The Way Forward - Pre Bay Purchase

[V5SportNB]

Hi,

It’s sometime since I introduced myself here https://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=624&p=608369#p608369 last year, and I am still bayless :| but I am still living in hope.

In September last year I was very close to selling my soul, and everything that wasn’t screwed down in the house to commission an EarlyBay build from a camper restorer. This would have been in the mid £30ks. I don’t know what stopped me, but one factor was that the builder was 250 miles from me, and I’d have no idea just to what level of restoration was being carried out, as I couldn’t realistically visit during the build. I have seen so many stories about inferior ‘professional’ builds I’d be in court for murder if shortcuts had been taken after a huge spend in the £30k region!

So that leaves me with the following thoughts;

1) Spend every spare penny with a medium sized loan commissioning a build, and have a bay from an exotic location restored to my spec. I and the family can use this immediately and expenditure should for the first couple of years be servicing, reliability mods and small improvements?

2) spend a good portion of what I have with a small loan, get a good previously restored useable bus from day 1 and improve personalise and renew/repair as required over the next couple years.

3) spend what I have on a runner but one that requires work and money with the intention of taking it back to bare metal for a respray and fully kitted out. I have restored a car, but never welded a car, and would leave jobs like that and paint to professionals anyway.

I would like to restore a bus, but I am conscious of the time people spend on them, and I read projects that have taken years only for children to grow up while the bus is being restored.

Has anyone started a project and just wished they’d got a useable bus in the first place?

Has anyone bought a newly restored bus, and wished they hadn’t?

Does anyone have experience of camper restoration businesses? And who would they recommend? Whatever happens to Morcambe and Wize besides their astronomical prices?

I am new but late to the family game with a 1 year old daughter, I loved camping as a child, if I can give my daughter any of the amazing experiencing had then I’m sure she would also cherish those memories....

Sorry for all the questions, but what are people’s experiences?

tia...

 

[Davydomes]

If you were willing to go up to £30k as you mention you should be able to get your hands on a show bus and still have change! I would keep looking if I was you. Surprised you haven't found something on this forum. We spent 3.1/2 years on our resto and there was two of us. I would buy the best you can.

 

[garytype2]

Hi
you are a long way from us but welcome to come and see what we do and get for £30k
Regards Gary www.coolcampers.co.uk

 

[Clem]

Is this you first aircooled Volkswagen camper?

If it is, and the whole thing is a new game to you, then I'd suggest buying a decent 'sorted' bus for around £15k-£18k (I presume this budget is ok for you) and see if you actually enjoy the whole thing. If you do, then you can then improve that bus, or sell it and go the custom route you want (buses at this point generally hold value well, so the money is fairly safe).
Seriously, lots of owners come and go as the old bus thing isnt as easy to live with as they expect, and money spent on a £30k custom build will not be so easy to recoup.

 

[V5SportNB]

Thanks for the replies ...

I’m under no illusion that living with a bus is anything but a labour of love ...

I got to Stanford Hall this year and had a couple of brief chats with Split Screen owners as that’s just the area I seemed to spend most of the time. I never even got to the trade stands to ask around.

One thing I did get was always get the best you can to start with though and somebody else’s project for sale is likely to be a can of (tin) worms!

I think your idea clem to look at a useable one is without doubt sensible. I’ve not had a air-cooled VW yet, as I’ve not been in a position to own multiple cars until the last few years, and my lifestyle needed a car where I could jump in it from sitting in the garage for a week to driving a couple of hundred miles at road speed without worrying about any damage/stress I might do to a car.

I have no doubt that I could live with one, but listening to and reading of other people’s experience is always invaluable.

 

[Clem]

Buying the best you can afford is certainly excellent advice - but that can mean a solid, straight and genuine bus that hasn't been messed with too much but that has been gone through mechanically so you can jump in it and enjoy it, rather than an expensive bus with a custom interior and monster engine that might cost twice as much.

What do you want from a bus - camper? poptop or tintop? how many passengers? original, ratty or mint condition? We can point you at some nice buses for sale maybe?

