Camper or Kombi dilema

[woodys wacky wheels]

before I start ,
I openly admit to being a wee bit mad :wink: combined with a strange habit of buying cars & bikes that I don't really need :?
I am sure that one or two people on here will have figured that out by now
OK to the point
My dilema is that I own an exceptionally nice EB RHD Devon camper that a lot of people would love to own and it has just been photographed for Camper & Bus mag
but
what I really want is a Kombi / minibus or maybe even a crewcab as I am never going to use the Devon as a camper and it's a shame as someone else would love to use it

I'm sure that most of you are now thinking so whats the problem then :?: :?: :?:

the problem is I am a real picky so and so and trying to find one that is in a similar condition to my Devon is proving to be a little more difficult than even I imagined
this is not helped by having a bit of a thing about original interiors / features and not wanting a recently "fully restored" one , I've seen a few of those
plus I don't really want to sell the Devon without having secured it's replacement

Virtually everything that I have seen pics of have had a below par interior which IMHO
had not been reflected in the asking prices and therefore didn't warrant a trip
so
is there anyone out there with an exceptionally nice Kombi that might consider a deal with me or maybe a mate who might be thinking on those lines
you might even be able to have the magazine feature in your name if you want


well if you never ask :wink: thanks for reading

 

[Guest]

it will be hard to beat a devon tbh, i fear youll spend a long time looking

 

[woodys wacky wheels]

it will be hard to beat a devon tbh, i fear youll spend a long time looking

I know what you mean but I'm not really trying to beat it as such
I just want one with a near mint unmolested dash , cab area , roof lining etc
to be honest I wouldn't mind if some of the rear seats were missing

I know I shouldn't say it out loud , but a later bay might work too

 

[kempy]

Yes you are a mad old fart :wink:

 

[woodys wacky wheels]

Yes you are a mad old fart :wink:

thank you

but in a nice non smelly way :lol:

I'll send you a pic later :wink:

 

[Danbury Doug]

Woody, I now exactly what you mean, and i'm just like you in so many ways!

I've seem some beautifully mint and original buses out there, and have so wanted the space and funds to scoop them all up!

I briefly owned a late bay kombi firebus with only 6k on the clock. However, an early bay it had to be, and I have recently bought the best bus that will fit my budget, which is a solid, un-restored Danbury with its 100% original interior.

Is it particularly a Kombi you are after, or would a Microbus do aswell?
I'm sure you've seen 'Fry'. I sooo want him, but funds just won't stretch that far.

Here is the link to a recent thread with a link to his ebay listing.

http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=6726

I'll definitely keep an eye out for other mint and original 'earlys' for you.

 

[woodys wacky wheels]

thanks D. Doug
I too have been looking at the pics of "Fry" and what other people have said about it
plus a couple of mates that have actually seen it at BB and reported back and it would definetly tick virtually all the boxes apart from the price tag one
I'm not suggesting it's not worth the money , it's just a wee bit too much for me at the moment
plus I think I would be far too worried about using it for fear of it getting damaged and
I have been there before with concours condition cars and do not want to go back to that again , I just want to enjoy the car / Bus
I am trying to get a balance between condition & price against peace of mind & usabilty , if that makes sense

I am not really 100% hung up on it being an early bay but it would be nice if it was
if it's a later one and condition & price are reflected I will consider it
( T25's too , but it would have to be a bit special :wink: )

 

[Danbury Doug]

Woody, yes, that was exactly how I felt about Fry. Apart from not being able to really afford that bus too, I also would be worried about damaging it. That was the problem I had with my firebus, which was in identical condition.

I've owned a few concourse condition really low mileage MK3 and Mk4 Escorts, two of them bought with the intention of using them as 'dailys', because of their low purchase price and mint condition..... I just couldn't bring myself to doing anything other than cosseting them, so I sold them, even though I knew their next owners wouldn't care for them the way I did.

My 'new' Danbury does tick quite a few boxes for me in originality and condition... and initial purchase price, and at the same time I can use it without worrying every time I drive through a puddle or park up in the local Tescos car park!

Did you see the late bay Microbus Cool Campers had for sale? I think it may have gone now, but if you didn't see it, it had something like only 200 miles on the clock. It had been bought new by a woman, who I think decided she didn't like the bus after all, so she just locked it away for the next 30+ years.
The price was something like £10k if I remember correctly. The exterior needed some small areas of paint rectification, but the interior was just mint. 8)

http://www.coolcampers.co.uk/

Doug

 

[woodys wacky wheels]

My 'new' Danbury does tick quite a few boxes for me in originality and condition... and initial purchase price, and at the same time I can use it without worrying every time I drive through a puddle or park up in the local Tescos car park!

