Is it just me ..........................

[clyde]

Ive tried i have honestly but i just cant seem to get my head around this T4/T5 thing.

Bugs, Splits, Bays etc and even to a certain degree T25s i understand, but T4/T5s are just the same as any modern white van mans daily hack so why chuck a pair of Audi alloys on, add a racing stripe and a window tint kit and turn up at what are mainly Aircooled VW shows. Surely these vans are the big version of a Hot hatch and so would be more welcome at a Max Power show.

Ok im ready for the flack but honestly i dont get it. I know they are more reliable, comfortable, faster and cheaper to run but i dont own a van for any of these reasons. If i did i would have a modern Merc/Renault/Vauxhall/Ford/VW van

I must admit i struggle with the New Beetle, but at least it looks quirky but a modern van is a modern van.

Anyway ive put the cat amongst it now and im of to buy a Passat Estate (its the modern Squareback you know) add some stickers and some fake woody panel stickers and ill be at the next Vw show.

(before i get ripped to bits, i can understand having a modern van if you are a surf nut who needs to blast to the coast, sleep over and blast back, but then any modern Van can and dose fill this gap. Also if i was a tradesman a modern van would fit the bill perfectly but i wouldnt turn up at a Classic Merc show show in a Sprinter if you get my meaning)

 

[rustydiver]

T25's to me are wierd father in law had a ****** brown devon years ago it was awfull.
T4 and 5 have thought about them, more reliable, economical and all that but would miss the fun and charm of a bay, oh the days ive spent under it repairing it not sleeping in it would miss that.
Got my self a new beetle cab a few years ago, just like the T2 things keep falling and breaking off it, but still brings a smile to my face when driving it.

 

[chippi]

My daily driver is a 2001 T4 which i need as i am a carpenter, it has tinted side windows, alloys, rear seats and swivel front seats, some would say its ideal to convert to camping which it is but its just not the same as heading off to the coast or camp site in an old bay window camper.
And to be honest you can make any t4 t5 look bling if you have the wedge to spend on it . I like them both but the early bay oozes much more character

 

[super-craig]

im seeing more and more T25's around including a few Karrmann gipsy models , but looking at prices in the us , they seem to be high , $16,000 for early 80's models and there seems to be a few syncro ones for sale too , off road camping :lol: be useful at some shows 8)

 

[analord]

I agree, however, if i had my time again when i bought my bay 10 years ago i could not afford anything else so would probably go for a T4....but would be saving

 

[Clem]

T4s and 5s are a tool to do a job well, which they do, but beyond that ... i dont get it. I guess its the same as modding a Mk 3 or 4 Golf? Again, nice cars, but thats it.
Mrs Clem has a Newbie and its a cool looking modern car that keeps the fleet 'pure', but it rarely attends shows. My Passatt is a commuter, nowt else.
Ive had several T25's, again they do a job, but dont do much for me. The last one I had, a VGC Caravelle, was so smooth and quiet I could have been driving any modern car .... no fun at all!

 

[analord]

my sister in law and fella are looking for a camper and are on a budget - i suggested an early air-cooled T25 and she was shocked - she said she was looking for something with character and would rather sleep in their astra than buy something that was not a bay. preferably a green westfalia.

 

[easy]

Not to sure about them either. Great for a daily and a nail down to the beach at the weekend. But are essentially a work van like a transit. Mind you wouldnt mind a sportsline tho :wink:

 

[Speedman]

Don't get me started on this one, its a very sore subject on our clubs forum where you can't have an opinion without getting flamed atm......to me T4/5 are nothing more than a builders van and not very good one for the trade I'm in, we've had a T4 for a while and now have a T5, both of which are no where near as good as the Merc Vito I currently use :!:

From a VW show point of view I can appreciate the effort people have gone to to get their T4/5 looking less commercial van and there are some stunning vans out there.....

....as others have said, for a quick blast or long distance they are ideal, but I'd rather take my time in a Bay as I spend all week flying around the place in a work van. It is very odd to see them at shows though, for me they are far too modern and too similar to all other modern vans to stand out........ in 50years will the Volksworld Show be all New Beetles and T4s :|

 

[Guest]

Ive tried i have honestly but i just cant seem to get my head around this T4/T5 thing.

Bugs, Splits, Bays etc and even to a certain degree T25s i understand, but T4/T5s are just the same as any modern white van mans daily hack so why chuck a pair of Audi alloys on, add a racing stripe and a window tint kit and turn up at what are mainly Aircooled VW shows. Surely these vans are the big version of a Hot hatch and so would be more welcome at a Max Power show.

Ok im ready for the flack but honestly i dont get it. I know they are more reliable, comfortable, faster and cheaper to run but i dont own a van for any of these reasons. If i did i would have a modern Merc/Renault/Vauxhall/Ford/VW van

I must admit i struggle with the New Beetle, but at least it looks quirky but a modern van is a modern van.

Anyway ive put the cat amongst it now and im of to buy a Passat Estate (its the modern Squareback you know) add some stickers and some fake woody panel stickers and ill be at the next Vw show.

