Newbie looking for advice on SE

[Stanleyc]

Hi All
New to the Cali thing so be gentle
Trying to buy an SE T5, would love a T6 but my wallet doesn’t agree
Anyways seen a few i’d Like to view so they are 2008 / 2009, 130ps manual, done under 60k what should I ask and look for and what inherent problems do they have if Any
Thanks in Advance
Stan

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Can't really help with your questions but welcome to the forum.
Knowing your budget may be useful as the thread develops. I initially looked to spend around £30k and got a lot of help with that.
Ultimately though in 4 years time I'd have been prepared to spend that again so I bit the bullet and ordered new because dealers make that quite easy depending on your outlook.
Good luck with your journey look forward to following your progress.

 

[Sad]

I would say, the van base is a van, ideally full VW serviced every year, and you need to drive it...

In terms of the camping stuff, try everything, move, touch and play until you're happy. Top 3 would be:
Heater with ingnition off and no electrical hook up (checking no earth shunt fault)
Roof up and down - check canvas for any damage
Kitchen water pump/tap

 

[WelshGas]

Hi All
New to the Cali thing so be gentle
Trying to buy an SE T5, would love a T6 but my wallet doesn’t agree
Anyways seen a few i’d Like to view so they are 2008 / 2009, 130ps manual, done under 60k what should I ask and look for and what inherent problems do they have if Any
Thanks in Advance
Stan

Be aware, low miles does not necessarily mean less problems. The California is based on a commercial van and built to be used not languishing on the drive or in storage for months on end.
Many Service items are Distance and TIME related.
eg: If on longline service oil changes are 20,000miles or 2 Years.
Gearbox oil 40,000 miles or ??? 2 Years.
AirCon if not used can leak from dry seals and should be re-charged every 2 years.
Tyres should be changed every 4/5 years as they perish, never mind how many miles done.
Excessive wear on brake discs due to corrosion because of not being used regularly.

Are these vehicles private sales or from Dealers either VW or Motorhome ?

A full VW Service History is good, even better if carried out at one Dealership.

Reason for sale? Good if selling to upgrade etc: as they like the life and want to continue and so have cared for the vehicle.

 

[Stanleyc]

Be aware, low miles does not necessarily mean less problems. The California is based on a commercial van and built to be used not languishing on the drive or in storage for months on end.
Many Service items are Distance and TIME related.
eg: If on longline service oil changes are 20,000miles or 2 Years.
Gearbox oil 40,000 miles or ??? 2 Years.
AirCon if not used can leak from dry seals and should be re-charged every 2 years.
Tyres should be changed every 4/5 years as they perish, never mind how many miles done.
Excessive wear on brake discs due to corrosion because of not being used regularly.

Are these vehicles private sales or from Dealers either VW or Motorhome ?

A full VW Service History is good, even better if carried out at one Dealership.

Reason for sale? Good if selling to upgrade etc: as they like the life and want to continue and so have cared for the vehicle.

Thanks for the info..some good points that I hadn’t even considered
I can see this is gonna be a challenge
Shame I can’t afford a new one

 

[Azteccamper]

Prior to my current T5SE I converted a T5 2.5 56plate from a base van to full conversion.
WG is correct with all the above. A proper service is so important especially if it’s the 2.5 5 cylinder. Great van and powerful but expensive things can go wrong as with all modern cars. DPF, EGR, DMF/clutch, springs, etc all had to be replaced on mine around the 70-80k mark. I’ve still got it - family use it and it’s done 100k plus now and drives like a dream.
Just be aware it’s a van, needs to be driven and needs to be looked after correctly.

You won’t look back - brilliant lifestyle vehicle. We love our SE