If you’re thinking about buying a T25 – you could be thinking about buying a Volkswagen camper van. But even if you’re buying any other T25 model this article should still be useful! Just ignore all the bits about day trips, holidays, fridges, cookers and beds!
If you have decided to get a VW camper van, you must have some idea of what you’re going to use it for – camping obviously! Well, actually no. Do you want something you can go out for the day in, something that you make yourself a cuppa in – or enjoy a grand picnic from food stored in your ‘fridge? Or do you want to take off for weekends, holidays – or whole summers? Think just what you plan to do with your camper and it’s not as obvious as you may think. Do you want a high-top, tin-top or pop-top? Petrol or diesel? Do you want a wreck, a project, something that needs just a little TLC or a holiday-ready gem? You may want a tin-top to customise, fit out with a home cinema, fur-lined roof and fancy wheels! Our advice is to think long and hard about all these options because, if you’re anything like us, it may be that you won’t know what it is you really want until you’ve been looking a while.
We decided to get a VW bay camper a while ago. We liked the look of them, wanted something for weekends and holidays and, yep, we’re probably just old hippies at heart. We set ourselves a budget of around £4000 – we could have stretched to £5000, we thought, if we were offered a real gem. Little did we know! After a long search through local papers and the internet and several shocking viewings, where we were shown wrecks that were priced at anything from £4000 -£6000 and needed complete refurbishment, we almost gave up. It was beginning to look like the only way to get a reasonably useable bay camper was to spend way beyond our woefully inadequate budget. But, it was whilst looking at yet another bay that we happened to see a T25 high-top camper van and had a quick look inside. We were impressed, but it was not for sale.
After more internet searching, we realised that a T25 in good condition was probably easier to find and afford. By then we had also admitted to ourselves that, although a hi-top is not quite so “sexy” or iconic, it is more practical and comfortable. You can stand up in them for a start and you don’t have to bother with pushing up pop-tops that have worn, dirty canvas and rusty cantilever thingys. It is also not easy in a tin-top to cook a dinner for 4 in a crouching position! But that’s just our opinion! Anyway, we were lucky enough to find our 1987 VW T25 Transporter Autosleeper shortly after that and, although we’ve had a few hiccoughs along the way, it was at least, fairly holiday-ready inside and out, needing only some minor TLC. We enjoy using it for holidays and have gradually done some refurbishments (new curtains, carpets, seat covers, replacement front seats and some welding). There will always be something to do on it – after all it is 20 years old – so it’s always a work in progress!
So, that’s our T25 story. But what happens when you first decide to get a T25? What are the pros and cons? What problems should you look out for? What should you spend? This is our guide and, whilst it is probably not all-encompassing, it contains everything we could think of that we had to consider when we were buying, so read on!
top of pageBudget – set your budget, keeping in mind what you want this T25 for. A quick look at the first internet site I found yielded over 60 results from a 1982, 1.6 diesel for £1,000 to a 1990 Westfalia Atlantic 1.6 TD for £10,500! Sorry, there are no convenient price guides for these! It may be a good idea to just buy the newest you can afford.
Viewing – see as many as you can before buying. Yeah, we know you want to go out on Saturday, cash in hand and come home with your purchase, but be prepared to walk away from a possible mistake. Chat to the owner and you will get a feel for how the vehicle has been used and maintained. Find out how often it has been used and when. You want to hear that the vehicle is used every day or holidayed in regularly. Hopefully, there will be a genuine reason for the sale and a fond “teary-eyed” owner who has owned the vehicle for some time! Take your time and you will begin to “get your eye in” and know what you can expect for your money. If you lose out to a more impulsive buyer, then it just wasn’t meant to be. Goes without saying - always test-drive the vehicle and always view in good light in the daytime.
top of pageCondition – this is dictated to a certain extent by your budget – but not necessarily! Obviously there are 2 main considerations; body and engine. Remember the old adage that mechanical parts can always be replaced, refurbished or fixed, but bodywork (and we’re not just talking about the pretty painted bits you can see) can be a serious MOT failing, money-swallowing problem.
