Early v. Late - buying from the US

[Irish]

Evening all.

Some fairly basic question I'm afraid. I am looking for a T2. Think the splitties are too small and require too much maintenance so focussing on T2.

Now having looked on both early bay and late bay it appear the late bay boys have a slight chip v. early vans. What is the backgroud to this? Other than the front lights and some westy feature what makes the early bay better? As born in 76 I have often considered a bay from that year but the early bays have cleaner lines.

Looking at bays local UK vans seem torture by welding. That leads to looking at US bays. Are there any good intermediaries. Many on "The Samba" look a bit past it.

What then are the import costs when landed? Sorry for the basic question but can find a thread on US imports.

Enjoying the site so far. Need a van for Le Mans Classic 2012!

 

[Nugsy]

its all a matter of taste and what you can afford. I always preferred the look of an early but ended up with a 72 crossover so kind of got a late back end.

Looking at import costs myself recently and your looking at around 2k in general ($1500 shipping, £350landing fees, £50 personal Import Tax, and 20% VAT on Bus and part shipping) on top of the price for the bus.

I spent 18 months welding my UK bus till i lost it through fire (not when i was workin on it) and to be honest once was enough. I'd do it again but only on a 2nd bus as mine was getting close to actually being roadworthy

 

[Heebee_GB]

I imported a nice 71 last year. A good rule of thumb that applies now regarding price, is whatever it costs in dollars will more than likely be the price you will payin pounds, to get it here and after the taxman has taken a slice.

Good luck and take your time as there are loads of good and loads of crap out there.

 

[67panel]

early,got to be as you said ,cleaner lines.76 on buses dont seem as well built to me some cost cutting at vw i think as for what quality you can get check out Midland Early Bay web site that will give you some idea,or look in the for sale section.

 

[r73]

if you need to ask the question 'early or late?' get a late

 

[Irish]

if you need to ask the question 'early or late?' get a late

Let me be clear - I am only registered on one web site. The early have cleaner lines and a "I can't quite put my finger on it but they are gorgeours" look. I prefer them to splitties (runstowashhismouthout).

Taking my wife camping this summer for the first time. Hoping she will see a classic V-dub as a step up

 

[Graham L]

Let us take the pain out of the process for you, we import mainly rust free buses from the US on a regular basis. We have buses in stock but also can source buses for customers which we do on a regular basis.

We have built our reputation on supplying good honest buses at a decent price.

Feel free to give me a call or an email with what you are looking for, buses for sale are listed on our website

 

[faux]

In my eyes, the difference between early and lates are aesthetic. They both have their merits mechanically.
I have owned splits, earlies, crossovers and T25s and I find an early bay is the best balance for my love of old VWs and family use.

There should only be banter here with our slightly younger brothers. They share a lot of the looks and usability. Just a face lift. Lol

As for the import idea, I would say that getting a dry bus from abroad is the best idea, also from experience get one that is on the road already as this can save a lot of time and money in the long run. (but remember that it may not be up to MOT standard)

Hopefully this is a good site to ask loads of questions and make a food informed decision.

Jon

 

[ozziedog]

Same as all the other posts have said. I haven`t heard it put that way before, but I do agree with you totally
` The early bays have cleaner lines ` . Once you`d said that, it made me think that the later ones were just a little gaudier with what look like aftermarket slap on / add on parts eg. the front and rear indicaters and the toasteresk rear vents. It`s what became a compromise between what VW had designed and the Americans trying to clean up their road safety issues with higher level light etc etc. Still no excuse for those two rear toasters though As mentioned above, there are quite a few people that have a lot of experience and expertise dragging busses back to the UK and Graham ^^^ seems to get mentioned for his `over and above attitude` almost on a weekly basis it seems, never met the fella but will meet most peeps on here at some time or another ! :shock: :shock: . There are also parties that specialise in Seth Efrican busses and again expertise and ability are without equal, Scot Wilson being one of them. So the world is your onion don`t be a stranger and don`t forget to get us some piccys when you catch one !

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,, Are late bays actually VW`s ??? :lol: 8) :lol:

 

[froggy]

Early vs Late is always a good argument / discussion.
My reason for an early is that as its only a part time vehicle why should i pay TAX?
Anything pre-1973 is tax exempt / historic vehicle classified.
To be honest your best bet is to have a look at the for sale section on here as it sometimes works out cheaper to buy a previously imported vehicle that is already to go (MOT'ed etc) than to get something that is unknown bought off pictures without seeing it and taking the owners word on it.

 

[r73]

if you need to ask the question 'early or late?' get a late

Let me be clear - I am only registered on one web site. The early have cleaner lines and a "I can't quite put my finger on it but they are gorgeours" look. I prefer them to splitties (runstowashhismouthout).

