Would someone be willing to offer up some thoughts on a van we are thinking of buying?

TheWearyOne

TheWearyOne

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I'm just after some gut reactions really, if I could PM you a link to the vehicle.

I'm not asking if it would be the "right" van, just if it looks half sensible in it's own right.

Plus I guess it would be good if anyone had any obvious questions we should be asking the seller.
 
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Why not post the link in this thread? You will get a lot more input.
 
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I'd be happy to, I just wasn't sure if that was how things rolled around here. :-)
 
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Is it this one ?

1704380055283.png


In which case it's a Ford, they have a reputation of being easy to steal so i'd get a bit of security fitted.
 
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Brains said:
Is it this one ?

View attachment 851066

In which case it's a Ford, they have a reputation of being easy to steal so i'd get a bit of security fitted.
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That was it, yes. We're not stupid - of course we were going to get a bike lock from Halfords and one of those twisty spikes you use to hold dog leads with in the park.
 
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Simon Select said:
Looks like a nice van, belt has been done which is good as well.
Style wise its pretty.
I would as part of a deal breaker get him to fit a diesel heater.
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Is that the kind of thing they would likely say yes to?

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Sorry couldn't resist

What is the base van t30 but what bhp as some of them are terrible
 
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Nice looking van, have you had one before? What will you use it for , weekends away or longer trips, how many will usually travel, will you want to take any ‘toys’ with you such as bikes, surf boards etc. Will you be cooking meals, inside or out? Is it to be a 2nd vehicle and where will you park it.
Once you have thought about these questions you then can decide size, shape and facilities you may want.
If you look at the VWb it’s a pop top which means you have a mix of van and tent which would be great for kids sleeping but colder in the winter and if it’s very breezy you may want to close it down.
Hope you get the van of your dreams 👏👏
 
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It looks very nice and very local to me. The first thought that went through my mind was "how legit is it?" Right next to or in a do as you likey type traveller site. Do your own checks but the immediate area beside the airport and the A338 has a very bad reputation locally. I live 2 miles away as the crow flies
Screenshot 2024-01-04 15.08.24.png
 
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TheWearyOne said:
Is that the kind of thing they would likely say yes to?
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Yes, its a sensible amount to ask for.
I had two people who rang up in December and asked for £10,000 off vans we had.... the answer was polite!
Something like a Eberspacher will cost them circa £1000 ish once fitted etc. Thats a fair way of negotiating!
 
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Really good looking van and well preserved interior in my eyes, we need some VW enthusiasts here to give a more expert opinion 🙂

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This looks good for about the same price and much roomier - I have no connections with the seller !!


www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Globecar Campscout D Line 636F (2014)

Recently we met what we really hope is to be our new-to-us van. It is exactly what we are looking for, meeting all our important criteria, and we want to buy it. Sadly, in order to do so we need to sell a member of our family. Well, that is what it...
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk
 
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Soooo, downsides:

-- No solar panel
-- No heater
-- No air-con

Are any of those killer issues?
 
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TheWearyOne said:
Soooo, downsides:

-- No solar panel
-- No heater
-- No air-con

Are any of those killer issues?
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Toilet?
Shower?
More show than go.. But if it floats your boat etc.

Seems little more than a very expensive weekend van, more suitable for campsites.

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I’ve had two VWs and they’re great for weekends but no shower, no toilet etc so you are tied to sites for longer breaks.
As mentioned, the Globecar advertised is a good price and you have all the amenities.
It all depends on what you want to do and where you want to go.
I personally wouldn’t buy a VW that is already converted.
There are lots of converters out there but not many that do it right, if it’s the way you want to go then look for a good T5/T6 panel van with the extras you want and choose your converter, layout and spec.
A good well built conversion is around £20k - £25k
 
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TheWearyOne said:
Soooo, downsides:

-- No solar panel
-- No heater
-- No air-con

Are any of those killer issues?
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Not for a long weekend.
This is not really a van for a multi-week trans-european trip with 2 adults and 2 kids.

That said; my sister travelled in an earlier version of this van with one adult and 3 kids under 10 to Greece and back, for 6 weeks of summer holiday every year for about 7 years.
I had had a VW hippy wagon, even more basic, drove to Austria and back with 2 adults in the 1980's.
So it is doable.

Solar panel: Only matters if you are 'off grid' for more than a weekend.
Heater: Would be nice, but only if you are camping in the UK in winter, but decent 4 or 5 season sleeping bags are fine.
Air Con: Southern Europe in the summer. Even my current MoHo does not have air con.

Personally; I've owned three campers from the mid 80's to the late 90's.
I'd not buy another. Much prefer a Motorhome with shower and loo and a bit more comfort.
Unfortunately they cost half as much again, and start and about a meter longer.

