WANTED - BAYWINDOW

[atlime]

Hi everyone,

Im looking for a bay window, tax excempt and preferably not all nice and shiney but needs to be a solid bus..Would also like it to have MOT on it so I dont have to tow it home

Anyone have or know of a bus like this for sale?

Thanks in advance

 

[slammedresto]

there are loads, whats ur budget, and what sort of bay do u want? LHD or RHD, tintop or poptop, camper or microbus.

im sure there a few on here, check out Midland Earlybays in the ads above

 

[atlime]

budget is 3 - 4k max for a Camper, dont care if LHD or RHD as long as is solid and can be tin top or pop...no matter

I dont mind refitting interior and having pop top redone if shabby but dont want a rust bucket for my first van

ill take a look around on Midland Earlybays

CHEERS

 

[Ben Scammell]

3-4k will buy you a heap of trouble, no matter what anyone tells you

you need to be 5k+ to get anything remotely solid

I spend a couple of years looking at tons of 3-5k bays

And every single person, bar none, who bought a cheapie regretted it once the rust and filler started playing peek-a-boo with the blow-over.

Ben

 

[Araon]

You dont want to know what i paid for mine then, what a steal...

but yeah I know what you mean we drove all over viewing busses to the point where I almost relented and bought a piece of crap.... 3-4K and theres gonna be rust fella, you may be fortunate and find one with sound running gear, but its still likely to be a big project....

5-6K and your into good basic shell territory no camping interior of worth beyond that and its getting interesting

Panel vans tend to be a good cheap alternative, either convert and let windows in or just fit it with an RnR

 

[ice man]

as long as you know what your looking for there is one out there. somewhere.and some bloody good bargains.its finding them look on motorhome sites or pistonheads got mine from there and i had a budget of 2500 and still got a good solid bus...you need to look where others dont .good luck

 

[bugger]

I know people who have paid more than 5k and still ended up with crap,sometimes its not the shiniest vans that are the best,as stated by other peeps you can get buses a lot cheaper but you have to know what you are looking for,I went for the option of buying one with rust and filler for £500 and restoring it and it will come in at 6k but at least i will know that i have a rot free solid bus that also looks very nice too,its your choice fella but be carefull what you buy as it aint always what it looks it is

 

[Loxy]

As said previously they are out there, you just got to look a lot harder

I got a one owner 40k RHD totally rust free dormobile with a file of documentation 3 inches thick for £3.5k 8)

 

[atlime]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice everyone....

I know its a tall order to be after a solid bus for my budget BUT I have spotted a couple over the last week that would have been fine...Just I was too late and they had gone


Thats the reason for the wanted post in the hope that someone will be ready to sell theres and will let me know...Worth a try I reckon!

It's all to easy to go and buy a shine respray job but as you all know it's not a good idea to buy until its held up for a couple of years

I will keep looking as I know what im after now I have seen a couple about!

Bay window camper.
Tin top or Pop top.
Flat original paint/Solid bus
Furnished or not (I can sort that)
MOT (so I can get some use)
MUST be TAX excempt
3-4K

SOME ONE MUST HAVE ONE OF THESE THEY WANT TO SELL ME

 

[ray]

keep looking you will find something i got a 71 kombi tintop 56000miles lhd mot found it for just under £2000 and drove it the 70 miles home

 

[Ben Scammell]

People love to telly ou about their bargains. Which is nice...for them. We all like a bargain.

These days there are thousands of people searching full-time, night and day, for cheap, straight buses...scouring local papers, doing the rounds, on t'internet every waking second, looking for mis-lists, following leads etc etc. Never mind all the pros and bedroom dealers, and garages soaking stuff up...then there's all the people bringing in stuff from abroad by the bucketload (at least they were, when the exchange rate was better).

The days of stumbling across little old dears with bargains mostly disappeared years ago. Sure, there's always the odd thing waiting to be found, but by and large you get what you pay for (unless you buy from 90% of dealers, in which case you'll get soemthing that looks like what you paid for).

No harm looking (nuts if you dont) but unless you've got some history in this area, and know the tricks of the trade (and there are a lot) and/or a someone with real experience who can advise you, you're taking pot-luck. Of course, lots of over-priced tat too.

Just dont automatically expect to get a bargain. If you buy a cheap one (3-4k) you're going to be spending serious money on it within a couple of years (unless you can do it yourself, to MOT standard and beyond). The upside of that is that you'll know what's being done and can control costs (I wish!) but all this assumes you know people you can trust, who wont rip you off. There's where various people start quietly cackling like maniacs. Everyone likes to assume they know what to look for...cab floors, arches, bodywork, gutters yada yada yada...I did too...but it's only when you spent a serious amount of time at pro garages where you see some of the stunts really being pulled with welding and sections that you really start getting a clue. And even then it takes years.

