T6.1 or T7 for conversion to day van

[philly45]

Hi,I've been looking to buy a 24 plate T6.1 highline to convert to a day van but since seeing the T7 5+ deals I'm now not sure which to buy,any advice would be appreciated.cheers

[DaveyBoyWonder]

Ignoring the fact that the new Transit is basically the same van, better looking and cheaper, look at some of the details on the T7. Saw a video the other day by a VW conversion specialist who was pretty surprised at the lack of protection under the van - loads of voids left wide open for water to sit in/no under trays to stop it etc. I won't mention the wet belt thing (mainly as I don't know the details apart from the fact it gets a hell of a lot of bad noise).

I'd be going for a T6.1. Actually I wouldn't, I'd be finding a low mileage T6 Highline specced to the hilt as they're far nicer looking IMHO.

[philly45]

Thanks,the underneath of the T7 is concerning as I intend to keep the van for a number of years,regarding the wet belt I thought the T6 and T6.1 also had them so that wasn't a concern but maybe I'm wrong

[flatso]

Correct me if I'm wrong. But it's the T8 that is a shared development with the Transit. The T7 is still the old VW bus AFAIK and it seems to hold its value a lot better than the T8.
The Peugeot Traveller ( Toyote, Citroën, Fiat clones) are also an interesting alternative.

[Mark Turmell]

Wet belt on the oil pump on a 6.1, not the same as the wet cam belt on the Transit/Transporter.

T7 = VW Multivan, all VW, no Ford.

All new Transit/Transporter - built on same platform in Turkey.

The new Transporter has 5 years warranty and free servicing, it s also cheaper than the equivalent Transit.

Wet belt only generally an issue on abused vehicles without regular oil/filter changes, but obviously there are always exceptions to that.

In 2024 I had the choice of waiting for the new Transporter or going for one of the last high specification T6.1 s.

I went for the 6.1 as the new Transporter is fugly and I ve had VW s for many years and I like the perceived build quality of something built in Germany, no offence to the Turkish workers building the new model.

Unregistered 6.1 s are rare, so your best bet is to take a look on AutoTrader (don t buy from Van Haven)

T6.1 must haves are led headlamps, factory fitted, not aftermarket.

Edit - avoid the bi-turbos, especially on the T6, CFCA revision.

The later T6.1 DMZA has had very few issues reported.

The 150 is less complicated

Edited by Mark Turmell on Saturday 26th July 09:05

[philly45]

Thanks very much,just the sort of advice I was looking for,now I'm leaning to the T6.1 and there are a couple for sale with the spec I'd like ( heated seats,tailgate,led headlights) just a shame about the vat ( ouch)

[Mark Turmell]

Mine’s a panel van, converted to a sleeper which is how quite a few vans are sold to avoid the vat.

My windows and seats were all added after it was registered, but annoyingly my business can’t claim the vat back, but at the time it was the only new lwb, 4-motion available.

We don’t want to cook in ours, just a full length, full width bed, hookup with solar and remote diesel heater.

I’ll get it under sealed soon as it’s a keeper.

[philly45]

Great looking van you have there,I'm looking to buy a tidy spec highline (2024) that i can 'attempt' to convert myself even though I know nothing about how to go about it but I think there'll be plenty of advice/videos online.I am primarily looking at it as a project to keep me busy for a while ( I'm 65 and recently retired) and going for a 'newer' base van should mean it will last me until the government make it difficult for me to keep driving in 5 years time.lol