What do I purchase, a late T4 or early T5?

[Clem Fandango]

Due to my budget I am in the awkward position of what to buy, either a late T4 Cali or one of the first T5's

I have been reading through all the threads on here for the past year and have gathered that the T4 is a more sound vehicle with few problems, also if problems do occur they are cheaper to fix and also I could even fix some myself?

The T5 seems to have too many problems to list and by the looks of it if something major goes wrong we are looking at £1000's to repair

 

[calikev]

It sounds to meet like you may have already made your mind up. Both great vehicles I think the t4 will be left hand drive.

 

[spanner]

YES, I can hear you Clem Fandango :laugh2

 

[2into1]

As Calikev says, all Westfalia T4's will be Left hand drive.

The best T4 Westy's RETAIL (ie dealer) at around £24k. I think the cheapest Cali (T5) I've seen was advertised privately at about £26k. It would have been 4 years or so newer than the T4.

Your concerns about repairs are valid. The Westy camping gear is really over engineered, generally simple, and heavy. Most of it had been in production for 10 years before the last T4's were made, so the (very few) bugs were no longer there. The VW T5 camping gear was new, was built for looks / style / light weight (eg the cooker lid), and is more complex (eg the roof in particular).

There may be some T4's that still get serviced at the main dealers but I doubt that any of them would turn to a main dealer for work to the camping side. That means there is a independent supply base and plenty of folks who will work on them (because they are simple). In comparison, most T5's have relied on the main dealer network for parts and repairs. As far as I am aware, there aren't many Cali specialists outside the main dealer network, so something that is much more complex is being worked on my much more costly technicians = ££££

I think the last T4's and the first T5's will always be similar in value. I understand the T5 is much more car-like to drive, the T4 more van like.

The fact that the Westy T4's are LHD is a disadvantage to some, but is better for the camping layout as the passenger seat turns into 'open' space.

If it wasn't a Westy T4 you were thinking about, then it is easier: Get a T5 Cali !