Old Campervan?
Walls82
Posts: 126
My girlfriend and I are in the market for a small campervan, about 15-20k to spend.
She wants a pretty older styles VW campervan which I admit I like the look of, but the practical side of me is worrying about reliability and driving without power steering. Not sure if there is a particular engine to look out for, lots of people selling with reconditioned engines?
I've driven a new VW California so I know they are easy to drive and from what I've heard reliable. But I doubt its going to fill me with joy every time I look at it, you wouldn't buy an ugly bike because its practical over a nice looking one that makes you want to ride it!
Be interested to hear some owners experiences - also where people bought there's from and things to look out for?
She wants a pretty older styles VW campervan which I admit I like the look of, but the practical side of me is worrying about reliability and driving without power steering. Not sure if there is a particular engine to look out for, lots of people selling with reconditioned engines?
I've driven a new VW California so I know they are easy to drive and from what I've heard reliable. But I doubt its going to fill me with joy every time I look at it, you wouldn't buy an ugly bike because its practical over a nice looking one that makes you want to ride it!
Be interested to hear some owners experiences - also where people bought there's from and things to look out for?
0
Posts
http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
Ok - you could have a toilet tent ... but then you've got to get out of the van ... at least we can just stop the van and "go" ....
Unless you are absolutely set on having a VW, a conversion of a Japanese import is worth considering. I suspect they would be more reliable, better to drive, quicker and much better equipped than an old VW. Have a look at www.wellhouseleisure.com. They've currently got some decent Toyota camper conversions in the 15-20k price bracket. Their latest conversion is on the Toyota Alphard (effectively a Lexus and really high spec) but prices are a bit higher than you want to pay at 20-25k.
Wellhouse conversions are really good and have won many awards. I have a Wellhouse Hyundai i800 camper. Much cheaper, more like a car to drive, higher spec and less complicated engine/electrics than VW's top end California.
VW`s are censored basically. Cool, but censored .
Hiace hi top camper, Jap import, rust free and brilliant bits of kit. Well within your budget, even for a very high end one.
The market is big and we are regularly asked to import them.
£15-20K UK side will buy you something fantastic from the States and you can import at 0% Duty and 5% VAT with a BTI application.
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
I could not agree more except I amtoo old to think they are cool. They are just censored .
With a 3 year old safety features are a factor as well doesn't look like there is much protection in an old van!
Like the look of wellhouseleisure vans will investigate further thanks!
As you say lovely to look at although not practical but that's not why any of us own them.
Like VN says if you can import from a dry state in the U.S. or Australia then you should avoid the big rust issues that plague old VW's.
Be prepared to spend as much as you can afford and then expect to continue to shell out to look after it and keep it on the road.
seanoconn
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/
seanoconn
The Split and Bay seem very costly these days and the front-engined VWs have somehow become "Anyvan" with a wry styling nod to a decade nobody can quite identify.
I am not in the market, but if I were I'd take a peek at the Eightlies T2 models. They have the 'jolie-laide' look of a shuttle from the original series of Star Trek, but they are roomy, characterful, solid, fun to drive and somehow still imbued with the charm of the earlier models.
Whatever you end up with, this will be a fun purchase... but if you're buying older, keep some of the cash back to keep it on the road. Campers have weird lives and long periods sitting idle can do as much damage as constant slogs up and down the road.
Have fun!
If you had got one 5 years ago you could be on a tidy profit today.
Practical - get something else.
Image - expect to get ripped off.
I am not sure. You have no chance.
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
Can anyone say "floor is detached from van due to water down the back of the sink " ?
Seriously They are censored . And this is from someone who owns a few classic vehicles and is having a beetle built just now.
Now leaning towards a Japanese import or possibly a T5 - still struggling to work out the pricing with VW campervans why is this 20k
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Camper-T5-LWB-/221835607344?hash=item33a66ebd30
and this is 24k
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Camper-van-with-pop-top-/252033608283?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aae5faa5b
Seems to be a lot more consistency with the other makes.
