Company has pulled the plug on company car scheme, so I am genuinely looking at my options...

The T5 is bigger than a estate car, it's smaller than lots of other vans.

QED. Thread Closed.

Aw...

Folk running t5 vans should get a proper wee van in a transit and enjoy some genuine space! Save the extra 5 grand on purchase and spend it on a shiny bike instead

Got a shiny T5 and shiny bikes. Whats your point caller?

If you had a bigger cheaper van you could have 2 shiny bikes and have room for the inside 😉 (can't be bothered to look up the what t5 bike rack threads)

Good point. Unfortunately I'm quite into the VW 'scene' (god I hate that term) and turning up at a show with Transit or something ain't going to cut it 😉

If you don't get the point of a van then they're not for you*, that's OK.

VWs aren't for me, but they seem nice and if some people get a sense of belonging or prestige from owning one then I won't judge them any more harshly than someone with a nice car.

(* but you're not a real MTBer**)

(** only joking)

T5 driver here, works van with as many private miles I can muster.
It's OK nothing special tbh. I have much more fun in my t2 continental westy.
If your looking for a new van the latest mercs drive well and look nice but are a tad smaller inside.

I have much more fun in my t2 continental westy

by fun, do you mean sitting by the side of the road waiting for the recovery truck?

No brand new gearbox and engine built by my own fair hands.
T5s don't brake down then? My work van has twice it's on 27thou and rattles like hell.

If you don't get the point of a van then they're not for you*, that's OK.

So - if you want to carry a lot of stuff around, you need a van.

Hardly a ground breaking revelation, is it? 🙂

Definitely not worthy of seven pages.

But I think it would have struggled to make two without the VW element TBH.

I may have helped pad the thread out, I admit 🙂

Spent a lot of the weekend in a 2014 T5 Highline and it really isn't as nice or quiet as a well spec'd Vito, they are definitely more "vanny" inside. The rattles would drive me nuts.
The only real benefit I can see of one is the residual values in comparison, and they look cooler.

There were a bunch of T5's of various styles and colours down at Weston-Super-Mare yesterday, all independent of one-another, and certainly nothing to do with any 'scene', it just happened it was the Weston Air Day. Loads of proper 'camper'-type vehicles as well, and given the choice, and the money, I'd have a T5 or earlier, like a T3 Kombi, with a reasonably tricked out rear. Reason being I'm a fussy git, and aesthetics mean a lot; I like the look of the VW's, I don't like the look of any other vans, except for the Mercs, and the new Transit Custom, which I reckon would make a great 'lifestyle' vehicle, especially if it was possible to get a Custom with four-wheel drive, and height adjustable suspension.
That's it, really, it comes down to how the damned thing looks, and I'll bet that's true for most T5 owners; it's just a much nicer looking vehicle than pretty much any other van derivative out there.
As for having a car and caravan, sorry Mol, but there's no chance! Been there, done that, although not actually towing myself; too young at the time.
I recently re-visited a part of the country where we used to go with the 'van; South Hams, in Devon. Driving round the exact same lanes in my Octy, I really could not believe we towed a 16' 'van behind a Ford Corsair, the lanes are so steep and narrow. I'm going back down there later this year, with a tent, but I'd love to be able to take a van down there, just as easy to manoeuvre around the lanes, and handier if the weather takes a turn for the worst, which it can easily do.
Maybe the lottery will cough up...

7 pages in so thought I'd add some fairly useless observations: They're about the same length as a ford galaxy - but bigger internally. That's all really. I have to take my bikes to pieces to get just one in mine. With the galaxy I just took a wheel off. But then again I'm a smug Cali owner and all that interior stuff (fridge cooker cupboards blah) takes up quite a bit of space.

I have a friend with i800 (don't choke on your coffee folks) that seems a brilliant t5 alternative, apart from the scene.
I am tempted (as I was when we bought the Galaxy).