VW T4 Vans - Any info out there?

[Tim in Belgium]

Thinking of a purchase of a van next autumn, and was wondering about the T4 VW transporters, the idea to transport 1-2 bikes to TDs, the Ring, the odd surf trip etc.

Obviously I'd go for a diesel, now this is where the questions start, from what I gather there are a few engines:

1.9D - needs Fred Flinstone feet to acheive motion
1.9TDi up to 104 ish hp as standard
2.4D no power
2.5TDi up to 104 ish hp as standard

So if I went for a 100+hp TDi engine, what's the main difference between the 2.5 and 1.9 besides one extra cyclinder? Is one easier to chip reliably for more poke? Is one better on the motorways? Is one more reliable? Is one more economical than the other?

Also would 2 bikes fit in a standard wheel base one? Or would I need to opt for a LWB option?

I'm not too bothered about going for a tarted up with alloys VW scene van, just something for hauling bikes that will sit on a motorway and be reasonably civilised if using as an everyday vehicle, so would 3-4k happily see me right?

Any other issues or weak points with these vans?

[Red Herring]

I used to borrow my mates 1.9 SWB VW van. Brilliant piece of kit, plenty of room for two bikes, fast enough, economic, and last time i saw him almost up to 300,000 on the clock.
Always said if I ever need to buy a van it would be one of those...

[Tim in Belgium]

Was it the TD model or NA?

[Red Herring]

Turbo diesel.

[maviczap]

Pretty sure we use the 2.5Tdi as our towing vehicle. Its a bit of a rocket ship, although acceleration isn't stunning.

Happily cruise at 80+ all day. I need to look at the logbook to see which model we've got and I'm not in the office until Saturday.

No issues with it yet, but its still young

But pretty unbeatable as you'd expect with a VW

[Tim in Belgium]

Thanks for that, any info would be good.

[barwel1992]

the 2.5 should pull more weight what are the torqu spec's ?

[maviczap]

Yes, that's what ours was bought for its towing potential.

Getting another one before March too

Replacing a Transit which to be fair has been a good workhorse, but illegal to tow our trailer & kit as the combined weight is too much for the Transit's power

[starks]

ive got a volkwagon LT panel van (same as merc sprinter), absolutely bulletproof vans, mines the 2.5TDI (109ps), although you can get the same engine that puts out 169ps, ive driven both and the one with more horsepower is not really any faster it just will shift more weight, theres probly not much in it though to be fair, insurance was alot more expensive IIRC, hope this helps

[Spikenipple]

What's the cheapest way to insure a van for personal use?

[starks]

not sure mate, mines insured commercially as i use it for carrying goods for work, i'd think you just ring up as normal and tell them you just want standard insurance, if i insured mine for personal then had to make a claim while i was at work they wouldnt pay out so not worth it

[Spikenipple]

Ok fair enough mate, cheers.

[454697819]

my dad has the 105 bhp 1.9tdi 04 plate its a solid relible van but its gutless & slow

[Sid Squid]

The 2.5 has more go but you pay for it, buy a 1.9TD, useful economy, and there's a gazzilion of the 1.9TD out there.
Chipping does FA - except put dips and bumps in an otherwise nice curve and it'll likely ruin the economy too. Don't believe the cobblers you'll read on that there internet.

[rob13]

Tim you *******! I have looked at these over the last few months to replace the Focus Hearse that i'm running about in. Would love a conversion so I could get away whenever without worrying about putting a bloody tent up in the rain!

[Tim in Belgium]

All I want is an everyday van for hauling bikes at the weekend, if and when I sell the pug and if I have to move somewhere else in europe. But it's Pug Gti as tow vehicle or RSV1 for next summer ('Ring support vehicle 1).

Just doing my homework as car + trailer on ferry = $$$$$$$$$$ And van is <=.

I'll kit it out with matress above bike height naturally and solar shower FTWVMFW!

[5hort5]

what's ps? is that bhp? And are you looking for speed and space and if your looking for space then is larger better or just to fit a couple of bikes?

Does any search engine like autotrader or roadtransport give you this info?

[Tim in Belgium]

ps = metric horse power, almost the same but not quite.

All I want room wise is enough space to fit two bikes without need to remove any fairings etc.

As for the websites and search engines it's hard to get a first hand view of vehicles that have completed 100k+ miles, they normally talk about new vans, not ones on their xth owner, hence my cry for real world experience from the .org


Edit: And speed is a luxury that is normally worth paying for.

