Have van- will travel (outside LEZ)

[Uncle Jimmy]

After much wrangling, indecision I have become, finally a white van man.

[Uncle Jimmy]

I is a Dubber M8.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Despite a multitude of dents and 180k mls it's alright. Solid VW of yesteryear and quite relaxing to drive. Plus it's not even got a turbowatsit and seems alarmingly fast.

[Uncle Jimmy]

The roof rack (ahem) is acshually very useful to me for plonking ladders and lumps of wood on, it's built from galvanised girders so must weigh about 100 lbs.

[KruJoe]

Roofrack is acceptable.

Alloys are borderline.

Stickers and illegal plates are criminal. 

 

Otherwise, a worthy-looking tool.

[dollywobbler]

Did you get stung by scene tax? The number plates hint at a pineapple past.

 

I bloody love T4s. Drives me mad that scenesters love them too. Drove a P-plate Tdi brand new (four-pot). Went like the clappers. 2.4 non-turbo five pot sounded nice but wasn't as swift. They also handle incredibly well. They look fabulous (especially when not barried too fook) and are very practical. 

[Uncle Jimmy]

Not scene'd badly at all; it's too dented and....white I think, to attract the Dubmeisters. Plus it's povo spec 1.9 nil turbo. Hoping to stick a bit of second hand veg in from local triad connecshun.

[danthecapriman]

I used to work on these quite a lot, the AA yellow ones! Great vans and a nice drive too.

Yours looks good for its age and miles. I'm not a fan of the plates though!

[Uncle Jimmy]

I've had different opinions as to legality of the plates (no I didn't put them on). They're growing on me, at least the embossedness of them is.

Seems that all old vans are popular at the moment. A lot of Jap vans are exported hence the dearth of old Mazda E2200s and Mitsubishi L300s. I've looked at a few of them and although they're very reliable, compared to a VW they are very flimsy. That and your legs are the front crumple zone!

[dollywobbler]

Ah, sorry. Misread the turbo bit. The number plates are pure bin fodder. As are the aero wiper blades to be honest. Twin rear wipers though, so that's genuinely cool. 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'm afraid these chaps are right, german plates on a VW are a definite no-no unless you want to look like a scene victim.

[Lacquer Peel]

I like VW T4 vans too but abhor the scene surrounding them. All lowered suspension, naff customising, stickers, single model forum membership, ugly replica Audi wheels.

 

Are the 1.9D variants so undesirable you can pick one up cheaply?

You can buy a mint Nissan Vanette for the same price as a shit T4.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Total fashun victim me....the wipers I hadn't considered- they will go. The alloys are coming off next week to be replaced by good ol, Hammerite painted 15" VW steels, with decent commercial tyres.

I have a tubular steel ladder off a child's bunk bed I am going to modify to go on a rear door- Kwality.

[Wilko220]

I was really hoping it was going to be that appalling looking Renault Trafic from a few days ago - but this'll do...

[Uncle Jimmy]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Car-Sticker-Beetle-Camper-Splitscreen-Hawaii-Aloha-Pineapple-/111652770558?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19ff0612fe

 

Pineappling has it appears truly entered Dub world.

[Uncle Jimmy]

the plates are illegal - while the van is too old to be mandated to have the new UK font, the use of D in the EU circle  stars  is outsde the  standards for a UK  reegistered vehicle ... 

it;s just whether you  wish to wait for your first VDRS  or NiP  before changing them ...

I am not a single goddamn star in their starry ringpiece I'm a free man. I demand the right to continue to celebrate my East Prussian Heritage.

[sawdustman]

This one's mine. circa 3 years ago before it went back into full time work.

It's resting at the minute whilst I get some bits and bats together. Nothing drastic, just a few niggles. and a small dent. and shitted paintwork.

 

They're great vans though, keep on top of the servicing and they just run and run.

[dieselassist]

these are GR9 vans, but the trick is in buying one that's somewhat mechanically GR7.2, at the very least!!

I bought a 1.9D SWB one years ago in a fetching blue, with a straight n clean body ex-carpenter owned with 125k on the clock, of 95 vintage - supercheap missing 5th gear; as advertised by the seller... drove it the first 1k miles I had it with no 5th, till a free weekend arose n I decided to change the box to a 'known good;' 2.4D 94 box from a front ended camper T4 my brother bought for a conversion (which never happened)....

