Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Even with all the trimmings the VWs are too small, they're more day vans, occasional campers at best. They're also stupidly overpriced for no other reason that they're trendy.
Anyone got a VW T5 Camper Van
- Thread starter Proto
- Start date
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chriswoody
Legendary Member
- Location
- Northern Germany
I own a short wheel base T4 California. The T4's were converted by Westfalia and have a ¾ width rear bed and a wardrobe/cooker/fridge unit down one side. We also have a poptop on it. The T4's are bomb proof. I currently have 345,000 km on the clock.
When the T5 came along the conversions were taken back in house by VW and also called California.
We use it as a daily driver as well as a family camper. I have two kids, currently 4 & 6 and the four of us happily camp in the van. Being as my wife and I are both teachers we have long summer holidays and each year we spend 4 weeks continually living and touring in the van. This year it was 4 weeks in Slovenia and Croatia. We also have a bike rack on the back and easily carry four bikes. I find the small van perfect as an all round camper as well as daily driver.
For two of you a T5 is a perfect size for spending long camping trips in.
When the T5 came along the conversions were taken back in house by VW and also called California.
We use it as a daily driver as well as a family camper. I have two kids, currently 4 & 6 and the four of us happily camp in the van. Being as my wife and I are both teachers we have long summer holidays and each year we spend 4 weeks continually living and touring in the van. This year it was 4 weeks in Slovenia and Croatia. We also have a bike rack on the back and easily carry four bikes. I find the small van perfect as an all round camper as well as daily driver.
For two of you a T5 is a perfect size for spending long camping trips in.
- Location
- Egham
I bought a 15 plate panel van VW T5 a while back, November 2015 IIRC, with the sole intention of converting. If you want to carry more than 2 bikes and not use a towbar mount, you need a tailgate. SWB is fine for me, SWMBO, 2 kids and 2 dogs plus the 4 bikes on the back.
I had Uberbus fit the windows and an SCA 194 pop top (which is wonderful) along with a RIB seat on full length sliders (they call it FLUX). A very practical arrangement.
All carpet lining, electrics etc I did myself, and I fitted Evomotion Design furniture which is good quality and easy to build. Add a fridge and we're in business.
I hate to think what it cost, but after a life changing 2 years leading up to it, it was something I wanted to do so bit the bullet.
I had Uberbus fit the windows and an SCA 194 pop top (which is wonderful) along with a RIB seat on full length sliders (they call it FLUX). A very practical arrangement.
All carpet lining, electrics etc I did myself, and I fitted Evomotion Design furniture which is good quality and easy to build. Add a fridge and we're in business.
I hate to think what it cost, but after a life changing 2 years leading up to it, it was something I wanted to do so bit the bullet.
Yes it did
It was a very specific bike rack though and went on the hinges of the doors for the conversion it was on, which was a Westfalia James Cook on a Sprinter base. I also had a two bike rack which I could fit which just sat on one door, you can see the metal bar for it on the right behind the bikes. You could swing the rack out and open the doors but it was a two person job as the rack had to be supported.
I've had two motorhomes of which the James Cook was the second. The first was a coachbuilt with an overcab bed. Great to live in, awful to drive, so it went. The James Cook was a 6m, very high van (3m) which slept 4 and had a bathroom plus so many features it's hard to list them but anyone who knows a Westfalia conversion will be familiar with the quality. We went all over Europe in it and Skiing one year, I do miss it.
Both were imported from Germany when the Euro was 1.40 to the pound, so both LHD but not really an issue. Not really viable now except for the greater choice (check mobile.de). Westfalia don't currently do a James Cook or a Sprinter conversion but they do do a T5 conversion the Club Joker which is a scaled down version of the James Cook I had. It is staggeringly expensive in this country now but you can still import one as the 2nd hand choice is much greater in Germany.
It was a very specific bike rack though and went on the hinges of the doors for the conversion it was on, which was a Westfalia James Cook on a Sprinter base. I also had a two bike rack which I could fit which just sat on one door, you can see the metal bar for it on the right behind the bikes. You could swing the rack out and open the doors but it was a two person job as the rack had to be supported.
I've had two motorhomes of which the James Cook was the second. The first was a coachbuilt with an overcab bed. Great to live in, awful to drive, so it went. The James Cook was a 6m, very high van (3m) which slept 4 and had a bathroom plus so many features it's hard to list them but anyone who knows a Westfalia conversion will be familiar with the quality. We went all over Europe in it and Skiing one year, I do miss it.
Both were imported from Germany when the Euro was 1.40 to the pound, so both LHD but not really an issue. Not really viable now except for the greater choice (check mobile.de). Westfalia don't currently do a James Cook or a Sprinter conversion but they do do a T5 conversion the Club Joker which is a scaled down version of the James Cook I had. It is staggeringly expensive in this country now but you can still import one as the 2nd hand choice is much greater in Germany.
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