 

[V5SportNB]

Well, seven months later, I am still here and lurking. I am also still looking, although not been to see any EB's since Stanford Hall back in 2018! My wife says I am lacking commitment :?:

One of the reasons I have taken a step back is the wildly different conditions the buses are in, and the widely different prices. I missed one on ebay, a Chianti Red from the Sheffield area, with a modern Van Wurks interior (anyone on here?), which came with a tailor & awning etc. The top of the listing initially stated Auto Transmission which put me off, but I contacted the seller after a week, who said it was manual. Work and a birthday trip then meant no time to visit before it was sold, and stayed sold. This was £18,500

This one here on EB

71 Westfalia Early Bay Price Reduced https://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=78257

has been available for some time, and I can't put my finger on why I've not arranged to view, but it's in my bookmarks. I promised that I would not buy off ebay as the place is full of butchered, botched, upgraded (some might say :roll: ), basket cases EB's ranging from less than £10,000 to well over £20,000. I suppose without viewing them all there is no way to determine how good and solid they are, and if they are a fair price. By pure coincidence I noticed the same bus on eBay here

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202717827852 as above £19,999

then I found the following

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254299015316 on ebay at £12,500 no bids, unknown reserve.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113823937467 on ebay at £10,500 1 bid, reserve not met.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133118572337 on ebay at £20,000 no bids, reserve not met.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133113935100 on ebay at £22,500 at a buy it now price.

While I am sure buses around the £10,000 will need stripping blasting and repainting to last the next 20 years, what can I expect from a circa £20,000 Bus? Rather than spend my time fixing one, I am still considering a build from a builder, and spent a good while on the phone to one discussing such, but don't wish to rule out a very good usable bus. Does anyone know/have seen these buses on eBay?

TIA,

 

[V5SportNB]

Then there is this one at £35,000. What makes this so valuable because if I was expecting such a strong price for my bus, I'd have dozens of photos of it out there, and also I'd expect such a bus in the condition I expect for this money to be owned by an enthusiast, and thus have seen it on here?

https://www.justkampers.com/marketplace/advert/view/id/9020/

 

[Low n slow]

As Clem says, I think you really need to decide what you actually want first. There are a plethora of busses out there for sale. My advice would be to just get a solid one to start with, irrespective of paint and interior condition, then you can put your own stamp on it over time.

 

[cunning plan]

If you do decide to buy, I think now is a good time as the prices are as low as I've seen them since getting into the 'scene'.

The market, in my opinion, is currently stagnant as everyone is waiting for clarification on the 'B' word (we are in limbo and it has created uncertainty), which would then enable people and most importantly, business to get back to planning and spending / investing.

I know if I had the spare cash, I would be buying a couple of buses to store. :shadey:

 

[Lee C]

Some belter looking Earlybay’s for sale on this forum lately !!!

 

[Mr Bean]

Make sure you take someone with you who knows there way round these vans. It will be worth paying out a small amount now that could save thousands later,and they can also give you an idea as to wether the price is realistic or not. Remember BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!

 

[fallingoffalot]

I've just been through the buying process, I was looking at the £12-18k range. Had to be in good mechanical condition and relatively rust free, the interior was irrelevant as I had a vague plan, oh and it had to be a RHD, tin-top, pre 71 (small back lights and crescent ait intakes). I looked at 3, 1st was £10k, restored some time ago, with original engine, not bad, a bit tired, but I wanted a bit more oomph. Next was a 2004 Brazil still air-cooled, but it was in the next street to me so I thought I may as well have a look. It drove like a crap car, not really want I wanted anyway, he wanted £16,500 for that. The one I ended up buying was quite local to me, ticked all the boxes, new 1776 engine, paid £16k for it. Maybe I should have looked at a few more, but I'm not a patient buyer! I am in the process of "improving" it, which means a bit of filler, respray and dinitrol the underside, all of which I can do myself. I've already spent about £1500 on it, with a narrowed beam and bits and bobs.

