Camper van

[ditavonteesed]

So total novice here, we have decided we are going to get a camper van next year and I have no idea where to start.
Looking around I think we probably want a t5 with a pop top.
There is me and dh, 2 teenage girls (who will sleep in a tent) and 3 dogs.
So what do I need to know? Anything, good, bad and the ugly.

Budget around 15-20k ideally. Is that even doable, the prices seem to range so massively when I have looked.

What year is your alphard @EddieVeddersfoxymop ? I thought they were more like 1.9m without the pop top, 2.1 with?

@WaffleCash its a 2003. Definitely 198cm, had to check his height to fit him on the ferry back from the Isle of Wight!!

I would seriously suggest you hire a campervan for a weekend and see how you get on with the layout and the roof etc

I think a weekend camping with your teenage girls will give you a few ideas of what you like about a campervan and what you don’t like

Then you can take those things into consideration when purchasing

I know proper conversions cost money but look on ebay for a bare bones van. They are really cheap. Then add a few cupboards and sleeping arrangements and they suddenly cost a fortune !

We have a T5 with a pop up top. Bought it two years ago for £20k. It's still going strong and we haven't had to spend much money on it at all in that time.
It's the best thing we ever did. We've had so many fabulous adventure in it. Last summer we got caught in the terrible storms that cancelled boardmasters festival in Newquay and our van withstood it well!
There is DH and I, my two younger DC (both under 10) and our dog. Our teenagers (both 18+) have been along a couple of times but they have a small tent next to the van.
Mattress topper for the bottom bed, self inflating mattress for the roof box.
We have an awning which is essential for trips away more than one night. We haven't done any trips longer than 3 nights but we did buy it primarily for long weekends away and for stopping off on our annual trip to a holiday home in the Southwest (we live in north east).
There is room for the dog bed at the end of the bottom bed once pulled out.

Having had a few caravans and currently on camper number 4
Hire a couple of different ones to hep you decide.
A toilet is a must as is solar power as you can then camp anywhere and not have to rely on on site stuff, it gives so much more choice.
We use a dog cage just like in the car much safer.
In general they are too small or too big our current one takes up one and a quarter car park spaces so is a best compromise, but its tight for 4 adult size people, but easier to drive ad park.
I feel prices are currently climbing so might be best to hand ion but who knows? Check everything works as if you are not handy it can be expensive. Check for damp then check again as most have some damp in but it can be hard to spot.
If you buy the right one it shouldn't loose much value.
Look at heating we fitted a diesel powered heater its fantastic and can use it all year round.
Just do a list of why and what it will be used for.
Friends have a massive 8.5 M long one its fantastic, but its like driving a bus, cant park in most places have to use a coach park lots of sites wont let it in as its too long for a normal pitch and cant be parked on grass due to the weight, so plenty to consider.
I would hire one firts and see what you think.

We got a 2007 T5 last November for £10.5k - it looked good and was all there was for that money - we had seen quite a lot of doggy T4s before that.

We knew it needed a few bits tidying up, but each time we looked at anything more carefully we found something else to add to the list of things needing doing.

Work we have done:
Heater direction slider not working
Heater blower only worked on speed 3 and 4
Tow bar electrics were a total mess - it worked though but needed tidying up
Grab handles added to front and side doors
Parking sensors added front and rear
Several cupboards did not open/close properly - check them all
Drawer under cooker needed adjusting to stop it coming off the rails
Rear door open light is on permenantly (still to be fixed)
Added a hydraulic bonnet strut - well worth it
Several broken plastic covers and fittings - these are expensive to replace
Missing cover on the handbrake

So my advice is check everything works, make a list of faults and use it to get a discount.

I must admit to being disappointed in German engineering and I know other types would be (on the face of it) much better value for money, but I know the van is sound and everything now works.

Not that we are going to sell it, but I am confident we could sell it for a lot more than we paid for it.

We have a VW T5 and have had T4 and T5s for over 15 years, used daily as a vehicle and our sole family vehicle since having children - some thoughts from me...

• I would only have a transporter, yes you can get more for your money with other vans, but they are not transporters. We have tried and swiftly returned back to a T5. DH drives ford work vans and there are many things better in the transits but overall they just don’t compare to the build of the transporters and we would pay the difference every time.
• ours has absolutely not been a money pit, we’ve had our current one 7 years, it is an early T5 so getting on age wise with over 200k miles on the clock and has passed the MOT no issues every single time!
• 100% recommend long wheel base!!! Makes a huge difference inside but very little impact on driving and parking, about same length as a family estate.
• agree with what other posters have said about height and car parks/barriers, ours has been lowered slightly which helps and is great and we would only go for a very low profile pop up because of that too. If looking at lowered vans, be careful on wheel size so it doesn’t adversely effect drive, stick to standard Transporter size wheels, the massive alloys destroy the drive (lesson learnt!)
• prices are extremely difficult to compare once the vans are more than a couple of years old, no transporter owner has a clear idea of what their van is worth as the vans themselves vary so much and they definitely hold their money well as pricing is largely based on demand
• I don’t know where you are based but prices vary a lot over the country, eg prices tend to be higher in the south west etc
• I will never tire of the sound of the sliding door on the transporter ha!!
• fit it out yourself if you can and make it work for you, we have done a better job on our carpet lining ourselves at fraction of the cost
• think hard about whether you want units all down the side inside, it swallows up so much room, we don’t have them and the difference is fab, friends have sold vans because of it and gone for more simple conversions instead

