help/advice viewing some photos before i visit in person

[Loxy]

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

No it isnt, but there are plenty of shitters out there for that much.
These days the term RHD is almost guaranteed to mean rust or major repairs (unless its an Oz or SA import). The UK climate just doesnt provide the conditions for vehicles that are 37+ years old to survive in good condition. Which is why so many people are suggesting LHD as a possibility although theres no guarantee of rust free there either. However a lot of imports have the "slightly rough" look that some crave these days, but more importantly it tends to mean that you can actually see what you are getting - they may have a few dents here & there but any rust is usually more obvious and isnt covered by filler & a new paint job that hasnt had time to bubble up - more likely is that the mechanical parts are shot - however it is comparatively cheap to replace brakes, steering & engine compared to the cost of skilled metal work & finishing.
All the above doesnt mean that there arent any good RHD vans out there - they are just more difficult to find.

I think the point is that many (if not all) of us on here have or know someone that has gone through the heartache of buying a van only to find that it is not quite as solid as it first appeared - and a lot of these people think they have done their homework before buying it.

We dont know whether the van you are looking at is ok or not, but all the questions you asked have been answered in the above posts & pretty much all have advised caution.
At the end of the day its your money & your decision as to what you buy

 

[Araon]

Your not far away why not come along to Big bang at Santa pod see some of the guys chat to us have a laugh a beer check over a few busses and you may even see a gud un on the day

Drop me a line if you want to go over a bus in an evening on my way into work Peterborough to London, always up for a skeg of someone elses pride and joy...

If you buy a non camper and put your money into a sound shell (Kombi, Microbus, Panel) 7K opens a lot of doors, theres loads of options from that point on, drive away awnings, z-hinges on a bench seat etc....upto eventually sourcing a full camping interior (Clyde has a continental that looks to be on offer shortly) pop tops etc....

Check out any MEB threads on the earlybay for sale, or Scott Wilson to name two with stock at the minute.....

 

[Small Face]

Cheers Araon.
Ill definately be going to Santa pod - prob on the sunday.

ref what i want:
As ive said before what im after isnt that specific van wise - other than a being bay! Any year, doesnt have to be early, crossover ad late are also fine. Needs to have a pop top-but again style of roof conversion isnt important aslong as we can use for camping and weekends away, lhd or rhd doesnt bother me either. Im really open and im just looking for a tidy camper, with an mot i can use for camping!
And yes the original plan on our budget was to get a sound one on the exterior with a minimal interior to improve ourselves - however this one came up and im sure you will all agree on a quick glance it ticks all my boxes - not overly original ill be scared of using it, camping equipment etc already there, no rust etc - seemed to good to be true hence coming to you guys.

Your answers have been thorough and for that i thank you.
And trust me - we will keep looking! :lol:

 

[faux]

Here is a link to FBI Swansea. There is a bus for £4995 that would be great for you I think, you could speak to Graham (Owner) and he could do all of the work you are asking and I'm sure it would come in on budget. It would be done well too as he has a good reputation and wants to keep it that way. I have bought buses and parts off him for years and he has always been fair.

Jon

http://www.fbivw.com/carsales/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Small Face]

Hi,
Thats not a bad idea and something i hadnt really considered before (ive been trying to stay away from rolling 'resto' plans.)

I went and had a look on their sight and i think that as this one needs a new gear box as currently poping out, does need quite a bit of cosmetic work outside (i know its only surface rust dents and bumps but its still work) and also needs the interior doing, and is still £6k before that with an MOT it would probably blow my budget through the roof.

However i am now going to have a look around the country at this idea - so cheers - i surrender to the idea of a van needing some cosmetic work and admit my eyes have been opened!
Hopefully i can find something with less interior but closer to finished on the outside-then take it from there.

 

[faux]

Haggle with Graham. There is a bargain to be had I'm sure.

 

[hipshaker]

just out of interest, and off topic, which band?

being in a signed band.

 

[Small Face]

Dont get too excited - we arent that big outside the localish areas. im the bass player in kilto take (shameless plug ) signed to Medical Records end of last year - they have just put a double A side single out....weve donated all the money from it to kidney research. Up til now all the usual stuff, local and national radio play, channel 4 reviews, a few headline gigs for BBC in Beds Herts and Bucks, a couple of smaller festivals - but weve only been going a year so i guess we will see plus we are still trying keep up commitments in the local areas

To be honest ive really pulled back from it all whilst trying to find a bus. Been quite lucky recently because there has been loads of work with the ep, booking agents, photo shoots and the PR company prior to release so havent been gigging like we were before! The label advise its a lull before the storm LOL

 

[58herbie]

Small Face,

If your prepared to travel a bit my bus is coming up for sale soon due to health reasons. Its a 1970 westy campmobile. all th e underneath has been welded (inc all the outrigers replaced, inner and middle sills, front centre crossmember).It has then been stripped and repainted in original Montana red..

the beam has been cleaned and painted and fitted with new seals..

The cab floor has been painted too..along with cargo area.

Outside still wears original paint

]

the interior is away beening retrimed at the min so can't take any pics.

there will be a new wiring loom fitted aswell.

Engine wise it has a 1600cc single port which was a brand new engine that was built a couple of years ago in the States for the previous owner and only done a couple of thousand miles. Runs like a dream.

I will MOT and register the van before sale which should be in the next month.

looking for £6950.00

email me @ [email protected]

or call 07878076115

cheers

jon

 

[Small Face]

I have emailed you as at work at the mo and having difficulties with the pics (keep getting thrown off site)
many thanks!

 

[faux]

This is a good option and well worth waiting, in my opinion.

 

[buddysbuddy]

Hi Small Face,

Just thought I'd weigh in here and lend my two peneth!

We bought our bus 2 years back, when we started looking I had no real idea what I wanted - just a VW. We didn't even realise that there was EarlyBays, Xover and lates, and only when we really got looking did we start to figure things out. From what you have said, your needs sound pretty similar to what ours were, and as a beginner, I really wanted something I wouldn't have to do much with, so started looking at as late as possible, renovated vans. Very quickly I realised that sometimes (not always) shiny resprayed vans hide a multitude of sins and could very well cause heartbreak after a very short period of time, that helped us decide that we would go for good OG paint - what the hell, if it had survived that long without a respray then it can't be bad - also, no surprises. Only after lots of looking did we decide on a '69 US import left hooker. I understand why you would like something that looks the finished article but I would suggest, if you can go the OG route, for a good price then consider getting it painted before you use it - you could even pick the colour combo....fun fun fun!


With regard to your original enquiry and the bus you were first looking at:

I would agree with others, but also have concerns with the following:

Why do they descirbe the bus as 'completely original' when it clearly isn't? Are they lying or do they just not know? If they are lying, walk away and if they don't know - wlak away.

Also the picture appears to be in front of a garage - is this a trade sale? Is it a VW 'expert' or is the bus just something they need to offload? If they are a garage - did they do the MOT? If they did, I would definately suggest that you got a second opinion before handing over any green!

They MOT comment will probably ruffle a few feathers, I, in no way make any general assumption, MOT guys are awesome (except when they fail my cars) but it could be something to consider.

best of luck with your search, I'm sure you'll find the bus you desire, and then will end up suffering with jaw ache from smiling during every journey you make.