Did you see the late bay Microbus Cool Campers had for sale? I think it may have gone now, but if you didn't see it, it had something like only 200 miles on the clock. It had been bought new by a woman, who I think decided she didn't like the bus after all, so she just locked it away for the next 30+ years.
The price was something like £10k if I remember correctly. The exterior needed some small areas of paint rectification, but the interior was just mint. 8)

It makes sense to me to have something "nice" you can use but not be stressed out about once you've parked it up
most of my non VW mates thing I'm crazy when I make that comment
they say the same about me driving my old cars , that just starts another debate
each to their own :wink:

had a quick look , couldn't see it anywhere so I think that one has gone

never mind , I've got 2 more like minded folk helping me know , thanks guys

 

[super-craig]

i know what you mean , you go and get a real mint original condition vehicle , you spend time and money to keep it mint , then you get a bit paranoid about it getting scratched and damaged etc , but it is nice to own a minter 8) . I use to own concourse vehicles and was terrified of using them , so i got rid :shock: bought a real nice original and usable car and got great enjoyment from driving it 8) . i now have this philosophy , if they get scratched , chipped , damaged , annoying as it is , you can have them repaired .
a friend had usable vehicles for years , a few rat look bays and splits along the way , but he saw a nice original split , bought it and had it restored and a few little custom touchs done to his personal tastes 8) , but now he cant wait to sell it :shock: he is now so scared he dare not use it , in case it gets damaged :shock:

 

[woodys wacky wheels]

so it's not just me then :roll:

 

[scott wilson]

come and see me tomorrow ernie. Have a couple of vehicles that you may enjoy!

 

[froggy]

If you like your bus that much wouldn't it be easier to convert it, sell your interior to someone that needs it, buy yourself the parts you want and make your bus the way you want it.
Surely this would be easier and as you know your bus you know whats what

 

[woodys wacky wheels]

If you like your bus that much wouldn't it be easier to convert it, sell your interior to someone that needs it, buy yourself the parts you want and make your bus the way you want it.
Surely this would be easier and as you know your bus you know whats what

not really an option in my book

 

[scott wilson]

would be a shame to tear apart such a clean original example.Wait for the feature...i`m sure lots of volks will be hammering on your door trying to prise it away from you

 

[Danbury Doug]

I see 'Fry' didn't sell on ebay. :wink:

 

[70 BUS]

Apart from it being a LHD (which I just wouldn't buy - personal preference) I can't understand why it didn't get one bid. It's beautiful!

Dave.

 

[woodys wacky wheels]

Apart from it being a LHD (which I just wouldn't buy - personal preference) I can't understand why it didn't get one bid. It's beautiful!

Dave.

possibly because of other links to it where the asking price was £18K
that could have stopped a lot of people bidding , but I must admit it is odd that no one bid at all :?

a funny old world :roll:

 

[Danbury Doug]

Yep I would have expected some bids.

Personally, having monitored hundreds of listings, and having bought and sold cars on ebay myself, I think starting an auction 'high' tends to put people off. Ok, I know a reserve can put people off too, but at least starting low you'll usually get a few 'silly' bids to start off with, but bids attract bids.
I think also it is luck of the draw as to who is out there trawling the auctions when your listing is running.
I was fortunate when I listed my late bay firebus (same condition and even lower mileage than Fry, and also LHD) and the bidding took off.... ok, the price was nowhere near that of Fry's, but then mine wasn't a nice early bay. The chap who won the auction was a lover of firebuses, and also was a collector of low mileage examples. He is currently selling a low mileage Westy Crossover (12k miles) which is mentioned on another thread.

Doug

 

[woodys wacky wheels]

Now I really do have a dilema to sort out :?

I have been offered a very nice Double cab
and
a very nice Kombi ( Minibus ) ........well actually a choice of 2



but sadly neither party has any interest in my Devon which is a shame as that would have been much easier to sort out
so
is there anybody out there looking for a very nice EB Devon tintop , but be warned
it will not be that cheap , but a more than fair price according to several well known "experts" in the VW Bus world.

if you want to know more "pm" me or ring me on 0161 - 432 - 9733