Club 80-90 Forums

Hi there. I'm a newbie so hope I'm posting in the right place. Currently on the lookout for my first T3. Would love to hear people's thoughts on which engine to go for. Also grateful for info on the kinds of fuel economy you guys are getting from different engines. I have read that the 1.6 diesel is under powered but have recently seen a few lovely ones for sale.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom people can share.
J

Fuel Economy is not really important unless you plan high mileage which very few do in a T25
The approx £1000 it costs to run will far outweigh the fuel.

Some people like petrol others diesel, remember original T25 diesels are not like modern cars more like tractors.
Diesel I think 30 and petrol 20 mpg

Generally go for good bodywork first and then the engine after.

In terms of engine type, you'll find champions of both petrol and diesel on here, both in terms of performance and economy. Generally a van with an existing water-cooled setup will give you most options in terms of new alternative engines. Check out the buyers guide in the Wiki for more info on the various engine types:

http://wiki.club8090.co.uk/index.php/Mi ... yers_guide

You haven't specified your location, but if you're based in London you might want to consider petrol due to possible changes to the Low Emission Zones that the new mayor has proposed. Currently our T25 diesel Westy is exempt from the LEZ, but there are suggestions for an Ultra Low Emission Zone in the next four or five years that could change that.

Agree look for good bodywork and engine as a second consideration

Thank you very much to everyone who replied. Really helpful

If you've seen a lovely 1.6d van, and it's cheap enough, you could consider converting it to 2.0 petrol, using the Golf gti AGG engine. It's a great conversion, straightforward and well tried-and-tested. The result is a greatly improved driving experience, double the power of the diesel, and reasonably good economy (compared to a wbx petrol). Plus no LEZ problems if that's a concern for you.

Re the Low Emissions Zone. Am I right in thinking that if the original registration class is M1 then turning a T (4 in my case) into a camper van (and registering the body type as Motor Caravan) does not intrinsically change this. It will always be an M1? If my notes are right, then I think this is what I was told by the DVLA