(before i get ripped to bits, i can understand having a modern van if you are a surf nut who needs to blast to the coast, sleep over and blast back, but then any modern Van can and dose fill this gap. Also if i was a tradesman a modern van would fit the bill perfectly but i wouldnt turn up at a Classic Merc show show in a Sprinter if you get my meaning)

I'm with you on this one 100%, i guess the owmers see it as the evolution of the early van but a classic it is not.

I get really dissappointed when i get my fresh copy of "Camper and Bus" then find out there are 8 pages on t4/5s (i just quickly turn over ) im afriad i feel the same about latebays too which i know is unfair

does that make me a snob?

 

[Clem]

I think for me, vans lose interest when the engines move to the front. I still really like 'all' bay window buses (and earlier, of course) and can see the thing of T25s.

Ive always thought as soon as the step to T4 is taken, then its just a van that happens to be a VW.

 

[easy]

I think for me, vans lose interest when the engines move to the front. I still really like 'all' bay window buses (and earlier, of course) and can see the thing of T25s.

Ive always thought as soon as the step to T4 is taken, then its just a van that happens to be a VW.

i agree, i love early T25s as they are cool in their own way, but T4s and 5s are a different thing. Different shows for these please :mrgreen:

 

[analord]

i am taking it a step further - i cannot see the attraction to anything other than a crossover bay!! like mine..

seriously though, i agree with the camper and bus thing and modified T4's every month but if they didn't do that they would have nowt to feature. thats why i prefer camper and commercial as every 2 months means there is a larger pool of material

 

[Justin & Muttley]

I think that for some it is just a case of needing/wanting a practical/quick/comfy modern van - but wanting to stay with a brand they love and feel loyal to (probably as a result of affection for older aircooled VW's) - they don't float my boat, but I'm happy to take a look at any VW that has had time and effort spent on it 8)

 

[ant]

I think that for some it is just a case of needing/wanting a practical/quick/comfy modern van - but wanting to stay with a brand they love and feel loyal to (probably as a result of affection for older aircooled VW's) - they don't float my boat, but I'm happy to take a look at any VW that has had time and effort spent on it 8)

now that's a quality attitude 8)

 

[ant]

i've had 4 x t25's and 2 x t4's and i can honestly say that t4s i've had have been nothing more than an expensive nightmare.

 

[carole]

Well.......

I've got a T4..... :roll: It's a Westy California model, so a 'proper' camper conversion as opposed to a converted panel van.

I bought it simply because I wanted a reliable, economical, comfortable (and warm...!!) camper that I can also use as a daily driver, that I know will get me and my kids to wherever we want/need to go without having to carry 6 bags of tools and a trolley jack about with me. And obviously it had to be a VW......

However, before you all start shouting at me...... :roll: :lol: :lol: I took ages to get my head around it because I've always had T2 campers, and I just couldn't face the thought of 'an old duffers van' (my 4yr old son's words, not mine.... :lol: ) on my drive. However, after a lowering job, a decent set of rims and new funky curtains it looks much better, so I can park it at home with pride. :lol: And......I find it fascinating that the layout is exactly the same as my old T2 Westy, proving that they got it right first time around all those years ago!

BUT.......I fully accept that it has the character and charm of a cardboard box. It's stylish in it's own way, but it's not a T2. However this is not why I bought it. I've been asked to put it in a T4 lineup at a couple of shows but I've declined because for me a VW show line up can only be done in a T2.

Which is why......I've just bought a 69 panel van, because I just have to have a T2 in my life....!!!

It's horses for courses, and I can partly understand those who don't want to see them at VW shows and in VW mags etc, however I think it's important to note that an awful lot of T4 (and T5) owners have either previously owned or still have a T2 as well, be it a split or a bay. There are loads of T4 owners out there who love T2's as much as us EB forum users!

As Justin says, a VW is a VW, whatever they are, and I love 'em all!

Carole :wink:

 

[clyde]

Well i didnt expect quite so many people to agree with me on this one.

To all the T4,T5 supporters i can see that its a decent sized reliable van, but like i said its just a van and isnt the natural progression of a real VW van, be it splitty, bay or dare i say it even a T25.

I think if i went to a VW alloys and bodykit show(max power style) I wouldnt want to display my aircooled stuff as its just not that type of show. I just think the same applies in reverse.

The "ive got a splitty at home" or "i used to have one of them old buses".................... well my wifes got a Renault but i wouldnt rock up in that.

If the T4/T5 clubs laid on a show i doute they would make much room for aircooled stuff.

 

[strongy]

well i run a t4 for work its been fantastic,but wouldent want to do shows in it,pluss theres the tax oh and not to forget it cost me £102 to fill last thu ,mabee in 40 years it will be a cool panel with period sign writing but just now its a white van

 

[Graham L]

I do lots of miles as part of my job in the events industry so I've recently swapped my ford galaxy for a nearly new T5, early impressions are very good, more space, better built and as its a Kombi 5 seats and still a decent load area. Oh and EAsy I had the Sportline kit fitted. I know its not a classic but I like it. The VW half of my drive now looks like this