In 1990 in the Harz mountains of Germany, Volkswagen launched the VW T4 Eurovan. A new decade, a unified Germany and a brand new van – with an engine at the front!
This truly was a break from tradition, much to the dismay of VW purists. The old rear-engined vans had had their day, or so it seemed.
With turbodiesel, power steering, servo brakes, and 5-speed gearboxes, the T4 had mass appeal and nearly 2 million rolled off the productions lines before being phased out in 2003.
You’ll still see many VW T4s on the road today and they now carry cult-status, many having been modified with lowered suspension.
In this gallery we’ve got some lovely (and unusual!) examples that we’ve captured on camera during our travels, like the one above.
There is a mixture of typical high-top campers, motorhomes (built onto a T4 chassis) and, of course, T4s that belong to the ‘low collective’ – those hay-burners that sit just above the ground!
But just before we get to the gallery, let’s look at the story of the VW T4 Eurovan and answer some frequently asked questions…
What is a VW T4 Eurovan?
The VW T4 Eurovans were produced by Volkswagen from 1990 to 2003, replacing the much loved VW T3s.
The name Eurovan was adopted in the US but in Europe (and the UK especially) we refer to the van as a T4 camper or just simply a T4.
The T4 was the first van made by Volkswagen to feature a front-mounted, water-cooled engine. Over nearly 14 years of production, several different engines were used. The new design of the van (and placement of the engine) left many hardcore V-Dub enthusiasts concluding that the charm and appeal of VW was now lost.
However, these T4s rolled off the assembly lines just as quickly as the older VWs and were soon being converted into an array of different campervans, coach-built motorhomes, and multi-person vehicles (as you’ll see in our gallery below).
How much is a VW T4 worth?
Back in 2017/18 you could pick up a tired-looking T4 for around £1500. Prices were rock-bottom.
But since the pandemic, all campervans and motorhomes have seen a sharp increase in their value. This includes the prices of VW T4 vans. Even scruffy ones have gone up in value.
Some of the older (early 90s models) which have been converted to a good standard (and have a pop top roof) have seen their prices leap by as much as 30 to 40% as people seek options for ‘staycations’ in the UK. Whenever there is a demand, prices rocket.
A T4 in fairly tidy condition will demand a price tag of 8-10K. But better than that – and in tip top condition – be it campervan or motorhome, you could be looking at well over £15,000, perhaps as much as 20K. It all depends on age, mileage, service history, condition, upgrades etc.
RELATED CONTENT: Thinking of buying an older campervan or motorhome? Check out the 13 things you must look for on older RVs and campers
How reliable is a T4?
Volkswagen are renowned for their reliability and the T4 Eurovan is no exception. It is far more reliable than the older Type 2s (the T1 and T2) and T3 campers, as long as you maintain a regular service schedule.
Our T4 Cree motorhome is serviced every year and we have oil changes more regularly, depending on how many miles we’ve done. Cambelts should be changed every 4 years or at 60,000 mile intervals, whichever comes first.
You’ll see many VW T4 Eurovans on the market with well over 200,000 miles on the clock – and still going strong. That’s why they hold their prices so well.
High mileage shouldn’t put you off buying a T4, as long as there’s a long service history and it looks as if the van has been taken care of.
Can you still get spare parts for a T4?
Because of their continuing popularity it’s easy to get hold of just about anything you need for a VW T4 van.
You can still get new and genuine VW parts and there’s a fantastic network of auto-jumbles all over the UK, Europe, USA – indeed, worldwide – where you’re likely to find whatever you need.
And with a whole array of online forums, you shouldn’t have any problems getting mechanical parts or parts for the habitation area of the van. Indeed, specialist companies produce whole interiors for these vans which you can choose to your own design and colour tastes.
RELATED CONTENT: If you’re thinking of converting a T4 check out our campervan conversion page
How long will a VW T4 last?
Will the T4s be around as long as their predecessors? There’s no reason why not!
It’s over 30 years now since the first VW T4s rolled off the production line and you’ll still see many fantastic early versions.
The T4s are robust vehicles and the early 2.4 diesel engines are pretty much bullet proof. How long any vehicle lasts depends on build quality, what it’s been used for, and how well it’s been maintained.
