Seeing Buses for sale

Does it ever remind you of your own search for a Bay Window or even a Splitty?

It does me, a lot. Probably cause my dad is no longer around as he is the one who drove me miles and miles in one day to visit so many Bay Windows and even 1 Splitty. I was about 19. Was a very exciting and cool day
He was a cool father as he loved it when I wanted a new vehicle or I just turned up with another car haha.
He really got into it. God bless him.

The one I really liked was a white over baby blue prototype bay tin top but dad said the scrap down one side was too much so we walked away now, with more knowledge, I can see that it would have needed one side repainting.

Dad really liked a Late Bay Viking but it was out of my price range and I didn't like the colour, weird sort vomit green. Think dad would have helped me buy it if I said yes. He had the owner open the roof and they both climbed around this camper like 2 kids on a bouncy castle. Was great

Ended up buying a nice crossover tin top in white from a nice couple who owned a farm with horses in the middle of god knows where? That first drive ever, heading back home following dad............just amazing

Lets hear yours please

 

No we picked up an exchange and mart found a van in our coatings range then went to see it and said yes see you in a week with the cash. Simple this van buying init.

 

We where looking for a t25 to replace ours that had been written off. After look at some really rough ones being sold as in good condition and getting fed up looking we went to look at a 2.1 t25 from a dealer in Bournemouth got there and it didn't feel right.
He said he had another one in a barn but it had not been prepared yet. Shot over to this barn in the middle of somewhere to look at it but it was rough so was walking away when we saw in a dark corner was a bay with no engine or interior that looked good and we fell in love with it Big Mistake.
Turned out after we had it a while we found its had every bodge known most of the underside had under-seal covered silicon sealant for welds and is and will be a money pit for years glad to say the dealer is no longer selling campers

 

We bought the second one we looked at - it was on ebay and we bid but didnt hit the reserve, the guy then made contact and asked if we were still interested as they needed a quick sale due to moving abroad. He wanted a fair price but it was more than we could stretch to at the time, so we offered our max bid and assured him we werent out to make a buck by selling it on - it was a genuine purchase for us to enjoy for time to come and the deal was done. Was only 5 miles down the road too!

 

Less romantic....
After years of landies I knew old vehicles were parp, joined this forum, asked for peeps to view via pictures or links I put up, weeded out a few, viewed 1 it was a blue tin top, it was poo, went on the samba saw they weren't rusty in California so I made contact with a dealer who had sold one to another member on here and he found mine for me then sent a million pictures of any angle this lot on here asked for, all was good they said (bar the colour) so I got it. Had a good 4.5 years with it before I sold it.

 

Westy - already knew the van and got it when owner friend sold it for £1500
Dormobile - wasn't looking for one at all but it seemed like a bargain so I snapped it up, also for £1500 advertised on JK forum.
Early - had a mad moment deciding I wanted an early with a smashed in front (no idea why) and found it in 10 mins on the net, just over £4k, my most expensive bus to date, Only went to view as vendor insisted.
Devon - after selling the 1st 2 on this list for £17,000 to pay debts, I had some left, looked on ebay and bought the only one I could afford that had sound gutters for just over £2k. Bought from photos and a 3 page MOT fail certificate.

 

I ended up selling the crossover as lifestyle change, should have stored it really and bought a small car.

2006 comes along, Dad had passed away and left me some money. I bought a BMW, wrong choice. Sold it, got my (dads) money and bought a 73 Devon which I still have.

@kank pretty much restored it. I am just trying to finish it off

 

I remember - that was quite a while ago?
But it does go on and on and on - you finish metalwork and think you're nearly there, but in reality, you're just starting!

