camper vans

[Tomo18]

not that Glastonbury related, but sure there will be a few that know there stuff on here

i am looking into buying a vw camper sometime this year/early next year

but where do i start?

i have looked on gum tree and so on but is there a site just for the campers

it doesn't have to be pristine but i don't want to be rebuilding one from a shell either

i have currently got about 10k set aside

if you own one what are the pluses(other than the beauty) and the minuses

thanks

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

not that Glastonbury related, but sure there will be a few that know there stuff on here

i am looking into buying a vw camper sometime this year/early next year

but where do i start?

i have looked on gum tree and so on but is there a site just for the campers

it doesn't have to be pristine but i don't want to be rebuilding one from a shell either

i have currently got about 10k set aside

if you own one what are the pluses(other than the beauty) and the minuses

thanks

[carlosj]

Have a Google for vw forums too, they'll have advice, knowledge and also sales.

The vws are an icon and therefore will mainly have a price markup, although maybe the later boxy ones (t4?) will be cheaper?

I've heard that the soft roofs can leak, and the inside is poky, but if you add an awning and remember the size allows you to drive in spaces that "traditional" vans can't, it evens out.

How about renting one to see how you like it? You can see whether you want space or a loo. If you don't, you can always buy a toilet tent and loo to have nearby, but don't dismiss a shower or loo inside if you're going to park up in towns and regular breaks away, as you may not have those facilities nearby.

[TheNewUnion]

I feel like the VW badge is the premium price point and my recent investigations led me to lean more towards a Hymer.

For me, equally as "cool". Bigger, more facilities inside and more bang for your buck.

If it's gotta be a VW though, there are loads of specialist forums who will know everything you could ever need to know and more.

[Thearg]

I've also got some money put aside for this but have decided to go down the self build route,I find the vw a bit small and am looking to go travelling in mine next spring so will need something bigger,probably an ldv convoy or long wheeled transit.

My plan is to rip the guts out of an old caravan and put that in.

[Mr Splodge]

My brother in law has a vw camper (painted like a cow). It is always having problems he is constantly fixing it and it drinks fuel. Lucky he is a mechanic.

Unfortunately they need a lot of cash both to purchase and keep on the road.

Fab vehicles tho.

[grumpyhack]

I don't have a camper so can't speak from personal experience. But two of our Glasto gang have (in theory) VW campers. One made it to the festival, the other is still undergoing major welding and mechanical work and wasn't ready in time. So instead our old trailer tent had to be brought into use.

Talking to VW owners all I seem to hear about is repairs and rust. It also seems that a lot is paid for the cache of the VW name.

I'd ask yourself do you really want a camper? You've got all of the insurance and road tax and maintenance issues. Fine if it's your everyday transport but a lot of additional cost if it is a second vehicle.

I moved from a trailer tent, that stored easily in mother in law's garage, to a caravan and am really pleased with it. A lot more room - 4 berth, a proper toilet, shower and washroom. A full sized cooker and fridge and lots of storage room.

And in really good nick it cost £4,500 - a lot more for a lot less than a camper.

The other advantage for non-festival holidays is once you've parked it up at the site where you are staying you can un-hitch the car and have a vehicle to travel round in without having to pack everything away every time you want to go somewhere.

Towing a caravan takes a bit of practice but when we travelled in convoy to Glasto I was easily able to keep ahead of the VW camper.

If, after that, you're still stuck on a camper why not look at the Mazda Bongo Friendee. An odd name but Mazda and Ford Friedas (just a different branding) share a lot of parts with mainstream Fords and are significantly cheaper. They are also four wheel drive, which can be a help on muddy festival sites.

[carlosj]

I feel like the VW badge is the premium price point and my recent investigations led me to lean more towards a Hymer.

For me, equally as "cool".

[eFestivals]

Firstly, you need to decide if you want a camper that looks nice on your drive, or a camper that you can actually drive.

Having worked that one out, you'll have decided that a workable/drivable T1 (split screen) or T2 (classic bay) are outside the £10k you want to spend. Any T1 or T2 for less than £10k will be a dog.

