Buying opinions please

Will do

 

Hadn't thought of that ... I was in "catch 22" mode

 

Oh dear .... I now know what a "trad design nazi" I am ... I'd want to swap out the cab doors and would have a daily hate of the rad housing on the front panel ... At least with a scooby you can't see it from the outside

 

£18k for a LHD tintop?...I doubt it, whatever condition it's in and whatever the insurance valuation. Sorry.

I was in a similar position with a LHD 68 tin top. I was fed up with the lack of poptop and wanted a more bus friendly type-4 engine which is not straightforward to fit in an early. I don't care what anyone says, on country roads you have such a poor view around many LH bends (try Wales) you'd be on top of a cyclist or horse before you saw them. No problems just driving it around otherwise.

So I sold it and finished my RHD late bay poptop camper c/w suitably sized 2.4l type-4 engine. The difference between the two in terms of camping comfort and relaxing driving are night and day. There are T2s and there are T2's.

 

The market is definitely flat, but I've been offered that twice now ... Covid nonsense scuppered it all though ... and I know what you mean. I've looked at sooooooo many ads for T2's and drove a fair few before getting the first project that went south ... a long story that you may be familiar with, including me ending up with two LHD tintops on the "rebound"

 

That's why they make these:



It's a dummy spare wheel carrier with a mesh front to feed air into the radiator

 

They didn't try hard enough!

 

Agree 100% and then some.

 

Why put a fake front tyre holder on? I don't get it, sorry.

 

In order to ... so they thought ... appease the likes of me.
Didn't work!

Thanks for all the opinions etc TLB ... I knew it would get me back on track

 

They didn't originally, just had the factory louvred grille, the demand came from UK owners wanting a more traditional T2 look, but some are reverting back to the factory grilles
I've got one on mine as it came with it, but I don't mind either way. It's all about personal preference I suppose, probably had the same opinions raised when splits became lowlights which became big bumpers, then the arrival of T3's etc,etc.

 

I guess my personal taste, in this case, is form follows function. That "spare carrier" has no reasonable function, it's just ornament.

 

Yes, it's just an ornament, about as much use as a Westfalia crumpet toaster, but presumably requested by previous owners of T2's used to having a spare wheel on the front.

 

@Dub and Dubber

This is not meant as an insult, but before buying another bus you really need to work out what you actually want from it.

So far you've been stung on paying a fortune to have one restored, that you never got to use.
You've also bought a LHD tintop, which isn't delivering what you want from a bus.
This thread makes me think you are going to buy another bus that is unsuitable for your wants/needs/practicalities.

Before buying anything else consider how you camp and where you want to go in it etc then weigh up the 'value' to you of nostalgia, aesthetics and fuel consumption.

What you want from a bus is available to you in your budget from either a 'classic' or a modern vehicle.

From what I have read so far you need/want:
RHD vehicle.
Pop top.
Bed that is easy to put up and get into (I don't think one in the ceiling will work for you)
Something your wife may drive.
Plenty of light inside also seems to be a consideration.


Think what you like about your current bus.
Think why your current bus isn't delivering.
Write a list of things you defieneltly can't put up with from a bus to help you narrow it down.
Are you more of a day tripper, a tourer of many different sites on one holiday or someone who prefers to camp on the same campsite for a week or two.


My RHD devon pop top with full width bed and big up engine did me and the Mrs proud for 25+ nights around Netherlands, Belgium, France last year.
Fuel cost loads more than it would in a modern vehicle, but for me that was well out weighed by the pleasure it provided for me (& pretty much everyone who saw it).
Smiles per mile!
However if we were doing 6 months around europe in a bus then we may want something different from a bus.

Others have done mega long tours in standard engined buses or subaru engined buses.

Modern or classic vehicles can deliver what you want.
You need to know what you want first though.
So many things to consider
Modern or classic
Full width or 3/4 bed
What value to you put on fuel economy - how many miles are you actually going to do per year

When I bought my van in the late 90's I was young and single, so a sound system and how many mates i could fit in it where prime considerations.

Now I go away with the mrs and ive made some adaptions to make it more suitable for our current needs (EG swing out cooker), it still lacks storage for longer trips.

Only you know how you will use it.

I've written enough - good luck with deciding what you want and how you will use it.

 

Will you ever cook inside it?
Do you need/want a sink?

 

Not insulting in the least.
All good points ... Almost as helpful as our phone conversation three years or so ago!
The difference now is that I'm asking questions on TLB ... and also the "pressure" of having to get something organised in short order for madam's 60th (once the penny had finally dropped on the resto) is no longer there.
The LHD tintop was priced well enough to give me wriggle room when selling, even in the current market ... and we like it ... so no regrets there, but having used it for touring now, we know what would make touring much better.
Fortunately a T5 is not the only alternative
Let's face it, we won't be touring for a good year now anyway, so there's plenty of time to get there.

 

Have a word with @PeaSoup, if you can reach him. He traded his Bay for a T5, he might have some owner's insights for you.

 

Good idea, as long as he doesn't mind that I "pipped" him to that type 4 that everyone was telling him to get .... at least I THINK it was him?
I think we can safely say that for ME at least an example of a T5 would have to be bloody brilliant to win me "over"