I got here...at last :-)

......also. when I was looking I ruled out pea green or orange which at the time seemed to be 90%. I wanted a beige one but ended up with brown one just because it ticked all the other boxes.

 

...also also I love pea green and orange buses now.

 

Wow!

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I'm going to be viewing at a potential purchase late on Saturday morning near Portsmouth if anyone fancies helping me check it out. If you are around let me know. I really need the expertise and I'm sure I can make it worth your while (milk and sugar?).

@CollyP Thanks I think I'll need all the luck I can get. Especially when I'm out looking and test driving on my own!

@MorkC68 Thanks for the welcome. I'm looking forward to learning loads I hope

@lhu1281 I don't really have a fixed budget - it totally depends on the van that I find. I'd prefer something quite tidy but then again if I find something that fits the bill but needs a little more work than I had planned then I'll just take that into account. Plus - I'll go look at anything right now to get a better understanding of the market and whats out there.

@cunny44 It took you 2 years?! Wow. Were you being picky or was it a dry patch for the sort you wanted? I've been waiting patiently for 2 decades so I can be patient in my search too I guess

@Flakey I have checked out the classifieds yes. There's some interesting stuff on there. My plan is to see all the local potential vans first if they're good, then widen the search.

@66Paul I couldn't agree more, that round up sounds like the perfect van to me. Now.....just tell me where I can find one for a decent price and I'll be there

@Terrordales Thanks! Which Colony? I'm guessing pretty far if you take on the night shift!

@lost-en-france Bonne soirée à vous aussi. Ma tante vit en France et aime fourgonnettes VW trop . Habitez- vous là-bas ?

@Spacecowboyuk Maybe one day - but for now I'd like the family to be involved from the start which means more field time and less garage time

@scrooge95 Its been interesting to read about your search and final purchase. You must be very happy! We were in the New Forest last week...plenty of VWs out there.

@philntfc Couldn't agree more. Although I'm actually warming to the character of all the T2 colours

@bernjb56 Thanks for the welcome!

@vw newbie Thanks v much.

@Dicky All very good points. I'm keen on a Westy Berlin but following your post I look up some google images for the SuperViking. That looks incredible. I think I may need to see some of those more closely. What an interior!! Are there many about?

@Robo Hi. Yes I am on Facebook v occasionally. I'll have a look. Do you have any particular groups in mind?

@jivedubbin Ahh, great. Thats good news. Can I even fit 3 point belts to a 3/4 width seat?

@Mrs Moosey Tonbridge? Ahhh I was there just today. Its interesting to hear where everyone on the forum is from. I have links to Sevenoaks, London, Portsmouth and Oxford - so these are the easiest places to go a-hunting for likely purchases.

@vinnyboy Sounds ideal. Thats exactly the plan - get out as much as possible with the whole family. Its nice to hear that's what you managed to do. I think I'm coming around to all the colours....unlike my wife.

@davidoft Hi David. I went to school in Portsmouth and know Hayling well. The sailing club, Mill Rythe....all the classy joints I'm going to be looking at a camper near Portsmouth late Saturday morning and I really need someone to help me out with some advice on it - fancy coming along? Then if work is required I know where I'll go first ;-)

Thanks to all and I look forward to meeting you at some point. Now I'm off to ask some silly questions in the other subgroups.

Pete

 

Y

Yep vikings are good and im a afan but if in wasnt fussed about left hand drive then id be looking at a low rust or rust free import. You get more for your money.

 

Off on holidays shortly , 4am start and not packed yet

 

Loadsa time. Dont go to bed and thats almost 5 hours! Hope you arent camping. Cant beat sleeping on a plane after a night of no sleep. Plus its like a hangover without the pleasure of the drinking prior to it.

 

72-73 RHD westfalia is what you want ........

 

Sounds great @lhu1281, you got one to sell?

 

Thats what i started off with and look what a mess i made of it. Its worth at least half of what it would have been worth. Result lol.

 

Not camping, but driving to eurodisney , I Can't even nap on the Chunnel or my car will get filled up with migrants hitching a free ride

 

No but ticks the boxes ....

 

I know you are after an early or late but you are limited to a late if you want a rear hinge westy,

 

@PIE yeah generally v true. Although the last van I saw was an early Westy, modified to have a rear hinge.

 

they don't tend to want to go to france so you can sleep on the way out.
welccome to the o/p what you want is a nice br0wn champagne edition westy berlin auto....

 

That's a good point. What about manual vs auto in general.....any difference in reliability etc?

 

Fuel economy slightly worse on auto but nicer to drive in my opinion, none of this faffing to find a gear...

 

I found ours quickly really, we bid on three on ebay all Cali imports 2 requiring registering in the uk & needing some work, dodgy interiors, battery trays & paint. The third one was good to go a nice 71 Westy 1600. All three sailed passed what I thought was sensible money, not cheap just sensible money bearing in mind work required & work that will be required but was not obvious from the advert ( there IS always more ) and I am a fully trained mechanic - so not easily frightened ! Found ours in online classified, exchanged lots of picture, 500 mile round trip later & Lola is on the drive!

I think the key is be as flexible as you can, try to buy the most solid rust free bus with a decent engine & gearbox. Long MOT....also helps but it's no guarantee ! These are practical vehicles & if the big lumps are ok the rest can be a sensible DIY proposition. All the layouts have for's & against's, you just have to learn to make it work! You CAN do this instincts & common sense count for a lot.

Really looking forward to seeing what you find, good luck & remember this should be fun.

 

I have a 77 automatic.Gearbox did need a rebuild at 550 000klm mark.Very enjoyable to drive.

 

@66Paul that's a familiar story....and don't worry I am loving the search!

It is amazing what the sellers on eBay have the gall to do....there's one online there that looks pretty solid but I got an engineer to go and have a look/take some photos for me and it has soooo many more problems than shown. The v small amount I spent getting someone to view it who knew there stuff was absolutely worth it.....the photos I got back were scary and I feel sorry for whoever won the auction. A painful surprise for sure....

Where possible I want to visit the van myself but in general local specialists are always keen to help out.

 

@Miss Rosie thanks for the info. From what I'm hearing here, I will not let the gearbox type make a difference to my choice as to whether to progress with a van. In fact, automatics sound quite fun if a little more expensive.

That's a good point actually, are there any threads on fuel economy? Anyone got any MPG figures or estimates?