Used and looked after properly, a VW T4 could easily give you 20 years of mostly trouble-free motoring. But of course, it all depends on what you use it for; a van used for commercial reasons probably won’t be cared for like a much-loved T4 campervan would be.
Want to buy a VW T4? Check out this excellent VW resource page – including a T4 Buyers’ Guide
Which T4 is best – campervan or motorhome?
The VW T4 Eurovan is still used today for many different purposes…
There is the customary panel van, used for commercial purposes and trades-people. There are pick-up vans used by builders and 9 and 12-seater multi-person carriers (like a mini bus).
Then there is an array of different campervan and motorhome conversions and coach-builds, all made by independent companies.
So, it’s hard to say which is best – campervan or motorhome? It all depends on what you want the vehicle for and how much space you need.
The T4 campervans will be more economical than the larger coach-built motorhomes and if there’s just the two of you travelling, a camper might be perfect. It will certainly get you up hills a lot easier! But if you need extra space, then a motorhome makes more sense.
With that said, let’s now take a look at our gallery. And just to say that if you have a T4 and would like it shown on this page please get in touch. Send us a picture or two and tell us a little about your van and we’ll happily add it to this page.
Our gallery of VW T4 campervans and motorhomes
VW T4 vans #1 and #2
Let’s start off with our T4 motorhome, coach-built by Autotrail back in 1992. Ours is on the right, above, and is called a Cree.
The long wheel base of the T4 chassis made for an excellent choice for coachbuilders.
The van on the left belongs to our friends, Gary and Ellie, whom we met in Scotland where this picture was taken. Theirs is a Cherokee and has a different interior layout.
Like all V-Dub enthusiasts (and van-fanatics in general) we then spent a good hour or more looking at each others’ vans. Up until this moment we hadn’t seen another T4 like ours!
RELATED CONTENT: See more pics and find out more about our VW Cree
VW T4 van #3
Let’s tell you a little more about the van featured at the top of this page…
We loved this and took lots of photos from different angles, every one of which showed something new and unusual. We could have spent hours taking note of all the very interesting details and features.
Two ‘number plates’ below the front bumper tell us she’s known as ‘Satan’s Spawn’! It looks like it’s all been done by hand. Marvellous!
This isn’t just another T4, this is one of a kind! It’s a 90/91 model on an H plate, possibly one of the first T4s. Over thirty years old and still going strong!
VW T4 van #4
Perhaps this is what Satan’s Spawn looked like before she was tinkered with? A standard, untouched VW T4 Eurovan/campervan in splendid condition.
This van was spotted at Stonham Barns and it proved to be the start of an epic day for seeing older vans.
This VW T4 has a long wheel base and looks great. We love the colour and it shines like it’s just been waxed. If it’s your van can you let us know what polish you use please?
We also like the black stone chip protector on the bonnet. Something our van could do with! P reg makes her a 96/97 model and she’s looking as fresh as the day she left the factory. That’s VW for you!
VW T4 van #5
Awaiting a clean at a local carwash, or otherwise lived in by one of the workers there, we couldn’t resist taking a quick snapshot of this T4 motorhome.
At first we thought it was another Cree, like ours, but soon noticed the word ‘Navigator’ on the side. The layout inside will be different too.
The full name of the model is a ‘360 Compass Navigator’.
You can find more pics (including interior shots) of the 360 Navigator here
This T4 motorhome is in good condition and, although obscured in the picture, we snuck a look at the plate – N reg (1995/96). A really lovely example.
T4 VW van #6
And here’s another T4 Navigator, but this one is the smaller Compass 310.
A guy called Alasdair contacted us and told us the story of finding this treasure of a van sitting in someone’s yard. It had sat idle for five years but started first time and only has 44,000 miles on the clock. It’s hardly run in!
These 2.4 litre T4 engines are known to do a quarter of a million miles so we reckon Alasdair has got years of road tripping in this elder of the tribe. And the best thing is he picked this beauty up for just £2000!
Yes, it needs some work doing inside but do the job well and this T4 could be worth in excess of 10K.
VW T4 van #7
Look at this beauty! A 1998 R reg VW T4 Autosleeper ‘Trooper’.
