Like Type 25s to the air-cooled crew, T4s sit in a similar place with the water-coolers. Dropping prices of early T5s mean they’re shunned by many as the entry-level Transporter these days, yet are beloved by others precisely because they’re not T5s and ’6s.
Not yet old enough to be considered a true classic, but old enough now to be beset with common rust and mechanical issues, in our experience people either love them or don’t want anything to do with them.
So how can T4 ownership be deemed progress? When you’re an air-cooled VW Bus owner, and need something reliable you can drive daily, all year round, that’s when!
The Man
I’m old enough to remember when T4s were new cars – well, vans – and expensive enough that you had to give some serious thought to ownership. Back then, everyone was scrambling to buy the cleanest possible second hand one to convert into a Camper. White ones were sought after enough, but if you found one in a colour, and especially with a tailgate, you felt like The Man driving it.
I’ve owned a few over the years, and the main problem in my eyes was the choice of engines. When I finally summoned up enough cash to get on the T4 ladder in 2005, the Y-plate Van I bought was only four years old. Indigo Blue, it was a tidy Panel Van, but no way did I have the means to stump up for the 2.5TDi, so was left struggling up hills with a 1.9TD, all 68bhp of it.
Years later, I hired a new 2.5 TDi to move furniture and discovered what a delight it was to drive. If only I could have afforded one of those back in the day.
Which in a very roundabout way brings us to Jamie Cox’s T4 you see here. Bear with me, please.
No crush
Denne historien er fra Issue 88-utgaven av VWt Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 88-utgaven av VWt Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Cinema paradiso
VisionTech Automotive is well known for its high-end Camper conversions, but a mobile cinema is a new one from the Essex boys
High Impact
When the wonderfully named Kevin Snuggs wanted a Van to double up as a work promo vehicle and family Camper, only a T5 would do
Altitude adjustment
Hi VWt, I wanted to share my pride and joy with you.
The big 3-0-0
Not too many people start with a horsepower figure when they begin a Van conversion, but James Sharp wanted something different out of his Transporter
3-day itch
Building promo Vans is a joy. You get to create what you want to showcase your vision. For a short while…
On the road again
A couple of months ago we were involved in an unfortunate incident. This month we’re happy to say it’s all fixed and looking good
Making Memories
Naming your Camper conversion business after a part of the brain might not sound very sexy, but when it’s the part that deals with motivation and memory, it starts to make more sense
Pete's meat
This isn’t our first rib rodeo, but here’s an alternative method of pre-BBQ prep for equally delicious baby back ribs`
Letting off steam
When the missus announced she was heading for a university visit with our eldest, Oscar and I decided to put the two-berth T5 through its paces in north Norfolk
System PORSCHE
If VW and Porsche worked together on a T6 we suspect it would have a little more power but, looks-wise, we reckon Jamie Colley has nailed it