Hi all
I'm new here and just getting a feel for all things camper. I'm trying to work out what would be a good buy as my first van. I think I'm looking for a 1.6d T3 with a pop top, but the prices seem to vary massively. The german LHDs generally seem to be in better nick and have lower mileage, but the cost seems to spread between £6k on ebay to £10k+ from a dealer. What should I be looking for and what should I avoid? Any advice on where to find one (and how to convince my partner that camping with an 18 month old baby in an 18 year old van!) would be much welcomed. (can you fit child seats to them by the way?)
cheers
Matt
Newbie needs advice
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Westy.Club.Joker
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- Location: Sunny Lancs. 1988 1.6TD Westfalia Club Joker pop-top
HI Matt and welcome.
have a look at the buyers guide on THE Wiki (button at top of page with a hammer on it), loadsa info there. You are looking for what is probably the most desireable, and therefore most expensive t25 camper. If you fancy going to Germany and buying one then that is the cheapest option, but also the one most likley to turn into a disaster if you don`t know what to look for. Dealer in this country should be the safest bet, but you pay a premium for that. Steve at Eastfalia is well respected in the T25 world, try their websiste, some great `vans on there at what must be the keenest prices from what I`ve see. They don`t sell rubbish.
www.eastfalia.co.uk
have a look at the buyers guide on THE Wiki (button at top of page with a hammer on it), loadsa info there. You are looking for what is probably the most desireable, and therefore most expensive t25 camper. If you fancy going to Germany and buying one then that is the cheapest option, but also the one most likley to turn into a disaster if you don`t know what to look for. Dealer in this country should be the safest bet, but you pay a premium for that. Steve at Eastfalia is well respected in the T25 world, try their websiste, some great `vans on there at what must be the keenest prices from what I`ve see. They don`t sell rubbish.
www.eastfalia.co.uk
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mearnsy
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Newbie needs advice
Matt, after nearly freezing to death in our tent back in April, we bought a 1981 T25 a/c 1600 with Viking Roof. It does struggle up the hills a bit but gets there in the end. It is very clean and has a couple of rust bubbles and my 3 kids love sleeping upstairs while me and the wife are down below.
I bought this off Ebay for £2k and got the seller to end the auction early.
It really is the luck of the draw, but as the summer is here the prices have also gone up.
Good luck.
David
I bought this off Ebay for £2k and got the seller to end the auction early.
It really is the luck of the draw, but as the summer is here the prices have also gone up.
Good luck.
David
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rachelann
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Mine's a 1600d, not quite powerful enough for the hilly terrain here so I'd recommend at least going for one with a turbo.
As for its suitability with an 18 month old - my youngest is 3 and I've encountered no probs at all, she loves being out in it. I think with the bed set up you might just have enough room for a travel cot on the deck (I can test this for you if you like in my own 'van?).
Many have rear seatbelts fitted so a child seat shouldnt be a problem either. Go for it!!!!
As for its suitability with an 18 month old - my youngest is 3 and I've encountered no probs at all, she loves being out in it. I think with the bed set up you might just have enough room for a travel cot on the deck (I can test this for you if you like in my own 'van?).
Many have rear seatbelts fitted so a child seat shouldnt be a problem either. Go for it!!!!
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lloyd
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It seems the only engines that are really underpowered are the 1600 AC and the 1600 non turbo diesel. The 1.6td, 1.9 and 2.1 are good enough. 2.1 is the fastest. We have 1.9 and only downshift to 3rd on really steep hills.. and then have to back off the throttle to keep from over-revving. Most economical to drive is gas conversion. Petrol are about 21mpg, diesel are about 27mpg, and gas is about 20mpg, but is about 1/2 the price per liter, so cost is like getting 38 after paying for conversion (Pays for itself in about 8000miles). Drawback is loss of space under seat for gas tank. Gasure is the place to get it done.
88 1.9 gassed w/Westy conversion & Reimo topper
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Mick & Tracey
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We haven't found camping in a van with a baby to be a problem. We've camped with our two children since they were both little (6months+). They seem to love it, especially when they get a bit older (toddler age) and can start playing with the "little house" - opening cupboards and "driving" appear to be favourite activities.