Owner, Julia, had bagged a prime spot along the river at Bawdsey, Suffolk for an overnight wild camp and we had a lovely chat about her van called Vera (named after her sadly departed cat who used to love curling up in the van).
Julia bought the van for £9000 a year or so before the pandemic. We think she snapped up a real bargain. The van is in lovely condition inside and out and has undoubtedly increased in value already.
It’s got 150K miles on the clock and is a 1.9 litre diesel. We liked the new headlights – fitted by her mechanic husband – and Julia showed us how the pop-top operates.
The previous owners toured Europe extensively and, by the looks of things, Vera could do it all over again! Though Julia, at the moment, is happy to find out-of-the-way places more local to her. It was a pleasure to meet you, Julia, and thanks for showing us your beautiful T4 campervan.
VW T4 van #8
We had to zoom in on this one – it’s a sneaky shot – but it had to be done. Surely that’s another Cree, like ours, we thought…
But no. It’s got an almost identical body but this one is a Comanche. Notice the hab door is positioned close to the back, whereas ours is just behind the passenger cab door.
We daren’t get any closer to take the picture because we wondered if people were in it (notice the open skylight).
This one is an H reg (1990) and is looking great. It must have been one of the first motorhomes built on the new T4 chassis.
RELATED CONTENT: Why did Autotrail name their motorhomes after Native American tribes? Who were the Cree Indians?
VW T4 van #9
And then we saw it! Another VW Cree!
For the first three years of ownership, we thought we were ‘the only Cree in the village’, then Ben sent us this picture of his T4 Cree.
Ben’s Cree is slightly different to ours though…
He’s lucky enough to have an awning on the side (ours doesn’t). There’s a second air ventilation grill (ours has only the one) and there looks like a large skylight or solar panel on the roof. And the blue stripes on the cab have gone, possibly covered in a cab respray?
The other pics Ben has sent us shows that this Cree is an ‘M’ reg, 94/95, model and she’s looking sweet. Last we heard, Ben was thinking about adding a turbo as he’s had the same problem we have with going up hills.
RELATED CONTENT: Thinking of buying an older campervan or motorhome? Read our 13 things you must check on an older RV
VW T4 van #10
Like buses, you wait ages for one…
Yes, this is another VW Cree! Lee sent us this pic of his Cree to our Facebook page! Thanks Lee. Your motorhome looks fab!
She’s a J-reg like ours (91/92) and looks like she’s still got the original step underneath the hab door. (Ours has long since gone).
Like the Cree in the previous picture, this one has also lost its stripe on the cab doors.
Apparently there is an Autotrail VW Facebook group, mostly consisting of Cree owners! We’re not alone anymore!
VW T4 vans #11 and #12
We’ve put these two long-wheel based VW T4s together so you can compare and contrast. What a difference!
The first, seen at RSPB Snettisham, is painted a rather East German Stasi-style gun metal grey. (We have friends who spent their childhoods behind the Iron Curtain who’ve told us ‘everything was grey in East Germany’ – and they’re not speaking metaphorically either!)
The second van was seen the next day as we drove through Cromer on a road trip around the North Norfolk coast. Gav pulled over in the rain and got a few pics. He especially wanted to highlight the wide wheels of this ‘rat style’ T4.
Which do you prefer?
VW T4 van #13
As members of the VW owners’ club, the Suffolk Bugrs, (yes, it’s spelled like that) we attended the Christmas Lights Cruise from Ipswich to Felixstowe and saw this lovely T4.
It was great to see so many V-dubs gathering at Anglia Retail Park before heading to the seaside for fish ‘n’ chips. This T4 camper is in great condition and is the same year as our van, J reg, 1992.
The owners hadn’t had it long and told us the engine once packed up on the motorway! Never a good thing. They’ve since had it sorted and can look forward to road tripping with more peace of mind.
Just to note that the van behind it is the Red Cross van, featured in our VW T1 and T2 gallery.
VW T4 van #14
We had to do a double take when we first saw this van – a T4 motorhome called a Kiowa (another Native American tribe).
We’ll admit that it’s not a great picture and we’ll be popping back to Ipswich soon to take a better one.
Look at that high sloping roof at the front! Very different to our Autotrail Cree, despite this being only one year newer. Seems they changed the designs regularly, this being a ’93 model.
