Help I cant decide.

[andyinluton]

We currently have a T5.1 SE 140 bought as a pregistered van nearly six years ago & just can’t decide whether to replace it with a new one.
I normally only keep cars for about a year or so before I get bored the van staying this long shows how much I like it.
However circumstances have changed, my mileage, split between this and a fun car has suddenly dropped from 20+k a in the last year Im down to about 6k & I’m thinking get a new van & ditch The car.

The pros.
I want LED lights
The reclining bed is brilliant, not just to sit on, it improves access to the boot enormously
Internal lighting improvements
Love the digital dash
Dodgy knee means an auto would be a good idea
Long warranty

The Cons
Add blue, regenerations etc
I have no roof corrosion so I might be buying a problem that I’ve previously avoided.
Quickly escalating price - 4 motion is only £3k more so might as well get that. (Only need 4 seats these days)
I love the two tone - green & white - only a bargain £2850 extra
Choice of new wheels is poor so would probably end up with a set of the disc wheels - there’s another £2500!
I don’t want ACC I only want normal cruise but unavailable
I don’t know why it upsets me so much but the door trims on the 6.1 look like a huge backward step - They’ve got the proper builders van look in plain plastic.
The dark seats & cabinets make the whole interior look very very dark.
Current van had the high level brake light fall out a couple of times, other than that & a couple of headlamp bulbs it’s had no faults - what’s the chances of getting another one as reliable.

 

[Borris]

Come on Andy, who are you kidding? You've already made up your mind.

 

[andyinluton]

Unusually for me I actually haven’t yet.

I’ve even tried doing a bit of man maths-
Saving as 4 services included
No need for AA membership
First years road tax included in price
Existing van needs alloys refurbed
Existing van will need rear shocks soon

I reckon that lot is worth about £4K Which a little short of the £30K cost to change that I’m trying to justify.

Saving by getting rid of a car doesn’t count as that just means I sell a 1/2 practical 2 seater and get a 100 % impractical one a few months later.

 

[larrylamb]

30 big ones for something that does the same as what you already have. I have a similar SE and keep thinking about changing it but, touch wood, mine has been problem free. Keep your reliable SE and do something else with the saving.
btw the road tax isn't going to save you anything at 450 per year for 5 years. The regens will drive you mad.
Treat yours to a new set of wheels and shocks, job done.
trying to be the voice of reason here.

 

[pjm-84]

The older I become the less inclined I am to change. Treated mine to new wheels / lowering, sportline spoiler and a bike rack last year. Transformed the way it looks.

 

[andyinluton]

I’m thinking of it more as £30k to upgrade the lights with a van thrown in for free.

I drove home from Middlesbrough on Saturday night on a very dark wet A1 thinking all the way how bad the lights were compared to my cars super LED ones.

The change to an auto is because my left knee is knackered, another year or so & I might have no choice about changing.

I am seriously concerned about the regeneration frequency. In the 52k miles I’ve done, I’ve only had one amber warning & that was after weeks of only doing 4 miles a day.

 

[Borris]

Looking at it in terms of cost alone and changing doesn't stack up. You say it will cost you £30k to change but you will almost certainly loose at least £4k just by driving it out of the showroom.
Making the change for practical reasons makes much more sense. I too have knee problems from time to time so our recent change from a manual Beach to a DSG one has been very welcome indeed. We also have LEDs on the new one, so much better.

 

[LemonDrop]

Why not wait 6 months to a year, see what the nearly new T6.1's are going for and get one that has already lost its "new" £££?

ACC is amazing by the way. I was very sceptical but combined with the DSG it works like a dream.

 

[Soton Campers]

I don’t know why it upsets me so much but the door trims on the 6.1 look like a huge backward step - They’ve got the proper builders van look in plain plastic.

This really irritates me too! The door cards are truly crap. The same as the basic model T6.1. Horrible hard scratchy plastic. We should lobby VW and tell them we want a Comfort dash style. In the plus side, they don't catch on the seats when rotated.

 

[Eber123]

Good afternoon,

I am toying with the idea as well to upgrade to a T6.1 Ocean.

My main reasons would be to get the DSG. 4Motion would be a brilliant, but that is only available in the highest spec which is as high as a ransom for a king.

At the end it is a heart decision and not a head decision. Based on clear facts it doesn't make sense to upgrade, the numbers won't add up at all. But the heart says "com'on do it, don't be shy, we both know you want it, we live only once..."

I wonder what they outcome is in at the end in 2020...

Regards,
Eberhard

 

[soulstyledevon]

Nobody has pointed out the elephant in the room...???

The T6.1 is by far the ugliest T van to come out of Wolfsburg.
That alone is the biggest turn off.
If i was you, i would either stick or try and find a good spec T6 with a great discount attached.

 

[Moakesy]

I had the dealer phone me yesterday on the two year anniversary of me buying my current Cali.

I mentioned about the new T6.1 and he said it drives slightly nicer and the steering is better. As a living area, he said there is little that has significantly changed, especially from the T6. If you sleep up top, then then new bed is supposed to be a lot better of course.

From a money point of view, buying any new car makes little sense. It's more of a decision of the heart than the head.

If you can cover most of the cost of change by selling your other car (with the associated saving in taxing / servicing it as well), I would be tempted to say sell both and go for it. I'd imagine you'll really see the difference coming from the T5.1, so why not?

 

[pjm-84]

All mine are head decisions otherwise I would have bought a FFRR 5.0V8 supercharged a few months ago.

 

[WelshGas]

Or wait for the T7?
It will have everything the T6.1 has +?