 

Built a T4 Camper from a panel van - had 4 great years camping all over uk with it. We decide to get a new caravan with its own shower , toilet, heating ect - very sensible ...... Go to the bus stop over show advertise T4 sells immediately ..... Reality sets in, its caravan time, yet every time i see people towing caravans they look completely miserable.....talk to Mrs P say I can't do the caravan thing as we are not old enough! So think I will build a T5, Mrs P says to many about what about a Bay? ( we both love Aircooled campers ) . So deal done with a guy down in Exeter for a very original Cali import Westy cross dresser (Lola) had to haggle very hard to get it within budget - but well worth it.
Few days later set off on 500 mile round trip with Mrs P & my bro to collect Lola with enough tools on board to rebuild her when she inevitably breaks down on the M5 ! It was a red hot Saturday early this July, I was far more excited about getting the bus than someone of my age should be Collected her all good - drove straight to Exmouth you have to go to the Seaside when you're that close. Me & my bro laughing all the way, playing gear change lotto & not so much steering her as aiming her Surely that they can't all be like this? We where laughing like stoned teenagers !!!
Anyway we got home no probs, had a really funny , top day that we will all remember for a long time to come & a great start to Bay ownership. The bus makes me smile every time I drive her, that's got to be worth a few quid

 

I moved to Cornwall from up north ,everyone had Vw campers ,looked in the local paper and there was a 73 tintop for 300 pounds ,I went round in my fiesta and ended up towing it home with the fiesta ,I had a A frame...

It had no interier and I noticed the now mrs lef over the road was chucking a mattress out ,I knocked on her door and asked for it...

In a couple of months we all went to wales in the van ,4 kids 2 adults in a tintop...

when I got home i put a poptop on it (shoot me)..

I noticed mrs lefs drive , I could fit four vw campers ,so I did...

 

About three days. Watched "Lost" . Saw how happy a Samba made Hurley and his mates so we wanted a bus. eBay had two coming up on the next day. One had a bad engine. The other had nice white headlining. We bid the reserve and won it. Then spent a week trying to pay for it before turning up at the vendor with an envelope full of £50 notes. First time.I ever drove a T2 was after we owned it down a scary steep hill in Tonbridge Wells. Brakes indiffererent but finally stopped at the A road T junction on the handbrake.. First drive back 150 miles. Did not know we were meant to break down so did not.

 

Ever since the late sixties, when I started surfing, I noticed that the cool guys had splitties or early bays.
I was hooked but could only really afford a beetle, surfboards a roof rack and we headed south to Peniche, Portugal.
When in Kenya I acquired a 1500S notch. It was a beauty

I had to sell it when I left which broke my heart.I did look at ways to export it but it was a no brainer.
Anyway fast forward and 1994, I found a 1973 Westy with fsh to 80k miles. It had a type 4 engine, which I thought strange as I was expecting Type 1, but I liked the twin carbs.
Bought it but was overpriced and hard to haggle as it was through a dealer. I do not care now he is part of the family and has given us some marvelous holidays Grandchildren love him.
Herman has taken us to Peniche and all over Europe some of our favorites are the Italian Conad supermarkets.





Slight indulgence I'm afraid but wanted to share..

 

I looked for months but saw quite a few weird ones. Sent some underside pics to a friend who runs a body shop and he put me off two I liked. Finally spotted margarita oop in Cheshire and that was it. Needed some tidying but original and really sound otherwise.
Or so I thought. On the way back there was torrential rain and it fair squirted in through the edges of the windscreen. By the time I'd driven for hours back to Kent I was paddling and my jeans were soaking wet. Of course the heater was no help!
But even that couldn't wipe the smile from my face.
All fixed now and in three years, apart from the time an earthing lead was not reattached on the fuel pump, she's never let me down.
I've just jinked my next journey....

 

An ability to chuckle at your own folly is a requirement for van ownership I think.

 

You should have checked the wheel nuts

 

We made the standard buying errors - fell in love with the picture on Ebay, bid without seeing, got is as the top bidder 'withdrew' after winning etc. Flew down to Newquay with a pocket full of cash to pick it up, came home with petrol dripping from somewhere. The PO told me he and his mates went surfing in it so when he later referred to the surface rust I thought he was talking about surfers' rust ie from the sand and seawater etc. Either way it was pretty rusty but all fixed up now and still the best thing I've ever bought.

 

My greatest fear in seeing buses for sale is of seeing a better one than mine at a lower price!