The story starts like this...
From being a little lad, nearly 40 years ago whose Dad had a succession of air cooled T2's and T3's dropside double cab pick up trucks, whilst being a self employeed welder / fabricator that could be heard driving up the street before being seen driving up the street, coming home late at night after a pint or 2 or 3 back in the late 70's. I have now placed an order for my own VW Transporter, with an engine in the front, rather than in the back, albeit to a spec that Dad could only dream of. No seat belts were even provided in the 2nd row of seats back in the day, and the handbrake was a twisty thing underneath the dasboard that under no circumstances were I to touch when making broom, broom, screach, broom, broom driving noises sat in the drivers seat whilst Dad was underneath the van, fixing it on a Sunday afternoon, after his dinner so it worked on Monday morning. Them were the days.
My first car immediately after I passed my test was a second hand ('84) A reg VW Golf 1600 GL, which I managed to keep for a few years before part ex'ing for a E reg Vauxhall Cavalier LX in grey (please excuse my sins - but it did come with a go faster stripe!!). My next pull back into the VW family was another VW Golf, bought in late '93 but this time a 1990 big bumper 8v GTI, after watching a certain lady on a TV advert (Paula Hamilton) keeping her ex husbands Golf keys, not putting them down the drain after ditching her fur coat, a pearl necklace and her wedding ring!!
Move onto Christmas 2017: the girlfriend that I first met after leaving school has now become my wife and the family has grown to include a young mischevious lad, and it was whilst we were all sat around the kitchen table, hosting a party that involved a lot of friends and neighbours drinking and I think it was well into the small hours, when I said to the Mrs in front of a lot of witnesses that "if I could have a T6 camper I would sell the Golf", she immediatelly said without a second thought or hesitation "that was a deal". Bugger... why do I say things when alcohol is involved that I would never have said sober?
Well... move onto September 2018: we still own the Golf (this has caused a few deep and meaningful sober converstaions re "Can't you remember you said you would sell it??"), and the £1,000.00 credit card deposit has been paid to VW for a delivery March 1st 2019.
To ensure this is what as a family we wanted, and to understand what spec we needed, we hired a LWB T6 fully converted camper for a few days summer hire. It rained and howled everyday on the camp site @ Black Rock Sands in N.Wales at the end of July that we then understood that our tenting days were over and a T6 campervan was needed.
I originally looked at nearly new 6 to 18 month old vehicles, but the cost was always more than a new one with all the discounts being offered. I am also a private buyer, not a VAT registered businees so the 20% VAT adds a fair whack to the overall costs, so every penny counts.
After talking to approx 5 VW Dealers, we chose our local JCT 600 Van Centre, who offered a 2018 Q3 order with a 13% discount pre VAT - I didn't want to wait to order in Q4 as VW traditionally increase their prices at this time of the year. The other dealers were offering between 10.5% (the normal discount offered, I believe before pushing a little harder) to 12.5%. I was offered a little bit more discount for a new T6 to the same spec pre VAT but, that was from a conversion company who I chose, eventually not to go with. Also with taking finance through VW, they were offering a £1,750.00 contribution and 2 free services as well.
The spec that I have gone with:
1. LWB Transporter Panel Van, 2.0 TDI, T30, 150 Highline DSG
2. Team "Bamboo Green"
3. Leatherette seat trim covers
4. Swivel drivers and swivel single passenger seat, deleted bulkhead
5. Heated rear window and wash / wipe
6. Carpet flooring in cab
7. Front & rear parking sensors & rear view camera
8. 4 remote keys
9. App connect
10. All weather tyres (these are on standard 16" alloys that will be my Winter set)
11. Power latching passenger side door
12. LED headlights, front & rear, inc daytime running lights
13. Heated / power adjustable / power folding wing mirrors
14. Composition media radio - 6.3" screen
15. 80 ltr fuel tank
16. Heated seats
16. VW bike rack & uprated struts
I also would have liked the Comfort Dash, but unfortunately this is not available with a Panel Van, only a Kombi.
My order was placed September 2018. I now have a confirmed build week 3, with a delivery to the dealer of week 7 and a collection in week 9.
To say I am excited / scared / worried / happy is an understatement. I have never spent so much money on 1 single thing in my life. My first 2 bedroomed semi was cheaper than this T6.
At the moment I have bought things that I think I will need / use, but probably won't. What I need to do is wait untill collection date, use it with all the camping gear I already have and then buy what I really need, but that is the sensible option. Who says the sensible option is the right one?
As well as going to many VW orientated shows this year, we are planning on completing the NC500, taking a full 7 days once reaching Inverness doing the 530 odd miles going clockwise. The A1 sized map is already on the kitchen table with all the must do / must see / must stop at / must eat at / must drink whisky at / must drive over areas being highlighted with sticky little pointer things.
I must go now, as my fingers are a little tired after all this typing.
