Buying a T6 in Mexico

[jcarlosfox]

Hello all,

I'm a newbie in the USA. We don't get the Transporters in the USA, but I'm on the border with Mexico, and can pick up a brand new one, fully equipped for about $30,000 US.

I noticed your 2017 T6 have seats on a fantastic rail system, but it's not available in Mexico. So, I'm wondering exactly what they are selling.

The rear seat looks like it attaches like a T5, which is to say, just like the T4.

Is there such a thing offered on your versions of the T6? Is there a way to modify such an arrangement to the rail system?

The standard arrangement does not give a lot of leg room for the rear bench. If some of you have experience in the use and comfort of such rear seats, I'd appreciate some comments.

I've attached link to the gallery of pictures for the Mexican T6, and a picture of the rear.

Galería < Transporter Pasajeros < Modelos | Volkswagen México < Volkswagen Vehiculos Comerciales

Thanks for any comments.

 

[Anthony Ball]

On holiday in Mexico , Riviera Maya area , never seen so many T6s , on the motorway transfer to resort literally every 3rd or 4th vehicle that passed the other way is a T6 , nearly all white Kombi's , even the kids noticed it !! For a fairly poor country it's incredible , be really interested to see how much they cost here

 

[Phil Harris]

On holiday in Mexico , Riviera Maya area , never seen so many T6s , on the motorway transfer to resort literally every 3rd or 4th vehicle that passed the other way is a T6 , nearly all white Kombi's , even the kids noticed it !! For a fairly poor country it's incredible , be really interested to see how much they cost here

Same in Turkey, must be the sunshine !

 

[andys]

Think VW have a manufacturing plant in Mexico, maybe they turn them out there?

 

[Kerrvert]

Happy to see a topic I can comment on with some authority...I just picked up my 2017 T6 a couple of weeks ago.

Yes we have plenty of T6s here in Mexico but here they are almost universally viewed as work trucks so the range of models and options available is rather limited compared to Europe. It is difficult to find one that isn't white! VW's Puebla factory is their 2nd largest in the world but they only make passenger cars. All the T6s are made in Hannover Germany and imported.

Two basic models available, the cargo van and the passenger version (Kombi) which seats 8 or 9. Drive train is either a 105hp Euro 4 TDI with a 5-speed manual or 140hp Euro 4 TDI with the 7-speed DSG. If I had to guess I'd say maybe 1 in 20 has the bigger engine and DSG gearbox. No Adblue and 80L fuel tanks are standard. No petrol engines are available here. All Mexican T6s are long wheelbase and I'm sure the vast majority are T32s with uprated shocks and other suspension bits.

I got into this last year because I needed to find a replacement for my '83 Westfalia. Not sure why, but it's basically impossible to legally import the Westy, and I can't get my permanent resident visa until I return it to the US. My first thought was to simply order a new California and a VW dealer in Guadalajara kept my hopes alive for months only to inform me that it couldn't be done. Warranty issues I expect.

Then I decided to order a loaded Mexican spec T6 and do the conversion here. That plan was thwarted by the reluctance of Mexican dealers to special order a car. Since it's viewed as a commercial vehicle they weren't very interested in helping me. Probably been a different story if I'd wanted several of them. So I was basically stuck with buying a white, bare bones T6 off the lot. :-(

Then I had an epiphany. Since I'm going to cut a big hole in the roof anyway, why not look for a used one? That's when my luck changed. I learned that VW imports T6 passenger vans for company use at the Puebla factory. They use them for awhile and sell them as used cars with 2 year/60,000 km factory warranty. By Mexican standards these vans are quite posh. Metallic paint, nice alloy wheels, 140hp/DSG, AC front and rear, power windows, parking assist, rain sensor, nice radio etc.

Mine had 9000km on the clock when I picked it up. Really like a new car! The price? 545,000 pesos...around 20,500 pounds.

So it was a long, twisted journey but I'm very happy about how things turned out.

Cheers...Jim

 

[Anthony Ball]

Crikey that sounds complicated !! Nice to know some background info , Top marks to you for persevering !!

 

[Fish]

This forum is great.. the vast amount of knowledge and experience of it members is quality.

 

[Kerrvert]

Crikey that sounds complicated !! Nice to know some background info , Top marks to you for persevering !!

I guess everything becomes more complicated when you move to a foreign country...at least for the first few years . Well worth the effort! It'll be fun to take it to the US and blow my VW friends' minds. New Kombis haven't been available there for many years now.

