Looking to buy a T4 Caravelle - Advice

[Retch]

Hi,

I am in the market to buy a Caravelle, as my wife is expecting baby no. 4, and I like the size of the Caravelle.
At this stage, I am thinking of a TDI Auto around 2002 model, as the budget is between 15k to 20k. I'd like a Multivan, but I don't think my budget stretches quite far enough...
I have read all the info regarding the auto box, so will be keeping that in mind.
After searching through as many posts as I could, I still have a few questions:
What is the life expectancy of the 2.5 TDI engine?
What sort of work am I likely to need to do on the engine, given the cars I am looking at have travelled between 180k
and 250k?
How reliable are the petrol engines in comparison to the diesels?
Any other buying advice would be appreciated.

[Cousin]

You'll have to excuse me, Retch, I don't think I'm going to be very helpful
But, I owned a 2004 T4 TDI and a 1998 T4 Petrol, getting rid of both around 18 months ago
We used to run a fleet of Mitsubishi Express vans many years ago
Had them serviced by the dealer we bought them from
Walked out of there one day in complete frustration, and went to a very well meaning backyard mechanic with a lot of experience
Bloody nice bloke, but had no idea of the Express vans
Started buying into the Vee Dubs, and went back to dealerships again, only to find the whole scenario worse than I remembered
So I went searching for a 'specialised' Volkswagan independant mechanic
Found one, and all my VW's have been going to him for the last 12-13 years
There's a reason for the pre amble, those T4 vans ran pretty much faultless for the collective years I owned them, and I believe it is mostly due to the correct servicing by someone that knows the vehicles, and doesn't just 'go by the service manual'.
The petrol van was back up last night, son in law bought it to lug his band gear around, it's just ticked over 420,000 ks
It still runs like clockwork, no problems
Sold the Diesel to a friend up in Queensland
Rang me when he got home, Kilmore to Atherton Tablelands in just over a tank
He was stoked
It had 360,000 ks on it when it was sold, and was just in perfect condition

So, when I say I cannot really help you Retch, I don't really know what to look out for, cos they ran without any hickups
Nothing stopped me on the side of the road, ever, and I travel around 60,000ks a year
And I believe that's mostly due to the VW mechanic that knows what he's looking for

So the maintenance of the vans is most important
Looked after, EASILY get 500,000 ks out of both engines
Run into the ground, lucky to see 200,000ks

Came across a client where his son ran a seafood run between Cairns and southeastern states
They turned the T4 vans over at 1,000,000 ks each
They were driven pretty much non stop, similar to Taxis
Changed to Mercedes Vitos, could only get around 500,000 before the engines were dying

So the T4's have the scores on the board, just have to find one that has been looked after and treated well

Oh, and both were manuals
You seriously should try and get a manual, far less problems


M

[Sunny43.5]

I also had two T4,s my first one bought in 2000 was a 98 model with 30,000ks 2.5 petrol manual, like cousin,s ran flawlessly for the 5 years {except } for a faulty computer relay which took a while to find it was a problem that $19 was all it cost to fix , other than timing belt change at 120,000 it was still running perfectly at 170000 . Which was when it met an untimely death when I tried to cut it in two using the back of a lowloader semi trailer to disect the bodywork . Bought a 2 lt petrol T5 which is still going strong but is woefully underpowered , our second T4 was brand new in 2000 2.5 auto petrol . This also ran perfectly through its life until sold , the only thing that scared me was while I was doing a job for the local VW dealer at the time I saw an auto box being removed from a T4 when the mechanic told me that the replacement auto was around $12000 I spent the next few years in a constant state of worry if ours gave out but thank goodness it never did . Now the next T5 our current one bought new in 2005 is a really good van but has had ongoing issues with the auto . My son also has a 97 T4 with 2.5 petrol manual and it is going gangbusters with 280,000 ks . My opinion is the newer the technology the more an expensive problem they are to fix and maintain , you only have to read threads from other members trannies /manifolds/fault codes on and on . PS still love them just not the technology.

[jets]

[QUOTE=Sunny43.5;784080] the only thing that scared me was while I was doing a job for the local VW dealer at the time I saw an auto box being removed from a T4 when the mechanic told me that the replacement auto was around $12000 [QUOTE]

That would have been for a brand new box. When I owned my T4 with an auto the going price was around $6000 for a changeover or repair. That price included R&R which would be considerable. There is a large company in Melbourne that seems to have a very good reputation & boxes are sent to them from all over Aust. I was also a bit concerned while I owned mine for around 3 years but it didn't give me any trouble. I now own a manual that I am very comfortable with.
Like Cousin has said, a good mechanic is gold. The only thing better than that IMO is to do all your own servicing.Whatever you decide to buy make sure you get the full service history.
I don't have any experience with the petrol models, both of mine have been the 2.5TDI that I consider to be the engine of choice. They are more expensive to buy but you get power with economy. The only thing that they need is timing belt changes at the correct time by someone who is careful & knows what they are doing.
They are very reliable vans but everything will eventually wear out. A couple of items that I consider could be better are ignition switches. temp sensors & pedal boxes.

[gecko2k]

Also from me: go the 2.5 TDI, everything none-turbo just doesn't have enough power and adding the turbo and top mount like all the pommies do it, costs a lot of money and effort. The Petrol engines are quite thirsty. Imho best engine on the market would be a 75kw ACV.

As jets already mentioned service history is important, maybe do a quick VCDS scan to check for possible boost leaks and sensor failures. For peace of mind replacing both toothed cambelts (repair kit available), fan belt, water pump and vibration damper at the same time. Should cost you about $500 in parts(when bought overseas), but bloody worth it!

Go the T4! They last forever, you won't regret it!

Oh and please don't get the auto, the are not meant to last You can pretty easy short shift the van and extend the gear stick, so shifting isn't so uncomfotable anymore.

[Retch]

Thanks for all the advice, I have pretty much decided on a 2.5 TDI. I would like a manual, but the Wife needs a little convincing that she should learn to drive a manual! We'll see what's on the market, and if I can find a manual, I will most likely get that.

[Retch]

Sorry, just an extra question, does anyone have any experience with the 2.8L V6 Caravelle? It looks to have an upgraded interior, and has decent power. What are your thoughts on how it compares to the TDI?

[Cousin]

Uses more fuel, so I left them alone
But if you don't intend doing high ks, might be an option for you
I don't have any experience with the V6's

M

[jets]

Yes they use a lot of fuel but are smooth, quiet & powerful. There are 2 versions,12valve or 24valve. The V6 was the only engine available in later versions of the Eurovan in the US. They would love to have our 2.5TDI engines. There is a growing business in installing TDI engines[mainly Golf] in their Eurovans. Apart from the fuel consumption the main problem that comes with age is the cost of replacing the timing chain & guides which runs into the thousands $$$$$[engine out stuff]