VRT ON UK van.... guideline??

martyc5674

Looking at an 82 T25.
Anyone recently pay VRT on one and care to share what I’d be looking at paying.

autumnalcore

martyc5674 wrote: »

Looking at an 82 T25.
Anyone recently pay VRT on one and care to share what I’d be looking at paying.

You'd need a lot more info than that to put a ball park on it. Is it tin top / pop top / Hi top / factory conversion / professional conversion / diy conversion / petrol / diesel / engine conversion / 4 speed / 5 speed let alone the mileage, condition etc.

Gearbox on those is a chocolate teapot and seam rot is especially bad on UK vans so be wary. Even an immaculate looking one could be 10% fibreglass and plastic padding.

martyc5674

Was thinking something like this with the GRP roof.
https://www.donedeal.ie/view/17100527

Is there a particular engine/gearbox combo to aim for?
I’m handy enough with the spanners so wouldn’t be put off having to swap out a gearbox etc but good to know this up front.
Marty.

CJhaughey

martyc5674 wrote: »

Was thinking something like this with the GRP roof.
https://www.donedeal.ie/view/17100527

Is there a particular engine/gearbox combo to aim for?
I’m handy enough with the spanners so wouldn’t be put off having to swap out a gearbox etc but good to know this up front.
Marty.

Thats not a bad engine to be fair! Much better than the Aircooled ones...:D

martyc5674

I thought the air cooled ones would be from the 70s?
I haven’t even looked at one yet... is the engine in the back of these so?

autumnalcore

martyc5674 wrote: »

I haven’t even looked at one yet... is the engine in the back of these so?

Lol yes engine/gearbox in the back, and the gearbox is backwards which rules out 99.9% of engine gearbox conversions. A few people have gone with an upsidedown passat gearbox conversion.

http://ultimate-engineering.co.uk/gearbox.html

Radiator is in the front which makes for entertaining plumbing and coolant bleeding. Also has the longest gear linkage you've ever seen.

The AAZ and 1Z engine conversions are as good as its going to get in these, simple, reliable, very economical. The favoured gearbox for conversions is probably AAP/AAR 5 speed which has a diff that give reasonable revs in conjunction with taller tyres not necessarily the most reliable though.

I had one for a while and when you get past the 'aww it looks so retro cool phase' you realise they're tiny, unrefined, agricultural, noisy, with rubbish brakes, unreliable gearboxes, virtually nothing in terms of safety for you and your family. If you spent 20k on repairs, upgrades you'd add 2k in value. But you can't fault the vw community the type 2 club lads were super friendly and helpful just as well beause you'll need them

autumnalcore

autumnalcore wrote: »

...when you get past the 'aww it looks so retro cool phase'

That happened me as soon as I tried to stand in one.

martyc5674

Cheers for the detail.... hmmm
Should I be looking at a T5 then?

T4's are a good compromise. They sorted out most of the rust issues and the engines are super reliable if you stick to the 1.9D or 1.9TD's. The TDi's are much more dependent on how well serviced they are. They are slightly smaller inside than the T25's but its easy to fit a full sized bed and reasonable kitchen into them. You need captains chairs and a high roof to make your life more straightforward and these maybe hard to find.

T5's are prohibitively expensive and not as robust as the T4. Expect to spend over €16K for a decent T5 camper.

Shoog