Classic VW Camper

vintagevrs

Hello all,

brand new to the scene but really interested in getting an old camper for weekends away to the beach as the GF and I started surfing last summer.

Unfortunately I know very little about it. I plan to hire one for a weekend next month from a company in Wicklow and see if I like it, which I am sure I will and from there make a move to purchase.

Looking at something like this

http://www.vwcampercrazy.co.uk/search_detail.asp?AccountID=7956&AdvertID=3448

Any advice or opinions if this sounds like a good idea or am I being really naive with respect to the work involved in owning a classic van like this. What kind of running costs should I expect to pay?

We are not looking for anything too fancy, something reliable and clean that will take us away at the drop of a hat.

Thanks in advance:)

peasant

Keeping a classic camper like this is not as cheap as you think.
First off, they are fashionable and quite sought after, so not cheap. Secondly, they are old, so there will always be something that needs fixing/looking after.

On the plus side, there is a huge scene for them. Lots of fora that offer support, (most) parts can be easily got and there are quite a few specialists about for them as well.

Aslo see www.eircooled.com and/or www.type2ireland.org

Abelloid

Have a good chat with Pat @ lazydays when you go down there, he knows his onions.

Pop in to Eircooled too, a lot of us have had, or still do have campers.

walter sobchak

That particular bus looks like a nightmare - the biggest thing to avoid in old vw's is rust, and the ad says it needs work (as does the price to be honest)
"Her bodywork is starting to let her down with rust and some rot present. The chasis remains in relatively good shape, but rust is present."
I'd say you'd be doubling the purchase price to have it sorted...

Mechanical stuff is easy to sort, and they are simple machines for the beginner to get to grips with, but my advice is do not buy without taking someone who knows these buses inside and out with you to inspect it.

The best thing you could do is but from one of the established dealers in Ireland - check out krazykombis.com and speak to John... there is a small scene here, and reputation is everything, so you won't be mis-sold a shiny bus hiding a multitude of sins...

Check out type2ireland, it's a club for vw bus owners, and you'll get plenty of advice on there.

Good luck in your bus hunt!

Edit: damn slow typing... er, what the guys above said

vintagevrs

Thanks for all the replies people ,all sounds good! Think buying from a reputable dealer is prob the best idea alright as I have no clue what to look for. I have read a few buying guides etc but would be good to have the reassurance of a reputable name behind the purchase. Will start looking into those links, cheers:D

peasant

Another thing to remember is that those vans are not meant to be driven in a hurry (any more). You will have all of 50 or 70 bhp to move you along, a slight gradient will slow you down, haring down the motorway at full tilt isn't an option, neither is overtaking ...and they drink petrol if they are pushed.

For some poeple this adds to the attraction and the "chill factor" ...others may find it a bit wearing after the first few trips.

vintagevrs

yeah im all on for enjoying the trip, part of the attraction as I see it but good point as it is easy to forget with even the slowest modern cars not having those problems.

Any opinions on this wagon...

http://www.vwcampercrazy.co.uk/search_detail.asp?AccountID=8630&AdvertID=3465

Thanks

Abelloid

vintagevrs wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies people ,all sounds good! Think buying from a reputable dealer is prob the best idea alright as I have no clue what to look for. I have read a few buying guides etc but would be good to have the reassurance of a reputable name behind the purchase. Will start looking into those links, cheers:D

Just to warn you; £4950 is at the very bottom of the market. For trouble free motoring you'd really need to double that,
but if you buy right you could have a couple of years 'free' camping as a good example will hold it's value.

vintagevrs

Trying to spend as little as possible as this will be new to me so don't want to invest too much and then find I am not using it as much as I thought I would have.

Any opinions on this though?

http://www.vwcampercrazy.co.uk/search_detail.asp?AccountID=8630&AdvertID=3465

Thanks

peasant

vintagevrs wrote: »

Trying to spend as little as possible

Recipe for desaster with classic VW vans. Repairing other people's neglect and bodges is always much more expensive in the end than buying the best you can right from the beginning

tattoo

Hey vintagevrs


We were in the same boat as yourselves.

We rented a camper from Pat and Sue at lazydays, we had a fab time and they were very helpfull. So we decided to look into buying. I joined www.type2ireland.org and got some great advice from all on the site. We got in touch with john at krazykombis and we took delivery of our new (old) camper last saturday.


Go for it mate!!!!!!!!

vincent coffey

+1 to Walter.
Avoid Rust Rust Rust as this is the most expensive thing to fix on a bus.
Euro busses have suffered form the damp climate.
The best thing to get is a west coast bus from the USA
They will have spent their entire lives in a dry climate an will not be in the same state as their Euro cousins.

Stories of 7-8k euro in welding repairs are not uncommon with VW.
Also use a fridge magnet around the very bottom metalwork on the doors an panels to make sure that is is really still metal and not filled with bondo as paint can hide a lot of problems.
if you are test driving, get it up to about 20 mph and loosely hold the wheel and hit the brakes hard to see if there is any pull. You want it to stop in a straight line (especially in an emergency braking situation at 50+mph).

My experience in the last 3 years (it took me that long to research and buy my VW) is that there are a lot of monsters masquerading as princesses out there.

Avoid ebay etc as this is the easiest way for someone to pass off a dog.

Talk to John Hickey in http://krazykombis.com/ John regularly imports rust free VW from Cali. He has an excellent rep within the scene. This is where I eventually sourced my bus. It took some time but I think that it was worth it as I got a little gem from John that has stood the test of time surprisingly well.

In Kerry there is John Knightly, Firries, on the road between Faranfore airport and Miltown. Again an honest bloke who will not take advantage.

In dublin, if you do source a bus and need a knowledgeable VW mechanic to check it out, talk to Ben Byrne in Celbridge http://www.benbyrnevws.ie/

In the north of the country there is Caddy
http://bugbitz.com/main/

When you do decide to buy a bus PLEASE get a second opinion as there are a lot of highway robbers on the scene trying to make a quick buck from the less knowledgeable.

Abelloid

tattoo wrote: »

Hey vintagevrs


We were in the same boat as yourselves.

We rented a camper from Pat and Sue at lazydays, we had a fab time and they were very helpfull. So we decided to look into buying. I joined www.type2ireland.org and got some great advice from all on the site. We got in touch with john at krazykombis and we took delivery of our new (old) camper last saturday.


Go for it mate!!!!!!!!

Congrats.

meercat

Good advice lads

vintagevrs

Thanks for all the advice guys, really appreciate the links and info. I passed two vans on the road yesterday between Dublin and Donegal and just made me want one even more seeing them out on the road being enjoyed.

Congrats on the vans too guys, you should get some pictures up!

tattoo

JustinOval wrote: »

Congrats.

Cheers JustinOval,


I can't wait to get going....a bit of work to do first:D

vintagevrs

Hey all,

Thought id reply after the links you all sent to say that I got the van back in April/May. It's been out and used as much as possible and no problems so far! Well except the first trip in it the throttle cable snapped but that was easy fixed (even for me). Here is a picture:
Thanks again

Abelloid

Nice one.

db

That's a really nice bus Vintagevrs. One day when the kids have flown the nest I would love to get something like that. Have to wait about 20 years though.

meercat

yeah nice one.wear well.we can but dream, someday