This forum is great.. the vast amount of knowledge and experience of it members is quality.

I couldn't agree more! T6 Forum has been a huge help to me so far and will be even more so as I begin my campervan conversion.

 

[TGerbini]

Happy to see a topic I can comment on with some authority...I just picked up my 2017 T6 a couple of weeks ago.

Yes we have plenty of T6s here in Mexico but here they are almost universally viewed as work trucks so the range of models and options available is rather limited compared to Europe. It is difficult to find one that isn't white! VW's Puebla factory is their 2nd largest in the world but they only make passenger cars. All the T6s are made in Hannover Germany and imported.

Two basic models available, the cargo van and the passenger version (Kombi) which seats 8 or 9. Drive train is either a 105hp Euro 4 TDI with a 5-speed manual or 140hp Euro 4 TDI with the 7-speed DSG. If I had to guess I'd say maybe 1 in 20 has the bigger engine and DSG gearbox. No Adblue and 80L fuel tanks are standard. No petrol engines are available here. All Mexican T6s are long wheelbase and I'm sure the vast majority are T32s with uprated shocks and other suspension bits.

I got into this last year because I needed to find a replacement for my '83 Westfalia. Not sure why, but it's basically impossible to legally import the Westy, and I can't get my permanent resident visa until I return it to the US. My first thought was to simply order a new California and a VW dealer in Guadalajara kept my hopes alive for months only to inform me that it couldn't be done. Warranty issues I expect.

Then I decided to order a loaded Mexican spec T6 and do the conversion here. That plan was thwarted by the reluctance of Mexican dealers to special order a car. Since it's viewed as a commercial vehicle they weren't very interested in helping me. Probably been a different story if I'd wanted several of them. So I was basically stuck with buying a white, bare bones T6 off the lot. :-(

Then I had an epiphany. Since I'm going to cut a big hole in the roof anyway, why not look for a used one? That's when my luck changed. I learned that VW imports T6 passenger vans for company use at the Puebla factory. They use them for awhile and sell them as used cars with 2 year/60,000 km factory warranty. By Mexican standards these vans are quite posh. Metallic paint, nice alloy wheels, 140hp/DSG, AC front and rear, power windows, parking assist, rain sensor, nice radio etc.

Mine had 9000km on the clock when I picked it up. Really like a new car! The price? 545,000 pesos...around 20,500 pounds.

So it was a long, twisted journey but I'm very happy about how things turned out.

Cheers...Jim

Hi Jim;

Hitting a brick wall importing the California. Is there a way you can guide me to importing a T6 from Mexico so I can do the conversion in the US?

Thanks,

Tony

 

[oldiebut goodie]

It's easier and cheaper to buy a used mobile home if you don't have the resources for the parts we have in the UK

 

[DXX]

You might get the van for free if you sign up for the ‘special import‘ package.

 

[Canaan]

Hi Jim;

Hitting a brick wall importing the California. Is there a way you can guide me to importing a T6 from Mexico so I can do the conversion in the US?

Thanks,

Tony

Me too! Have you found any new information on that?

 

[Kerrvert]

Sorry to say I have no knowledge of what it takes to import a vehicle from Mexico to the US. Better check with US Customs on that one. I'm sure there will be many hoops to jump through :-(.

 

[Lukavell]

Hello all,

I'm a newbie in the USA. We don't get the Transporters in the USA, but I'm on the border with Mexico, and can pick up a brand new one, fully equipped for about $30,000 US.

I noticed your 2017 T6 have seats on a fantastic rail system, but it's not available in Mexico. So, I'm wondering exactly what they are selling.

The rear seat looks like it attaches like a T5, which is to say, just like the T4.

Is there such a thing offered on your versions of the T6? Is there a way to modify such an arrangement to the rail system?

The standard arrangement does not give a lot of leg room for the rear bench. If some of you have experience in the use and comfort of such rear seats, I'd appreciate some comments.

I've attached link to the gallery of pictures for the Mexican T6, and a picture of the rear.

Galería < Transporter Pasajeros < Modelos | Volkswagen México < Volkswagen Vehiculos Comerciales

Thanks for any comments.

View attachment 4174 View attachment 4175

The seat rails are on Caravelles, Multivans and I think californias. Yours looks like a Kombi set up. They can be converted to a caravelle style rear, plenty of examples, probably on here, you might struggle to get the parts though. Good luck!