Complete Newbies At The Start Of A Long Journey...initial Pointers Needed!

Rapt0rUK

Senior Member
VIP Member
T6 Pro

Hi folks, thanks for taking the time to visit the post!

Here goes, my wife and I are avid campers, have talked for years about owning a campervan and we now think the moons could be aligning and we’re ready to make the leap… we are complete newbies when it comes to campers. Our first port of call was to check out the Cali at a VW garage. Loved it but Jesus, is it crazy expensive!? That ultimately led to the idea of a conversion and subsequently finding our way here to this forum...

As I say, we’re complete newbies and right at the start of our research journey so we have so many questions we need to answer and hoping you can at least point us in the right direction on some of it.

So starting right at the beginning….these are the things we’re currently wrestling with.

Base Van


We’re looking at a T6, 2017, ideally less than 30k miles…

Based on the reading up to now, consensus is split but it seems to make sense to go for a T30 just to give the headroom if you do decide to do anything that adds significant weight (we for sure would add a pop-up roof/bed). We would want the DSG as our current vehicle is an automatic and couldn’t ever go back after driving that for 2 years.

After that it becomes a bit of a minefield…

Panel Van vs Combi – I’ve read some say that if you’re converting, a panel van is easier as it’s a blank canvas and you’re not having to rip out existing carpets etc. to put the insulation in and pay for seats you don’t need. On the other hand, others say the cab in the combi is quieter as it has better base insulation to begin with and some of the windows are already done for you.

Trim - I’ve read the Highline is worth finding due to the added extras you get, aircon, heated windshield, alarm etc. (love the look of the Sportline but assuming harder to come by and more expensive…). I’d ideally want an Apple Carplay/Android Auto setup, is that a Highline standard and if not, is it something that can be fairly easily added afterwards?

SWB vs LWB - It seems obvious the LWB would offer more space which you’d want for a camper but what’s it really like for parking in carparks etc. my wife has another car but this would become my main vehicle… am I going to struggle with it in an Aldi carpark!? How much more does the LWB really offer in practical terms after the conversion…? Are there any advantages to the SWB I’m not considering?

Conversion - Money is obviously a consideration… our thought process is to put more investment into a newer base van, lower mileage etc. which will hopefully pay dividends in the long run. We keep watching these Youtube videos from everyday people that claim to have no previous DIY skills, learnt on the job and came out with amazing looking results, importantly saving a fortune along the way… Now, i’m no DIY king but have done lots of renovation on the house, have plenty of the right tools and feel fairly comfortable with most stuff. In reality though, our thoughts would be a bit of a halfway house…tackle some of the simpler tasks ourselves, then go to a professional for the trickier bits or those that need certifying…installing a diesel heater, electrics maybe.

We’re not likely to have the funds for an overnight job so it will be a longer-term project doing it bit at a time over the course of 12-18 months. Ideally, we’d find a converter that would work with us on it over time…that said, if we did go down the professional conversion route, who are the key players in the Northwest/Manchester area that we should check out?

I’m almost thinking, let’s get the base van and then we’ll worry about the conversion later but there must be some key considerations we need to be thinking of before we even start the journey…we’re just a bit overwhelmed to begin with so where do we need to focus our thinking in the first instance?

I’ve probably opened lots of cans of worms here and will have loads more questions but in the interest if this not becoming and essay, I think I better leave it there for now!

Huge thank you in advance to anyone that takes the time read and respond to this post! In the meantime we'll continue to scour the rest of the forum to answer as many of these questions as we can ourselves!
 
Welcome @Rapt0rUK
You’ve clearly done a fair bit of reading across the forum.

I would agree with your consideration of a T30 is a good starting point.

If there are just the two of you, then a panel van with captains chairs could be your best option. Like you say no point paying for seats you don’t need. The other thing is that aftermarket side windows added during your conversion will be better than the leaky OEM kombi version.

With two of you, you could still get out to camps, and just throw an air bed in the back. That way you may equally start to learn of the sorts of things you are going to want in your conversion.

Have a look at hiring a camper before hand, again it’ll help guide you as to what works for your type of use, versus what doesn’t.

Get yourself to some of the bigger shows such as CamperJam or Busfest. Lots of converters showing their vans, even more people in the fields who will always talk to you about what they’ve done.

Try the Camping, Caravan and Motorhome show at the NEC (every February). Get some converters there so stuff to look at. Equally sticking your nose in a motorhome can give ideas of things that you may like to try to add to your conversion.

Good luck.
 
As @DaveyB has said, T30 is a good starting point. Whilst you don't need the extra things a Kombi will give you there are a few options that are not available in a panel van. Carpet in the front and Comfort Dash to name a couple. You will be able to sell the seats and load mat after conversion. Definitely highline for the aircon etc. It's a massive + point when you come to sell. Carplay is not standard it's an option. It can be activated afterwards if your head unit is compatible.

Best thing to do is hire a van and see how you're going to use it. You may not want the full kitchen/units and prefer a full width bed.

Good luck with your future adventures :thumbsup:
 
We moved from small tent camping to a T6 campervan, built to our spec. We didn’t hire one first, but did visit a small number of converters and went to a major show. With thought, it has given us just what we want.

The important thing is to decide what *you* need from the van. This includes both the base van spec and the fit out. Look beyond the glossy finish in some vans to the spec and built quality; which would be relevant whether a self build or from a converter.
 
T30 / I50 DSG - or 204 if you like a decent degree of oomph / LED Lights are essential!!!! / LWB / Highline / Comfort Dash if you can find one / Kombi, but be aware the sliding windows leak and can't be fixed easily / twin front seats. When considering your roof / bed combo if and when you get to that point, check the relative heights - as in, lots of seat beds are so high your head hits the roof, and your feet can't touch the floor. Then there's the obvious details of whether it's a properly crash tested bed, "pull tested" or something lashed up in a backstreet garage and screwed down with woodscrews. Likewise pop-tops - that's an absolute minefield.
 