The van is in beautiful condition on the outside and, we suspect, it’s been just as well looked after inside.
RELATED CONTENT: See some pics of other old Autotrail motorhomes
VW T4 van #15
We thought we’d do something a little different with this one. It might seem a bit nerdy but Gav couldn’t help himself…
Whilst watching the BBC series – Ibiza Dreams – this T4 360 Navigator appeared on the screen. Gav pressed the pause button and took a picture in true van-spotter’s style.
Another shot tells us it’s a 1994 M reg model and we love the VW wheel trims and the big hab window that opens right up, like it’s an ice-cream van. Perfect for Ibiza weather.
“You wanna flake in that?”
VW T4 vans #16 and #17
Two lovely T4s seen at the VW auto jumble in Ipswich. These are both fully restored, resprayed, and refurbished inside to a very high standard.
There is no pop-top roof on either of these and it’s clear that the suspension has been lowered. The van on the right looks like it has a solar panel and H reg means it could have been one of the first ever T4s!
VW T4 van #18
Another lowered-suspension T4, this one was spotted in Felixstowe on one of our regular jaunts to the seaside.
A fantastic respray in what we reckon is gun metal grey, very similar to van #11 above. We love the VW decal and striking alloy wheels.
It’s an S reg, making this a 1997/98 model and she looks magnificent.
VW T4 van #19
It wasn’t just vans ready to be made into campers that rolled off the production lines…
These VW T4s were also multi-person vehicles known as Caravelles and the short wheel base (shown here) has 9 seats whilst the LWB has 12. Enough for a football team and one sub!
This 1999 example is in perfect condition and take note of the facelift where the headlights have a slight angle to them compared to the earlier models. Indeed, the whole front end became more pronounced on some models after ’96 to accommodate a bigger 6-cylinder engine.
These ‘long nose’ versions became informally known as T4b (the short-noses being called T4a).
VW T4 van #20
What a van for #20! This no-nonsense T4 was spotted at Alton Water in Suffolk and simply had to go in our gallery.
A dark green, almost matt-finish paint job and look at those pentagram-shaped alloys! Have you ever seen the like before? Perhaps the van doubles up as a coven for pagans?
A T4 like this in showroom condition – like several of the vans on this page – could set you back at least 15K (depending on mileage, service history etc.)
VW T4 van #21
And here’s another coach-built T4 motorhome…
This one is a 355 Compass Navigator with a body much like our van. However, there are no side windows on this one above the cab
This belongs to our Suffolk Bugrs friends, Joe and Carrie. Joe makes some fab VW clocks from old wheel hubs though we reckon the ones on this van will be staying put for several more years!
VW T4 van #22
We met up with friends from Cornwall who had travelled across the country in their T4 Comanche (on the left, above).
It’s an N-reg, 1995 model and has an almost identical outer body (made by Autotrail) to our Cree. The positioning of the windows is different, based on the interior layout.
The Comanche has a rear kitchen and mid-area lounge and can sleep 5. Owner, Andy, paid £10,000 for it.
VW T4 van #23
In our home town of Stowmarket, Suffolk we had to stop and take a quick snapshot of this eye-catching red T4 parked outside a chip shop.
It’s obviously the long wheel-base version and look at those black alloys! Lovely.
It’s a ’51’ number plate, making this a 2001 model. Over twenty years old and still looking magnificent.
VW T4 van #24
Whilst parked up waiting to get the little train from Wells to Walsingham in Norfolk, we saw this immaculate T4 ‘Topaz’ coach-built by ‘Auto Sleeper’.
It’s an S reg 1998 model and doesn’t have a single spot of rust anywhere. We peeked inside (like you do!) and it looked just as lovely.
These campers have all the amenities you need: cooker, fridge, sink etc. and even a small toilet cubicle at the back. These models sleep 2, making this a perfect van for couples.
For more info on the T4 Auto Sleepers go here.
We hope you’ve enjoyed browsing through our VW T4 Eurovan and motorhome pictures. If you have your own and would like it added to this gallery just let us know.
If you’re a V-Dub fan like us, remember to check out our VW T1 and T2 gallery and resources page. Not forgetting the VW T3 page either!
If you’re serious about getting an older campervan or motorhome check out what’s in our new ebook…