Then you need to decide if you want something with a bit of classic style (T25 [sometimes called T3] - the 'wedge'), or you'd be quite happy with something that's modern (T4 or T5).

All of T25, T4, & T5 are good vehicles, that will be reliable (if maintained), can be driven at motorway speeds*, used for very long journeys (I've done west Devon to T in the Park and back, for example. 1000+ miles in a weekend), etc etc, etc. Take your pick.

(*a T25 will slow on the bigger hills, but not dreadfully so)

I've got a T25, built in 1985, fully fitted but a 'home' conversion, bought privately (seen for sale on the roadside) in 2011 for much much less than you plan to spend. It's sailed thru 4 MOTs, with less than £100 needed to be spent on it the one occasion it didn't pass first time.

It has broken down on me a few times, but every single one of them was a minor fuel (petrol) issue so I was stuck for only as long as it took for the AA to arrive and quickly sort it.

That sounds a bit of a pain, but it should be ignored really. Running a T25 on petrol is expensive (they do 20 to 25mpg), so the very first thing I did was get an LPG conversion fitted for around a grand. You then get to use fuel at half the price of petrol that gives an equivalent of 40 to 50 mpg.

The breakdowns I've had have been when I've run out of LPG and switched to petrol, only to find that the petrol won't pump thru. This is probably due to a combination of petrol hardly ever being used (about once a year) plus a failing fuel pump (which I've not bothered to change precisely because it doesn't get used). It's only taken a bit of prodding to get it working again.

The only other mechanical issue I've had is I've needed to replace the exhaust pipe (can be done for around £500 at worst).

The only other problem I've had is a small electrical fire, due to chaffing wires - my fault, I'd routed the wires in the way they were routed. (I got very lucky with that, it did very little damage. I fixed things myself in a couple of hours and for a £30 spend).

The common major problems are these....

1. fuel fires. I'm not entirely sure why, but early VWs (T1, T2, T25) have a history of springing petrol leaks, and causing the whole thing to go up in flames.

IF YOU SMELL FUEL, STOP IMMEDIATELY! DO NOT IGNORE!!! Turn off the engine while the vehicle is still moving so that fuel has stopped dripping around the engine soonest, and the draft from moving stops the fuel igniting and helps it evaporate. The van is very unlikely to catch fire if you do this (it's actually re-starting when hot when it's leaking which is most likely to cause a fire - as i found out for myself 15 years ago with a previous T25 [which my ex still has today]).

2. effectively, complete engine failure & replacement. The petrol engines are good solid engines, but they only have a life of around 100,000 miles. Because of flaws in the engine's design, the engine head bolts fail sooner than they might otherwise, and the work involved in replacing them means you might as well recondition the whole engine at the same time. So the normal thing is for an owner to buy a ready-reconned engine as a replacement (which would cost around £2k to buy the best recon available and have fitted. It can be done cheaper, tho you're taking a bigger risk over the quality and life of the recon engine you'd be buying).

When the head bolts are on the way out, the engine will normally first start to leak water. Mine has been leaking a bit for the last two summers, tho kept under control (and stopped currently) using standard radiator leak stopper fluid. So I've had lots of advance warning that I'll need to buy a new engine somewhen in the near-ish future, tho I won't be too surprised if I'm still using the same engine several years from now (I do around 4,000 miles a year in the van).

You can get T25's with diesel engines too, btw. There are also early models that have air-cooled petrol engines (mine is water-cooled).

T25's hold their value well - and are likely to appreciate.

I can't tell you about T4s or T5s.

[eFestivals]

Talking to VW owners all I seem to hear about is repairs and rust.

stop talking to just T1 & T2 owners then.

And in really good nick it cost £4,500 - a lot more for a lot less than a camper.

waaaaaay more than i paid for an exceedingly good camper van!

