For years, I loved Van Life and VW Transporters, but with my day job, a car was always the most sensible option.
However, my passion gave in and I could resist no longer, life is too short and I have never looked back. I sold my car and with all the knowledge I have, made a purchase of a Transporter T6 Kombi. Extremely practical van, with the ability to use as a daily vehicle and as a camper van for Staycation.
I bring you videos of different VW Transporter T5, T6, T6.1, Van, VW California Ocean, Shuttle camper conversions.
Product reviews and discussing items you will use in your van and related items for general outdoor living.
Products I discuss will be in the video description and those from Amazon, will be easy located on my store page: www.amazon.co.uk/shop/staycationlifestyle
If you click on my Amazon affiliate links, I may receive a commission. I will only link products I use and believe in.
I have more than 40 grand to spend, BUT on a van??? In my life time I have had three cars, each one ending its life in the grubby hands of a scrap merchant. Like any vehicle a camper van will eventually become worthless, riddled with rust, dents and accumulate countless MOT advisories. Once you add camp site fees, insurance, habitation checks, storage, fuel and servicing it does not need a mathematician to tell you your wallet will soon be empty. Not for me thanks. I will stay in a cosy bed and breakfast without the worry of a leisure battery dying on me during a freezing cold night.
Really liked this video - first watch but what guff about 6m Crafters and narrow lanes! I’ve got a 6m TGE and use it as a daily. I’ve had 7t, 9m motorhomes in the past. Clearly not a daily but remember there are delivery drivers running around in much bigger vans all over the country without issue. Why should camper vans be any different?
@@duncangibson9235 People struggle with small cars in the narrow lanes down here. Delivery drivers are confident, experienced drivers, a lot of camper owners are not. I understand what you’re saying and that’s true, but you don’t very often find people using the bigger vans as daily drivers.
Bought my VW Transporter Shuttle 130 T5 from the main dealer in 2004 for the discounted price of £17500+vat ran it for 25 years and got my money back. When I look at the price of them now, All I see is a world gone mad. 60, 70 £80k ffs. That buys a hell of a lot of holidays in the UK and abroad in Hotels including breakfast or half board. They're crap to sleep in and aren't fitted with toilets or showers, and thats why they are loads for sale up and down the country.
Thank you. I'm interested to know the reliability of the early T5's. I'm more of a Classic Vehicle kinda Guy you see! Could also be very tempted by a tidy T4. I'm swaying towards getting a Campervan or having one built. Currently I drive a 2011 Mercedes XL Viano to ship the family about. But would prefer something older, with less engine electrical issues, also, it Definitely needs to be a lwb! Thanks again for your reply 👍🏻 #classicvehiclesdevon
I see the T6.1 is discontinued because of all the data VW were collecting from the drivers and selling it to the insurers and anyone else who wanted it.
Some little shit stole my motorbike and a guys car plus some other bits got caught and taken to court and had his hands smacked and didn't go to prison
Well the market is oversaturated and overpriced the local l councils don’t encourage stop overs yellow lines across the whole country, greedy campsites fees, fuel cost very high, tax,insurance and storage. It’s gone beyond a normal persons affordable pocket. It’s cheaper to go abroad inclusive deals, guaranteed sunshine nice beaches. Why bover staying in the U.K. driving around it’s stressful 😢
Steve@Cooler is one of the good guys in the scene. One of the few salesman who are customer focussed rather than money driven. Bloody nice bloke and as honest as they come. Glad he’s got the exposure he deserves 💪🏻🙏🏻
People are Peed off with this parking on the road graze and sleeping there. We all know that they pee in the bushes and poop everywhere. Of course every van person says not me. So long as they use proper sites then no problem but otherwise not happy.
I would say most are respectful of others, however there are a minority, that aren’t. But that’s with everything in life, we can’t tar everyone with the same brush. Some people live in vans full time. They don’t own properties and will move around from place to place
I bought my T6 LWB 2019 last year and probably paid too much, but as the man said swings and roundabouts, so if I buy my next (which will be VW) it'll hopefully balance itself out, and you never know if I decide to go for the T6.1 I won't feel too much of a depreciation, but we know it's all about the VW vibe as mentioned below, it's something special. Had someone buy my bike rack off me this morning, they had a 2017 T6 LWB and although you could say mine looks posher, I loved looking at their van, it's that special appreciation thing between VW owners, there's honestly no snobbery, well not from me anyway.
