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Ian Cushway: Why a VW T25 is best for me

Ian Cushway: Why a VW T25 is best for me
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Ian Cushway: Why a VW T25 is best for me

We caught up with our friend Ian Cushway recently. He's a stalwart of the Volkswagen scene and current Editor of Camper and Bus Magazine. He shares his car history with us in this guest blog, and also lets on why it's the wedge-shaped campervans that always brings the biggest smiles to him and his family. Over to you Ian. 

Why are VW Transporters so good?

A VW Transporter makes so much sense on so many levels. They're more than just a way of getting lots of people – or stuff – from one place to another, they're a way of life, a habit you somehow you just slip into and, hackneyed as it sounds, the ultimate lifestyle statement. Read our blog on how to choose a VW Campervan here. 

My passion for VWs started aged three, in 1967, when my folks took me to one of the first Dub gatherings in their 1200 Beetle. I've had my own Bugs, Ghias, Golfs, Sciroccos and several Beetle Cabriolets since then. However, my Transporter fetish gained traction about 15 years ago when I bought a 1986 T25 – the third generation Bus, affectionately known as the 'wedge' or 'brick'. It was a Holdsworth Villa 3 camper, with pop-top roof and was scooted along by a smooth and virtually silent 1.9 water-cooled engine. I didn't pay much for it, and the vendor threw in all his old camping kit including a useful awning. To further sweeten the deal, he even delivered it to my house and got his wife to drive him home.

Read our VW Type 25 Buying Guide here. 

Is the T4 better than a Type 25?

It was a suitably promising start to a loving relationship and I was instantly bitten by the campervan bug, as was my wife and young family. I struggle now to remember what made me sell that Bus a few years later, but I did, in exchange for a T4.

I guess I was hankering after something a bit newer, with a bit more space. But sadly, despite being mint and having all the usual AutoSleeper conversion refinements, I didn't love it in quite the same way as my T25. The PortaPotti no longer stowed away as conveniently as it did previously, the sink unit meant I couldn't get the driver's seat far enough back, and that 2.4 non-turbo engine was an absolute slug. 

Read our VW T4 Buying Guide here. 

Buying a T25 Westfalia 

So I sold that T4, turned back the clock, and in the ultimate act of 'retrospectivity' bought another T25. This time I pushed the boat out and found the best one I could, a late Westfalia California with rectangular headlamps, Eberspacher heater, power steering, and everything tip-top inside. Again, it had the petrol 'Wasserboxer' engine which ran as sweet as a nut and cruised effortlessly at motorways speeds courtesy of a five-speed 'box.

That Van was great, we took it camping everywhere – even to France on several occasions. And sadly, it was one of those continental trips that played a part in its eventual downfall. On one such adventure across the Channel we decided we'd rather live there instead. So we bought a house – and to fund the Notaire's fees, the van had to be sold. Funnily, it must have anticipated its fate as the alternator went on the drive back to Calais so we had to jump on the Newhaven ferry instead, which was closer to home!

Upgrading to a T5 Kombi

Fast forward 10 years and my liking for Transporters – and an ever growing family – resulted in the acquisition of a T5 Kombi. It wasn't anything fancy; in fact, it didn't even have a passenger airbag, but there was seating for nine and because there were now seven of us, it fitted the bill perfectly.

With its five-cylinder 2.5 engine it managed numerous family holiday hauls, complete with bikes on a towbar-mounted rack, down to the Pyrenees with aplomb. Until, that is, the kids started complaining about the lack of comfort and the fact it was stifling hot in the back.

With this in mind, it was swapped for a newer, more luxurious seven-seater T5 Multivan, or Caravelle as it's called in the UK. I went all the way to Germany to buy it, and with the equivalent of 60k miles on the clock and all the creature comforts you could think of – including multizone climate control and a static, remote control heater – it was the ultimate family wagen.

Read our VW T5 Buying Guide here.

Newer isn't always better

The only thing was, I'd bought a Lemon. Despite the low miles, the air conditioning stopped and it quickly developed a running issue which, in truth, I never really got to the bottom of. The lack of cold air was diagnosed as being a duff compressor as well as a leak in a pipe at the back – and these cost £1500 to sort. The engine issue was more pricey still with the cost of a replacement turbo and diesel particulate filter setting me back that again and more.

While in the process of writing so many painfully big cheques, a romantic notion crossed my mind. What about if we sold it, said goodbye to all those pricey repair bills, and bought another T25 camper instead? Realising a pattern was emerging here somehow, I acknowledged that while it was mad swapping something modern and supremely practical for something old, slow, antiquated and inevitably rusty – the more I thought about it, the more it all made sense. After all, as a family we could enjoy weekends away in it – use it for day trips, and generally enjoy the freedom a campervan brings to virtually every situation. Moreover, it would be cheap as chips to run and repair.

Buying another T25 project

So, to cut a long story short, I acquired a 'project' that I thought I could make something of, the T5 was sold, and much to everyone's amusement, a very tatty 1985 Westfalia Club Joker in a fetching shade of green appeared on the driveway.

It was love at first sight for the kids, who'd become remarkably grown up by now. Within minutes of me arriving with it, everyone was climbing inside, opening cupboards and begging me to get the elevating roof up. It was kitted out with everything, including the kitchen sink, cooker, a table, fridge, fold-down bed and, as I was quick to demonstrate, even the front seats could cleverly swivel through 180 degrees. For want of an easy life, I played down the totally gutless non-turbo 1.6 diesel engine, which I had to replace as it happens, and the general scruffiness, of course.

Living with a VW Type 25

So far though, it's been brilliant and I don't regret 'going retro' for a second. And it does everything a newer Van can, even if it's at a snail's pace. A means of getting the kids to school? Yep, they love the idea. A day bus? It's perfect. Hobby vehicle? Of course, because it's got a huge enthusiast following and you can obtain just about anything for this era Transporter and nothing is expensive. Who wouldn't be at least a little excited at the prospect of spending as little as £72 for a clutch kit, or £14.50 for a set of front brake pads.
We're massive bike fans, and it's scored top marks there, too. There's a three-bike rack on the back, and it's great for overnight stays if there's a race a long way away. Hell, it even served as a bedroom for my middle son when the in-laws appeared for a week-long family stay and he had to liberate his bedroom.

T25 vs T5: Which should you buy?!

So how does it stack up against the T5? Honestly? It doesn't. That said I appreciate its mechanical simplicity and it's certainly proving more reliable. Yes, it rattles, yes it's slow, and of course there's the usual seam rash where the panels butt up against each other on my one that I'll never get rid of. But here's the thing. No one really missed the T5 when I sold it. Yet, for some odd reason, everyone adores the 'Wedge' and there would be a serious family upset if I even hinted at the prospect of parting with it.

Of course, I am not alone in my love of this era Bus which is why prices have escalated in the last few years. Still, as far as I am concerned, given what you can do in a T25, it's likely to be money well spent!

Ian 

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A birch
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Really good read. I’m just at the stage where I am contemplating the benefits of a newer model, potentially a T4, petrol. We’ve had our T25 for about 3 years and generally the kids and wife love it, but certainly the lack of power steering, sluggishness and poor mpg of 1.9 petrol engine, and a couple of incidence recently has maybe wonder if a newer model with slightly more mod cons would improve the experience in my wife’s eyes.