help/advice viewing some photos before i visit in person

[Small Face]

Hi,
I have to be honest and say i feel a bit cheeky asking - but im due to look at a 71 camper van begining of next week and at the moment im struggling to see why it hasnt garnered more interest. But then this is also the oldest bus ive ever looked at so what do i know!

My partner and I have spent ALOT of time looking and this seems ideal for us fitting the bill of little/no work to do straight away, and capabilities for taking a kid camping so helping with the longevity of the project. I appreciate that money isnt particularly flowing for anyone at the moment - however this one doesnt seem overpriced to me!
All vehicle checks ive run show it to be as it should be except for a colour change which even the check pointed out had happened.

Im wondering if someone would be kind enough to take a look at some photos and let me know there thoughts-i would be much obliged! If you PM me ill give you all the details i can, although the bus hasnt had a nut and bolt restoration i do have the photos from before and after its recent work and respray.

Thanks for taking the time already to read this

 

[Hilly_70]

I would suggest you post them up here instead of sending them by PM .. all the guys on here will then give you lots of feedback rather than one individual comments ..

.. most probably someone on here will know the bus anyway and give you the answer your looking for.

.. If you would just rather PM them mate, feel free and i will give you my 'hobbyist' opinion ..



Hilly

 

[Small Face]

Hi, thats a fair point - i just dont feel very comfortable posting other peoples photos of other vans up!

However here is the link for the van on VZI so you must of all seen that

http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=540281" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Should i be concerned by new front (assume it is due to having a badge bulge)
should i be concerned by what appears to be no seam between front wheel arch and b post - dont know if this is normal or not?
Havent photos of the rest yet.

cheers

 

[Araon]

I'd be more worried about how hes filled the front vent, the panel is a late bay replacement and sadly the badge bulge has been left in place but thats no great heart ache...

Get pics of the chassis sections, belly pans fitted? it does look tidy from those few pics though....

your quite right there would originally have been a seam, ask him about it more than likely its been filled owing to the poor fit of repro panels, the issue is how the gap has been filled....

and its missing the slide track cover, is that supplied?

 

[Small Face]

Ill definately ask about the cover- though curently getting put off by all these things (plus disheartened that i havent seen!)

I was going to trust the magnet in a hanky to check the covered seams, however also what should have been used to cover/fill them?

 

[easy]

Ill definately ask about the cover- though curently getting put off by all these things (plus disheartened that i havent seen!)

I was going to trust the magnet in a hanky to check the covered seams, however also what should have been used to cover/fill them?

If you are having doubts, dont buy it there are some amazing vans in the for sale section on here from some great people. Have a looksy and get yourself some peace of mind aswell. 8) :mrgreen:

 

[Araon]

Ideally its been welded flush, but may have body filler or seam sealer and the airvents hopefully have plates welded in and ground flush but sometimes its just filler.... depends on if you like the air vents or not....(less breezy and one less place for moisture to enter....

The bulge can be hiden with the use of an earlybay roundel with the centre section milled down so it sits over the bulge..

as I said get as many pics off him, ask the right Qs, if thats all thats wrong with it it looks a reasonable buy, it really depends on what you want, where you expect to take it (it a technical/mechanical perspective) and what you want from it....

How long have you been looking, most on the site have wandered down that long seemingly endless road...

see if somone on here can view it with you and get another knowledgeable perspective, buying from photos can be vey difficult

gut feeling is amazing too but make sure its the gut and not the heart...

you dont say where you are....

 

[Small Face]

Hi - cheers its all helping.
I think some of its down to how ive missed such an obvious thing as the front vent!

Im in Beds, on border of cambs and herts!

The plan is to get a camper that is presentable enough to sit on our drive, and will remain presentable enough for a few years yet with out too much work (im ok with surface rust and a basic service at the mo!). Its main aim will be to use for camping, weekends away and hopefully to take a kid away with. Im not overly fussed about complete originality - after all its nearly 40 years old so the odd smoothed seam is fine (i know that will really upset the purists so im sorry in advance) The way i see it the more nice examples on the road the better-but each to their own. Its kind of a compromise between something retro i can love, and something practical my partner can use.
Engine wise - no change at all other than to keep it serviced, in fact the slower and more chilled out the better.
this is a lcouple of links ive located for how it was before the work was done by these - as soon as more pics of the rest available ill also get up - but like i said before keep it coming coz its all helping


Camper front
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=531843" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

camper rear/side (my concern here is the obvious filler around the arch and rear seam - but like i say aiting to hear more about welding, new panels etc.
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=532099" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Loxy]

Have you got someone that can go with you that knows their way round a bay & can provide an honest opinion for you?
For £8k there are plenty of good buses to be had, bear in mind that the respray & work may look good now but if you leave it on the drive for a while it may deteriorate quickly (depending on the quality of the work).
Do you have to buy RHD? as there are a lot of good LHD buses around for that money that may not have had the same amount of resto as this one has had.

 

[Small Face]

Hi, nope no one to come with me im afraid - dont know any one in the vw community well enough to ask either!

My budget has previously been around the £6500 mark, but looking at stretching it into the low £7 if it wont require any work (outside of trim) on the outside and minimal on the inside.
Hence looking at this one.

cheers

 

[Loxy]

sites like this are useful:
http://www.motinfo.gov.uk/html/home.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Give him a ring & get the current MOT certificate number & or log book number then find out if its been MOTed recently.