I've done some searching on google but does anyone know of campervan specialists nearish London, this place seems like the best place so far for range http://www.campervancentre.com/ need to see some vans in the flesh now.
Like most of these things - brilliant in theory, awful in practice.
Oh, and I drive a T5 now and it's been perfect!
Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
Allround - Cotic Solaris
Reliability? They are not too bad. My one had a 2000cc engine in it fully restored (not original). I re-wired the whole thing completely and fitted a second battery so that you could charge it as you drove and then run the interior strip lights when parked up off the 2nd battery. Gas cooker was fine.
The thing about the older camper vans is that they are so full of character. You can drive them all day and not feel tired. The visibility is fantastic and you end up in a 'club' involuntarily which has it's plus side, especially if you break down.
Which Devon conversion was it? My first one was a 78 Moonraker (with elevating roof and twin bunks) but built on the van chassis rather than the Kombi and with a 1600 engine which was a tad asthmatic!
Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
Allround - Cotic Solaris
VW T5 conversions are expensive, partly due to the "cool" image of the old VW campers. There is also a difference in the price of pre and post facelift T5 models (as in the two examples you highlighted). Be aware that there is a big variation in the quality and type of conversions and in the spec of the base vehicle. I would go for the 140bhp or over models as the lower powered ones may be a touch sluggish when converted. Features like air con, at least one swivelling front seat, passenger air bag and a crash-tested rear bench seat or even full vehicle type approval are all desirable.
Owning an old VW camper, like with any vintage or classic vehicle, can be a great hobby. But you have to accept it will not be up to modern performance or safety standards and will need cash, skill and time to keep on the road.
A conversion of a modern van or people carrier, whether T5, Merc, Vauxhall, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, Mazda etc, will keep up with modern traffic and be a much better and safer vehicle for everyday use. One extra tip: If your van is below 2m high when the pop-up roof is down you will pay less on foreign motorway tolls and be able to get into height barriered car parks.
Not entirely sure. It had the elevated roof and twin bunks too, a sort of thick nylon on poles that wrapped up for storage. It did not swivel on a hinge - straight up, blue and white striped canvas. Fitted 70's orange Formica cooker, sink and work top covers, one skylight tinted in 70's orange, foot floor pump for sink water, 2 separate front seats - not a bench seat. Dining table (matching 70's orange Formica topped) was part of the bed extension and was mounted on a pole in the middle of the floor for a table.
Yes, the 2l engine, (restored in Birmingham some where), gave it a little extra but they didn't change the rocker covers or gaskets. It leaked from the minute I got it back in and started as the rocker covers had tiny perforations because of rust. When I called them, they said to have new one's was extra! £550 to do the engine 15 years ago.
Cheeky fecker, the grief you used to give me when I said that I'd owned a bus
seanoconn
But all left hand drive, presumably...
yup - that's the big downside to our van - there's no character - it's just a van .... so choice of vehicle does come down to what you want from it ... I wanted one where I could turn up to rides and get changed in comfort and use as a base on holidays, and it needed to be reliable - I want to spend my leisure time how I choose, not fixing the vehicle! (although I've now got a leaking rooflight - temp fix with gaffertape! and a wind out awning to fix)
Yes they are, but if you plan on using it to tour in Europe then not a problem or alternatively strip and convert with modern running gear to RHD
I have a number of cars and among them is my LHD 1947 Chevy Hotrod, LHD and I wouldn't have it any other way, easy to drive on our roads and I did 200 miles in it this weekend through heavy rain and vision was fine with no worries.
I called mine 'the bus'.
I know one of these chaps and he is enthusiastic about them . That completes my knowledge of campervans.
http://s189.photobucket.com/albums/z122 ... =slideshow
Look what happens when you buy a campervan, it's like magic:
Which one's you :P
seanoconn