Buying Advice

apatchee · Jun 17, 2017

Hello Everyone,

Looking to buy a T4 Cali with a budget of 10k
There are a few about with the 2.4 Diesel engine.
What are these units like? Do they cope with a family fully loaded camper?
The idea would be to take it down to south of France so the Left hand drive is great.
Really like the idea of a purpose built camper with the safety issue of carrying the kids in the back.

So if anybody could give me some feed back on the older Cali's that would be great.

Thanks

Borris · Jun 17, 2017

Hello Apatchee,
Sorry, I can't be much help but here are my only comments.

I had a T4 long wheel base panel van for nine years. Whilst I cannot comment on the 2.4 engine because mine had the 2.5, five cylinder diesel (102 bhp I think), I cannnot praise these vehicles highly enough. They are well made, not over complicated, robust and practical. In the nine years that I owned my van it never let me down once. It was a sad day when I sold it on to a chap from the west country who has since turned it into a camper van.

IMO anything based on a T4 diesel is worth a look. Like every vehicle, I would look for something with a good service history (regular oil changes) and if possible no rust or body damage as that could be expensive to fix.

What ever you do, good luck.

Hotel California · Jun 17, 2017

Welcome on board .

apatchee · Jun 19, 2017

Thanks guys! The search is on for a budget T4 Cali family camper!

Max-Felix · Jun 19, 2017

10k should find you a decent enough factory Westfalia and there is none finer T4 than that. Buy right and you'll make money come sale time.

2into1 · Jun 19, 2017

The price of the 102hp pop tops seemed to be a little variable at the moment. So few are sold, the market can be spooked by a cheap one going through.
The 150hp's seem well established as classics, and the Exclusives are unique enough to hold their own. I still think an untouched 102hp pop is a fantastic long term buy. They have enough power, most have air con, and once parked up do everything that a 150hp T4 or a £65k T6 does.

WillSS · Jun 20, 2017

I can only agree with the comments above. In many ways a late T4 2.5tdi (88 or 102hp) with aircon and ideally a Reimo/Westfalia conversion makes so much more sense than the later T5/T6 Calis, vanity & creature comforts aside.
We bought a 2year old yr 2000 T4 and apart from the usual serviceable items the ONLY problem we've had was an alternator at 150k miles! Ridiculously reliable and more importantly very 'fixable' whether with your local garage or on your travels.
Far, far safer option to be in one of these if you plan to go way off the beaten track where VW dealers are nowhere to be seen.
Of course, it's an extremely pleasant experience listening to Spotify via App connect, the sun glistening off the durable piano black gloss dash, auto start kicking in as I pull away with hill-hold. Flick on the ACC and let the radar do its thing as I chill the kids in the rear via the climate control. I'm sure nothing will ever go wrong with that lot (!) and as much as I am chuffed to bits with our new Beach my half glass empty outlook can't help but wonder whether our T4 will outlive it!

Obviously it goes without saying, having said the above, that our trusty T4 will now implode with a catalogue of mechanical failures.