Couple of practical points:
Seat belt mountings are factory fitted in caravelle / minibus bodyshells but not in panel van body shells, so ideally go for a camper that started life as a bus. Simple way to tell is by side windows - are they recessed into body (bus) or do they have protruding window rubbers (panel van)?
The factory seat belt mounts in a T25 generally consist of two threaded mounts under the RnR bed/seat (centrally on the bulkhead), two threaded mounts on the side panel next to the seat (often covered by trim panel), two threaded mounts on the rear D pillar (one side is often covered by wardrobe, again both of these often covered by trim panels), and a lower mounting hole at the base of the D panel (on our 85 van, these aren't threaded so need a threaded plate putting behind them - obtainable from JustKampers for a couple of quid, again these are often hidden by panel). These fixing points allow you to install 4 point inertia belts (JK sell for around £50).
On vans with wardrobes / kitchen side units, it's not easy to fit inertias on both sides, so normally you'll end up with a lap belt and an inertia belt. We've found this combination ok, provided you have a child seat that can be safely restrained by a lapbelt only.
We've found the 'walk through' facility of T25's to be a major benefit - one of us can nip back to deal with a crying / hungry child while we're travelling.
Best to get a van with opening rear windows - not all have them, and it can get very hot and stuffy in the back
LHD can be a pain in UK especially if you use it around town (can often create blind spots at junctions). Seems less of an issue when holidaying (sgenerally on motorways and minor country roads).
There are some good RHD's around though most for sale these days appear to be LHD German imports. It seems that everyman and his dog is bringing them over now with some big differences in quality. Many German vans now coming over are quite high mileage, and virtually all are Westfalia's. Personally we don't like the Westfalia conversion on T25's as the swivel table is a 'krypton factor' job, you can't all sit around the table (the front swivel seats are too far away), and a lot of storage is taken up by an inboard water tank.
Finally, we've found that our vans (split, bay and now 25) have all been absolutely brilliant holiday vehicles with small children. The ability to comfortably change nappies, clothes and feed & water children in the vehicle is a major benefit over holidaying or just daily travelling in a car.
The downside when camping is that you have to remove and refit child seats whenever you set-up / break camp.
Couple of practical points:
Seat belt mountings are factory fitted in caravelle / minibus bodyshells but not in panel van body shells, so ideally go for a camper that started life as a bus. Simple way to tell is by side windows - are they recessed into body (bus) or do they have protruding window rubbers (panel van)?
The factory seat belt mounts in a T25 generally consist of two threaded mounts under the RnR bed/seat (centrally on the bulkhead), two threaded mounts on the side panel next to the seat (often covered by trim panel), two threaded mounts on the rear D pillar (one side is often covered by wardrobe, again both of these often covered by trim panels), and a lower mounting hole at the base of the D panel (on our 85 van, these aren't threaded so need a threaded plate putting behind them - obtainable from JustKampers for a couple of quid, again these are often hidden by panel). These fixing points allow you to install 4 point inertia belts (JK sell for around £50).
On vans with wardrobes / kitchen side units, it's not easy to fit inertias on both sides, so normally you'll end up with a lap belt and an inertia belt. We've found this combination ok, provided you have a child seat that can be safely restrained by a lapbelt only.
We've found the 'walk through' facility of T25's to be a major benefit - one of us can nip back to deal with a crying / hungry child while we're travelling.
Best to get a van with opening rear windows - not all have them, and it can get very hot and stuffy in the back
LHD can be a pain in UK especially if you use it around town (can often create blind spots at junctions). Seems less of an issue when holidaying (sgenerally on motorways and minor country roads).
There are some good RHD's around though most for sale these days appear to be LHD German imports. It seems that everyman and his dog is bringing them over now with some big differences in quality. Many German vans now coming over are quite high mileage, and virtually all are Westfalia's. Personally we don't like the Westfalia conversion on T25's as the swivel table is a 'krypton factor' job, you can't all sit around the table (the front swivel seats are too far away), and a lot of storage is taken up by an inboard water tank.
Finally, we've found that our vans (split, bay and now 25) have all been absolutely brilliant holiday vehicles with small children. The ability to comfortably change nappies, clothes and feed & water children in the vehicle is a major benefit over holidaying or just daily travelling in a car.
The downside when camping is that you have to remove and refit child seats whenever you set-up / break camp.