I think VW have really stuffed it with the new shape. I hope this makes other brands more popular to the point where they are looked down upon by the VW owners. Given that they are all basically the same anyway, I’m surprised more people are not going for the cheaper brands.
@@RacingSlow I’m hoping it will be better in the flesh or maybe grow on me. Regarding other brands, they don’t have the “scene” the following, events, festivals, shows, groups and above all, the residual values. There are arguably better vehicles, I really like the Merc V Class
These vehicles don't do half the work of a working van which is towing a trailer with a 1.5 T Digger the load is much higher on the towing working van ,the camper is not even near the load Exerted on the working van wheels, Anyone Have evidence that the wheels have Failed i don't thjnk so , We see vans than are fully loaded and no problems , I know that the plate is showing what it can carry, But explain why a van pulled in by the Dvsa is 2 Tonne overweight but the wheels and Tyres have not failed with the Heavy load ,There is Always a Wide Safety factor for the Specification you are on about, But it's on the Vin plate and that is the problem that you can fall foul of the Law 👍 Excellent Advice And the Average mileage for a camper us probably 8k over 3 year's a working van towing would have covered 250k no problem towing 2T every Day 😂
There are loads of pictures on the Facebook groups of shredded tyres because they weren’t rated correctly. I actually showed a few in a recent video. Most of the work vans won’t have 20 inch alloy wheels with shallow tyres. The vans that are fully loaded for work are more than likely sat on the correct commercial tyres
Hi steve as you know I've got a 2022 204 dsg highline lwb kombi camper, admittedly I've spent an absolute fortune on and by the end of next month I will have spent another 10k on it since we last spoke . I know.i have a lot of money invested in it and should hold its value reasonable well but for me it's about having the best vehicle possible and that certainly is the transporter
I got my T6 from Cooler Commercials. Steve spent a long time with me establishing just what I wanted. The van he sourced for me was then converted by Templer Way Campers. I am very happy with my van and delighted with the conversion done by Templer Way
@@TheInkmonkey2 He’s a lovely bloke. This video could have been about 3 hours long, we could have talked for hours 🤣 I didn’t ask any further questions on the TSI he mentioned, I might get too tempted 🫣
when people put the prices up like they have people dont go its that simple plus nobody has any money any more if you havent got cash for food and bills your not really going to buy a van are you the whole country is skint thanks to tories and sheety labour.
People paying north of 70K for campervans need their head examined it's a hugely depreciating asset and in 15 years is worth next to nothing put that into a property and if it does not appreciate it will certainly HOLD it's value under most normal circumstances . Bricks and mortar for me , or if I have the motorhome itch . hire one for your once a year trip to Scotland or wherever , cheaper in the long run .
@@shadow-Sun People don’t tend to buy campervans as investments or a cheap holiday, they choose as a lifestyle choice. It is crazy money though. 3 years ago 50k would have been a good quality van and now it’s getting to this region which is mad, BUT driven by base van costs. People do actually pay in excess of £100k for this size van also 🤦🏼♂️
@@StaycationLifestyle a good reply thanks , I realise of course the facts you have shared in your reply , i.e not an investment etc , but historically speaking motor caravaning and cravanning were cheap staycations for those of modest means , now it's a rich mans game (other han used or self build ) and the prices we agree have gone nuts ..surely that shrinks the market somewhat ? .
