Wise to use my converted T6.1 as my sole vehicle?

[Sooty6.1]

Hi, this might be a dumb question but I’m getting used to asking those just lately as nothing in the transporter world ends up as simple or obvious as at first glance.
Anyway, the nearer I get to receiving my converted T6 the more I’m thinking it doesn’t make sense to keep my car as well due to the added expense of fuel, insurance, etc. etc. However, after reading around I’ve noticed comments on short journeys not being good for the vehicle, but surely moving it most days (maybe not every day because I’m not currently working) however long/short a journey would be better than it standing still? What other things should I consider?
Anybody else use theirs as their sole vehicle?
Any thoughts and advice would be very much appreciated. TIA.

 

[DaveD]

Hi, this might be a dumb question but I’m getting used to asking those just lately as nothing in the transporter world ends up as simple or obvious as at first glance.
Anyway, the nearer I get to receiving my converted T6 the more I’m thinking it doesn’t make sense to keep my car as well due to the added expense of tax, fuel, insurance, etc. etc. However, after reading around I’ve noticed comments on short journeys not being good for the vehicle, but surely moving it most days (maybe not every day because I’m not currently working) however long/short a journey is going to be would be better than it standing still? What other things should I consider?
Anybody else use theirs as their sole vehicle?
Any thoughts and advice would be very much appreciated. TIA.

My T6 is my only vehicle, it works great for me. It is not converted, not that that makes a great deal of difference.
Your concerns about using it for short journeys can be put into context if you think that if you bought any of the hundreds of 2.0 L turbo diesel engined cars out there you'd use them for short journeys, so what's the difference, they all have dpf's, egr valves etc?
Obviously the more you use it the more likely you are to pick up stone chips and so on, but that applies to any vehicle. The flip side of that is that using it every day keeps your battery topped up.
For me, (we're all different with different circumstances) running another car as well as my T6 makes no sense, mainly for the reasons you've identified.

 

[Sooty6.1]

My T6 is my only vehicle, it works great for me. It is not converted, not that that makes a great deal of difference.
Your concerns about using it for short journeys can be put into context if you think that if you bought any of the hundreds of 2.0 L turbo diesel engined cars out there you'd use them for short journeys, so what's the difference, they all have dpf's, egr valves etc?
Obviously the more you use it the more likely you are to pick up stone chips and so on, but that applies to any vehicle. The flip side of that is that using it every day keeps your battery topped up.
For me, (we're all different with different circumstances) running another car as well as my T6 makes no sense, mainly for the reasons you've identified.

Thanks Dave, I don’t think I could really justify 2 vehicles either even though the car’s paid up its the extra expenses. Perhaps problems with shorter journeys are experienced with vans that don’t move as often as an everyday vehicle? Another pro is that I’d get to drive it more or less every day! and I’d rather spend any money I have on it and not keeping another vehicle on the road. Mmm, I suppose I’ll know for sure not long after I get it home and starting using it. Was just concerned there may be something else I needed to consider.

 

[JasonW]

I have two vehicles... my T6 as a full camper and then my second vehicle which is a runaround...

This works for me... as my plan is to keep my camper for the long haul... I bought it new and sold a kidney so to speak on the cost and conversion of it... so i don't want to rack up needless miles in it.. ferry rubbish to the tip in it or use it for going into town shopping or put it in overcrowded carparks etc... I want it for trips and adventures away... it seems to make it more fun and exciting then as well rather than going away in my daily drive...

as for the running costs... well fuel isn't to much of a consideration... my runaround is more economical than my T6..
I do have it hooked up to a smart charger all the time when not in use, , but that's no big deal for me... Out of lockdown i'm away in it once every 4- 6 weeks and it's garaged in between trips...

To offset the cost of servicing / tax etc I have a direct debit of £50 a month set up into a separate account as a slush fund for when tax and servicing is due, so i don't have to find the extra money that month say.. as it's already in a pot... the multicar insurance is pretty cheap as well... and this works for me at the moment...

