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Will buying a van at auction save me money?

We are looking to purchase a used Volkswagen Transporter (T5) for a professional conversion to a camper van. Van dealers seem to be really pricey so am thinking about an auction. We hope to get a 2.0 CR TDI rather than the older 1.9 PD unit. Is this wise?

Asked on 24 March 2015 by L mac

Answered by Honest John
BCA runs an LCV auction every Thursday but prices aren't low and you have to remember to add 20 per cent VAT + auctioneer's commission to the hammer prices. I'm not keen on VAG's four-cylinder diesel engines. The older 2.5 five-cylinder engines were better at hauling a van along (remember a home made camper conversion adds quite a lot of weight). Lots of people priced out of Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter campers switched to Mazda Bongos, Toyota Granvias, etc.
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