Buying advice please in terms of engine & gearbox

[gothicsanta]

I have had problems with a 2.0 TDI VW T5.1 in the past, specifically buying it with a fault of jumping out of reverse gear, having the gearbox rebuilt (by a reputable expert) with a brand new clutch fitted and then not too many miles later it making a HUGE grinding noise but only when in top gear (5th), so having the box stripped and a new 5th cog put in ... not long after the van clutch started slipping...

Have been told since the 2010 5 speed box was never designed for the weight of a van - weak as f@@k or so I’m told.

So I find myself really wanting another T5 / T6 but obviously I think very little of the early manual box or clutch and no idea if these are all sorted on newer vans. Thinking DSG as I’d love a high BHP auto but have read horror stories of those also??

I’ve read so many times that the 1.9 engine is bulletproof and my van had issues with just 60 - 70k on its clock where as my mate’s 1.9 hasn’t had ANY issues and we think at 107k still on it’s original clutch

So do I buy an old high mileage 1.9 (with a lot more than the 70k max I set myself) or go with the 2.0 but avoid the earlier 5 speed...??

 

[Petro]

I'd go for a T6 manual with the 6-speed trans. You're right to avoid the 5-speed, the gearing is just not right for a van that might do heavy hauling and highway speeds. I also wouldn't worry about the DSG problems, only marginal number of vans with them are going catastrophically kaput.

 

[gothicsanta]

Thanks. I've been looking at a few 204hp DSG combis .. I'm so very tempted to just go for it (though it'd have to involve some finance - the prices are a shock!) Seems to me that in the last 18 months VW Transporter pricing has gone crazy!! My old vans are worth quite a lot more now than when I sold them it seems...

Now wondering if it's "safe" to buy a 204hp DSG with 100k on the clock (only with FSH) or whether to keep saving and wait for lower mileage ones to come within budget...!?

I did see a 135k van for sale that said it had had almost 5k of recent repair work That'd make it the last VW I'd ever buy I think after my not-so-lucky past with them...