But we all have different needs and find ourselves in different circumstances... So if you just keep the one... like others have said, i wouldn't worry about DPF / EGR just avoid cheap supermarket fuel and use a decent diesel additive every few months and that should keep the van in good health if you're doing short journeys...

Hope this helps.

 

[DaveD]

There you go - Jason makes very valid points, you've now seen both sides of the coin!!!
As with so many things in life, what works best for one person doesn't work for the next one!

 

[Jlo]

My T6.1 Camper conversion will be my everyday vehicle for me to get to and from work, I don't see if will be an massive issue, yes fuel/tyres is a bigger cost but hey, it's a van!... we do have another car for local trips to the shops.

 

[Sooty6.1]

My T6.1 Camper conversion will be my everyday vehicle for me to get to and from work, I don't see if will be an massive issue, yes fuel/tyres is a bigger cost but hey, it's a van!... we do have another car for local trips to the shops.

If I had access to another car then yes I’d definitely do that too, but unfortunately there’s only me now, and some of the points @JasonW makes tells me not to make any rash decisions and maybe see how I go for a while with the two. Decisions, decisions! Ha

 

[t6_tom]

Camper van is my only vehicle. My wife has a tiny car which is useful for going to town. If you need to get into multistory car parks it can be a hassle.

Could happily live with just the van thought.

 

[Ali-G]

I can’t see any reason why your van couldn’t be your only vehicle, but for me personally, I prefer to have a second car.
I do 250 miles a week commuting to work, so 1000 per month, and I don’t want to be putting that on the van just going to work and back.
I have a Smart ForTwo diesel cabriolet that I use for work, zero road tax, cheap insurance and £35 of diesel lasts for 2 weeks.

 

[Long tall John]

What is your other car and how old is it. I have an eight-year-old Jazz That’s not going to depreciate much more and is cheap as chips to run. It makes life so much easier Having a run-around.

 

[VanDamMan]

Hi all... We only have a second vehicle as the wife works away ..but her car is used as a general runaround at weekends for the short trips.
I’d have learnt this lesson earlier ..the Pandemic has made me rethink life styles ...my intentions on retirement was to use the van for allsorts but like anything that’s a keeper it needs a bit of TLC ..so we try to do a big shop to avoid multiple journeys ..walk with my bad hip more and once it’s safer to use public transport to town and Keep the van for the fun things in life
its inevitable that some journeys can’t be avoided but as long as you give the van a run ..I like to blow a few cobwebs away and visit lots of little gems this country has to offer

edit .. 10yr old Jazz 77000...wife loves it and those magic seats ..

 

[Sooty6.1]

What is your other car and how old is it. I have an eight-year-old Jazz That’s not going to depreciate much more and is cheap as chips to run. It makes life so much easier Having a run-around.

I have a 2016 DS3 ultra prestige which I love and is a dream to drive. It’s paid for, just under 5 yrs old so I suppose it will have done most of its depreciation, very low mileage/fuel usage, zero road tax, and average insurance. ...... Sooooo, it’s a no-brainier for me really isn’t it! I will keep it, at least for now.
You see, I knew discussing this with other T6-ers would help me. I’m not used to making every decision on my own yet!
Thanks everyone!

 

[ThreeBridgeT6]

Like @JasonW, I sold a kidney to get mine, and one of the original justifications was that I would use it as my daily drive for my work (plumber and electrician) instead of lugging all my gear round in the (huge) boot of my E Class Mercedes. Even though the boot is big, it's still like playing Tetris getting all my gear in, and a pain in the arse when I need that tool/bit of kit from right at the back! When I was having my conversion done, the company even made me a couple of carpeted boxes that clip into the rails so that my gear wouldn't slide about and damage the lovely shiny furniture, but I've never used them as I've only used the van a couple of times for work. I quickly came to the conclusion that I wanted to keep it for 'best' - for all the same reasons as Jason has outlined, so I'm still referred to as the 'posh plumber' who turns up in his E Class with a vanity plate!