...They are best described as 'heavy duty' for the home mechanic in terms of the 'hardware' - ie engine n box; especially in terms of gearbox and or clutch changes; ye need some heavy duty gear n another pair of hands for gearbox/clutch changing chores - I managed to stuggle on on my own n eventually did the box change in 3 weeks (in the middle of winter n it was taxed)... on starting it back up after that; I couldn't; previous owner had run it on veg or old engine oil n it being laid up stuck the pump... it was a clean van, but I took a massive loss on it after 18months selling it as 'bet' mechanically - only decent thing in it was the box I replaced....

 

...a year later, my brother bought/well acquired (I owed my bro some cash so I fronted an SIP Flamethrower garage heater in exchange for it) a mates ex plumbers 96 t4 2.4 which was great mechanically, but the body looked like it had been in a demo derby - never failed him in any way mechanically, n did thousands of miles in it, tho it was a very rattly thing - the only time he called me for help was when he lost the 'loose' side sliding door on the motorway n he described watching it, via the passengers door mirror spin down the inside line n onto the hardshoulder n onto the embankment 'like an old 50 piece' - I went on the 'side door recovery mission, once we checked the 'coast was clear' - we chucked the side door in the van n made off; on returning, after a cuppa I beat the mangled side door some way straight, remounted it n welded some round bar pins to it n the t4's body n he continued to use it daily till he later doubled his initial outlay sellin it to two affable Nigerian exporter lads....

[warren t claim]

I drove a VW Transporter for a living for a week back in 2011. It made me feel 36% more rad, 49% more gnarly and at least 73% more bodacious.

[twosmoke300]

Really don't see the hype with them tbh , just a bit small to be a useful van I always thought .

Living in cornwall it seems that nearly every other vehicle is a t4 or 5 with big wheels , fancy paint and a bonnet bra. So original guys !

Fiat ducato ftw . Bet you can't get 3 enduro bikes , three big guys and enough kit for a long weekend away in a t4 .

[Jerzy Woking]

I had a T4 1.9 n/a up until the LEZ came in. I loved it. Body was straight with no dings or scrapes, and it needed its first bit of welding on the near side inner sill in 2012 (not bad at 19 years old). Maybe because it spent its life ferrying lorry parts around from a yard covered in a film of oil and diesel

 

It could easily cruise at 80mph (naughty naughty) and on a long run at 60mph could attain 50mpg. I admit I did "scene" it a bit. Audi A4 15 inch alloys, retaining the commercial tyres, lowered it 25mm and fitted Gaz shocks (the original shocks were misting a bit of fluid) and Subaru WRX STi seats were fitted as the standard ones were heavily stained, and the Subaru seats were £20 and took just 20 minutes to fit with the aid of an angle grinder and 4 short strips of 5mm thick steel strips. Comfy enough to drive to Alicante and back in one 60 hour trip.

[MrDuke]

I've had different opinions as to legality of the plates (no I didn't put them on). They're growing on me, at least the embossedness of them is.

If you really love embossed plates, you could just get some UK-font jobbies done in pressed metal. For the show field obviously, officer.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Really don't see the hype with them tbh , just a bit small to be a useful van I always thought .

 

Yes, they're not very big. Big enough for my needs though- I do also have to negotiate a lot of very narrow lanes/entrances etc around my area when delivering stuff so the next step up in size was out.

As for the hype, I think the gloss is rubbing off the entire dubvan scene a bit, prices do appear to be dropping, a good thing I'd say.

[Jerzy Woking]

Yes, they're not very big. Big enough for my needs though- I do also have to negotiate a lot of very narrow lanes/entrances etc around my area when delivering stuff so the next step up in size was out.

As for the hype, I think the gloss is rubbing off the entire dubvan scene a bit, prices do appear to be dropping, a good thing I'd say.

I was surprised at how much bigger my T5 is compared to a T4, although it doesn't feel that bigger to drive. I sold mine to someone in Liverpool as it was worthless in London-more than a few decent vans that couldn't meet the Euro 3 regs ended up being scrapped because they just wouldn't sell within the LEZ.