Someone on here may be able to give it a once over if they live close?
Have you looked at many other vans? its very useful to look at a variety of vans that are both above & below your budget -0 it will allow you to see the more obvious areas or rust/repair on a dodgy cheap van & an expensive one will (hopefully) allow you to see what an unrestored or well restored van should look like.

PM sent

 

[slammedresto]

for 7/8 grand you could get a very decent original paint bus if ur happy with LHD

 

[faux]

As most people have said, for the amount of money you want to spend you could buy a very original bus with a few minor/honest war wounds. LHD are generally cheaper but often dryer. RHD's are out there though, Scott Wilson on here brings them in regularly. I wouldn't rush into buying this bus, I would buy a bus that you know is solid and reliable, if you fall in love with it, save up and buy a new shiny paint job. You will know what is underneath and wont be crying in a few months if the paint starts to bubble.

http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13382" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.roadhouseretro.com/cars.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13631" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.kieftenklok.nl/uk/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This was only a five minute search and there are a few options.

Good luck and try to find someone on here who is local to you to help with your search, with two of you you are less likely to miss something obvious.

Jon

 

[Small Face]

Hi - i thank you all for your input - but need to emphasise what i said before....
1) my budget is between £6500 to £7000 MAX for something that doesnt need anything outside doing (the links prev attached are great but are at around the £8500 to £9500 mark)
I am currently spending over 3 hours aday trwaling the internet - but only within MY price range.

2)ive been looking on/off for a while and intensively for a few months - and when i say intensively i mean have viewed about 5 in our price bracket in the last 3 weeks across the country, on top of a full time job and being in a signed band.

3)my interest is NOT to have an original early bay inparticular, but to have a tidy camper with a compromise between retro cool i enjoy, and practicality of being able to use it to camp, cook etc in quickly.

I appreciate peoples input but spending alot of time already searching for what i want, and have come on this site because it was recommended as beng able to offer great support. The thread is not about what i SHOULD want - but more about what ive found.

This doesnt mean that a classis with full original faded paint paint and battle scars isnt right - it just means its not for me.

i have also run full checks on vehicle prior to posting to ensure i didnt waste anyones time with something i wasnt interested in.

I hope this doesnt upset anyone, but also hope it helps to bring the thread back to its original point.

 

[Small Face]

p.s van has just been MOTd and passed fine.
rac/aa test also encouraged by the seller.

 

[faux]

Sorry.....

Going back to this bus, it rings too many alarm bells for me, why fill in the vents, leave the pressing in? Why fill over a gap? Why not fit the slider cover for photo's?

I have seen so many badly restored buses turn bad in a short space of time, it is not nice for an owner to have to redo work after 12months.

You seem to have done your homework so if you are happy with it buy it and enjoy with your family.

(Will the AA/RAC check a vehicle of this age?)

 

[Small Face]

'why fill in the vents, leave the pressing in? Why fill over a gap? Why not fit the slider cover for photo's?'

i think these are probably the questions im badly asking!!??


why bother doing that when its so obviously the first thing most people with even limited knowledge (ie me!) will hold a magnet to.
I know why people do them from a negative point of view, but are there also positive sides to the work?
Plus the photos of prior to refurb show it seems to have been done, quite a while ago! Yet the rust is not apparant around either where the seams should be, or the front vent. And its almost as plausible that a last min prob with the cover caused it to be better removed for repair while photos taken to get people looking quicker. (dont worry photos were asked for where the doors were closed etc before posting on here - just hadnt noticed the cover missing!) not trying to make excuses but am trying to highlight all possibilities.

I really hope no one takes insult to my tone in the last message, however £7k in the current climate is quite a bit of money and im not going to hand it over my 7k with out exhausting EVERY possible avenue.

And the input now about this van is going to prove useful not only when checking this one (as i have to be 100% to part with my money) but also potentialy for future 'looks' !

 

[fredster]

Apols, but I'm with Faux ^^^ on this one. There's alot of people who want originality should you come to resell this bus that just won't touch it with the differences it has. You say your limited to 7K, have you considered what it costs to upkeep one of these buses? Engines and running gear on these vehicles are relatively cheap and easy to fix. Bodywork and welding however, is not cheap at all. So soon after a resto, with the filler and paint still fresh its nigh on impossible to tell if this bus has been restored in the proper fashion (and many of them are not). Unless he's got a huge file of restoration photo's that you can post on a forum such as this, or you can get someone who really knows these vehicles, I'd walk away.

My friend recently bought a 73 bay - looked the bee's knees. It caught fire on the way home and was destroyed. You would be amazed by the amount of filler and gaffa tape bodges revealed by the fire. Underseal can cover a multitude of sins. AA or RAC man will check for safety and general condition but unless they're well versed in VW bus knowledge they may well miss tell-tale signs of poor resto work.

 

[Small Face]

Is £6.5k to £7k an unrealistic amount for what i want then?

 

[faux]

What is it exactly that you want? I'm not sure?

If you want a fully restored bus to a good quality, then yes £6.5k is unrealistic unless you put a lot of work into it yourself.

If you want a solid camper with potential in the future then £6.5k will buy you a nice bus.

I bought my bus from Simon Hall in August 2007 and paid less than that, I spent a lot on suspension and brakes but it passed an MOT with only changes to the lights. One day it will be painted and will shine for Wales. However it was featured in VW Camper and Bus in December 2008 and it still looks half about.

But again, if you like the bus and are willing to redo if there are problems hiding underneath, it would be great to see you and your family enjoying it at the shows. There is nothing better than an Early bay to chill out in.

Jon