If you dont know much about them, wait and save and buy something half way decent. Seriously. Friends of mine spent 4k a year ago on a bus. Since then...new engine, brakes, and have been quoted 4k for sorting out welding. Re-sprays have been quoted at 2.8k for a nasty 2-pac, to 7k for a full 16-coats of lacquer bare-metal job.

You pays your money...

Ben

 

[aogrady]

Hi!

Have a look around for a LHD cali import microbus, og paint, with seats for example, you could find one for 3-4k, that is solid, and virtually 100% rust free, asisde from battery tray maybe - (mine is 100 solid, but needs a battery tray) make you own mark on the interior, Z hinges from ddfrost on here, make your microbus seat a bed, cheap stove, you dont need a sink, use a washing up bowl, cheap coolbox. Sorted. 2nd hand engines are around 300-500 for good runners, you need to start with a solid base, you will struggle to find a uk bus with no rot.

Take a look at Simon Hall, pm him on here, or Tim at Roadhouse Retro for good solid buses. Other dealers sell RHD rust free buses, such as Scott Wilson for example, rust free from SA. LHD tents to be cheaper mind, you will pay a premium for a solid RHD bus, and a SA or OZ one is the way to go if you want a RHD rust free one. But i don't think you will get one for 3-4k

Me? I'd go for a cheap solid rhd microbus deluxe (sunroof) tin top, z hinges, stock engine and go camping in that, in Delta Green, 1969.......Sorted. Though at the time i needed a more camper like pop top westy, though if i was to do it again on a budget...........

Cheers and good luck finding what you want,

Alistair

 

[BigG]

A lot of good advice but you have to remember that you have a budget and you need to stick to it, there are some good solid imports for sale for that money but can you afford an engine, tyres, brake rebuild etc.
As you can see from above (Especially Loxy) there are bargains to be had, its all about being at the right place at the right time, I bought a very solid rhd sunroof deluxe for 4.5k, drove it home 200 miles and in 2 years of ownership my biggest expense has been a heat exchanger and a battery and I still havent had to get the welding torch out.
However, its only a matter of time

If you can weld and do bodywork then you can get a running bus with mot (just) thats overdue for a resto, you will also have to get friendly with Scott and get in the que for good rust free panels.

You could also go for a solid rolling bus from one of the guys on here, haggle a bit and they will probably throw in some of the bits you need, save up for a decent recon lump and be patient.

Lastly and probably the most sensible is to wait , save and double your budget and get a sorted import thats on the road and enjoy it for years to come.

 

[Graham L]

Did you look at our site?

Got some buses due in from the US in approx a month that are rust free project buses but may be around your budget and wouldn't take a lot of work to get through an MOT.

Give us a call or drop us an email,

 

[atlime]

Hi Graham,

Yes had a look around and some good buses but I have strict budget of 4k max and your prices will take me over that.

Would I need to get registered in this country and MOT or do you do that?

 

[mattyd72]

without sounding rude mate, you won't get a useable early for that money, with the exceptions above, which are (very) rare, peeps these days know there value and want proper money for even the shittest uk resto crap heap.
Sorry to burst the bubble but even a Cal import WILL need a couple of thou thrown at it, for brakes, steering, rubbers, interior etc why do do you think adverts say one price as is or a few grand more mot'ed?.
All the good buses are now big money and bargains are the for the very lucky

Good luck on your search anyway

Matt

 

[Ben Scammell]

what he said

4k is that dodgy middle-ground price that is neither one thing or the other.

Either spend 1-2k and be prepared for a long haul, or 7k+ and buy peace of mind

Ben

 

[atlime]

Ok I have listened and decided not to risk a 4k van

So my Golf is up for sale to raise funds and believe me that was not easy convincing my better half! lol

Anyway im hoping to have around £7k for a van

Again something shiney is not my first choice
Westfali is my prefered conversion
LHD or RHD
Full MOT
Obviously tax excempt

Anyone have something for sale ?

Please dont say I would be better off with 9k...I could cry :roll:

 

[Graham L]

Have another look at our RHD Deluxe for sale, now being offering with the work done etc, we can discuss what we could do for your price and its a good solid starting point,

 

[atlime]

Hi Graham

Whats the cheapest you can do the 1968 Pop Top Westfalia?