Hi folks, thanks for taking the time to visit the post!

Here goes, my wife and I are avid campers, have talked for years about owning a campervan and we now think the moons could be aligning and we’re ready to make the leap… we are complete newbies when it comes to campers. Our first port of call was to check out the Cali at a VW garage. Loved it but Jesus, is it crazy expensive!? That ultimately led to the idea of a conversion and subsequently finding our way here to this forum...

As I say, we’re complete newbies and right at the start of our research journey so we have so many questions we need to answer and hoping you can at least point us in the right direction on some of it.


So starting right at the beginning….these are the things we’re currently wrestling with.

Base Van

We’re looking at a T6, 2017, ideally less than 30k miles…

Based on the reading up to now, consensus is split but it seems to make sense to go for a T30 just to give the headroom if you do decide to do anything that adds significant weight (we for sure would add a pop-up roof/bed). We would want the DSG as our current vehicle is an automatic and couldn’t ever go back after driving that for 2 years.

After that it becomes a bit of a minefield…

Panel Van vs Combi – I’ve read some say that if you’re converting, a panel van is easier as it’s a blank canvas and you’re not having to rip out existing carpets etc. to put the insulation in and pay for seats you don’t need. On the other hand, others say the cab in the combi is quieter as it has better base insulation to begin with and some of the windows are already done for you.

Trim - I’ve read the Highline is worth finding due to the added extras you get, aircon, heated windshield, alarm etc. (love the look of the Sportline but assuming harder to come by and more expensive…). I’d ideally want an Apple Carplay/Android Auto setup, is that a Highline standard and if not, is it something that can be fairly easily added afterwards?

SWB vs LWB - It seems obvious the LWB would offer more space which you’d want for a camper but what’s it really like for parking in carparks etc. my wife has another car but this would become my main vehicle… am I going to struggle with it in an Aldi carpark!? How much more does the LWB really offer in practical terms after the conversion…? Are there any advantages to the SWB I’m not considering?

Conversion - Money is obviously a consideration… our thought process is to put more investment into a newer base van, lower mileage etc. which will hopefully pay dividends in the long run. We keep watching these Youtube videos from everyday people that claim to have no previous DIY skills, learnt on the job and came out with amazing looking results, importantly saving a fortune along the way… Now, i’m no DIY king but have done lots of renovation on the house, have plenty of the right tools and feel fairly comfortable with most stuff. In reality though, our thoughts would be a bit of a halfway house…tackle some of the simpler tasks ourselves, then go to a professional for the trickier bits or those that need certifying…installing a diesel heater, electrics maybe.

We’re not likely to have the funds for an overnight job so it will be a longer-term project doing it bit at a time over the course of 12-18 months. Ideally, we’d find a converter that would work with us on it over time…that said, if we did go down the professional conversion route, who are the key players in the Northwest/Manchester area that we should check out?

I’m almost thinking, let’s get the base van and then we’ll worry about the conversion later but there must be some key considerations we need to be thinking of before we even start the journey…we’re just a bit overwhelmed to begin with so where do we need to focus our thinking in the first instance?

I’ve probably opened lots of cans of worms here and will have loads more questions but in the interest if this not becoming and essay, I think I better leave it there for now!

Huge thank you in advance to anyone that takes the time read and respond to this post! In the meantime we'll continue to scour the rest of the forum to answer as many of these questions as we can ourselves!
Hi

I am where you were when you posted this. I am just about to buy a 2017 T6 150 BHP LWB (135,000 km) . Do you have any advise for me please

GattMan
 
Hi

I am where you were when you posted this. I am just about to buy a 2017 T6 150 BHP LWB (135,000 km) . Do you have any advise for me please

GattMan
We've had our van a few years now, finished the conversion and using it regularly, learnt a lot along the way. In the end we bought a 2018, 204 DSG with 6k miles on the clock. It's as new as we could afford, still with 2 years warranty and 2 services at the time. Our thoughts were to buy as new as we could to still have some warranty and take our time with the conversion. The van is great, we got a great deal and it was practically new but if I had my chance again, I would probably have held out for something with LED lights...the standard lights really are as bad as everyone says, genuinely terrible. If you don't want to have to go down the road of after market lights, try and find something with LEDs, having said that we haven't replaced ours yet but I will at some point. I'm glad we got the 204, it has some real punch, we also got the T32, just be aware that does mean finding wheels is harder as they need to be load rated...still haven't found any we like yet...

We started a build thread here:


and our electrics here:

 
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As above get best spec van you can find especially at the moment, for a start dont worry too much about converting, we spent years travelling Europe in our T4 panel van with a mattress as you spend most evenings camped outside.
You can get pre carpeted panels, lego type foam garage tiles for now, get a futon from ikea in the back all for less than £500 and work out whats important and enjoy. We bought a T28 and had fitted eibach springs (which worked out cheaper than a T30 too), had windows and seats fitted in our panel van and were in Spain all within a week !!! but that was over 4 years ago.
 
A T6 camper is a really expensive way to go camping. Don't get me wrong they are fantastic and come in very useful in general daily life but if your only use is to camp a couple of times a year there are far better and much cheaper options.

Now if you heart is set on a T6 then for me the main decision is will you cook in the van. For me a it's a no but for lots of people it's a must. Not installing a kitchen will save thousands and you probably don't want a pop-top either.

Though personally, I wouldn't be spending 40k on a van and then look to save a few k on converting it myself.

Finally, I'm probably the only person that doesn't find the standard headlights that bad. Well not enough to spend a few thousand on replacements and I do an 90 mile commute in my van too.

Good luck!
 
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