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Tue Jan 14, 2003 8:23 am

i'm looiking to buy a bay window bus. preferably a panel and preferably one with a type1 motor. what would i be looking for in bays as far as trouble areas. i've owned many early buses (thats why i prefer the type1 motor) i'll be using this vehicle for working out of on an occasional basis running around picking up materials and delivering finished work. i'm usually very busy with my business and dont have the time to be messing with stuff on the side of the road, weekends, yes but not during the week. many thanks.

Tue Jan 14, 2003 9:01 am

You might want to look at it before you buy it.

Tue Jan 14, 2003 9:39 am

right. i said look.

Tue Jan 14, 2003 10:07 am

OUCH! Stone cold Erik... damn...

Just the usual RUST... under windsheild rockers wheel wells ect.

2 gallons of bondo on the rear cheeks...(each! LOL!)

totally worn out front end, ie drag link, ball joints, centerlink arm bushing... steering box, all of which are usually prevalent...

Sagging rear torsion, shot rear stub axle bearings ect....

If you get the 71 model the discs are nice but boosters aren't too cheap if it's shot

May want to consider stepping up the the later model, the engines are sweet when you get one right...

Take a friend, the more eyes that look at it the better, you see twice as much and and it might make the seller twice a nervous! if there is something to hide anyway!

Tue Jan 14, 2003 11:37 am

Other than the things mentioned above I have found alot of them to need ball joints,center link bushing,and new drums. Another thing to watch is the transaxle popping out of gear.Make sure the sliding door is in good shape as well,or you could end up with the door popping out of the track on a rough dirt road. Good luck.

Tue Jan 14, 2003 12:22 pm

thanks keith and tim. i looked at one on saturday. the ad said it was beautiful, fresh resto, rebuilt motor, ready to roll anywhere. it was also a highroof camper which adds a couple points. there was alot of the problem keifer mentioned. it was worth about $800 to a grand, they wanted three. they hadn't owned it long enough to get the oil changed. motor was a weak singleport. it was about as beautiful as a ho' that lost her charm.

Tue Jan 14, 2003 1:49 pm

Are you looking all over or mostly this site?
You said panel, of which you will find fetch more as they were rarer in the Bay models too... But are you considering Westies/other conversions too?
There are not as many (VW"S in general) in this part of TX, I've seen fewer and fewer as time goes on. But I think driving some old back roads and or hitting the little local rags might still yeild a good score. Seems like some of the ones (like alot of stuff) on the net has gotten driven up $$ wise for what your actually getting, but admit I haven't had time to peruse all the bay for sale adds in a while to see what is on there.

Besides what Tim and I mentioned there are all the other "normal" VW idiosynchrocies (sp)to consider...

Tue Jan 14, 2003 4:43 pm

I got a 71 Bay in 1995 and learned all about how I chose the wrong one.

- Check the engine compression numbers
- CV joints
- Electrical
- whether the Master Cylinder holds its pressure
- Look for rust all over (like door corners)
- Check oil pressure
- Check brakes for wear or uneven stopping
- Is the engine area clean or not?
- Does it idle well? How is the carb?

71 is a great year. Type 4s are good but the Type 1 engine is cheaper to work on and find parts.

I don't know about panels (hard to find) but expect to pay from $1,200 to $2,500. I know someone selling a '72 (second owner) but it's in Palo Alto, CA.

Tue Jan 14, 2003 5:03 pm

Having owned a '69 Westy for nine years (just sold it a few months ago...sorry), I will echo the previous posts...the 68-71 bus type 1 motor is very cheap to work on and all the parts are still available. I probably replaced almost everything electrical, brakes, motor, clutch, heater cables, window rubber and was never unable to get parts over the last decade. The 68-69 still had drum brakes at the front, but in 70 or 71 they went to front disks...if that matters to you for safety. You might want to check out some of Lawrence Meredith's VW Bus books for detailed insight.

Sun Jan 19, 2003 2:29 am

Here's a double door bay from the classifieds, but you'd have to go to Italy to see it!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/index.php?photo+200301180758507720
Jeremy

Mon Jan 20, 2003 3:12 pm

there was one of those on the street in an old abandoned industrial area here in philly. it was abandoned, no engine, someone living in it. one of my biggest regrets(not the biggest)in vehicles is not grabbing it and trying to contact the owner. i went to get it one day, it was gone. i called the city, it was crushed.

Tue Jan 21, 2003 8:47 pm

First places I would check for problems would be under the battery and also the seat belt mounting points.