My recommendation is to hire before you buy.
We rented 3 motorhomes before we bought our first one.
(And that was after 15 years of campervan use, so we had a fairly good idea of what we wanted)

What you think you want,
what the salesman tells you have to have,
what the bank says you can afford,
and what you actually need,
are different things.
 
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TheWearyOne said:
Soooo, downsides:

-- No solar panel
-- No heater
-- No air-con

Are any of those killer issues?
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Depends on what type of use you want to put it to. As others have said, a 102ps engine is not the best for touring in my mind.

The porta potty will suffice, we've managed with one for the past twenty years. Shower? There is nothing wrong with a strip wash!

We have had solar on our various vans for a number of years now and had two leisure batteries charged from the alternator by a Battery to Battery unit in favour of a simple split charge, even more necessary on vehicles with 'stop / start' systems.

Good blown air heating and air-con essential to tour in the periods of the year when temperatures are higher or lower than normal. Heating even more so with a canvas 'pop-top'. We've avoided them in preference for a high roof for many years
 
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Usage is kind of hard to predict, but kids are grown up (ish) so more than likely it will be two people tops. Possibly more often one person with a bike. Neither of us want anything big, but things like the Alphard conversions were too small. Big enough to not feel like you are simply trapped in a metal box, even though you are of course trapped in a metal box. The portapotty situation is understood, and it's more than likely we'd be on a site anyway most of the time. It's potential main use would be for my partner to skive off for a few days / short week, go somewhere pretty, ride bike around, paint pictures in the evening, drink wine, read book, fall asleep. Yet at the same time, big enough for us both to go sometimes without killing each other. We both work from home for ourselves (ish), so we can pick and choose dates for trips when the weather is reasonable. Needs to be small enough to still fit in a car / mpv sized booking on the Isle of Wight ferry and to still be able to use it for getting to shops etc when out and about. We literally can't sleep in houses that keep their heating on at night, so bundling up at night is fine.
Sorry, that was a bit of a random brain dump.
 
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My first thought was how old are you vw's great when younger but as you age you do need a bit more space

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Late 40's, and yes I agree. The swb version felt too cramped, the lwb version just had the extra breathing space. My parents have a much bigger motorhome, but we don't need to go that big just yet. Plus they spend half their time miscalculating turns and ripping bits off, so I appreciate things on a slightly smaller scale.
 
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Have a look at 5.4m pvc's mine is a Rapido V43 can fit in a normal sized carpark space but you can stand up in it, has all the amenities loo, shower, hot water, heating. Our first van was a poptop soon realized it lacked far more than we gained by the size.
 
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TheWearyOne said:
Usage is kind of hard to predict, but kids are grown up (ish) so more than likely it will be two people tops. Possibly more often one person with a bike. Neither of us want anything big, but things like the Alphard conversions were too small. Big enough to not feel like you are simply trapped in a metal box, even though you are of course trapped in a metal box. The portapotty situation is understood, and it's more than likely we'd be on a site anyway most of the time. It's potential main use would be for my partner to skive off for a few days / short week, go somewhere pretty, ride bike around, paint pictures in the evening, drink wine, read book, fall asleep. Yet at the same time, big enough for us both to go sometimes without killing each other. We both work from home for ourselves (ish), so we can pick and choose dates for trips when the weather is reasonable. Needs to be small enough to still fit in a car / mpv sized booking on the Isle of Wight ferry and to still be able to use it for getting to shops etc when out and about. We literally can't sleep in houses that keep their heating on at night, so bundling up at night is fine.
Sorry, that was a bit of a random brain dump.
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Sounds like something like that van would suit you needs then, good luck…🍻😎
 
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I'm having a look, but those things seem very hard to find. :-)
 
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I’ve had an almost identical T6, 2017 - a perfect intro to day/ weekend motor homing.

You’ve had most of the points- heres my ha penceworth.

102 power is just about OK, but I often wanted more.

The front double bench seat is nowhere near as comfy as a single.

Twin rear doors are great for a tradesman, but tailgate rear door is so so much better for a camper, esp in the rain.

The 3/4 width rock n roll bed is great if you are 18 yr old lovers ❤️ but a tight squeeze for two full size adults who don't want snoring right in their faces.
I slept up top, ‘er indoors downstairs. You need a wee bottle, maybe two.

The pop top is a tent, very cold and noisy in bad weather, hard to keep it warm. Noisier than a van when travelling.

That van also seems to lack any insulation (like ours), we only used it in warm weather months ie 5-7 months of a year

Be prepared for back aches from constant bending over with the low head room

You can get vans with under-seat Lithium batteries and solar.

Not quite sure how you intend to carry your bikes.

Summing up
A cool van
Great for short trips
Ideal for two folks on a site hooked up
Ideally with a drive away awning
 
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