The Volkswagen T5 isn't make any more, but it's still one of the most popular vehicles
to convert into a campervan. But if you're buying one, what should you look out for?
This video is full of expert advice from people who've been converting T5s for years. We still
do convert the odd T5 , cos we do vehicles that customers bring into us as much as do
band new ones, so the T5 is very much a current thing. It was a completely radical change
from the T4 - a different floor plan, a different layout, size everything - so it took a bit
of re-workig from the T4 to the T5 for campervans. The driving position was different. Moving
the gearstick from the floor up to th steering column was a massive fix there really. The
biggest thing really was the engine changes and the gearbox position. They obviously changed
the range of options for the vehicle as well. But it's always had that continuity between
all the models. Certain things have remained the same. The T5 was a much easier vehicle
to convert. A bit squarer. A little bit simler to convert. Generally, it was a very popular
donor vehicle wasn't it. Yeah, T5 was a massively popular vehicle. T4 was as well. It's quite
strange how each generation holds a position in everybody's hearts. So when the T5 came
out, people longed for the T4. When the T6 came out, people longed for the T5s. So we're
getting to the T6.1, so we'll see what happens with the T6 - I'm sure it will be the same.
It's an iconic vehicle. People just love it. They just like the vehicle. And I think every
generation grows up hankering after the last one - I don't know why that should be. And
there was an upgrade or a facelift wasn't there in the T5. Did that make a big difference
to conversions. Not to conversions because there were a few cosmetic things. The actual
physicality of the vehcile stayed exactly the same. So we went from a 2.5 and a 1.9
to a purely 2 litre and that was the big change. It was a sort of step between teh T5 and the
T6 - it's sort of somewhere in the middle. But yes, in terms of conversions, it didn't
make a massive difference. One of the big decisions people have to make if they're going
to buy one to convert is what kind of donor vehilce are they going for. It might be a
bus, it might be a van, it ight be a Kombi, it could be many things. Could you give a
guide as to which one is the easiest or the best? The best vehicle to convert is the Kombi.
So the Kombi is basically with windows in the centre, panels in the back. mid-row of
seats. But basically it's a panel van that's slightly up-specced. It's a nice simple van,
youve got all the floor fixings so you can take the seats out quite easily, You can get
away with not putting windows in the back if you want, you only have to add one set
of windows. After that it would be the panel van I think. It woudl be the one to go with.
But you then start to hit issues over double seats as opposed to single seats, which a
Kombi tended to have. The difficult ones are definitely the Caravelle and the Shuttle.
They've got all sorts of electronics and lighting and air conditions - ducts in the roof. And
that is a difficult thing to get round as a converter. Not imossible, but more difficult.
So we definitely prefer the Kombi. It's probably cheaper to convert a Kombi... less time? Less
time, less work involved generally, but the vehicle itself will cost the customer more,
so there's a quid pro quo there really. And of course you can get short or long wheelbase
versions of most of these - of all of them, yes - what's the main impact of going with
say a long wheelbase as opposed to a short wheelbase? People will buy a short wheelbase
because they have a perception that it's going to be easier to drive, or park. Which may
be the case if you live in the city centre. It's about what you want to put in the vehicle
as much as anything. Obviously, you're only talking of 400mm of difference in there. But
it gives a lot of extra volume, so it's floor space. It's capacity for carrying. So again,
it's going to depend on what the customer wants and what they want to do with the vehicle.
And how you want to use it. And what do the basic choices of wheelbase, for instance,
have on beds, storage and layout. In terms of beds it doesn't make any difference. They're
the same beds that go into the short and the long wheelbase. It does obvsiously give you
more capacity, so therefore you can have more storage in the vehicle. I think for most people,
it's either a choice between manouverability and storage capactiy. And that's where I think,
everybody would like to have a long, but might not feel they can park it in their drive.
So there's always that bit of a play-off. And there isn't actually that much difference
in length is there? 400 milimetres! But it looks a lot more than that. It does look a
lot more. But the 400 mm turns into volume. When you look at adding that 400 mm into the
centre of the vehicle, not at the end, which is something people have a bit of difficulty
to understand really. If you're having a rear kitchen, you're obviously going to want a
roof that elevates at the back. Or you might want a high top. So again, this will come
down to personal preferences for customers. As well as the layout dictates a bit. All
of our layouts work with a high top or a pop top. You can have iether. But some people
don't want to be bothered putting a roof up and down - they want an extra bit of insulation
that high top will give. Other people say they want the convenience of getting under
some of the barriers etc, so the Pop Top suits me. So again, It's down to what you're going
to use the vehicle for. So if you're going out looking for a T5 to convert, you've said
a Kombi is probably the easiest option - what else should people be looking for in a donor
vehicle - a T5. One of the things they need to look at is mileage. That's going to be
a key factor. You don't want anything that's going to be 200,000 miles if you're going
to spend a bit of money converting it. So people look find something, 70,000, - sub
100,000 miles. Ideally make sure it's got a couple of single seats in the front. A tailgate
in the back's a nice thing as well, because people tend to prefer the tailgate to barn
doors - not essential - condition, just making sure it's in good condition, it has a good
service history, it's been properly looked after - all things you can prove. Same things
as if you were buying a good quality used car to put your family in. You want to make
sure it's a safe vehicle that's well-maintained and looked after, so history is the key thing
with that. I gather the internals of the van - if they've been a builder's van and the've
had heavy stuff in them and have been bashed about a bit - that an cause a few problems
for a converter. It can yeah. We cover most of it - so most of it's going to be - you
know there's going to be carpeting and flooring put on there. If it's in really terrible rusty
condition, you don't really want to be spending the money for a conversion on it. You're looking
for something that's been lined, ideally as well. Kombi's tend to have lighter use than
a panel van, so that's another reason for the Kombi. So they tend to have better spec.
Air conditioning's usually standard in a Kombi - not always, so you have to check. But they
tend to be a little - you know, nicer finish. A bit more car like - than a panel van. And
they have proved incredibly popular haven't they - the festivals are full of them. Everybody
loves them. I don't know anyone who doesn't like volkswagen vans - the're a fantastic
thing. Great for our business, we love them. We're planning over 100 videos on everything
to do with every type of volkswagen campervan - from the earlist splitties and bays to the
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