Lookin into buying my first T25

Post by **hankmarvin** » 12 Dec 2006, 13:54

Hi, im Mark

Im looking into buying a T25 high-top with a 1.6td. i hav looked around lots of places online selling them and its hard to find what i want and within my price range.

I read a post about timbertechnicians.co.uk and liked what i read on their website so am now thinking i could widen my search field to include T25 tintops aswell as im sure the difference in price between tin-top and high-top are similar to timbertechnicians.co.uk fitting a high-top? would you agree?

I emailed them and found out some extra info about them fitting it and £650 sounds nice.

I wondered if anyone had any pictures of the inside of their high-top that timbertechnicians.co.uk fitted for them as i'd love to see what they look like so i can decide to just look for that perfect high-top in my price range or look into tin-tops aswell.

Thanks

Post by **matt** » 12 Dec 2006, 14:34

welcome Hank, hows Cliff ?

quite a few members have an a TT job

I'd go for a tintop everytime, an have a newly sealed roof put on......
whats your budget, and where do you live?

Post by **hankmarvin** » 12 Dec 2006, 16:23

um budget its sorta around £2000 for the van with around £1000 improving it. Around that amount.

Do you get a lot of leaks with older high tops?

I live in norwich. I will use the van for some european travelling this summer.

Do you think that budget is ok?

Post by **hankmarvin** » 12 Dec 2006, 16:27

o and cliff is fine, busy promoting his new christmas song, and of corse i feature on it.

Post by **kevtherev** » 12 Dec 2006, 16:34

I know of an autosleeper 1.9 F reg for £2700

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14170" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **matt** » 12 Dec 2006, 19:42

that one of Kevs looks good valu (10% ok kev ?)

Post by **Westy.Club.Joker** » 12 Dec 2006, 19:43

You set your budget, then try and buy the best you can for that money

Look at recent past sales and try and determine what they are going for, Ebay, mag. ads from dealers, etc etc. Some campers fetch more than others, due to their "desirability" for whatever reason.

Keep in mind that you are buying a 20 year old vehicle at the end of the day, you can buy a 3 - 5 year old modern car for £3000, campers hold their value due to being expensive in the first place, modern brand-new VW pop-top factory camper is nearing £30,000 today, so what will it still be worth in 20 years?

In no particular order : Petrol / diesel / turbo-diesel / high top / pop-top / factory built / home conversion / mileage / mechanical condition / body condition / price / work required and cost. All things to consider, decide what you MUST have and what you would LIKE to have, and try and narrow it down a bit, so you dan`t have to look at loads before deciding it MUST be one or the other.

Read the Wiki (button at the top of the page) for things to look for when buying. Take someone with you if you can, who has some idea, or is just there to keep your feet on the ground and hold the money

Post by **hankmarvin** » 12 Dec 2006, 20:13

hi, thanks for your replies. It will have to be as mechanically and body sound as possible, due to my budget and what i want it for.

I will probly have around 3-4months 2 get it ready for the set-off so i hope thats enuf time to get everything ironed out.

I did read that info on buying one on wiki and it was helpful, i think i'll struggle to remember everything when looking at one.

The 1.6td, its a good engine to be going for right?, interms of reliability, mpg etc, im not fussed about too much speed or anything as we will be cruzing around europe quite slowly.

Post by **DiscoDave** » 12 Dec 2006, 20:41

the tt rooves just come plain inside, you can ask dave to put a bed base in it, line it out, storage and even foam for the bed! i've just had a high top fitted by the timbertechs on my t4 and i'm well happy with it!

Post by **kathyshack** » 12 Dec 2006, 20:44

hi Hank,
we had a TT hightop fitted to our van. They did a really good job!
couple of pics on our website www.funplace2b.co.uk/vw

Post by **hankmarvin** » 12 Dec 2006, 22:11

yer they quoted me £650 for the hightop-windows-vent-and the storage and bed platforms. do they just put a bit of foam onto the bed part or is there more to the bed part then that. i'd like to see what sort of storage they put in, although just it being a space isnt so bad.

Is it cramped sleeping up top?

Did you line yours yourself?

Cheers

Post by **Westy.Club.Joker** » 12 Dec 2006, 22:15

Hey Hank,
the 1.6TD motor is not a bad motor, just remember how old they are now. They have their problems like a lot of engines, and with usually 150,000 miles on `em now they can be an expensive thing to fix if they go wrong. Look at all the people in alternative engines who are swapping for 1.9Td AAZ engines and the like.

Nothing is cheap on a diesel engine

They can be a good thing or a bad one, depends on whether you get a good `un

Good on juice, torquey, good to drive, underpowered for the weight of the `van so they are revving constantly, can be prone to water problems like a lot of diesels, turbo`s are never cheap to fix when they let go. Petrol engines have their pros and cons as well, as you`ve read the Wiki you will see what people are looking to fix / iron out / convert from.

I bought a diesel because I prefer diesel motors, you pays your money...

You do need someone with you really, preferably someone who knows where/what to look for, unless you do know what to look for in second-hand motors

It can be a minefield.

Post by **hankmarvin** » 12 Dec 2006, 22:29

lol yer it can be risky, lol i can see if i like it or not and i'll probly get me dad to check em over, although he is no expert on t25's.

Im getting a little concerned its gonna break as soon as we get into france or something although after 3months of test driving in england hopefully if anything is gonna go wrong it will happen then.

Post by **Westy.Club.Joker** » 12 Dec 2006, 22:47

All you can do is buy the best you can afford, and budget for some work as and when it comes up. Go through the `van properly and fix anything you find, you should have a good idea of any probs after going over it before you buy, always good to have some faults to knock the price down with

After buying mine something went wrong every time I went out for the first 2 weeks

I was lucky not to destroy the engine the first time, the timing belt crank pulley came loose, I managed to catch it before it blew the engine. Then the turbo blew

(sucked something in from the inlet hose) It cost £400 to sort out and I did all the work myself. If the engine blows up it could bankrupt you

Sorry to be the harbinger of doom but it`s a bit of a minefield buying anything second-hand, especially if it`s 20 years old. Some problems can`t be foreseen, some can, so don`t be afraid to go over any potential buy with a fine tooth comb, take a good torch and yer overalls and get underneath, inside, outside and anywhere else you can get to

Post by **Westy.Club.Joker** » 12 Dec 2006, 22:49

If you fill in the profile stuff, where you are in the country etc, maybe there is a member near to you who might help out with a bit of moral support and advice when / if you go and look at your dream `van