Hi guys. I'm still quietly looking (ie don't quite have the finances in position yet) at buying my first Bay. I need whatever I get to have enough space to sleep 2 adults and 2 kids, so should I be discounting anything without a pop top? What sort of cost would I be looking at to convert a hard top model? Cheers
you "could" cut a tintop and convert it (baybirmingham did his) but it's a bit silly, how old are the kids? how long you thinking of keeping it/taking kids? if you want a camper for 4 with 2 real beds and no faffing about with hammocks you want a westy or a viking or moonraker i reckon, putting hammocks in is limiting in my opinion. unless the tintop is cheap you'd do better buying what you really need i reckon.
It's intended to be a long term keeper. The kids are only 5 years and 3 months at the moment, but they have an annoying habit of getting bigger! Hmm, the one I've seen looks cheep, but maybe I'd be better off waiting for one with everything already in place.
it would probably cost more to convert one than to buy a camper with a poptop already on, i think your looking at £2000 for a conversion unless you intedn to carry it out yourself, if you copy how devon did it its not to difficult. whats your budget? you could possibly get away with a tintop for 4 depending how old your children are. i have a tintop with a full width bed and a cab hammock, 3 of us in the bed one in the hammock, well thats the theory we are yet to try it in pracitce, my children are 3 and 5
OK, having seen that it's over £3K with Oconnors Campers it looks like a decision has been made! I'll be waiting for one with the right roof already fitted, as that's almost as much as the van itself
Best advice you can be told about the potential purchase of any bus regardless of roof is make sure you buy the best bus you can. Always go for something solid first. Nothing worse than having your bus stuck in a bodyshop being welded at how ever much because you over looked that solid Tintop which just needed a roof.
I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty within reason, but me cutting the roof off is asking for more trouble than I can fix! No, I'll draw up a list of minimum requirments and take it from there. Thanks for the good advice guys
Go and look somewhere where you can see a few vans in one place and compare the sleeping arrangements to find something you like.
i have a tin top and have slept 3 adults in it. it is all about the interior layout. defo would go for a westy, viking or devon
General rule of thumb with a camper is that anything you spend you won't get it all back - you might not even get half back, so that also goes for who you buy one from. Buying what you want in the condition you want is going to get you best value for money ,unless you buy from a dealer of shiney restored buses in which case it's like buying a new car and you lose big time as soon as you drive it away.
I am guessing the 3 month old will be in a carrycot or something similar, you need to think about what to to about when they outgrow that and would you put him/her high up in the roof where they can fall down. You can get cab bunks, less distance to fall and less likely as they are quite wide and depending on how wide the fixings are there will be a dip in the middle so less chance of rolling out. I've got a devon and my kids 10 & 12, love the bunks, easy to deploy and put away too, but no good for adults really unless then are on the small size
Often overlooked over here, but a good Riveria US import bus gives you a big roof and solid bus for less money than a westy or a solid devon. Other than that you can always get a tintop and sleep in an awning and leave the kids in the bus or sleep in the bus and leave kids with a sitter
Yes, but who'd be daft enough to buy a bus then sleep in a tent? Bed's the only good bit! I'll get me coat...