Update soon...
From being a little lad, nearly 40 years ago whose Dad had a succession of air cooled T2's and T3's dropside double cab pick up trucks, whilst being a self employeed welder / fabricator that could be heard driving up the street before being seen driving up the street, coming home late at night after a pint or 2 or 3 back in the late 70's. I have now placed an order for my own VW Transporter, with an engine in the front, rather than in the back, albeit to a spec that Dad could only dream of. No seat belts were even provided in the 2nd row of seats back in the day, and the handbrake was a twisty thing underneath the dasboard that under no circumstances were I to touch when making broom, broom, screach, broom, broom driving noises sat in the drivers seat whilst Dad was underneath the van, fixing it on a Sunday afternoon, after his dinner so it worked on Monday morning. Them were the days.
My first car immediately after I passed my test was a second hand ('84) A reg VW Golf 1600 GL, which I managed to keep for a few years before part ex'ing for a E reg Vauxhall Cavalier LX in grey (please excuse my sins - but it did come with a go faster stripe!!). My next pull back into the VW family was another VW Golf, bought in late '93 but this time a 1990 big bumper 8v GTI, after watching a certain lady on a TV advert (Paula Hamilton) keeping her ex husbands Golf keys, not putting them down the drain after ditching her fur coat, a pearl necklace and her wedding ring!!
Move onto Christmas 2017: the girlfriend that I first met after leaving school has now become my wife and the family has grown to include a young mischevious lad, and it was whilst we were all sat around the kitchen table, hosting a party that involved a lot of friends and neighbours drinking and I think it was well into the small hours, when I said to the Mrs in front of a lot of witnesses that "if I could have a T6 camper I would sell the Golf", she immediatelly said without a second thought or hesitation "that was a deal". Bugger... why do I say things when alcohol is involved that I would never have said sober?
Well... move onto September 2018: we still own the Golf (this has caused a few deep and meaningful sober converstaions re "Can't you remember you said you would sell it??"), and the £1,000.00 credit card deposit has been paid to VW for a delivery March 1st 2019.
To ensure this is what as a family we wanted, and to understand what spec we needed, we hired a LWB T6 fully converted camper for a few days summer hire. It rained and howled everyday on the camp site @ Black Rock Sands in N.Wales at the end of July that we then understood that our tenting days were over and a T6 campervan was needed.
I originally looked at nearly new 6 to 18 month old vehicles, but the cost was always more than a new one with all the discounts being offered. I am also a private buyer, not a VAT registered businees so the 20% VAT adds a fair whack to the overall costs, so every penny counts.
After talking to approx 5 VW Dealers, we chose our local JCT 600 Van Centre, who offered a 2018 Q3 order with a 13% discount pre VAT - I didn't want to wait to order in Q4 as VW traditionally increase their prices at this time of the year. The other dealers were offering between 10.5% (the normal discount offered, I believe before pushing a little harder) to 12.5%. I was offered a little bit more discount for a new T6 to the same spec pre VAT but, that was from a conversion company who I chose, eventually not to go with. Also with taking finance through VW, they were offering a £1,750.00 contribution and 2 free services as well.
The spec that I have gone with:
1. LWB Transporter Panel Van, 2.0 TDI, T30, 150 Highline DSG
2. Team "Bamboo Green"
3. Leatherette seat trim covers
4. Swivel drivers and swivel single passenger seat, deleted bulkhead
5. Heated rear window and wash / wipe
6. Carpet flooring in cab
7. Front & rear parking sensors & rear view camera
8. 4 remote keys
9. App connect
10. All weather tyres (these are on standard 16" alloys that will be my Winter set)
11. Power latching passenger side door
12. LED headlights, front & rear, inc daytime running lights
13. Heated / power adjustable / power folding wing mirrors
14. Composition media radio - 6.3" screen
15. 80 ltr fuel tank
16. Heated seats
16. VW bike rack & uprated struts
I also would have liked the Comfort Dash, but unfortunately this is not available with a Panel Van, only a Kombi.
My order was placed September 2018. I now have a confirmed build week 3, with a delivery to the dealer of week 7 and a collection in week 9.
To say I am excited / scared / worried / happy is an understatement. I have never spent so much money on 1 single thing in my life. My first 2 bedroomed semi was cheaper than this T6.
At the moment I have bought things that I think I will need / use, but probably won't. What I need to do is wait untill collection date, use it with all the camping gear I already have and then buy what I really need, but that is the sensible option. Who says the sensible option is the right one?
As well as going to many VW orientated shows this year, we are planning on completing the NC500, taking a full 7 days once reaching Inverness doing the 530 odd miles going clockwise. The A1 sized map is already on the kitchen table with all the must do / must see / must stop at / must eat at / must drink whisky at / must drive over areas being highlighted with sticky little pointer things.
I must go now, as my fingers are a little tired after all this typing.
Update soon...
