Rufus - 2008 VW Transporter Campervan

I am selling my 2008 Volkswagen Transporter T5 Long Wheelbase, better known as Rufus! I took of the market while I was on holiday and moving but back up for sale again now!

It is a 1.9 turbo diesel engine. It has 158,000 miles on the clock. This may go up slightly, as I will drive it every week or two, so that the engine is run. It’s a manual gearbox. The van drives well, it feels like a car with a higher driving position, so a great first camper.

The van is silver, and, as you can see from the photos there are some chips and scratches in the paintwork. I touched up the deeper ones to stop rust, and unfortunately the paint difference is noticeable. The van bodywork has no rust, other than a small patch on the roof from a scratch by the previous owner, which is great for its age.

I have had an MOT done, so this runs until 14th October 2025, the two advisories (bonnet latch seized & indicator bulb coloration) have been dealt with. The van has had 4 owners including myself. It has a part service history, with proof of 7 services (with receipts, not all stamped in book). I just had the van serviced (April 2025), and this included some work to get it starting better, as I had noticed it lagging a bit. Its last service before that was March 2024. The tax is £28 a month. The van does around 600 miles to a tank, depending on the type of driving you are doing. The van comes with a spare tyre and key. I have always had everything done on the van as soon as it was needed, if not before. The work that has been done during my ownership is:
– Timing belt, auxiliary belt & water pump – November 2022
– Battery – December 2022
– Gearbox – October 2023
– All new tyres – November 2023
– Suspension arms – March 2024
– All brake pads & 1 calliper – March 2024
– Main crank seal, clutch & flywheel – July 2024
– New tyre – October 2024
– Glow plugs, wiring adjustments & replacing timing belt that was fitted poorly previously – April 2025

The van was used by carpet fitters before I bought and converted it to a camper in 2022. On the metal in the van, you can see some signs of its previous use, but only when looking closely. I took my time converting, so improved as we went, adding things that work. There’s an incredible amount of storage, we stayed in the van for two weeks driving round Europe and had spare space! I have done the following as part of the conversion, and will be included in the price:
– Insulation and sound proofing (7mm polyethylene foam & polyester roll).
– Plywood on walls and floor.
– Vinyl oak effect flooring.
– Rear and side privacy tint windows
– Bench seats which pull together into a king-size bed. These are made with bed slats so very comfy to sleep on. One side is slightly shorter than a king to fit in the cupboard. I purchased bespoke seat cushions, which act as a very comfy mattress (ties to bench, zip off and washable, 10cm foam)
– Kitchen cupboard & worktop. Lots of storage here and under seats.
– Custom curtains & pole (with magnets)
– Handy storage hooks and nets on walls & in cupboards, including shoe holders.
– New cigarette lighter in glove box– original is in cupholder compartment (which is notorious for breaking and was broken when bought) so I did not use or replace. I have installed new cupholders instead.
– 2 USB charging points
– Roof bars
– Wind deflectors
– Insulated window covers
– Fire extinguisher
– CritAir (3) certificate for driving in France & Swiss e-vignette until 31st Jan 25

I chose not to build in a leisure battery, but instead use a fused lead from Halfords through the window at campsites or a power bank, which works well for us. There are a few additional items I will also sell with the van:
– Subcold ultra fridge (cigarette lighter/mains powered)
– WADEO camping toilet
– Maypole mains power unit
– Atlas lockable Cross Bars
– Outdoor Revolution driveaway awning
– Levelling Chocks

Happy to discuss price, and open to shifting that depending on what you would like/not from the list above.

Reluctantly selling both our vehicles to get a family car, but hope someone else can have as much fun and adventure in Rufus as we have had! I have more photos and a video for anyone that would like to see more before arranging a viewing, and happy to answer any questions.