Look down each side of the vehicle to check for marks, dents or ripples in the body panels. If there are any seriously suspicious marks or lumps (test for filler with a fridge magnet) it may have been in a serious accident and a more rigorous inspection may be necessary. A vehicle of this age will probably not have perfect body panels, so decide if you can live with any imperfections or are happy to pay to get the work done. Decide if rusty body seams are cosmetic or not and check that all the seams that should be there are there. Some previous owners may have had them welded up or filled (use the ‘fridge magnet again) and this may be hiding something.
If it’s a camper and the top “pops” up then get the owner to show you – check for problems in the cantilever thingys and rips in canvas. Both can be replaced, but does the price allow for this and do you want the hassle? Check the gutters – you may need to take a pair of steps in order to see them and if it is a camper with a pop-top roof, check them with the roof up.
If the inside and outside look immaculately restored or customised, look even closer – it could all just be superficial “tarting up”. Some owners enjoy doing this and forget about the stuff that really matters! Have a good look underneath – if you don’t know what you’re looking at, take someone with you who does. Be wary of vehicles that have been lowered – this can result in an uncomfortable ride and may have been done amateurishly, resulting in dangerous problems with suspension and steering.
Check for rust under the front wheel arches and, as this can cause rust within 30cm of a suspension or seat-belt mounting, it can be an MOT failure. Lift carpets to check seat-belt mountings are sound. Check rear wheel arches. Check window surrounds as rust here can be a problem and look closely at window rubbers which have deteriorated with age – not a problem to replace – just very expensive to buy! Leaking windscreen rubbers can cause water to lay in the foot well, so lift mats to check for rust.
top of pageEngine – listen to how it starts and runs. Look at it and as mentioned before, if you are a stranger to anything mechanical, take someone who knows about these things – or even reconsider whether you want to own and maintain a veteran vehicle! Things you don’t want to see are; smoke from the exhaust or oil over the engine. Look out for petrol smells – could be rusted petrol tank (expensive), filler neck (cheaper and easier to fit) or expansion bottle hoses (cheap but fiddly to fit). Listen to see if the starter motor struggles to turn the engine over – it could need replacing (and can just pack up suddenly, as ours did on arrival at our campsite on a weekend away).
Mileage can be difficult to check – if all the MOTs are available and the recorded mileage is genuine, then that is good. If the mileage for age seems low, check for worn carpets and worn rubber on foot pedals, although these can be replaced – so very new ones may also be cause for concern! Check if the front seat covers are worn or don’t match the interior- this could mean higher than average mileage.
top of pageTyres – check that they match and look at the spare – a bald one tells you that the owner is not bothered about maintaining the vehicle properly. All tyres should be specifically for vans (to take the weight) as opposed to ordinary car tyres. In particular be wary if the vehicle has low profile tyres as these may be car tyres.
top of pageCamping Interior – this is difficult to check – obviously if all the rear seat covers are worn or torn, these can be recovered loosely or done professionally (ours have just cost us £390 to have the 3 pieces recovered in velour with piping and vinyl backing). Foam may be worn out and flat, but it doesn’t always look bad – however, you’ll know once you’ve slept on it whether or not it needs replacing! Foam for the 3 sections can cost around £110.
Ask the owner if the fridge is 3-way (powered by leisure battery, gas and electrical hook-up) and ask if it works – looking closely into his (or her) eyes! One example we were shown was being used as a cupboard!
Look inside cupboards to check for signs of obvious water damage – ours had had a serious water leak through the side vent for some time. Check for leaks around the edge of any roof vents. Not a big job to rectify, but damage to roof lining etc. by incoming water, can be extensive.
To sum up, bear in mind that these old vehicles will, more than likely, have been owned at some time or another by careless owners who’ve used them as “workhorses” and cobbled together DIY repairs (unless you’re lucky enough to find a “one owner from new” example) so when you do eventually get your new purchase home, get it checked over thoroughly by a mechanic.
top of pageThis is what UltraVW.com has to add about purchasing a T25
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If you're still unsure take a look at these comments to a question raised by someone considering buying a VW T25 camper van.