Buying Advice Please

[cleave14]

Hi

I'm looking at buy a T6 and have narrowed my choices down to two vehicles.

One is direct from Hertz 102ps highline panel van, 18 plate 27 000 miles. £14 350 + VAT.

The other is from the main dealer 102ps highline kombi 17 plate 30 000 miles £17 250 no VAT.

Both clean vans and actually I'd be converting the panel van to a kombi if I got it. I know it seems like a no brainer but I'm so wary of car salesmen. The dealership van has been looked after well and just the one owner, but The roadside assistance handbook has been well thumbed through. I just don't want to end up with a van that has had lots of problems.

I asked if it's had any warranty work and reluctantly he went off and came back with one sheet showing a squeaky auxiliary belt had been changed. I just wonder if I'm being ridiculous not to trust that if it's had on going problems he could have just not produced that paper work?

Any advice here would be greatly appreciated. It's a lot of money I'm about to part with!

 

[DaveD]

I'm not aware of the implications of VAT in your particular circumstances, i.e. can you claim it back through a business? In any event, the only advice I'd offer is go with your instinct. Just because one van has had a new auxiliary belt that certainly wouldn't put me off, at least it's been fixed.
A purchase like this is always a gamble, regardless of make or model, and like most of us you are cautious, but you can only do diligent research ,(this forum has to be a good start!) carry out a thorough inspection and test drive then go with your gut. Both vans seem competitively priced, obviously the van comes with the additional expense of converting to a Kombi if that's your intention, and I'm sure you've factored that in.
I have to say, if one had LED headlights and the other didn't, that would make the decision easier if I were in your shoes, I regret not holding out for LED's, but that's just my personal opinion.
Sometimes we just have to take a leap of faith. There's an absolute wealth of knowledge among members on here which I find invaluable and I'm sure you will too.
Good Luck.

 

[t6 steve]

hi I found wen I was looking that some of the vans ad vat on some with no vat but I think the vans with no vat ad vat built in to the price they seem to even them selves out but if you can claim back the vat your be better off buying the vat one . im self employed bit not vat registered so no use to me

 

[JasonW]

My personal opinion is rental vans get hammered and a lot of abuse, 27k miles in ~18 months is on the high side as well....

The VW dealer van mileage is marginally better, but with it being a kombi probably hasn't had countless loads of crap thrown in the back on a daily basis, So maybe better looked after...

I would be trying to get vw to throw in a 12 month extended warranty to sweeten the deal.... The kombi is also ultimately what you want to end up with so might be the cheaper option than converting the panel van.... Either way good luck..!

 

[cleave14]

Thanks very much for your replies.

In a way I was thinking the higher mileage in shorter time might be a good thing, in that the van's done long trips, but I can just tell that the kombi has been well looked after and that probably means driven well as well, even if it's been town driving.

Both vans are going to end up being £17 250 and my business isn't VAT registered. VW extend the warranty so it's got a year from when I buy it and they're giving it a service. I loved converting my old T4 but the time and expense of doing it this time round when there's one all done ready for me for the same price...

Think I'll go with the dealership and hope I don't have to bother with any after service as the reviews are pretty awful!

Looking forward to this now!

 

[Silver Turfer]

Hi You Vee Dub lovers,
Its time I treated myself to a new van,
I have a lot of brand loyalty to VW and particularly Transporters ... my first was a Type 2 back 1973 ...
But my nearest VW Van dealer has moved even further away to north of Huntington from St Ives.... its a bit far to just nip up there to kick tyres and work out what I want and how much.

I must confess I found myself looking at Ford Transits the other day ... things have moved on a bit ...
I do already own three Transits (2 Customs and an Older one) The lads love them but I have always felt the Transporter is a bit special so I have a T6 for myself.

I really liked a lot of the features in the new Transit Custom (Limited) such as:
the plastic floor covering in the cargo side,
the heated seats
The air con
Sat Nav
And the really fancy Android phone sync stuff

What I dont like is
Quarter light (the cab windows only partially open)
There is no Grab Handle on the A pillar to heave my ageing body up the steps.
We've had issues with the "Ford custom's" doors catching the wind on opening sometimes and causing damage to the wind and door.

But what I liked most was the price.

Without going to the VW Van Centre and having to drink a lot of hot coffee and bull5hit with the salesman I can't work out the spec I want and know what is standard and what you've got to add on.
The Configurater on VW site is useless

Can someone point me in the direction where I can find out what is standard on Highline and what's an extra?

There must be a thread on this forum somewhere, where we discuss how to spec a new van.

Help please!

I don't really want to go down Tranie route ... but I'm being seduced by the though of my bottom feeling the warm glow on a cold winters morning.

 

[cleave14]

I was wondering the same actually.

As far as I can see t he highline has DAB radio, alloys, A/C and colour coded bumpers.

not sure if there’s more and what the optional extras might be. I’d like to know though. And if you’re buying a second hand van are any optional extras documented anywhere?

 

[JasonW]

I used the autoebid configurator which listed 95% of available options, then checked with VW on a few minor points, worked for me.

New 2020 Volkswagen Transporter UK Deals - Average £5777 Savinghttps://www.autoebid.com/new-vans/Volkswagen/Transporter/all-uk-deals

 

[Yzfr1]

Thanks very much for your replies.

In a way I was thinking the higher mileage in shorter time might be a good thing, in that the van's done long trips, but I can just tell that the kombi has been well looked after and that probably means driven well as well, even if it's been town driving.

Both vans are going to end up being £17 250 and my business isn't VAT registered. VW extend the warranty so it's got a year from when I buy it and they're giving it a service. I loved converting my old T4 but the time and expense of doing it this time round when there's one all done ready for me for the same price...

Think I'll go with the dealership and hope I don't have to bother with any after service as the reviews are pretty awful!

Looking forward to this now!

The factory kombi might also fall into the car speed limits too. Check v5 for mass in service weight. Under 2049kg and you can do car speeds. This might not Intrest you but it's a good selling point to people like me

 

[Silver Turfer]

Thanks for the input guys,
I looked at the Autobid Configurator and it woke me up ...
Perhaps I can't afford a Transporter any more

 

[czmate1999]

Hi, here's my thread on this,

Cost Of Base Van...

 

[JasonW]

Thanks for the input guys,
I looked at the Autobid Configurator and it woke me up ...
Perhaps I can't afford a Transporter any more

It's so tempting to add more and more bells and whistles... and its easy to get carried away.... but the reality is if your on a budget then ask yourself what you really need and what are the things you could live without....