TheSamba.com :: View topic - What to look for when buying a Westfalia Camper

Thu May 05, 2022 6:31 am

Hi everyone! Lots of experience with Beetles but minimal knowledge with Buses.

Looking to purchase a camper bus to take on long road trips. What are the things to look for and the things to look out for?

A couple of questions: What's up the the rust spots around the lower windshield? Big deal or not?

If a Bus has A/C how much does it affect the performance of the vehicle?

Can you explain how the upper bed works? How do you get up there? Is it big enough for two adults?

Any other good sources of info on Westfalia Buses?

Thanks for your help!
Marty

Thu May 05, 2022 6:42 am

The rust under the windshield is a big deal. It needs to not leak. Two things happen when water gets in.

The water collects in the lower nose behind the front bumper and will rust out that area.

And

The water runs down the inside of the nose and floods the fuse panel.

If you can’t remove the windshield, get a new seal, and repair the damage correctly, at least plug any holes you can. It might be possible to drill water outlets in the lower nose

Thu May 05, 2022 7:17 am

you climb like a monkey to get to the upper bunk.
it'll fit 2 adults (74-79 model years) so long as you are limber enough to climb up there.
meaning if you are on the small and fit side, no problem
if you are on the large and unfit side, larger problem.

AC takes power and the oem systems are very old, would require updating to be reliable and efficient.
if you are running it on the back roads in flat land, won't really notice it.
in the Mountains and along grades it'll drag you down sooner and more stress on the motor.
so it can be great for Florida or Texas.. 500ft ASL
not so much for Utah or New Mexico 6000-8000ft ASL

Thu May 05, 2022 9:12 am

Since you're intending to travel long distances, the mechanical reliability factor should take precedent. Here are a few thoughts of mine to consider:

*Nothing should leak. If anything is leaking, find out why. If your oil cooler has a small leak, you wouldn't want it to become a big leak while on the highway or in a remote location.

*If the tires appear at all questionable, just replace them.

*The engine should inspire confidence that it will carry you to your destination and home again safely. If you're not a mechanic, do have a mechanic tune the engine and check it out before a long trip.

*A personal opinion: I switched to fully synthetic engine and transmission oil years ago and have never looked back. The engine and transmission run much more quietly and smoothly.

*A basic safety inspection: Check the wiper blades, all lights, brakes, horn, etc. before a road trip.

The campers came with a camper stool or camper box, that is placed between the two front seats on later models. Most people use them to hop up into the top bunk. This leads me to say that on the non-mechanical end of buying a Bus, MAKE SURE IT IS AS COMPLETE AS POSSIBLE. For example, if you or someone else will need that stool/box to get to the top bunk and the Bus you buy doesn't have one, you'll need to find another way to get up there. These sorts of items have always been tricky to find, but even more so the more these vehicles age and when you find them, these things can be expensive. Will you need the child's cot that is stretched across the front seats? If so, you'll need your Bus to have it and if it doesn't, then you'd need to track a good one down and spend a couple hundred dollars to add this to your Bus.

Happy trails and good luck!

Thu May 05, 2022 9:39 am

Body work is expensive, so buy the best body you can afford.

Thu May 05, 2022 9:42 am

The rough rule of thumb

Rust spots around windshield are e^pi worse than they look. That’s about 23x for the amaths.

The proof is left to the student

Thu May 05, 2022 10:06 am

Tires have a date code. Buy new ones if yours are too old. Even if they look good

Thu May 05, 2022 10:14 am

If you find one in Michigan it will be expensive and nice or it will be expensive and look nice but in reality will be a turd. If you want to see nice and well taken care of campers head over to Munks in Waterford. Chris can show you nice ones and what it takes to make and keep them that way.

Whatever your budget is the multiplier is about 1.4 and always have $5k in ready cash to dump into the Bus.

Thu May 05, 2022 10:28 am

All good info, Thanks everyone! Sounds like the upper bed would be the place to put the grand kids rather than the grand parents :wink:

I'm looking for a 1975 or later Westfalia, thinking the Type 4 engine is torquer and therefore a better match to the Bus - would you agree? I've never worked on the VW/Bosch fuel injection system. Better to keep it and learn it or change it our for carbs (something I know and can work on)or a modern system like Megasquirt?

How functional is the kitchen set up in a Westfalia of this vintage in terms of the sink, stove & fridge? I'm assuming the stove and fridge run on propane?

Thu May 05, 2022 10:37 am

Hi Toolbox, I'm well aware of the risks involved in trying to find a rust free anything here in Michigan. I'm planning on buying something from the West or Southwest. I will do a firsthand inspection before agreeing to purchase. Part of my reason for posting my original question is to find out about problems specific to Baywindow/Westfalia.

Thanks for mentioning Munks. I take a drive up to his shop and see what I can learn.
Marty

Thu May 05, 2022 10:45 am

Not specific to Westfalia's but a good thread about what to look for when buying a bus: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=474878

Thu May 05, 2022 10:48 am

Also, a decent Westy is going to cost you a cr@p ton of cash. Decent late ones start around $30K and go up from there.

Thu May 05, 2022 10:53 am

Globespotter wrote: Also, a decent Westy is going to cost you a cr@p ton of cash. Decent late ones start around $30K and go up from there.

True that. 8)

Thu May 05, 2022 12:11 pm

You are about 3x past the time where you can be guided by model-specific “issues”. The past history of the unit in question is revealed by inspection, not by model year, time, or even mileage

Thu May 05, 2022 1:43 pm

#1 consideration is how rusty it is…before anything else. The best year, model, version of bus is the least rusty bus you can get your hands on.

Thu May 05, 2022 2:10 pm

there are a lot of great buses in canada. they got extras regularly that we didn't (such as heaters!) i don't know what the market is like (you might ask Scott at German Supply, or some other canadian member). i know you're concerned with rust, but you never know what you might find. for what it's worth.

Thu May 05, 2022 2:55 pm

Yup, rust is king, but learn what to look for as to what is bad and what is “less bad.”

Front windshield rust - yup, but repair panel is available and it’s a doable fix.

Rust in the front beam - not as much fun. Check that closely.
Rust in the rear trailing arm mount areas - no fun. Check that closely.

Rust in the battery tray - a doable fix. Look for rust there too. Very common.

Probably telling you what you already know, but watch for “restorations”. If you see a repaint where the window seals were just taped off, and you can usually tell, look at the bus much more closely. IMO a good restoration pulls all the glass.

Good luck!
Hobo

Thu May 05, 2022 4:25 pm

orwell84 wrote: #1 consideration is how rusty it is…before anything else. The best year, model, version of bus is the least rusty bus you can get your hands on.

X2! Rust is the biggest factor. Everything else is gravy. Rockers/sliding door track, front dog legs & the area where the floor meets the front wheel wells are major rust areas and either a lot of work or a lot of money to repair.

This bus:

Looked like this after when we started removing the rust.

Thu May 05, 2022 6:30 pm

John Muir did say that everything is fixable, but rust is the REAL enemy.

Thu May 05, 2022 10:19 pm

Hello,
A lot of good advice about what to look for in finding the right bus. I'll add, look for a bus that the PO's didn't hack up the wiring.
You have a good idea coming out west looking for a bus with drier bones...
Bring coveralls to slip into for crawling around under the bus, look everywhere for issues...front to back, top to bottom. Try to find a survivor, you see what you get. There's, no lip-stick on the pig. They are out there. I found one.
Good luck, in your search.