As others have said, don't get sucked into it must be a VW. I found there's a certain amount of snobbery with campers with VW's being the ultimate. In my experience they can be overpriced money pits. (I have one rotting away on my driveway so am speaking from experience) Get a Renault or Merc, long wheel base, high top if possible. Pop tops can smell a bit like damp canvas

Looking too for a VW. We’ve had a motor home and looking for more of a day van. Have looked at conversions and was surprised at how close the rear seat is to the back doors. Is this safe??? It’s the only deal breaker I have!

@ditavonteesed have you made any progress with your campervan plans?

The more I look, the more confused i get about what i want

We have a t5 long wheel base. It’s fantastic and I love her! Even just for days out she’s great. Would wholly recommend and VW keep their value so if it dies t work for you, you can sell it on without a loss.

Yes!! We bought a T5. Pop top. Absolutely love it. Got everything we need in it apart from a toilet obviously. We are going to buy a toilet tent so should be self contained.
We’ve done a few day trips and loved it.

@Flossie44 you must be much more decisive than me! I think i'll still be trying to decide what we want this time next year at this rate!

@WaffleCash we have decided on either a t5, swb. Found the place that's going to do the conversion which is amazing, been to look round a couple of times and look at all the different vans. Also found a place locally to me that sells ex aa vans so it might be one of those.

Just waiting till she gets confirmation that he isn't losing his job then it's all go. So exited.

If we can't find a VW that fits the bill 2nd choice is a ford transit custom, more van for your money but doesn't hold its value as well.

Do you mind sharing the place you've looked round? The places I've seen which have a decent selection all seem to be a bit of a drive from us, in normal times we'd just combine with a weekend away or similar but Covid makes things trickier.

busstopvw.co.uk/

Can’t add much about the VW campers as we have a 7.5 motorhome. But would just like to say if you’re considering a pop top really check it. We’ve often been on sites & seen people really struggling to get pop tops to drop down in order to drive away.

@Darklane out of interest what do you have? I’m still working out if I want a day van type VW or a Motorhome but thinking about a 6m Motorhome atm.

We have a 7.5 m Autotrail now. Bought it new three years ago.One of the Frontier range.
We’ve had others in the past, mainly Swifts.

I thought I would bump this after reading all the fab advice, we are finally ready to take the plunge. Hopefully getting van in the next couple of weeks.

I've tried looking at all the vans and being sensible but I keep coming back to the vw.

Can't believe it's actually happening.

Now to start thinking about what we need for trips away. (Obviously local and not at all for quite some time) maybe sleep on fiends drives till lockdown is over.
Also we are really excited about the idea of britstops and going somewhere localish for a nice meal and sleeping overnight, have a few people who would be willing to stay at ours with dogs and kids.

We have a VW T5, paid the extra and went for the California, why, because it’s factory fit, the height is under 2 metres so will get you into most car parks, also, beware of dodgy conversions, do your research. We use ours as an everyday drive which meant our budget was bigger, was an ex demo so came with all the additional options, I love ours in the South of France and when the weather is good, I love it for day trips and festivals. I don’t like it in wet weather with the kids in and out, bringing in mud and letting the cold air in. Now my DC are older they have a separate easy pitch tent. We bought an expensive drive away awning, it was too big so we sold it - it took away the spontaneity, also I like to sit in the van with a view and not be looking into an awning. It takes a couple of seasons to learn how to really pack light and only take what you need. Do I think it’s a cheap way to go on holiday - not particularly - would I buy one again - most definitely!

Thanks for the reply, I bought a pop up gazebo with small t3nt attach3d from Aldi earlier in the year and I'm hoping this will work but wondered about a small pop up tent instead for shorter trips. I can't see the appeal of the drive away awnings, like you say isn't the point of the van that you are outside. I may obviously change my mind though. The convertors I have found are amazing. I have been a few times and looked round the vans they are doing at all the stages. Can't stretch to the California unfortunately but I bet it's gorgeous.

Whatever you get I hope you enjoy, good time to buy in the winter before next spring/summer. Decathlon are good for tents, we have a small 2 man pop up from there, we did treat DS to a proper camp bed though!

[quote EddieVeddersfoxymop]@WaffleCash, we love ours! Fabulous cars. We did a 1200 mile round trip to view, buy and drive home our one! Bonkers but worth it.[/quote]
im weighing up alphard or granvia. there's just me. alphard just a bit - lot - more costly...
is pop up electric and easy? do you get under barriers?
ecisted and daunted at such a huge cost..