Advice requested about buying an Alphard campervan

[Peter Dunn]

I am thinking of buying a 2005 2.4L Alphard (c.60,000 miles) that has been newly converted into a camper. But I am rather nervous about spending £25K on a vehicle that is 18 years old. Does anyone have any helpful thoughts or comments about Alphards of this age, please? Are there issues around reliability, obtaining parts and getting servicing done? Could there be massive depreciation if I need to sell the vehicle after a couple of years? I would be grateful for any comments, reassuring or otherwise! Many thanks. Peter.

[Rojie]

22 hours ago, Peter Dunn said:

I am thinking of buying a 2005 2.4L Alphard (c.60,000 miles) that has been newly converted into a camper. But I am rather nervous about spending £25K on a vehicle that is 18 years old. Does anyone have any helpful thoughts or comments about Alphards of this age, please? Are there issues around reliability, obtaining parts and getting servicing done? Could there be massive depreciation if I need to sell the vehicle after a couple of years? I would be grateful for any comments, reassuring or otherwise! Many thanks. Peter.

 

Hello Peter,

 

Welcome to the Forum,

 

There are a couple of points that may your affect decision process.

 

Firstly, if you are buying from a business you will pay VAT, 20%. You are unlikely to recover this.

 

As Alphatds, and Vellfires, are Japanese Imports most, but not all, official Toyota Dealers will not work on them or supply parts!..

Consequently, it is wise to ensure that you have someone competent, if not yourself, to maintain it.

Getting an MOT will not be a problem, as any MOT station will be able to do that.

 

I have an 2006 MZ G Edition Alphie and feel sure it will last longer than I.

 

I paid a lot less than your budget and had a very classy conversion for a lot less too.

I don't have a pop top, but they will add a significant cost if yours has one.

Also, beware the height gain as that can prevent access to many car parks.

 

Have it checked thoroughly by the RAC or AA prior to purchase.

 

I hope this doesn't put you off Alphie ownership as it is very comfortable motoring.

 

 

[ThuMentaliss]

I, too, own a 2005 3.0ltr Alphard spent a load of money on it looks nice, but it's not without flaws.  Firstly, from the many hours I spent researching the series one history, it appears that the 2.4l engine is not ideal power unit for a vehicle that weighs more than 1700k.  My converted Alphard +driver and wife weigh's just over 2200 kg (weight obviously depends on what conversion is carried out) if you are considering towing a Caravan with a 2.4L fully converted Alphard with its added conversion weight you would notice the lack of power particularly when tackling steep inclines plus the fuel consumption from the 2.4L is not a lot better than the more powerful 3.0ltr, Service parts are available but be aware major unit parts are becoming difficult to source, from my own experience here in West Sussex no official Toyota Dealer is interested in carrying out general service work or repairs so your left finding a garage that gives you confidence that they know what their doing, depreciation is a problem for any motor vehicle it's all about supply and demand, insurance companies tend to write off certain vehicles where body parts are difficult to obtain certainly the in the case of vehicles over 15 years old....the Alphard does drive well, and its good looks stand well against much younger vehicles and as a people carrier for its age no other vehicle comes close to its appeal.

[Alasdair]

That seems an excessive amount for a 2005 Alphard. It must be a very high spec conversion. I've just bought a 2006 2.4 Alphard that is currently being converted from the standard 8 seats to a 7 seat day van with just the sink and hob. 58,000 miles and costing 15 grand.

[Liam]

On 1/20/2023 at 10:05 AM, ThuMentaliss said:

I, too, own a 2005 3.0ltr Alphard spent a load of money on it looks nice, but it's not without flaws.  Firstly, from the many hours I spent researching the series one history, it appears that the 2.4l engine is not ideal power unit for a vehicle that weighs more than 1700k.  My converted Alphard +driver and wife weigh's just over 2200 kg (weight obviously depends on what conversion is carried out) if you are considering towing a Caravan with a 2.4L fully converted Alphard with its added conversion weight you would notice the lack of power particularly when tackling steep inclines plus the fuel consumption from the 2.4L is not a lot better than the more powerful 3.0ltr, Service parts are available but be aware major unit parts are becoming difficult to source, from my own experience here in West Sussex no official Toyota Dealer is interested in carrying out general service work or repairs so your left finding a garage that gives you confidence that they know what their doing, depreciation is a problem for any motor vehicle it's all about supply and demand, insurance companies tend to write off certain vehicles where body parts are difficult to obtain certainly the in the case of vehicles over 15 years old....the Alphard does drive well, and its good looks stand well against much younger vehicles and as a people carrier for its age no other vehicle comes close to its appeal.

Towing a caravan with a CVT gearbox will be a short life for the box. And this 2.4 Vs 3lt thing always comes up but really makes very little difference on the road. Parts seem easier to get then I thought it would be eBay has almost everything you will need. The 2.4 will be cheaper to service and maintain being a 4 cylinder. Have a good look under the car, almost all the Alphards I've seen are really clean, I wouldn't worry about the age thing 

[ThuMentaliss]

'if you are considering towing a Caravan'  I have seen no evidence that the CVT BOX has a short life when used as a caravan tow several people at our visits to Spanish camp sites use their 3.0ltr ALPHARDS to tow their caravans and done so for many years,  my post is about basic lack of pulling power i.e. what Torque is delivered at what engine revs, the CVT BOX in my opinion was better than the now defuncted Power-glide transmission which of course was fully Hydraulic (I used to overhaul when I was somebody😎