I was looking at buying a second hand vw camper couple years back, prices were ridiculous for rusty old vans that needed lots of work to be roadworthy, so I ended up getting a little second hand vw caddy panel van cheap. I have converted it myself, mostly recycled/free wood. It is fully self contained, running water, toilet, fridge, cooker, wall cupboard, flap up table and extending bed with lots of storage under. There’s only me so don’t need lots of room, the benefit of this little panel van is stealth camping. No side windows so no one can see in, but it has barn door windows, which I put mirror film on, so you can’t see in, but let’s in loads of daylight, I made magnetic blackout covers for nighttime. I can park up pretty much anywhere you’re allowed to park and spend the night, with no one suspecting there’s anyone in the van. Campsite prices are ridiculous these days let alone the cost of a campervan.
@@philipfeeney4297 That’s what brochures are for 😀 Videos are for thoughts and discussions from the person looking at it. However this could have been shorter, I do tend to talk a lot 🤣
Pity they had to exceed 2 Mtrs with the pop top, a genuine every day drive really needs access to most height restricted car parks, as per the Mazda Bongo etc. Good, but not good enough for anyone who can't afford a spare vehicle just for weekends!!
@@chriskinne4940 Or maybe they learn and don’t regret their poor choices because they weren’t informed. This isn’t particularly negative, it’s highlighting mistakes that are made very often. People waste thousands, lose lots of money because someone told them to buy something. I appreciate your point, but there are other channels to watch adventures and days out if you wish to relax and enjoy. However i know for a fact I’m having a positive effect on people (obviously not all) I could share lots of “negative” stories in which people have made big mistakes, because it happens all the time. Far too often, because too many buyers don’t understand.
Like anything before buying is to rent what you think suits you best. You be surprised what is important. We spent a couple of years renting and now own one. No van is perfect
Don’t like the pull out fridge make it impossible to reach in while outside to get a drink from the fridge. Great to see at last electric handbrake which is sadly missing from the VW transporter. What were swift thinking putting the hot air vent in the walk way. Brainless decision
What law and who cares about nonsense laws, we only live for 70 years, humans only on this planet for a few thousands, and all gona be over soon one way or another and this planet will live for millions or billions more years without humans. 99% of all laws are useless in 1 human life.
Buy a second hand sailboat and learn to sail, free to anchor and when you get to your destination it’s the journey not the destination!! My 40ft sailboat has EVERYTHING!!! 3 cabins 2 heads inc shower, full solar and power management off grid, table for 6 for dinner, fridge freezer, wardrobes…. Then there is the tech, off shore WiFi 20miles, radar, chart plotter, auto pilot, depth gauge, wind speed and direction is just goes on…. Ok mooring fees are high but you have no boundaries of where you can go if you have the right equipment and paperwork and of course knowledge!!! All for 95k
I have a Transit custom by Orange campers: it's my daily driver. It was easy to compare with the Monza and I was was quite impressed until I saw the problem with the cupboards and the diesel heater outlet. I can only imagine the frustration of sleeping and living in the Monza. So, thank you for confirming that I have made the right choice.
I've got a vango faros 2 poled awning. Had poled as they're much lighter. I'm 80 & widower. So easier to attach to van .I've modified mine. The poles as you mentioned are all connected together with bungee cord. Ive cut mine into 3 sections. Sides x2 & top. The top section has to be threaded through a sleeve. Sides are external So all I have to thread through are the 3 pieces. Much easier than 8 pieces. I've taped the top pieces together so they don't come apart. And keep them in the pop top area for storage
Have you ever been served a hot drink that is labelled “Caution Hot” or “may contain nuts” on a bag of peanuts - bit extreme but true. Unfortunately, people do jump in and but the wrong thing as they don’t know
@@StaycationLifestyle Yes this type of thing is labelled so for those lacking intellectual capacity. We used to call it natural selection, now we call it the intellectually disadvantaged members of the van community, or sometimes know as prats. We should of course embrace diversity in all its forms including intellectual, after all it adds to our strength apparently.
Like camping in a tent, it used to be cheap as chips. People are finding it expensive in vans so are moving away. Single person in a tent can often get a bed breakfast and evening meal cheaper than the overnight pitch
Bed and insulation are the most important things. My VW LWB has fridge, hobs, 240v sockets, toilet, 4 beds, table seating. Cost a lot of money, but ultimately bed and bottled water is all thats needed, and maybe the heater 😂
