TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:17 am

I wanted a camper that I could drive and is very functional. Found this one for $450.Interior is complete and working.
7 months later and it's getting there. Probably have it ready to camp in before high summer.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:31 am

I bought my '71 Westy for a few reasons. I had always wanted a VW Camper Bus. My best friend in highschool drove his parent's '65 Westy. This was in 1973. I was driving a '65 Beetle then. I bought a '71 Squareback in '73, and drove that for 11 years. I went through a VW haitus for almost 17 years and then found a cherry '66 Beetle. When my '86 Soobie 4wd wagon went south in '05, I found this '71 Westy sitting on the side of the road with a 4sale sign on it. It was owned by a Deadhead. He was the 3rd owner. All original inside and out, and still had all the paperwork from himself and the previous owners down to the window sticker invoice. It was a showroom model according to the M-code. It came from the same dealership my parents bought our'65 Beetle from brand new. It was a '71, the year I started Highschool. The same year as my Squareback. It still had the upright engine that I was familiar with, plus power brakes. And '71 was a great year for Rock N' Roll. I had to buy it 8)

Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:06 am

I drive a 75 Hardtop camper. It now works best for my family at this stage of my life.

My 1st bus was a 56 Kombi I bought in college in 1971 for $200. That little 40 horse took me all over the US at 55 mph. My cruise control was brick. Got it totalled by a drunk driver in Wrightsville Beach, NC in 1973. Went to court and Judge awarded me a 1968 camper with a fresh( as in that week) engine.

Had alot of Busses since then. Splits, albeit, nicest looking are not great family vehicles. They require alot of maintenance for daily driving; and stock, are not the best on the freeway. Drum brakes can be scary if you forget to keep them adjusted.

If I could have one, only, in excellent shape: it would be a 1979 Doublecab.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:20 am

I had a fastback when i was a teenager, drove it everywhere and one day it caught fire, total loss.
Had a bug and a ghia, and a 71 Westy, the 71 for about 10 years. Sold the bug for the ghia, my x drove away in the ghia. I sold the bus in 88 during the divorce. And for the next 10 years regretted the loss of the bus. Found my 77 in 99 and sat on it for the next 7? years until i decided to put it back on the road. Still working on it, but enjoying the ride and the work.

but i knew i wanted another Bay Westy.
dp

Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:30 am

I bought mine 10 years ago on a lark, went to check out a 74, called a local mechanic, and he know the bus, said don't buy it, buy this 79 instead, so I did. Dad said it was ugly, and a few years later I remember that I had actually checked out this bus in a parking lot a few months prior, also thought it was ugly at the time. So no reason other than, looks cool. But I've always wanted a vanagon, guess I like the trendy euro look a bit better, but I love the smiles I get in the bus. Could have worse choices.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:01 am

Im not sure what convinced me to buy mine. I was typically into muscle cars, imports, etc. but when I saw mine up for sale down the street from me, I had to have it...my friends all scratch their heads every time they see it, hehe. I think thats one reason why I still keep it around.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:40 am

Lets see now...
Reason #1__ I needed something I could travel to some VW shows and events in and not have to spend money for a room or mess with hauling a tent and all the crap that goes with them.
Reason #2__ I have two teenage kids and I figure by the time I have it completely restored my wife and I will be able to take short over nighters away from home. :wink:
Reason #3__ Neither one of my kids or my wife will drive a bus so I don't have to worry about them using it and bringing it back with a empty gas tank.
Reason #4__ I drive a bug a lot and enjoy the extra room of a bay.
Reason #5__ My wife said I needed a "man cave" and I figured why not have one I could take with me. :lol:
Reason #6__ Sometimes I just want to be alone! 8)

Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:56 am

Traveling Writer wrote:

I don't believe in ghosts, I don't believe in santa, but I do believe this: we don't find 'em; our busses find us.

I could not agree more! When I first got my bus home I was cleaning out my glove compartment and found the original owners manual. After reading through it I found that it had been sold less 2 miles from where I live (even in the same Zip Code!) and was serviced regualrly for the first few years less than 6 miles from my house. All the service stamps in the back showed the days and location.

