T5 camper converters

[Freeley]

Hi all not a cali question as such but I'm planning on converting my 61 plate T5 into a camper in the spring prior to selling it, with the conversion being a similar layout to the cali ie side kitchen with fridge, hob and sink with a pop top and roof bed.
Does anyone know of any decent converters, preferably in the south West?
So far I've been in contact with clearcut conversions who are local to me and pure vw campers in south Wales.
I was hoping to get it done for about 10k but the extras are a killer. By the time I've added in things like a crash tested bed, swivel plate for the passenger seat, extra windows etc I'm upto 13k which was a bit more than I wanted to spend.
Can anyone recommend a decent conversion company, or even a one man band if they know what they're doing?!

Cheers

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[motacyclist]

Probably not many owners who have a Cali now will be familiar with the current converter scene. Will it be cost effective getting it converted before you sell it?

 

[Freeley]

That's a good question and one I've ummed and ahhhed over for a few months now. I THINK by converting it first I could pretty much get back my conversion cost and what I paid for the van in the first place so little or no depreciation.
Time will tell though.

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[WelshGas]

I would think that unless you, personally, did most of the conversion yourself then you are unlikely to cover the Conversion costs with the premium over the base vehicle.
DirtyWeekenders near Worcester is where my son got his Conversion from, windows, pop top, crash tested bed/seat, electrics, fridge, cooker, Diesel heater, swivel seats etc:. + extras. Little change from £15,000 over the cost of the base van. Very good workmanship but at a cost.

 

[David Worthington]

Have you seen that original cabinetry and seating is often for sale on eBay - presumably from a written-off Cali. I don't know if I'm allowed to post this link as an example, but here goes....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volkswage...188227?hash=item1c5b8f1603:g:g44AAOSwrklVflVd

It's expensive at £9.5k plus £4k for fitting - but you get a genuine Cali interior so it may be worth looking into, since your residual could be higher than on a conversion... you could make them an offer for the parts too. You'll need a twin door Transporter, with lifting tailgate of course...

Dave

 

[Freeley]

Have you seen that original cabinetry and seating is often for sale on eBay - presumably from a written-off Cali. I don't know if I'm allowed to post this link as an example, but here goes....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volkswage...188227?hash=item1c5b8f1603:g:g44AAOSwrklVflVd

It's expensive at £9.5k plus £4k for fitting - but you get a genuine Cali interior so it may be worth looking into, since your residual could be higher than on a conversion... you could make them an offer for the parts too. You'll need a twin door Transporter, with lifting tailgate of course...

Dave

That looks interesting unfortunately my transporter is lwb and only has a nearside sliding door.

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[Freeley]

I would think that unless you, personally, did most of the conversion yourself then you are unlikely to cover the Conversion costs with the premium over the base vehicle.
DirtyWeekenders near Worcester is where my son got his Conversion from, windows, pop top, crash tested bed/seat, electrics, fridge, cooker, Diesel heater, swivel seats etc:. + extras. Little change from £15,000 over the cost of the base van. Very good workmanship but at a cost.

I've had a couple of quotes both of which were about 13k. It all depends on what I can get for it afterwards I suppose. Looking on auto trader conversions the same age seem to be going for 28-30k which seems hard to believe. But if I could get that kind of money it would be worth it.
Would be an interesting project regardless.

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[MattBW]

I used Starlight campers in Dudley for my t25 but he does a lot of T5s. A really nice guy and very helpful. I would class him as a mid price range converter. My interior cost me about £2500 installed but I already had roof and such.

 

[larrylamb]

We hired a conversion done by http://www.jasconversions.co.uk, Weston super mare. It was very nicely done with some great touches, the people we hired from had looked far and wide before choosing JAS.

 

[Skylark2.0]

Could try Denby Campervans for a cheap conversion?

 

[stjohnswell]

Nicely crafted conversions available from:
Three Bridge Campers & New Wave Custom Conversions.

 

[Airhoguk]

Have you tried these people in Exmouth, the demo van is very smart http://www.westcountryconversions.com/

 

[Freeley]

Could try Denby Campervans for a cheap conversion?

The Denby Balmoral looks like the type of conversion I've been looking at. Will definitely contact them tomorrow cheers

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[Freeley]

Nicely crafted conversions available from:
Three Bridge Campers & New Wave Custom Conversions.

I've got the three bridges brochure - lovely conversions but too expensive for a conversion to sell. If I was keeping it though I'd definitely consider them.

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[Freeley]

Have you tried these people in Exmouth, the demo van is very smart http://www.westcountryconversions.com/

They look nice conversions but a bit more than I want to spend unfortunately.
And their spelling is appalling!

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[Skylark2.0]

The Denby Balmoral looks like the type of conversion I've been looking at. Will definitely contact them tomorrow cheers

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That's the conversion we had.

 

[Freeley]

Spoke to Steve at denby earlier and he emailed me a price. Came out the same as the others so looks like 13k is what I'll need to spend to get a full conversion with windows all round and a crash tested bed. Cheers for the help everybody

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[owen_h]

The two that come to mind and are also South West are Autohaus in Minehead and Vanworx in Portland. No experience personally of either but websites look good and seen good reviews on the T4 forum. There is also Uberbus in Bournemouth, did discuss kitchen pods with him and seen some of his conversions which were very well made. Usually very busy so lead time could be an issue.



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[mikeringrose]

Hi,

See this blog. I investigated conversions at great length prior to buying a cali. Suggest you pick a large long established converter who can work to EU Type Approval standards.

 

[Blackwell]

Try Vandoc in Redditch.

 

[Freeley]

Try Vandoc in Redditch.

Website must be under construction as when I click on van conversions it just takes me to a page about windows?

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