Camper, buy euro 4/5 now, or save for a euro 6?

[caelite]

Hey folks

Long story short, I've been toying with picking up a panel van to do a full conversion on (permanent conversion, including V5 category change), current budget lands me in late 00s/early 10s clean euro 5 examples, to go up to euro 6 seems to require over double the budget. My plan is to keep it long term, as I'd like to personalise it & make it my own.

My question being, would you buy a euro 5 now, or hold off a year or two until both euro 6 come down in price & you can increase your budget to purchase. I am in the Glasgow area, currently we have no such restrictions on vehicles, but the constant doom mongering in the news makes me really worry about committing to a pre-euro 6, am I worrying unduly, I don't intend to drive into London, but a jaunt to some European cities likely won't be off the cards.

CAElite.

[Antony Moxey]

Buy now. Next year you'll be in exactly the same boat except all the numbers will have advanced by one. Also, as Euro emissions regulations get tighter each year, so the van that's just in your budget will fall foul of them.

[caelite]

Antony Moxey said:

Buy now. Next year you'll be in exactly the same boat except all the numbers will have advanced by one. Also, as Euro emissions regulations get tighter each year, so the van that's just in your budget will fall foul of them.

Yeah, it is something to be considered, these retroactive emissions measure really are setting a scary precedent, I'm kind of in the mindset that once set at euro 6 they will stay there for a long time, in real emissions terms, in diesels, the jump between 5 and 6 was fairly large, like the jump between 3 and 4, the advancement to Euro 7 is looking to be fairly minor over 6d, so it would make sense that they would maintain 6 as the standard for at least a couple of decades, even in euro 6 we are reaching the level where engines are as clean as physically possible without moving to alternative fuel sources.

But then again, I am speculating based on the expectation that this type of legislation is based on rhyme and reason and isn't being used for ulterior means, such as as a stimulus for the automotive trade.

It's still a difficult decision, I do think euro 6 will be the standard for a long while, but as you say, for all we know there could be pledges for all electric in cities coming up by 2025, if it wasn't for the legislation coming in I'd have no second thoughts buying an older example that I can afford outright.

[ColinM50]

As caelite says, Euro 6 is likely to be the standard for some time but I can see some cities closing down access to a 4/5 or anything earlier than 6. So for my money I'd wait for a Euro 6 compliant one since there's nothing you can do to a 4 or 5 to make it 6 compliant.

[DrMekon]

Are you going to be going in to cities with your camper? I parked about 30m outside Paris in the summer, and spent the day zooming about on scooters. No way I'd have taken my camper in. I'm glad I didn't wait any longer to get mine.