Taking my wife camping this summer for the first time. Hoping she will see a classic V-dub as a step up

sorry mate - my repy prob sounded rude didnt mean it that way, just in my opinion earlies are by far the most superior choice - the only thing to add is (for me anyway) its gotta be a westy as well!!

Good luck finding the right bus - its a journey that should be enjoyed right from the start -
BTW we just had a nights camping last weekend with mates on private land - they had tents (good ones at that) and we had the westy - felt proper posh we did :lol:

 

[71Westy]

Well, for my 2p'th, I fell on my feet when I bought a 71 early. By accident more than anything.

Yes, for me, the early has the nicer look. I also like having the Type 1 engine that is cheaper to fix. And seeing the £0 on the tax renewal.

I also like having a later early bay, as I get the disks up front with a servo, so it stops reasonably well. And at the back, I don't have to wrestle off the hub nuts to do anything on the rear brakes.

However, I would say that if you want to do long mileages relatively quickly, a bigger engined late bay may be a better bet. (Or even a Type 25 - did I really say that?).

One thing, though, whatever you choose, you'll be buying into a good support group with lots of advice and help. The late/early rivalry is just a bit of light banter in my experience.

Cheers,
Nick

 

[Guest]

If you get into the nitty gritty (i know im bias) but the 71 year has all the looks and the discs and if you can find a good one grab it, just my opinion.

The front discs are much easier to service and only require removal of pads and little or no adjustment. drums can be fiddly to set up right and can be prone to fade which is not good on a 2 tonne loaf of bread fully loaded with kids and camping equipment.

 

[dubdubz]

at the moment pre 73 made - is road tax free - so that makes all Early Bays tax free [bar some weird quirk of fate]

a later 'early' as has been said does have discs and possibly a servo, the running gear remains the same for the most part - I have seen the odd EB with a later type4 engine...most are 1600 beetle engines though!

unless you enjoy a challenge - avoid 68 as so many parts are one year only

 

[krusty]

I bought a early bay by luck as well, but now I know the difference I much prefer the look of the early bays to the late bays.
I agree with what a few people have said about getting one with disk brakes.
Mine came from Sweden and although I love it, I had to put a lot of welding into it.
Looking back now I really wish i bought a US bus through Graham at Midland earlybay, would have saved me 6months of welding!
I would defo give him a call as he always seems to get nice busses, and I have never heard any body say a bad word about him.
Good luck.

 

[bermuda blue]

I can vouch for Graham at Midland Earlybay ,he gave me lots of free advice over time and found /shipped & MOT'd my '72 - it was exactly what he had described to me (warts and all).
Try his website (and the for sale section on here via Graham L) then have a chat about what you want (Camper or Bus, Tin-Top or Pop-Top) he will strive to help you.

Best of Luck -JIM.

 

[lard]

I can vouch for Graham at Midland Earlybay ,he gave me lots of free advice over time and found /shipped & MOT'd my '72 - it was exactly what he had described to me (warts and all).
Try his website (and the for sale section on here via Graham L) then have a chat about what you want (Camper or Bus, Tin-Top or Pop-Top) he will strive to help you.

Best of Luck -JIM.

+1

Got a '71 through MEB - takes a lot of the worry out of getting a US bus imported (even though my US westy came via holland )

My brother also got a '68 US westy via MEB - he got his before me and has the whole one year only parts fun, though he does get wide 5's and nicer rear arches :roll:

We just decided exactly what van (- the year, model, condition and price ) and then waited until it one came on the market (took around 2 months) - good luck with it :mrgreen:

 

[Chris73]

I've just got mine and wanted a 71 with the discs, but couldn't find one that all the things I wanted on it, so settled with a 70, and the drums aren't that bad. Early's much better looking in my opinion, and what the fellas have said about the tax is a bonus. I spent more than I wanted to on mine, and if I did it again, I'd ask Graham at MEB to get involved with a solid bus and then spend the rest of the money doing it exactly what i wanted. Never met Graham but I agree with what ozziedog and others say on here, he seems a proper stand up chap.

The forum is ace, and I've saved loads of time and money, and learned loads in just 2 short months.

Good luck with the search!

 

[Irish]

Thanks all. Planning to sit on here learning about the bays and issues. I have poked around MEB and will be my first call when buying.

Thinking of doing something similar to the chap in Camper & Bus a couple of months ago who bought a bay and toured the states before bringing back. Also looking for something tidy with an original interiour. Budget is around £10k before shipping and taxes which should get me in the ball park stateside.

 

[dubdubz]

Another thing in my opinion is to buy the straighest and most rust free, as the mechanicals are relatively easy to source, bodywork is expensive in comparison.