2005 T5 Transporter - Worth It?

[Mtwem]

Hey all.

I've recently been looking for a new van, I had a Toyota Hiace, but a council truck ran into me and wrote it off!

I was originally going to look for another Hiace however I have a mate who has an newer Transporter Turbo Diesel and he loves it, as well as it being great economically.
I've found one i could be interested in, here's the details:

Year - 2005
Kilometres - 234,000
Diesel / LWB /FWD

The aircon is fitted but not working.
Supposedly serviced every 15000 KMS

Now my question is, is this year model with that many Kilometres worth it?
The price is cheap, however I've done some quick research and came across a lot of people having massive mechanical issues with transporters and rather commonly.
Does the fuel economy make up for the more pricey services and repairs?

Love to hear some opinions, would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Mike

PS - Im quite limited with my spending as the councils insurers ripped me off massively and my payout was a lot lower than what it should have been.

[Transporter]

Welcome o the forum Mike.

I'm not sure if I understand you?

T5 worth what?

...also what engine? Manual or auto?

[Mtwem]

Welcome o the forum Mike.

I'm not sure if I understand you?

T5 worth what?

...also what engine? Manual or auto?

Thanks mate,

Sorry, i didnt make myself clear, is it worth buying a transporter is what I was wondering, and if the rumours of mechanical faults were as common as they seem to be in reviews. It's a manual diesel engine.

Basically I was just wondering if over 200,000kms will have common, expensive issues and if anyone has had any experiences with transporters from that year model!

Thanks!

[Sunny43.5]

We are selling our 2004 T5 Turbo Diesel 2.5 auto it only has 150000 kays one owner auto trans was rebuilt at 135000 water pump done etc new air con compressor very good condition seats 4 full glass all around cruise control etc .

[Transporter]

Thanks mate,

Sorry, i didnt make myself clear, is it worth buying a transporter is what I was wondering, and if the rumours of mechanical faults were as common as they seem to be in reviews. It's a manual diesel engine.

Basically I was just wondering if over 200,000kms will have common, expensive issues and if anyone has had any experiences with transporters from that year model!

Thanks!

Ah, the rumours of the mechanical failure in the media?

Put it that way. Almost any todays vehicle is more reliable than those made 15-30 years ago. Back then, the people didn't have have the Facebook, twitter and hundreds of forums to post about their failures, many post at every forum that exist just to get the attention, which leads to perception that todays cars fail more than before. I'd say almost anyone owning Falcon or Commodore from that era.... would see today's VW as a very reliable in comparison.

Now, is it worth it to buy a secondhand T5 or not?

Unless you're 80 + years old and won't be driving for too long, don't buy secondhand, buy a new vehicle or year or 2 old if you know 100% of its history. Otherwise doesn't matter what brand you buy, it's not worth it, IMO. Anyone please feel free to disagree.

[Mtwem]

Ah, the rumours of the mechanical failure in the media?

Put it that way. Almost any todays vehicle is more reliable than those made 15-30 years ago. Back then, the people didn't have have the Facebook, twitter and hundreds of forums to post about their failures, many post at every forum that exist just to get the attention, which leads to perception that todays cars fail more than before. I'd say almost anyone owning Falcon or Commodore from that era.... would see today's VW as a very reliable in comparison.

Now, is it worth it to buy a secondhand T5 or not?

Unless you're 80 + years old and won't be driving for too long, don't buy secondhand, buy a new vehicle or year or 2 old if you know 100% of its history. Otherwise doesn't matter what brand you buy, it's not worth it, IMO. Anyone please feel free to disagree.

Very true, I see so many on the road...
Ah yes, thats the thing, I'm almost forced to buy second hand, and a year/two years old is too excy for me. I'm only 21 and the amount I got back from the insurance companys payout was almost 4grand less than I should have, so I'm working with what I've got, and a second hand older year model is really the only way I can go unfortunately!

[Sunny43.5]

Transporter is right about used cars in general , todays are somewhat more reliable but unfortunately more expensive in relation to the vehicles value to repair . Last years statement by the ten judges who gave the Golf 7 Car of The Year Award not one of them would admit to wanting to keep one past warranty expiration date . It does not mean that that model is necessarily a problem it just seems that car makers would rather you buy a new one every couple of years . Look up the definition of Planned Obsolescence its pretty relevant in the world today . As a matter of interest what sort of budget are you working on ? .

[Mtwem]

Transporter is right about used cars in general , todays are somewhat more reliable but unfortunately more expensive in relation to the vehicles value to repair . Last years statement by the ten judges who gave the Golf 7 Car of The Year Award not one of them would admit to wanting to keep one past warranty expiration date . It does not mean that that model is necessarily a problem it just seems that car makers would rather you buy a new one every couple of years . Look up the definition of Planned Obsolescence its pretty relevant in the world today . As a matter of interest what sort of budget are you working on ? .

Yep its very relevant throughout most of technology or machinery these days.
I'm looking at 10-13grand, so like I said, options are quite limited to older models or newer models with higher kilometres, i just dont know which side to lean towards.

[Sunny43.5]

Like I said our 2004 T5 150000kays one owner is for sale currently we are in Brissie though , if you are interested I can put up some pics or more info PM me Howard .

[jfoldbar]

i kind of agreee with transporter. i think petrol engines are more reliable than they used to be 20 years ago, but diesels are the opposite. diesels are far too complex now to be reliable. and this in turns leads to harder to diagnose problems and more money.
the thing with a t5 from 2005, if you get a good one you could go another 300k with no problems, but if you get a bad one then it could well be at the end of its life now. there are a few tell tale signs but its pretty much luck of the draw. a complete repair/service history would be handy to know