South African busses

[col1600]

Hi guys and girls.

Ok so at the moment I'm not a bay owner at all. But am on the look out for a project.
My question to all the pro's out there is is there any difference in build quality from a German bus to a south african imported bus. Are they the same for parts. Is the fit and finish the same. Or are they world's apart. I'm not on about lhd or rhd issues just quality.
Many thanks.

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[ozziedog]

Hi there, the build quality may be a tiny bit less on African busses but this is more than made up for by the climate these busses have lived in. The Aussie busses are pretty good and the only ones that really get slated are the Brazilian busses. Any bus that has survived this long is a small miracle anyhow.

Ozziedog,,,,,,, Not exacterly a pro though :mrgreen:

 

[gas1man]

Try and find out where it lived in the country. Having lived there all my life except for the last 18 years,
It is imperative that you try and get one from the middle of the country, coastal vehicles suffer from rust as badly as any other coastal housed vehicle. Believe me I know. My cousins panel van was painted three times and rust removed, also
it was not a trailer queen and was his daily for many years.
Good luck in your search.

J & P

 

[sa-notta]

I have had my fair experience with SA busses, firstly I would agree with @gas1man above. the coastal location.

I would only add that in some cases SA VW's have been looked after on the cheap with non-OG parts and some questionable repairs ... :msn4:

Just do your homework and you can find a really nice rot-free bus

 

[Clem]

A proper South African bay window will be a proper German bus made from German parts so no quality issues at all.

From what I've seen, they either remained in the ownership of the wealthy and so were looked after and well maintained, or got passed on and were run into the ground with few cases of middle ground.
As previously, location is key also.

 

[col1600]

Thanks for all the replys.


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[marco]

I bought a sa bus, I agree with all the above. Mine was from Pretoria so relatively rust free, but had questionable repairs, and evidence of a hard life!
After a lot of mechanical repairs, not to mention all new seals and a really good clean it has served us well so far.
I would rather have to do a load of mechanical repairs than deal with some of the rust issues of an old uk bus.
It's certainly no show queen and has plenty of scars, but I love it!

 

[69Bay]

I have a SA bus, and one thing I have found is that all the box sections were full of dirt. Once it has got wet, it sets like concrete and will hold moisture so starts rotting. I dont know if there is a way to clear out the box sections as soon as the bus hits the UK?

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[K@rlos]

Hi there, the build quality may be a tiny bit less on African busses but this is more than made up for by the climate these busses have lived in. The Aussie busses are pretty good and the only ones that really get slated are the Brazilian busses. Any bus that has survived this long is a small miracle anyhow.

Ozziedog,,,,,,, Not exacterly a pro though :mrgreen:

The build quality is the same as a German bus, they were shipped over in kits from Hannover then assembled there to get round the tax. CKD buses I think they are called

 

[Bullet tooth]

Ive heard people struggling to get SA busses registered recently due to lack of vin in engine bay etc

 

[ozziedog]

Hi there, the build quality may be a tiny bit less on African busses but this is more than made up for by the climate these busses have lived in. The Aussie busses are pretty good and the only ones that really get slated are the Brazilian busses. Any bus that has survived this long is a small miracle anyhow.

Ozziedog,,,,,,, Not exacterly a pro though :mrgreen:

The build quality is the same as a German bus, they were shipped over in kits from Hannover then assembled there to get round the tax. CKD buses I think they are called

I think that’s what I was trying to say. The parts were mostly sent over then ‘’’ assembled’’’ or built by a work force over in that country. That’s also one of the reasons you end up with endless hybrids because they would ship all old stock out to other countries and they’d make them up in jigsaw fashion and use up old stocks of parts. This was common practice in the motor trade in the 60s and 70s, you should see some of the Mini configurations that went on sale in Oz. :mrgreen:

Ozziedog,,,,,,, But the dry climate is key. :mrgreen:

 

[cunning plan]

Ive heard people struggling to get SA busses registered recently due to lack of vin in engine bay etc

That seems odd when you consider the age of the vehicle. :?

My bus is a UK '68 and the stamp in the engine bay must have disintegrated a while ago! :shock: It has new panels in its place now.

 

[Bullet tooth]

Dont think they stamped the engine bay thats the issue