Its amazing after 36 years that he didnt wonder very far from his original home. :D

Its true love.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:10 pm

My bus wanted me as a owner so I obliged. If we ever get divorced it still will take half. :D

Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:29 pm

I own both. Well 3 if you include the 67 single cab.
I use the 75 campmobile for camping.
I use my 67 deluxe for my daily driver.
And I use the Single cab when I need a truck.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:30 pm

I saw it on here an fell in love. We Love to camp and see new places... If I did not have my kids I would sell all and be gone. I would travel everywhere in my bus. But that mother instinct won't leave me alone! This is the perfect bus for camping for us and we get to visit our kids in college no motel bills.
Now my daugher wants a bus as well as my son. I bought this bay because it just felt right? Stupid i know but It has brought much happiness! Not to mention fun with the hubby after 21 years. New is good :twisted: I got exactly what I wanted endless fun.....

Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:54 pm

i was looking at all three (as well as old econolines, tradesmans, and a100/a108 model dodge vans). I couldnt afford a splitty that was ready to go and I wanted something that was ready to go for last summer. I liked the vanagons too but couldnt find a weekender I could afford and would only want an early vanagon because I wanted something air cooled. I found a bay that had a 2 liter motor that would roll 70/75 all day, has air conditioning (which i havent used yet), had no rust, was within a quick bus ride to pick up and drive home (5 hours away). That same bay was within my budget so I bought it.

I would like to get a splitty one day to slowly restore and/or customize into a daily. Either a panel or single cab. I also wouldnt mind getting a vanagon with a subaru conversion and/or a synchro but thats not really a priority. For now I love my bay. Im learning more and more about it and about keeping it going and am looking forward to learning even more and hopefully taking a lot of road trips this spring/summer/fall.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:05 pm

Traveling Writer wrote:
I don't believe in ghosts, I don't believe in santa, but I do believe this: we don't find 'em; our busses find us.

I couldn't agree with that more, man. When I realized I wanted a bus, I instinctively pictured a white topped, light green bottomed Split window, with the classic slashed bumper in the front. No skylight windows, or sunroof. Just a classic, no-frills bus.

I searched for YEARS to find the perfect bus. I kept attempting to buy Bays, but someone would always buy her out from under me, or the owner would decide they couldn't part with her. I had a budget of $1500, and all that fit in there were low-quality bays. Then one day, I saw her on Craigslist.

She was a 1962 Mango kombi with a white top (I don't care about the lack of originality) for sale for $1500. And get this: She was located just 20 miles from my house. I sent the guy a message immediately, and he told me I was second in line. Then, a miracle happened. The first buyer was in another town, and wouldn't be back for almost a week. He had the money, but the owner needed it ASAP, he was moving. So, he told us we were first in line, but the guy in line after me was offering $2000. He told me that if we could get $1700, she was ours. I guess he knew how much I wanted to love her as my own.

Here's where it gets even MORE creepy. We were selling stuff on Craigslist, and when we got the money for everything, it equaled EXACTLY $200, the amount we needed to add to our budget.

So, we got my dream bus. Everything worked out PERFECTLY, and I couldn't have been happier. She didn't run, had no brakes, and was filled with old, rusty parts.

I honestly think it was fate that brought us together. It was no coincidence that 5 or more sales before her didn't work out. And it was no coincidence she was EXACTLY what I had dreamed of for years, or that the money we got from selling stuff equaled the exact amount we needed.

I know it's the magic these buses have, haha. You can't deny it: these buses aren't just metal, glass, rubber and plastic. There's something else there. I know people other than myself have recognized this. After all, how do you think the idea of Herbie came to the table? It's like these things have a mind of their own, or have some magical quality.

My mildly sarcastic conclusion: After World War two, the Nazis felt they had to turn around, and turned all of their hatred into equally strong love, embodied in the form of steel. They molded the steel into cars, and the Bus was born. Try to find a hole in that! :wink:

Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:19 pm

When I bought my bus in '98, I didn't know anything about VW busses. I didn't know what a Splittie was or what a Baywindow was. I didn't know anything about air cooled engines (let alone type 1 or 4), or fuel injection. I knew that Westfalia's were pop-top campers, which was what I wanted. I checked out a local on-line ad, and a few days later I owned a '78 Sage green westy, and have been learning ever since.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:54 pm

Like dwill49965, we didn't know anything about VW busses either. Mr. Pod and I just knew we'd always wanted one. We had some funds set aside, and started shopping. We test drove about a half a dozen before we found our Miss Pod. As soon as we saw her parked in her carport, we knew. Before we even test drove her, she had won our hearts.

