Hi!
Well aside from rust anywhere in the lower 6 inches, battery trays, sills, floor, front and rear chassis, lower valence, under windscreen etc etc - maybe a good idea to look at some resto's in the gallery section - or if people are reading this, they will post a link to there own resto, so you can get a good idea where theses buses go rusty, and what to look out for - thinks that look solid can all to easily be covered in filler, so take a little magnet, try it on a modern car to give you a "feel" of what thickness metal V filler you may encounter.....
I can see yours was resto-ed some years back, but the above still applies. Also panel gaps and filling over the original joins can be indicative of something fishy underneath. The rear engine hatch looks like a big gap at the top - worn or loose hinges - or poorly fitted resto panels
Interior looks usefull - check under the flooring is poss, lift the matts in the front cab - check the footwells and arches for filler.
Dont worry if the interier isn't what you want or colour - as this can be sorted at a l8r date - it's all about the bodywork - a good solid van will set you in good stead for many MOT's to come!
Mechanics. OK, current MOT a bonus - but remember, it's only valid the day it was taken, doesn't mean that 6 months down the line it'll still be good. Brakes for example, leaking/and/or stuck calipers. I think a 72 has one year only calipers, but kits are available to change to l8r ones.
Oil leaks. Well, ok, most old VW's will have a little leak somewhere, but if the underneath is riddeled with them, well, it may well need work - pushrod tubes always a favorite. Check for smoke on start up when cold, and rattling from the engine - a T25 2 litre, i think has hyd tappets, so should be quiet-ish. Any oil from the engine can leak onto the heat exchangers and cause smoke and fumes to be drawn into the vehicle - so check this, and the operation of the heating, i'd be wary of any disconneted heating - why? Is it trying to mask a problem - like blue smoke on the cabin 'cos of nackered push rod tubes leaking onto the large heat exchangers? When connected correctly, they work well.
You may well need bushes or joint like track rod ends, or rubber boots like CV. If your spanner handy, this isn't a worry. All fairly simple to sort - but are MOT things.
The van your looking at has been lowered, how? Cut and turned beam, or adjusters? Guess it's running standard shocks which may be why it's bottoming out - or could be the ball joints bottoming out (not good) or the drive shafts bottoming out on the chassis rails.........Lowered busses can ride well, if done well, and well thought out, but poorly lowered busses can ride awefull!
Personally i would prefer a more stockish bus in this area - so I can decide how i want to lower it, some mods are not that easy to revert back to stock....less problems, but not as cool looking.
See if the seller is happy for a test MOT to be carried out, if you were serious of buying - 40 quid for you to see what you are likely to be spending your hard earned on very soon if you aren't carefull is a small price to pay. He will say - well it's got a MOT, yes it may have, but that may have been 6 months ago, and it's sat there for the last 5 months with stuck calipers.........
Rust can be a nightmare to sort well, all the trinkets and stuff inside the van is simple to replace/rebuild. Try to look at the overall van - don't impulse buy cos it looks good and low and nice colour etc - there are PLENTY of vans out there, and if you are unsure because it needs body or chassis work - walk away. There WILL be another van that will suit you.
Contact some of the dealers on here for a import project around your budget - you may well get a solid rust free van with a little TLC/Interior work needed - BUT with a solid base, and you can bling him up and lower as YOU see fit, rather than someone else idea of how they want a van to look.
Hope this helps and not to put you off - there are loads of vans about, and one will be right for you.
Cheers!
Alistair