 

[rupertpoon]

Why not go for a nearly new T6? If memory serves they all come with the LED’s you want and the nicer door trims. And I think later ones from early 2018 onwards are predominately DSG due to emissions. This way you could save 10k or more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Borris]

This really irritates me too! The door cards are truly crap. The same as the basic model T6.1. Horrible hard scratchy plastic. We should lobby VW and tell them we want a Comfort dash style. In the plus side, they don't catch on the seats when rotated.

I've had an SE with fancy fabric inserts on the door cards. I now have a Beach with the basic plastic door cards. Which is the most practical and easy to live with? For me it has to be the hard plastic version. It doesn't get marked and pulled like the fabric version and it is easy to wipe clean.

 

[andyinluton]

Nobody has pointed out the elephant in the room...???

The T6.1 is my far the ugliest T van to come out of Wolfsburg.
That alone is the biggest turn off.
If i was you, i would either stick or try and find a good spec T6 with a great discount attached.

Sorry I disagree - the T6 is the ugly one, does depend on colour though. I thought the T6.1 looks much better in the flesh than in photos.
I seem to remember similar comments when the T5.1 came out with T5 owners calling it ugly...

 

[andyinluton]

Why not go for a nearly new T6? If memory serves they all come with the LED’s you want and the nicer door trims. And I think later ones from early 2018 onwards are predominately DSG due to emissions. This way you could save 10k or more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

the LED Headlights as opposed to running lights was a very expensive & relatively rare option on a T6

I don’t want a used van, if I’m going for the 199 I want the longest possible Warranty & within reason it’s not Finance’s driving the decision.

 

[soulstyledevon]

I dunno...
Looks very Renault...
Its going to be a head scratcher when the time comes to change

 

[B J G]

I had a look at a 6.1 Coast in local dealers a few days ago and thought that the lower front wasn't as ugly as impression from media photos. Now realise that the majority of photos are from ground level not normal standing head height.
Front lower style seems common to various manufacturers. Do they all use the same Design House?
Dash looked better finished and more streamlined.
I didn't like the imitation wood on the cupboard doors.
fashion trend for Diamond cut alloy wheels is no-no for me, in view of past experience of this type of finish.
Worry about the long life reliability of all the electronics being utilised. How quickly does phones and computers become obsolete?

 

[GrannyJen]

The Cons
Add blue, regenerations etc
I have no roof corrosion so I might be buying a problem that I’ve previously avoided.
Quickly escalating price - 4 motion is only £3k more so might as well get that. (Only need 4 seats these days)
I love the two tone - green & white - only a bargain £2850 extra
Choice of new wheels is poor so would probably end up with a set of the disc wheels - there’s another £2500!
I don’t want ACC I only want normal cruise but unavailable
I don’t know why it upsets me so much but the door trims on the 6.1 look like a huge backward step - They’ve got the proper builders van look in plain plastic.
The dark seats & cabinets make the whole interior look very very dark.
Current van had the high level brake light fall out a couple of times, other than that & a couple of headlamp bulbs it’s had no faults - what’s the chances of getting another one as reliable.

Ad Blu. I never understand what the fuss is all about. It takes a few minutes every few thousand miles to splash a few litres in and part with a fiver. It really is no hassle.

Escalating price means residuals stay high. I depreciate my Alfie with how I use it and how much I've saved on hotels, etc etc. In my "books" it's value is about £4k less than what I can sell it for, in effect it's cost me nowt.

Not sure about two tone for the price. Mine came with the package, not sure if I would pay for it.

ACC is a dream. I love it. Don't dismiss until you've tried it

The interior is what you make of it. I have heavy tints on the windows, more than what I wanted, but brighten up the interior and it's lovely!

Reliability? 200 nights and 25,000 miles in Alfie and all he's had is an oil change. Even the high level brake light is still in situ

 

[CaliMac]

the LED Headlights as opposed to running lights was a very expensive & relatively rare option on a T6

I don’t want a used van, if I’m going for the 199 I want the longest possible Warranty & within reason it’s not Finance’s driving the decision.

It seems you may have an 'itch'; if finance is not a concern then IMO just 'scratch it' and buy. Reliability seems to be a key requirement for you which is one of the best aspects of buying new; LED lights are fab too.

 

[2haw]

Man maths...
30k extra.
New van will always be worth 10k more than current van. So 20k to change.
Approx values....
DSG 1.5k
4 motion. 3k
Paint 2.5k
Rear seat lift up 0.5k
New control system 1k
New type upper Bed 0.5k
New type Kitchen doors 0.5k
All new Tyres 0.5k

So the LED headlights are really only costing you 10 grand...

Go for it. You’re only here once.

 

[Moakesy]

Man maths...
30k extra.
New van will always be worth 10k more than current van. So 20k to change.
Approx values....
DSG 1.5k
4 motion. 3k
Paint 2.5k
Rear seat lift up 0.5k
New control system 1k
New type upper Bed 0.5k
New type Kitchen doors 0.5k
All new Tyres 0.5k

So the LED headlights are really only costing you 10 grand...

Go for it. You’re only here once.

I love your man math. Very much what I would do!!!

 

[soulstyledevon]

fashion trend for Diamond cut alloy wheels is no-no for me, in view of past experience of this type of finish.
Worry about the long life reliability of all the electronics being utilised. How quickly does phones and computers become obsolete?

Good point, they are a bit odd on a vehicle designed for camping and going over muddy fields etc.
Second good point. I fear we have passed a sweet spot in car ownership 2009-2013
Where car technology was useful, reliable and not over complicated.