When she had her fire at Christmas time, I cried for days. They are so much more than a heap of metal and rubber parts - they are family. The fire was bad, but just this side of fatal, so we are re-building.

After learning about all the other types of busses, I still would want my 72 Riviera.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 3:38 pm

they are simple, effective, cheap, quirky, advanced yet totally backwards in a way only an enthusiast could love. I am a man about simplicity, or specificly lack of bells and whistles. bare bones, butt-naked, always ideal. When the fire got lit under me to buy a car, i realized it had to be a VW, i had been working on a dune buggy since highschool which stillisnt on the road, and I came to appreciate the design of old german autos. I also had the overwhelming desire to move the heck out of my house, and a westy let me do that. 3 months of the most relaxed (well as relaxied as the life of a full time student can be) living I had known in years.
Now, I dislike vanagons for 2 reasons:
H2O
Polymers
vw never should have included either in their designs. sure AC VWs are limited in power due to heat dissipation, but they are limited in malfunctions due to part count. no coolent system==guarenteed leak free for life.
plastic. I just hate it. ugly, non resiliant, nonweldable, doesn't like to be customized. just all in all not my favorite building material. come warm weather, I'm pulling all the vynal off my dash for that steel look.

oh, I own both a 77 and an 87. I picked a late bay for the interior set up, but not too late so i can have the swivel seat. I wanted room for 4 to sleep, and all the cargo space only available w/ this interior setup. If i had a split it would be a walkthru or a pickup. split campers, from what i can tell from the photos, are a bit lacking in most aspects. however the split is a beautiful car, I would love to own one ,but never will due to price and location. stupidy rusty northeast

/rant

Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:22 pm

A friend of mine drove his bay to a small vw tdi get together after his TDI was totaled. I got a ride maybe 1/4 mile down the street in the thing and absolutely fell in love. Knew I needed a bus.

Splittys were cool, but way out of my price range. Hated the look of the late bays, so 68-71 was my only options. Someone mentioned to me online about crazedlist.org for searching multiple craigslists all at once. Found a bus with it 20 miles from my house. Price was reasonable, body was solid and it was a 68 and I am a sucker for 1 year only anything. Had the bus in my garage a week later.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:33 pm

I was looking for a fun project that I could use for camping in the summer and the VW just checked more of my boxes than anything else I looked at.

-Much more economical than the other van based campers.
-Lots of interior space but smallish on the outside
-high ground clearance for those back roads/waterbars
-simplicity
-rarer/more interesting looking than domestic campers.

After driving one I knew it was meant to be.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:08 pm

i got my baywindow in trade for 90 jetta, from a coworker who got it form a buddy who bought it to haul his old british motorcycles.....the bikes didn't fit like he wanted them too so i ended up with it......this is my second bus my first was a 67 13 window delux.....i want all three....splitty, bay and vanagon...i don't discriminate....if it looks cool and its a vw then i want it

Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:11 pm

My reasons are almost exactly opposite from Casey79westfalia. My grandparents own a family campground in ohio. One weekend, 2 buses came in for the weekend. I thought that would be a cool way to travel, so within a week, I bought one sight unseen, off that auction site, over 600 miles away. I have learned alot since that bus, and most of it the expensive way. I currently own 2 split westfalias, one 71 westfalia, and a 60 DC, along with a 72 Ghia convertible. I just sold a 78 Sage westfalia like Casey's. I came to these conclusions, which prompted the sale. Yes, the 78 was an automatic, it had the double bunk, and cloth interior, and nice wood grain, big engine (comparatively) and really a damn nice camper. But it didint have the soul. It was boring to me. Probably, if the truth were told, it was the auto tranny that bored me, but non the less, it lacked that feeling. I purchased a crusty 71 years ago at an auction. It went a few hundred dollars more than I was going to spend. I chased the new owner out to the parking lot, inquired about the buses future, and he says he wants the engine and tranny (dune buggy guy) and crush the rest. Oh no, this bus has an amazing interior. So we make a deal, to get him a tranny and engine, me the bus, and 6 years later we are great friends. 6 years later, I have finally finshed the body and paint, and I now have a wonderful early bay, wonderfully placed between the split and the 78 in terms of plainness and bare beauty and soul. Not quite as "kewl" as a split, a litlle more practical, and a hell of a lot more fun than the 78. Just one mans opinion.
Thank you for reading