Volkswagen transporter combi

[Inadither]

Hi. I'm thinking of getting a Volkswagen transporter with 6 seats. Mainly for chucking bikes in the back and to cart our stuff around on camping trips. We currently have an estate car but I can probably only afford £10000 which puts us in the older van with higher mileage bracket. Do these vans really go on and on reliably? Thanks

Look at other models, transporter is massively over priced due to a cult following it has got. Look at other short wheel base vans with double/crew cabs. Vauhauxall vivaro, Renault traffic, Mercedes Vito, ford transit.
I have a vivaro, double cab. 6 adult seats and loads of space in the boot. Classed as a commercial so road tax only 260. A Mercedes viano I looked at was over 400!, was classed as a car on v5.
You are buying a van so won't have lots of usual comforts.

They go on and on. Mine is 10 years old with 250k + miles. Great for bikes etc.

Thanks all. Had a look at other options but they're too far down the van route. I'll keep looking.

We have one of these. We love it. Exactly that: bikes, camping, dog, kids, no worries. It will be classed as a car if it has rear windows. This is our third Transporter, we got the previous one converted to rear seats but this is a factory Combi.

Transporters are quality vans and comfortable/refined to drive compared with cheaper vans - you do indeed pay a premium for this. But appreciated it when driving to France or Scotland.

It is DH's work van too so the back seats are in and out of it fairly regularly. I think it's a 60 plate and it had a wobble with some electrical fault but has been rock solid ever since. IIRC the T4's are supposed to be of legendary reliability.

You need a long wheelbase one to be able to fit bikes in with the back seats in place. LWB Combis are very much in demand especially factory ones rather than conversions. I would try and get one of the bigger engines or it will feel underpowered.

Also do look carefully at sizes of vans as it's helpful to have one that will fit in normal car parks/be recovered by standard recovery services.

They are worth every penny, they hold there price well because they go on forever, you need to shop around to find one with lowish mileage.

I wish I could afford one as they are ideal for families, great for camping and family trips out and great to use as a van to move things around. You don't necessarily need long wheel base as you can fit a big bike rack on the back.

Thanks all. I'm still looking!