Who Has owned their Early the longest?????

[type2tattoo]

Some lovely stories, love the school book

I was given mine for a days labour (about £50 then) back in 1989. She was my daily for 8 years and me and my 3 boys went camping in her every year. I have had a goat in her twice when I was involved in the road protests at Twyford Down and Newbury? :lol:

She was then neglected for 11 years and left out in the rain with no windows :shock:

A year ago I started trying to make up for that and am in the middle of a very thorough resto, hopefully my grandson will enjoy her as much as me and the sons did

 

[Danbury Doug]

Great story Doug! Hopefully my kids will have some fond memories too

Just

Cheers Just. Yes, i'm sure they'll build up some great memories!

Monkeyvanwestybike, regarding the wheel being on the right side, just to confuse myself, I went from a RHD to a LHD and then back to a RHD again. :lol:

I can relate to some of the comments Trikky2 has had over the years.
In the 70s, when I was at school, I loved being dropped off or collected by my dad in the bus, and my class mates always commented on it!
My dad also had a Series 1 XJ6, which gleamed, and was indeed a lovely car, but I much preferred going to school in the veedub. 8)

In the mid 80's (the last few years we had the bus) I was by now old enough to drive it, and it became my family business transport and daily driver. At that time it was perhaps not really cool for someone barely 20 years old to be seen driving an old (and by that stage fairly rusty) bus, but did I care? Nope, it was fab.... although I'll admit there were times when our other works vehicle, a brand new Escort diesel van, did appeal, when on some of the very cold and frosty early mornings, my dad would be push starting me, in his dressing gown, until the old 1700 Type 4 engine spluttered into life, and then I would shiver for sevearl minutes, as I drove along, until the temperature in the cab finally made it into 'plus' figures. :lol:

One highlight I particularly remember, again when the family bus was my business transport, was the first time someone waved to me, from another bay. Now that really made my day, for I knew that Tranny or Escort van drivers didn't do that! :lol:

 

[Trikky2]

Theres some good stories on here. Great stuff Danbury Doug - amazing you still have the school exercise book too. I can also relate to the first time somebody waved too.

I shall keep an eye on this thread and hope to see some more posts recounting the "how and when" aspects of bay ownership.

 

[Clem]

I got my first Bay in 1993 after four years with a beetle. I'd done a bit of the (few) shows that were on back then, but needed/wanted the van more for mountain bike race use. I just used it day in, day out with little care or maintainence till it fell apart two or three years later. It was then restored/repaired/customised and kept in much better shape till I sold it after a winter of welding in 2005/6.
I decided I needed a 'real' Westy as genuine as poss and was choosing between as early as possible, or a very late one, such as a Champagne. I clocked the '68 on the K'n'K website and was smitten. Timeline June 2006.

 

[Danbury Doug]

Theres some good stories on here. Great stuff Danbury Doug - amazing you still have the school exercise book too. I can also relate to the first time somebody waved too.

Cheers Trikky2. I've been following and enjoying your thread for some time now. Your photos take me straight back to my childhood, when we took our original family bus to similar (but nowhere near so many and varied) locations as yours. :mrgreen:
Aswell as my old scrapbook I have all the old sales brochures that I would collect, when we used to take the bus to the local dealership for its service..... including the ones I scribbled in, such as drawing in windows on pics of panel vans etc. :lol:

 

[Trikky2]

Cheers Trikky2. I've been following and enjoying your thread for some time now. Your photos take me straight back to my childhood, when we took our original family bus to similar (but nowhere near so many and varied) locations as yours. :mrgreen:
Aswell as my old scrapbook I have all the old sales brochures that I would collect, when we used to take the bus to the local dealership for its service..... including the ones I scribbled in, such as drawing in windows on pics of panel vans etc. :lol:

Your collection sounds amazing - you may even have a few rare bits and pieces.

Sadly I dont have a lot of the stuff I used to have, it was been given away or thrown out due to a rather severe clean out required when I moved out here in the 80's. It included a nearly complete set of dealer manuals which were very bulky - the old manuals covered all vehicles and the books were separate not by model but by engine, gearbox, chassis, electrics etc - took up as much space as a set of encyclopedias.

It might be worth your while having a look on the samba literature archive site in case you have some stuff they dont have. I am sure they and their users would appreciate scans of anything they dont have yet.

Any scribbles can be shopped out if necessary, I would be glad to help out if needed. Let me know.

Do you have a thread in Gallery? Had a browse but couldnt see one.

 

[angus]

Paid £750 for mine back in 1990 (need to check - may be '91 )

Bought it in January from Peterborough. Was originally registered in Peterborough beginning of January 1968 (built in Dec '67)

My first 'car' - intend to never sell it.
Been all round Europe - even been to Oz in a container - (then right back again...don't ask!)

I love it.

 

[silversurfer 1]

Owned for 15 years 2 nd owner never painted or welded ,Many family surf trips including Spain and France lost count of trips to woolacombe and back.

 

[Trikky2]

Owned for 15 years 2 nd owner never painted or welded ,Many family surf trips including Spain and France lost count of trips to woolacombe and back.

And very nice it is too

 

[Pickles]

Owned for 15 years 2 nd owner never painted or welded ,Many family surf trips including Spain and France lost count of trips to woolacombe and back.

Now that reminds me I need a bike rack ...

Never going to win the "i've owned the longest" :lol: more like the shortest as I have now had the bus for all of five days. one of the reasons for buying was to get away with our little boy, now six months, when he starts to draw and write I'm sure it will include stuff about buses ... at least hope he gets some great memories from the trips

 

[Danbury Doug]

It might be worth your while having a look on the samba literature archive site in case you have some stuff they dont have. I am sure they and their users would appreciate scans of anything they dont have yet.

Any scribbles can be shopped out if necessary, I would be glad to help out if needed. Let me know.

Do you have a thread in Gallery? Had a browse but couldnt see one.

Thanks Trikky. I think the literature I scribbled in I had two copies of anyway, but I'll dig it out at some stage and check, and will certainly bear in mind your offer of help.
I know I've got a Volkswagen model range and accessories brochure in Swedish, from 1974, because that was the year we did our big Scandinavian tour in the family bus, when its Type 4 engine developed a fault, so we took it to a dealer, who replaced the distributor cap and gave me the brochures, which I read whilst the work was being done!. Incidentally that day was the first time I ever saw what a distributor was!

I don't have a thread in the Gallery, other than some pics of my current bus, when I bought it, but I will get some pics together of the old family bus, together with some stories, and I'll pop something up.