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

[creationblue]

Right moving on from Owners Ages, lets see who picks up the award of owning their bay the longest.............also throw in how long you have had the Bus Bug.

Im not gonna win, ive had my '70 Westy since July '07, been into Bays since around the end of 2006............

Just

NB:due to the way this forum is funded we are unable to provide any prizes for the winner, we are pluying for fun :lol:

 

[Doris]

I've owned mine twice - can I add it together? :mrgreen:
2002-2007 2008-present

 

[Loxy]

My money is on Trikky2

Ive owned mine since Dec 2005.

 

[sparkywig]

Only had this one since February 2008, but bought my first in 1986.

 

[ground hugger]

My money is on Trikky2

Ive owned mine since Dec 2005.

I'll go with Trikky2

2007 but got my first bug in 88-89.The bus thing came in 92-93 and went away ,untill summer 07

 

[gninnam]

Trikky2 for sure - must be close to 40 years for him :shock:

August 2005 for me :!:

 

[analord]

I have had mine since June 1998 - bought for £1950 and 12 months MOT.

 

[wanderlust]

Xmas 2002. So 7 yrs.

 

[mginty]

had the bug for more time than I can remember! Had my van since I was 18 - 1992 (first car) and still got it. Only 2nd owner (well technically my mum was registered keeper for a bit). It was off the road for a few years until I got the money together to restore it and now I'm slowly getting the inside done. DO I get a prize for the longest restoration?!

 

[faux]

I have had my van for 3 years now, but have had a van on the road since 1998, can't live with them, can't live without them :mrgreen:
My idea was to restore a few vans and eventually own one outright, now my 69 Westy is all mine :roll: :lol:

 

[Trikky2]

I think boring old farts who have owned their bus from new/nearly new should be disqualified from this competition.

Over all the years I have owned my van It has served me well, both as a daily and many many adventures from weekends away to 3 week tours round Europe. To record all the places we have been and the things that happened would fill a (probably boring) book. I kept an approximate log up until the end of the 80's by which time nights spent in the van already totaled more than 365 :lol:

Heres a very brief history :-

1973 - Shortly after getting a job with Volkswagen I bought my dormy for £1300 which, at the time, was the equivalent of 11 months salary.
1975 - it was my wedding car and honeymoon.
1978 - I got a company car so the van was no longer the daily.
1982 - we had 2 kids and not enough space, I got close to reluctantly selling but then had a Viking spacemaker roof fitted by Holdsworth. Never short of space again. The kids loved going away in the van.
1988 - we moved to France and bought a campsite, we took the van despite being rhd. By now it was worth only a few hundred pounds.
1990 - Wife ran off with best mate so the "wedding car" took us to the French divorce courts. :lol:
1992 - New French wife with two young kids who also liked the van.

The period 90 to 99 were the vans darkest years, being used as a minivan for the campsite and then, after the site was sold, a spell as a house restorers van.

All the kids are now grown up so we have the van to ourselves. The roof is now rather large and I wouldnt mind swapping it for something more compact.

In 1999 the wife was complaining about the state of the vans interior and paintwork hence a full respray and new velour.

Typical peoples comments over the years :-

1970's - "Its nice and modern but a bit cramped compared to our caravan, be alright for a weekend for 2".

1980's - "Nice condition for its age. Why don't you get one of those new ones, they are much better and bigger you know." and from work - "Don't we pay you enough?" "Please park it at the back"

1990's - "Why do you run around in that clapped out old hippy van?" "What are you doing in that rattling death trap, get something modern"

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere - "I like those, always wanted one"

I enjoy all the aspects of the "renaissance" of the typ2 van and the pleasure the whole scene brings to so many people worldwide.

Theres some pics here in case anybody is interested. http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?t=1204" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[monkeyvanwestybike]

got mine in 95 err thats 15 years! borrowed some of the money from the mother in law,

extortionate interest! :lol: :lol:

 

[Danbury Doug]

I bought my first bay in 1996 (a late).

I'm 43 now, and I've had the bus 'bug' since about the age of 4, i.e. from when my folks hired a new bus for a day, c1970.
I don't suppose I knew it was called a 'Volkswagen' then, and I definitely wouldn't have known what the type of conversion was, but I did remember very clearly the layout, and the colour of the units in the bus, and I was, in later years, able to confirm to my older brothers, and my parents, that it was in fact a Dormobile, and not a Devon, as had originally been thought! :lol:
I remember my dad picking the bus up the day before, and seeing it out of my bedroom window, and being so excited I could hardly sleep that night!

My folks went on to buy a brand new Danbury in 1972, (identical in every aspect to the one I own now) which I just loved, and grew up with. That bus was the holiday bus, (a tour of Scandinavia in 1974 amongst other trips) school bus and family business van.


Now shall I embarrass myself and put a pic up, of a page out of my scrap book, from about 1973?

