New member looking for Caravelle

[MissedApex]

Hello - I signed up yesterday as this looks like a great community and source of information.

We're looking for a late T5 or T6 Caravelle. From research so far I think the following is our ideal spec:

• T6 2.0 Tdi 150 - Manual
• Executive
• SWB
• Ideally < 100k miles but would consider up to 150k miles
• Captains chairs in front as well as middle pair swivels.
• Towbar
• Tailgate mounted bike rack.
• Eberspacher

The l last 4 we can add if necessary, and the Eberspacher really is a nice to have and not something we are going to get hung up on. The Executive isn't essential, but I would like cruise control which looks like it was an option on the SE.

It'll be used for family camping trips and weekends away and will avoid us dragging the trailer for camping or having to pack so densely as we have to in our Passat at the moment. It'll also be used for lads cycling trips away, likely in 4 seat configuration to give space for (I hope) 7/8 road bikes in the back.

I'm going to look at a couple this evening and will report back.

 

[T6ChrisO]

Welcome along and good luck in your search

 

[dubber36]

The manual gearbox is really going to limit your choice. I would include the DSG too. Just a quick Autotrader search of Caravelle - 2016-2020 - Executive, brought up 52 DSG and 3 manual cars. With more to choose between, you are more likely to find a better, more suitable one.

 

[MissedApex]

Yes I know. If it were just up to me I would at least test drive a 204 DSG, however my wife will be driving it day to day and she wants manual. I should celebrate this really I'm sure there are plenty of people with the opposite predicament!

She won't be swayed as about 6 years ago we replaced a very nice B7 Passat estate 170 TDi with a Skoda Superb 140 DSG. The Superb was awful, it came from CarGiant so I could only test drive a mile around the industrial estate there, but we found in normal use it was near impossible to slot into a gap on a roundabout smoothly was near impossible and was slow to change down the gear for accelerating, going up hills etc. We only kept it a year before changing it for our current B8 Passat.

 

[dubber36]

There are the odd stories about poor DSG behaviour, but on the whole they are brilliant and don't do what you have experienced. You need to make sure it's being serviced on time, plus they can be improved even further with a TVS remap.

 

[roadtripper]

Caravelle's are a niche so harder to find a good one (I know from experience!) so going for a niche within that niche you might be hunting quite a while.

I'd have vastly preferred a 4Motion but they are also rare in a Caravelle so in the end that was the thing we didn't get - our local van centre said they were so in demand they didn't ever bother listing them they just rang the list of people they knew wanted one.

For other very different reasons personally I'd steer clear of the 204/199 BiTDI unless it came with VW Warranty, there are quite a lot of issues folks are having with them:

- 204ps Bi-Turbo CXEB T6 Engine & Turbo problems -

- 204ps Bi-Turbo CXEB T6 Engine & Turbo problems - Looks like im the latest patient of the CEXB engine issues. (possibly the 2016-2018 range as there is a mention that the CXEB Block etc was revised in 2019) (the CXEC 199ps Bi-Turbo was released 2019> and revised ) in sort it looks like its...

www.t6forum.com

 

[MissedApex]

We’re not in any rush, but equally I won’t be waiting for one that ticks all the boxes. If the basics are right I can retro most of the bits. I’ve got VCDS.

A 199 is likely beyond our budget and I’ve not come across any manual ones for sale so wonder if they’d dropped the manual for the BiTDi at that point. A 204 is what I initially thought would be ideal but I’ve been put off by the scare stories. I recently sold a Porsche 996 in part due to worry over engine robustness, I don’t really want to end up in the same situation straight away!

 

[dubber36]

Personally I think that the 150 is plenty powerful enough. No one with a 204 has ever said "I wish I had less power", but it is just a van after all.

 

[MissedApex]

I looked at 2 last night, a 2015 T5 SE 140 with 90k miles, and a 2016 T6 Exec 204 with 56k miles.

Both in good condition, I think the kids (7 + 8) will struggle with the manual doors on the SE at the moment. The 204 was very torquey 1500-2500 but pretty flat beyond that, and discussing with the seller it's using about 2l oil/8000miles (not awful but not great when some go between services without needing a top up). I think I've ruled out this 204 on the basis of oil use.

I need to decide whether the manual sliders, non-ULEZ compliance and higher tax of the T5 vs T6 justify the (not insignificant) cost saving.

 

[MissedApex]

I put a deposit on a 2018 Caravelle Exec today. 65k miles, good history, but little in way of upgrades/extras so a good base to make our own. There are a few little bits for the dealer to sort so will be a week or so before I pick it up and will stick pictures up then.

 

[Kind of Blue]

Yes I know. If it were just up to me I would at least test drive a 204 DSG, however my wife will be driving it day to day and she wants manual. I should celebrate this really I'm sure there are plenty of people with the opposite predicament!

She won't be swayed as about 6 years ago we replaced a very nice B7 Passat estate 170 TDi with a Skoda Superb 140 DSG. The Superb was awful, it came from CarGiant so I could only test drive a mile around the industrial estate there, but we found in normal use it was near impossible to slot into a gap on a roundabout smoothly was near impossible and was slow to change down the gear for accelerating, going up hills etc. We only kept it a year before changing it for our current B8 Passat.

I understand what you are saying and it can be difficult to persuade someone to have something that they do not want. The DSG can be controlled manually with the nudge or the paddle controls or even by selecting the alternative gear position that is mainly manual. Most of these boxes might change at the very last moment on ones behalf as they will resist damage by over revving or bogging down and so will not stall. On some journeys I use a lot of manual control down shifting for bends sometimes multiple times and then up shift myself, I may not want it to intercede but at other times I then let it do its own thing after taking control. It just depends on journey the pace the severity of the terrain and so on. My Caravele is a T6 so has a sport setting which I leave it in all of the time but take command as the road or situation change. The worst thing I find is the almost complete lack of engine braking unless one changes down multiple times and even the is poor in this regard. I was more use to vehicles that could almost be completely controlled by variation right foot pedal pressure or change of down gear. I even have had conventual auto's Like VW Tuareg V10 which had phenomenal deceleration just by lifting the right foot. The Landrover 101 Forward Control in low box it could almost feel like it was going to stand on its head down hill so good was the deceleration. The modern DSG took some adaption but it is very, very good in most situations if one makes the decision when to take over control. To some extent the box does tend to lean driving stile and other than preselection it can do a very decent job.

The thing is as stated above there are far far more DSG available. I doubt now i would choose a manual over it because it is so useful in so many ways one just adapts to what ever is in ones control.

Can your wife have some additional time in DSG vehicles before making a final decision? It might be down to just unfamiliarity.