[barwel1992]

Edit: And speed is a luxury that is normally worth paying for.

so its going to look like this then with go faster flames drag bar andside exit pipes :lol:

http://image.truckinweb.com/f/opinions/van-enthusiasts-invade-truckin-forums/6899864+w450+cr1+re0+ar1/1966-ford-e100-custom-van.jpg

[Red Herring]

When you do get one get the side windows put in the rear. It's not that expensive to do and it will let you book it on the ferry as a "camper" rather than a van, which means you won't be paying freight rates.... If you go a bit further and add some some kind of "permanent" living fixture (my mate got away with just a fold down bed screwed to the wall) then you could re-register it as a camper and that will allow you to do 60 on a single carriageway and 70 on a dual.....legally.

[454697819]

the 1.9tdi isnt that economical, my dads is lucky to get 25 mpg or 30 on a long run, for an expensive van thats not very good, I have had better from transits.

He has had very little problems though...Till someone ran into him,

[Lozzo]

What's the cheapest way to insure a van for personal use?

Co-Operative Insurance used to rate all vans as Group 2 if used for S,D+P only use. They were quite a lot cheaper than anyone else for commercial use insurance when I was running my own business too.

[Tim in Belgium]

Thanks for all the tips and info, I'm starting to build up a picture of the way forward, keep it coming.

[Ch00]

http://www.worldcarfans.com/109032718227/volkswagen-t5-van-with-558ps-porsche-996-engine-by-th-auto

Not much help, it wont be good on juice but it should make the drive there and back a bit more fun !!

[rob13]

The transit was something else I looked at as they are amazingly cheap in comparison with the T4. Good to drive, theyre also a little roomier. I would imagine it would be better doing a conversion in one rather than a T4, even if a T4 looks that much cooler.

[maviczap]

The transit was something else I looked at as they are amazingly cheap in comparison with the T4. Good to drive, theyre also a little roomier. I would imagine it would be better doing a conversion in one rather than a T4, even if a T4 looks that much cooler.

Yes, a transit is an option. Ours was assembled in Turkey, sometimes you get one made on a Friday!

We've had no problems with ours in 57k, so we can't complain. But out of 6 in the fleet, on has had no end of probs.

We have had 3 rear tyres blowout after they've disintergrated at speed :confused:

[boot]

Worth a call to NFU for insurance quote too.

[CheGuevara]

Not van specific, but the 2 VWs that have been in my family have been the crappiest cars we've owned (not a suprise really as they rate pretty low in long-term reliability reports, and lots of them made in Mexico). The only good thing I could say about them was pattern parts were cheap. I was under mine every other weekend at least. I not-so-affectionately nicknamed it Hitler's Revenge.

Same could be said for the half dozen or so owned by various friends, although they were VW enthusiasts and willing to overlook the flaws for the most part. The handful of people I know now with Audis and Seats based on VW's seem to have no end of problems as well.

If I was looking for a similar size van I'd probably go for a Toyota Hiace.

[maviczap]

Here's the spec of our VW

Transporter T32 130 LWB
2.5 TD
Max power 96kw

Max towing weight 2500 braked

Service load 2218

Not sure which country it was built in. It's more comfortable to drive than the Transits on a long journey, as the seats are better and less road noise, although maybe that's because it's not a high top which the Transit is.
Its also more comfortable at speed than the tranny.
But the tranny is longer and I wouldn't go for the SWB Vw if you're planning on carting bikes about in the back.
Tranny has better low down grunt, the VW seems to have none, although the Tranny doesn't have the same max towing capacity as the VW. Which is why we've had to swap to the VW
Hope this helps Tim

[tinpants]

I've got an ex AA 102bhp T4, 03 plate, 2.5TDi, 5 cylinder. It goes like feck and returns about 40mpg. An AA guy I met not long after I bought it reckoned it would have been chipped to 130bhp but I'm not convinced 'cos it goes too well.

[maviczap]

Well, I was in the VW

Cruising at 75 - 80 at 2500rpm ish in 6th

Swapped into the Transit 3200rpm at 70mph in 5th

[Tim in Belgium]

You seem to have the newer transporter, I'll only be able to afford the previous model, but from waht bellorophon says they still sound good enough.

[rob13]

So are they thirsty beasts then? Anyone fully converted one and has pics?

I've looked at the completed builds on old vehicles, and looked into kitting my own out and to be honest theres a big difference in cost. Am I missing something? Whats the cost to get the van switched from commercial vehicle to camper in an SVA?

[maviczap]

Yes, but I don't pay for mine, it comes with the job:)

The earlier ones might be better as they're probably built in Germany :rolleyes:

[maviczap]

So are they thirsty beasts then? Anyone fully converted one and has pics?

I've looked at the completed builds on old vehicles, and looked into kitting my own out and to be honest theres a big difference in cost. Am I missing something? Whats the cost to get the van switched from commercial vehicle to camper in an SVA?

I don't notie that they drink a lot, but with a 6th gear, its just ticking over.

The petrol ones do, although they are super fast!