Here goes then........... :shock: :lol: (My handwriting hasn't improved much since then. :lol: )

Doug

 

[67panel]

since 07/2003,paid 1k(had been up for 3,then2,1500,been for sale for 3years!) amazing what a bundle of crisp ones waved under a sellers nose will do

 

[skin69]

Owned mine since 2005ish.
But only paid £750 for it, bargain..

 

[monkeyvanwestybike]

I bought my first bay in 1996 (a late).

I'm 43 now, and I've had the bus 'bug' since about the age of 4, i.e. from when my folks hired a new bus for a day, c1970.
I don't suppose I knew it was called a 'Volkswagen' then, and I definitely wouldn't have known what the type of conversion was, but I did remember very clearly the layout, and the colour of the units in the bus, and I was, in later years, able to confirm to my older brothers, and my parents, that it was in fact a Dormobile, and not a Devon, as had originally been thought! :lol:
I remember my dad picking the bus up the day before, and seeing it out of my bedroom window, and being so excited I could hardly sleep that night!

My folks went on to buy a brand new Danbury in 1972, (identical in every aspect to the one I own now) which I just loved, and grew up with. That bus was the holiday bus, (a tour of Scandinavia in 1974 amongst other trips) school bus and family business van.


Now shall I embarrass myself and put a pic up, of a page out of my scrap book, from about 1973?

Here goes then........... :shock: :lol: (My handwriting hasn't improved much since then. :lol: )

Doug

8) you have the bus bug indeed Doug,

I had a late bay too from 1987-94 the good thing about that was the steering wheel was on the right side!

 

[meowdmucker]

Had our '71 sunlander since may 1999. Best thing i've bought!

 

[rusty]

bought mine in 1998, for £450 with a blown engine, was told buy the last owner
it was a german taxi, checked the m, codes and found out it a dutch fire engine. :shock:

 

[creationblue]

I think boring old farts who have owned their bus from new/nearly new should be disqualified from this competition.

Over all the years I have owned my van It has served me well, both as a daily and many many adventures from weekends away to 3 week tours round Europe. To record all the places we have been and the things that happened would fill a (probably boring) book. I kept an approximate log up until the end of the 80's by which time nights spent in the van already totaled more than 365 :lol:

Heres a very brief history :-

1973 - Shortly after getting a job with Volkswagen I bought my dormy for £1300 which, at the time, was the equivalent of 11 months salary.
1975 - it was my wedding car and honeymoon.
1978 - I got a company car so the van was no longer the daily.
1982 - we had 2 kids and not enough space, I got close to reluctantly selling but then had a Viking spacemaker roof fitted by Holdsworth. Never short of space again. The kids loved going away in the van.
1988 - we moved to France and bought a campsite, we took the van despite being rhd. By now it was worth only a few hundred pounds.
1990 - Wife ran off with best mate so the "wedding car" took us to the French divorce courts. :lol:
1992 - New French wife with two young kids who also liked the van.

The period 90 to 99 were the vans darkest years, being used as a minivan for the campsite and then, after the site was sold, a spell as a house restorers van.

All the kids are now grown up so we have the van to ourselves. The roof is now rather large and I wouldnt mind swapping it for something more compact.

In 1999 the wife was complaining about the state of the vans interior and paintwork hence a full respray and new velour.

Typical peoples comments over the years :-

1970's - "Its nice and modern but a bit cramped compared to our caravan, be alright for a weekend for 2".

1980's - "Nice condition for its age. Why don't you get one of those new ones, they are much better and bigger you know." and from work - "Don't we pay you enough?" "Please park it at the back"

1990's - "Why do you run around in that clapped out old hippy van?" "What are you doing in that rattling death trap, get something modern"

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere - "I like those, always wanted one"

I enjoy all the aspects of the "renaissance" of the typ2 van and the pleasure the whole scene brings to so many people worldwide.

Theres some pics here in case anybody is interested. http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?t=1204" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for that link, not read it before, lovely bus with a great story to boot! Make sure you update at least once a year :lol:

I think we have our winner............

 

[creationblue]

I bought my first bay in 1996 (a late).

I'm 43 now, and I've had the bus 'bug' since about the age of 4, i.e. from when my folks hired a new bus for a day, c1970.
I don't suppose I knew it was called a 'Volkswagen' then, and I definitely wouldn't have known what the type of conversion was, but I did remember very clearly the layout, and the colour of the units in the bus, and I was, in later years, able to confirm to my older brothers, and my parents, that it was in fact a Dormobile, and not a Devon, as had originally been thought! :lol:
I remember my dad picking the bus up the day before, and seeing it out of my bedroom window, and being so excited I could hardly sleep that night!

My folks went on to buy a brand new Danbury in 1972, (identical in every aspect to the one I own now) which I just loved, and grew up with. That bus was the holiday bus, (a tour of Scandinavia in 1974 amongst other trips) school bus and family business van.


Now shall I embarrass myself and put a pic up, of a page out of my scrap book, from about 1973?

Here goes then........... :shock: :lol: (My handwriting hasn't improved much since then. :lol: )

Doug

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

Just