VW T5 INFO NEEDED/BOUGHT IT!

[jonnyboy666]

as some of you know i'm looking for a VW T5 transporter, i went to a dealer on saturday to look at what he had in stock, frankly there were loads.

i am/was looking for the 2.5 130bhp panel van (to convert to combi style later on) but he didn't have one, as it turns out they are relatively rare because the 2.5 130bhp was generally in the combi van as standard but the panel vans come with mostly the 1.9 88bhp to 104bhp etc.

the van he had that is a possability is a 2.5, 5 cylinder, 174 bhp which is obviousley more powerful and doesn't seem in bad nick for 4 1/2 years old, but it has been sat for a while. it has 119000 miles which doesn't seem too bad for a commercial vehicle, the battery was dead so i couldn't start it though but he insists it's spot on, and judging by the 3 vans that went out while i was there i'd believe him.

my question is (finally!) what should i look out for problem wise on this model of van? any known faults? it doesn't have a cam belt, but apparently water pumps can be dodgy. is this van at 174 bhp gonna suck money out of wallet fuel wise? what mpg will it do anyway?

i tried asking similar questions on the T4/5 forum but it's a slow moving forum and they don't really respond to newbies.

any help would really be appreciated.

 

[mikee]

word is that after 60k they go down hill rapidly
cost a lot in the VAG way of old motors things

up to about that GREAT

 

[mikee]

as an aside to this a couple of years ago i was going to buy a van
i didn't but..
i asked a lot of people what to buy , got a lot of answers
but then i asked a mate who i'd known for over 40 years ,that runs
an emergency tow company's opinion

he said " what do the gippos run ?" err dunno tranny's
"correct " he said "theres a reason for that "

low miles ,contract, get a transit ,not a connect but a proper transit
private use get a transit ,very few problems ,cheap to fix and everyone knows them

 

[jonnyboy666]

you just depressed me!

but i hate the transits.

basically this is hopefully gonna be a vehicle for about the next 5 years, as an allrounder vehicle to replace my car, nothing commercial at all. and i intend to mod it a bit, nothing silly or boy racer, just practical stuff for bike related duties.

 

[alanf]

I thought the 2.5 had a cam belt? I run a 130 t5 for work, tbh it gets hammered, well in way that it gets loaded with kit and run all over the place hitting on average 150+ miles a day, 5 days a week and doesnt miss a beat, eats oil though! but thats a design feature due to the long service intervals, 20k, it eats around 1ltr every 1.5-2k the correct oil is dear! check its had the correct stuff tipped in as it can lead to major problems if not!
mine has just hit 40k and so far only major thing failed was the clutch and an exhaust temp sensor apart from the odd bulb and wiper blades the only major outlay has been tyres but as I dont pay for any of it I cant really say what the running cost are?
a t4 is possibly next on my list to get, the mrs will hate it :twisted: just got to shift the scooby crap off the drive first

 

[jonnyboy666]

well to be honest i don't know too much about cars/vans etc hence asking a few questions, regarding the cam belt, apparently the 174 5 cylinder doesn't have one, chain driven? does that sound right?

i know they can have the water pump problem but if checked regularly shouldn't be a problem, the other thing i'm worried about is the turbo, apparently that is expensive if it goes, and the clutch/flywheel is apparently also expensive. i just want to be aware of what problem they can have so i know what to look for and what to ask about.

it's good to hear yours is well used and has been ok though.

 

[TheGreenRabbit]

I have a friend who baught a vito and when he took it in to the maine dealer to get somthing only they could sort out the guys in there told him he should have got a VW.

 

[mikee]

i wanted a vito after driving one ,but most folk said avoid them

 

[llamedos]

M8 had a Vito .... driving position is off set and screwed up his shoulder

 

[alanf]

water pump failure on the t4 was a big problem! if it went it could take out the cam belt! on the the t5 iirc its an electric pump