Going to take the plunge!! Need some reassurance this isn't an expensive mistake! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Greylag80

New Member
Hey all,

We are a family of x4 (and a dog) who love the outdoors and LOVED our time away in a rental VW California. After much deliberation we thought we'd finally take the plunge!

We're about to press the button on this:

T6 camper king
Alternatively you can cut and paste the address below -


1. Are there any issues (you experienced van users out there) that we are missing?

2. What kind of depreciation would we expect approx. per year? (not going to hold anyone to this as I know markets change! )

I appreciate this is just last minute nerves but I thought this would be the best place to ask.

Thanks in advance!!
 
Greylag80 said:
Hey all,

We are a family of x4 (and a dog) who love the outdoors and LOVED our time away in a rental VW California. After much deliberation we thought we'd finally take the plunge!

We're about to press the button on this:

T6 camper king
Alternatively you can cut and paste the address below -


1. Are there any issues (you experienced van users out there) that we are missing?

2. What kind of depreciation would we expect approx. per year? (not going to hold anyone to this as I know markets change! )

I appreciate this is just last minute nerves but I thought this would be the best place to ask.

Thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...
Have a Search with ‘camper king’, there are definitely some unhappy customers and they do bang out a lot of vans. Also some happy ones.
With a big spend like a campervan it’s well worth travelling to view and discuss
 
Just my personal preference, but I wouldn't go for the 20 inch wheels and ' rubber band' tyres myself - I think the ride will be poor - but lots of people love this look.
Height is specced at 2.07 m - are you happy this is low enough for you ? ie carpark height limits - can be fixed with wheel/tyre/suspension changes , but you probably don't want to pay out more ...

Simon
 
As per the above I would also go for a tailgate over barn doors, unless you've some reason to prefer the latter.

Depreciation, who knows. Budget 10% a year and you won't be far off.
 
If you're looking for a CamperKing, and can squeeze into a SWB, there is one for sale at 25seven campers, with a tailgate, 1 year newer, less miles and a fair bit cheaper than the one linked.
 
Have an honest think about what worked for you and didn’t work for you in the Cali. Does this one cover those areas? With 4 of you where are you going to store all the kit (awning, clothes, bedding etc) as there doesn’t appear to be much room behind the rear seat and it doesn’t look to slide? A sliding seat was an essential for me. Is there sufficient room in the roof, especially as the kids grow, as some lift higher than others at the rear? Does it give you sufficiently more than spending the same on a Cali? A Cali will depreciate a lot less. Do you want barn doors or a tailgate.
Otherwise it looks a lovely van and if it works for you you’ll love it.
 
Being on the otherside of the camping fence now, I can give my 2p worth.

With a family of 4, a large awning is a must.
At nightime, you wouldn't have room to move much inside when the bed is down, dog is in his bed and valuables on the seats/counter.

If the kids are happy to sleep in the awning that would be good. I personally didn't have room to sleep comfortably with the mrs on either bed. So i slept up top, whilst she stayed down.
I had a LWB too.

Needed a trailer for all the stuff needed.

You'll struggle to find someone who has £60k in cash to pay for a camper upon resale. I fell fortunate to find someone I knew who to sell too.

If you have 65k to spend, I would look at buying a van, and finding a converter. You may save thousands.
 
I've seen many camperking conversions. I would read other comments of issues on here and quality. At that kind of money, on the conversion side of things I'd want a reimo or sca roof, and a RIB bed. Oversized doors are very outdated too.
Have you looked at different conversions done by other companies?
 
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I wouldn’t throw £65k at a CK. we went to look at them when we were researching our van purchase. Decidedly unimpressed.
You’re riding the wave after your brief flirtation with the Cali. Don’t be in a hurry to spend your money. There’s better out there for your money.
For a growing family of four you definitely need a LWB imho. A tailgate is also more camper friendly.
 
Mileage seem pretty high for that asking price IMHO. Are you cash buyers or requiring finance?
 
evans1089 said:
Being on the otherside of the camping fence now, I can give my 2p worth.

With a family of 4, a large awning is a must.
At nightime, you wouldn't have room to move much inside when the bed is down, dog is in his bed and valuables on the seats/counter.

If the kids are happy to sleep in the awning that would be good. I personally didn't have room to sleep comfortably with the mrs on either bed. So i slept up top, whilst she stayed down.
I had a LWB too.

Needed a trailer for all the stuff needed.

You'll struggle to find someone who has £60k in cash to pay for a camper upon resale. I fell fortunate to find someone I knew who to sell too.

If you have 65k to spend, I would look at buying a van, and finding a converter. You may save thousands.
Click to expand...
This is sound advice. Personally I think for that sort of money, you could get 2 similar spec vans if you shopped around. I'd start with some of the vans on this forum in the For Sale section
 
I paid almost 10k less for a T6.1 2021 model with 6000miles. Fully converted. Similar spec.
 
Depends if you want to tour different places or explore an area.
I prefer a decent tent and the van our transport and toy storage.

£65k is massive, but only you can assess if it’s the right type of vehicle for your needs.

I have no camper van experience as I know it wouldn’t work for us currently, but clearly those commenting have read enough CK issues to advise caution.

I’d at least want the suspension corrected for the added weight as that van looks very nose high, and that’s before you add all your gear and family.
 
Greylag80 said:
Hey all,

We are a family of x4 (and a dog) who love the outdoors and LOVED our time away in a rental VW California. After much deliberation we thought we'd finally take the plunge!

We're about to press the button on this:

T6 camper king
Alternatively you can cut and paste the address below -


1. Are there any issues (you experienced van users out there) that we are missing?

2. What kind of depreciation would we expect approx. per year? (not going to hold anyone to this as I know markets change! )

I appreciate this is just last minute nerves but I thought this would be the best place to ask.

Thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...

Two decades ago when we had three children and a dog I made do with various big cars, which were inevitably not big enough.
Buying a T6 is definitely a good idea, I wish I'd had one years ago.
I'm not able to add anything to the other comments in terms of specific vans, but if you buy wisely depreciation won't be a problem.
 
I’ve just bought a swb t6.1 converted van , I believe it was done by sherwood campers and we love it but would it really sleep 4 for more than a cpl of nights I’m not sure but the fit out seams luxurious to me so I’d definitely look at sherwood campers , I have some pics if you would like to compare and although I bought private I didn’t pay £65k
 
Rabkia said:
I’ve just bought a swb t6.1 converted van , I believe it was done by sherwood campers and we love it but would it really sleep 4 for more than a cpl of nights I’m not sure but the fit out seams luxurious to me so I’d definitely look at sherwood campers , I have some pics if you would like to compare and although I bought private I didn’t pay £65k
Click to expand...
Yes to pics please (and would love to know what you paid)
 
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