I had a late bay when I was about 21 (20-something years ago), so I knew what to expect, it was an original (which means 50bhp at most and at least one gear change on a hill).

I noticed that the market is a bit stagnent and a lot of vans up for quite a few months.

Don't be worried about eBay, everyone uses it, helps get max audience, esp. with classic cars.

I reckon this forum is the perfect place to buy something, you know it's been owned by a fellow enthusiast and the price will probably be realistic. Personally I think £35k is way too much for a van and I reckon that will take ages to sell, you're in split screen land there!

Good luck with your hunt.

 

[Low n slow]

If you do decide to buy, I think now is a good time as the prices are as low as I've seen them since getting into the 'scene'.

The market, in my opinion, is currently stagnant as everyone is waiting for clarification on the 'B' word (we are in limbo and it has created uncertainty), which would then enable people and most importantly, business to get back to planning and spending / investing.

I know if I had the spare cash, I would be buying a couple of buses to store. :shadey:

I must have been asleep, whats the "B" word?

 

[ozziedog]

I don’t want to be the one to wake you up but I’m guessing that the B word is something to do with us leaving Europe in the extremely near future. Most are fed up with hearing about it and just want some action.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,, Boris will get us shifted :mrgreen:

 

[easy]

I don’t want to be the one to wake you up but I’m guessing that the B word is something to do with us leaving Europe in the extremely near future. Most are fed up with hearing about it and just want some action.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,, Boris will get us shifted :mrgreen:

Now this ******* ***** has wormed his way to the top we are truly ******. Brexit is by far the worst decision that has been made in the recent UK history, looking forward to your bus prices plummeting further and parts companies stopping from trading? then we are in the right place. Looking for an oversized rock to hide under for a long time!

Anyway back to buying a bus :mrgreen: dont spend over 20K you wont need to, find a bus, put up if anyone from here local to it can go and have a nose with you. Job done. I would always go RHD personally but thats your bag and if you have a small family a pop top is up there. Westy for a great interior, but a devon for ease imo :mrgreen:

 

[Pickles]

I suspect if you spend over £20k you won't get much, if anything more, than you might for £15k. All of these are old and a spray over can hide a multitude of sins and rust. You just need to keep looking until you find the one that suits you and be aware it will continue to be a work in progress.

 

[matty74]

I’d want to see lots and lots of restoration evidence and replacement parts history to shell out big money.

I went through the same dilemma four years ago when we were buying our first bus. We ended up picking one up with a solid chassis, good engine and sound running gear for a decent price, that allowed us to strip right back and do the bus our way to make it as functional as possible.

Yes we unearthed many problems along the way, but the finished article was far more rewarding knowing that we’d done everything necessary before the paint went on.

As others have said it’s a truly a labour of love and there will always be something to do, but you won’t stop smiling once your out on the open road [emoji3]



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[V5SportNB]

Thanks for all the recent replies. They've given me a clearer idea of what I want, the advice is valuable.

One thing coming through and through is clearly getting the most solid van available, which does make sense to me ...

 

[Clem]

I don’t want to be the one to wake you up but I’m guessing that the B word is something to do with us leaving Europe in the extremely near future. Most are fed up with hearing about it and just want some action.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,, Boris will get us shifted :mrgreen:

Now this ******* ***** has wormed his way to the top we are truly ******. Brexit is by far the worst decision that has been made in the recent UK history, looking forward to your bus prices plummeting further and parts companies stopping from trading? then we are in the right place. Looking for an oversized rock to hide under for a long time!

Anyway back to buying a bus :mrgreen: dont spend over 20K you wont need to, find a bus, put up if anyone from here local to it can go and have a nose with you. Job done. I would always go RHD personally but thats your bag and if you have a small family a pop top is up there. Westy for a great interior, but a devon for ease imo :mrgreen:

Yep. Given that if we leave under Johnson it will be on a no deal basis, I don’t see any way it won’t damage the bus market.

Currently weakest £ in 28 years!