[Mr Splodge]

Firstly, you need to decide if you want a camper that looks nice on your drive, or a camper that you can actually drive.Having worked that one out, you'll have decided that a workable/drivable T1 (split screen) or T2 (classic bay) are outside the £10k you want to spend. Any T1 or T2 for less than £10k will be a dog.Then you need to decide if you want something with a bit of classic style (T25 [sometimes called T3] - the 'wedge'), or you'd be quite happy with something that's modern (T4 or T5).All of T25, T4, & T5 are good vehicles, that will be reliable (if maintained), can be driven at motorway speeds*, used for very long journeys (I've done west Devon to T in the Park and back, for example. 1000+ miles in a weekend), etc etc, etc. Take your pick.(*a T25 will slow on the bigger hills, but not dreadfully so)I've got a T25, built in 1985, fully fitted but a 'home' conversion, bought privately (seen for sale on the roadside) in 2011 for much much less than you plan to spend. It's sailed thru 4 MOTs, with less than £100 needed to be spent on it the one occasion it didn't pass first time.It has broken down on me a few times, but every single one of them was a minor fuel (petrol) issue so I was stuck for only as long as it took for the AA to arrive and quickly sort it.That sounds a bit of a pain, but it should be ignored really. Running a T25 on petrol is expensive (they do 20 to 25mpg), so the very first thing I did was get an LPG conversion fitted for around a grand. You then get to use fuel at half the price of petrol that gives an equivalent of 40 to 50 mpg.The breakdowns I've had have been when I've run out of LPG and switched to petrol, only to find that the petrol won't pump thru. This is probably due to a combination of petrol hardly ever being used (about once a year) plus a failing fuel pump (which I've not bothered to change precisely because it doesn't get used). It's only taken a bit of prodding to get it working again.The only other mechanical issue I've had is I've needed to replace the exhaust pipe (can be done for around £500 at worst).The only other problem I've had is a small electrical fire, due to chaffing wires - my fault, I'd routed the wires in the way they were routed. (I got very lucky with that, it did very little damage. I fixed things myself in a couple of hours and for a £30 spend).The common major problems are these....1. fuel fires. I'm not entirely sure why, but early VWs (T1, T2, T25) have a history of springing petrol leaks, and causing the whole thing to go up in flames.IF YOU SMELL FUEL, STOP IMMEDIATELY! DO NOT IGNORE!!! Turn off the engine while the vehicle is still moving so that fuel has stopped dripping around the engine soonest, and the draft from moving stops the fuel igniting and helps it evaporate. The van is very unlikely to catch fire if you do this (it's actually re-starting when hot when it's leaking which is most likely to cause a fire - as i found out for myself 15 years ago with a previous T25 [which my ex still has today]).2. effectively, complete engine failure & replacement. The petrol engines are good solid engines, but they only have a life of around 100,000 miles. Because of flaws in the engine's design, the engine head bolts fail sooner than they might otherwise, and the work involved in replacing them means you might as well recondition the whole engine at the same time. So the normal thing is for an owner to buy a ready-reconned engine as a replacement (which would cost around £2k to buy the best recon available and have fitted. It can be done cheaper, tho you're taking a bigger risk over the quality and life of the recon engine you'd be buying).When the head bolts are on the way out, the engine will normally first start to leak water. Mine has been leaking a bit for the last two summers, tho kept under control (and stopped currently) using standard radiator leak stopper fluid. So I've had lots of advance warning that I'll need to buy a new engine somewhen in the near-ish future, tho I won't be too surprised if I'm still using the same engine several years from now (I do around 4,000 miles a year in the van).You can get T25's with diesel engines too, btw. There are also early models that have air-cooled petrol engines (mine is water-cooled).T25's hold their value well - and are likely to appreciate.I can't tell you about T4s or T5s.

[Tomo18]

cheers for the replies,

i love the T2 look but like you say abit more saving is needed to get a decent one.

never really thought about the t25 but im not so keen on the shape abit to square but probs cheaper in the long run of things

[TheNewUnion]

Have you got the 'Mystery Wagon' style? We've got a standard style Hymer, but my mate has the older square style, with carpets up the wall. Hymertastic!