Leaving the Bus scene.

[rusty57]

I have been thinking about leaving the bus scene for a while. I have been into VW's for over 15 years. I've done ghias, bugs, watercooled, and the past few years, split buses. I've learned so many things and realized there are so many more to learn. I've labored for hours in the garage. Sometimes to keep the bus on the road, other times just to relax. I have recovered a bus from the salvage yard. Traded multiple vehicles for one bus. Traded a good busfor a not so good one. Bought a parts bus. So, basically, i've made every rookie mistake. I made the mistake of jumping in without first testing the waters. I just can't see, ever , finishing my bus. There is no way i'll ever have the money to get it painted like it should be. I have a large family to support, and feel like my bus is actually taking away from them at the present time. Both me and the wife are in school right now, so maybe one day , we'll have the means and time to buy a bus again. For now, i think i'm going to sell or trade my bus and perhaps pick up an early beetle. Maybe a vert for the wife. Anyone ever feel like this? Maybe this is just a funk i'm in due to the holidays. Who knows?
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67 Ghia coupe, Retired military.
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[DaveM]

If you don't use the bus for daily transportation and like the idea of a bus, I'd say cover it up and do something else for a while. Spend time with the fam, build a jigsaw puzzle, paint the house, study hard and get an A in phyiscs... and then come back to the bus in the spring.
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Sounding like a broken record as to why You should be measuring protein during harvest in order to better your agronomic practices.

[mynameismud]

interested in a vert ghia?...
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[Bart]

[smalls]

[UZI]

[mynameismud]

[Buckly]

I to have these same feelings now and then. My southwind heater breaks down all the time, which makes for cold morning drives to take my kids to school. Looking at the cold little faces makes me think its not far to them. But when ever I even think about selling the kombi or any of my VWs, they protest. They'll beg me not to sell it, claiming they would like to beable to drive it one day.
Lets face it, you have to be die hard to drive one of these things every day. Its cold in the grage, and colder on the side of the road. I had to do a 6 hour round trip yesterday in my kombi. I must of stopped 10 times to make little adjustments. About half way through the trip the SW broke down again, Things were alittle cool, but the og heater works, so I made it.
I've had my kombi for 14 years, so I can't just let go.
Good luck, only you can make this decisions.
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Cool runnins,
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Bucky

[rusty57]

[2true]

JUNKIE...................

[65sambafun]

My two cents: at 22 years of age, I sold all my VW's and parts claiming to no longer be interested in smelly heat and setting valves. Eighteen years later, I have three of them. I think it's kind of like a diet. You lose it at first...but then you really gain it back.

I agree to put it away for awhile and let it sit. You'll know in the summer what you really need to do.
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'65 Samba
'73 Baja
'74 Ghia Convertible
'73 Thing

[chrome]

did exactly this in 1988, sold EVERYTHING, claiming to be done, even passed up the 68 double bubble i know own for $200.00, which i paid $3000.00 for 2 years ago(my dad bought it new and had to buy it this time around) wrap up your bus and keep it, because when the fire rekindles itself(which it will) youll kick your self in the ass so hard it will take years to find your shoe, i gave up a 56 23 window with semephores on this same type of thinking, now im back with a yard full again, around 15 again
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65 21 window
57 T1 ragtop
58 ghia vert
68 fastback
73 Thing
74 Thing
54 chevy 210
63 mercury meteor wagon

[TimGud]

I gave away a truckload of type 3 parts years ago thinking I would never own another, ended up buying alot of the same parts I sold to fix my last type 3 when I was thinking like you are right now. When supporting a family it's hard not to look at the cars that are in need of alot of work thinking I'd be better off selling. I have done that too and regretted it.(wish I still had the 55 bus!) The prices of buses have gone up big time in the last 15 years and the quality of the affordable ones is getting pretty bad. I would suggest you think it over for a while first. You'll have an easier time selling it after the first of the year anyways cause hardly anything car related sells right before christmas.

[DubStyle]

[robot909]

Rusty57...

I feel you... I have a bus sitting in my car-port, with the engine out - stripped to a long block, with no help to carry it upstairs to work on it on the patio. The days get dark early, its cold, gotta work full time, and not even make enough money to buy parts to get it running.
Got tons of body work, but even if the engine runs, still gotta redo the brakes.
Used to love that "old vw smell", now it makes me nauseous...

Its only been almost three weeks since I pulled her from her early grave, and I'm making progress, but its not easy.

I've had quite a few vw's, but that all ended about 10 years ago. My last bus was a '67 deluxe, I sold it then but I did not fully appreciate what I had. The feeling never went away.

I took a big risk by buying my current bus after being out of the VW world for almost a decade, but something made me crave that feeling again. I would rather be getting something done on the bus tonight, but I'm just chilling in the house and watching tv - taking a break from it.
Sometimes you have to do that.

A couple of days ago, I met a very enthusiastic bus owner, just after talking with him on the phone, I went downstairs and got "just a bit" done, just to move forward. I also installed my "dice" suicide ball on the steering wheel and the shifter extension knob that I held onto for almost a decade, hoping one day to install it in my new bus - and roll down the road listening to that purring engine in the back, while I pull up to the instersection - peeking out my sliding window as I hit my camel nonfilter... The car next to me is wondering what I'm driving, the guys are fearful as they do not know what they are dealing with, but I don't care, I'm just winking at the cuties in the back, and they smile back, cause they see all that cargo space back in my bus and it gets them all wet.... when the light turns green, I step on the pedal and bring to life the 40 horses of death... I'm quickly engulfed in the tire smoke of my opponent, but not before the girlies notice the pirate logo on my bus and they see a message on my split windshield, conveniently printed in reverse letters (like the ambulance), quoting a mysterious message: "panties check-in, but they don't check-out"

Life goes on. Rust keeps on eating my bus away, but I'll keep at it... one bolt at a time.

-P
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-1964 micro
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[biggraham]

Christ I know exactly how you feel, having a 13 month old and lawyers bills up the ying-yang!
I've put so much love, time and money in my bus, I know it'll never be a peach, but beauty's only skin deep, so the paint doesn't really worry me, and chrome won't get you home, so there goes detailing and expensive accessories!
My bus has been off the road since BYoB, due to a fuel leak, dodgy sender and the perverse desire to degunk the engine compartment, not to mention problems with dual carb linkages and their delivery....
Cover, relax and read magazines and stay on the forum, that tends to get me through....
All the Best
Graham

[Bongo]

I guess I'm lucky, even thru our financial crises, my wife would not let me sell my bus. I lost track of the times I offered, but she refused point blank. She can't for the life of her understand the attraction of a cold concrete garage floor, the scream of a grinder and the skinned knuckles, but she 'knows', so I've never got to the stage that you describe above. I can imagine it tho' but if you can afford not to sell it, chuck a blanket over it and throw yourself into something else. Your inspiration will return someday, and then you'll be soooooo glad you've still got that old fraulein out under wraps, just waiting for you!

[obus]

i don't have kids so i can't identify w/ you there but i was 13k in credit debt and when i thought i was going to off my bus, i just tried to pinch pennies in other areas. now the debt is gone, i have a gas credit card that i pay off monthly and am getting into "soon-to-be-married debt!" try to put the bus on the back burner and when the shows start up again, go to one and that will help you get motivated again! good luck whatever you decide. just remember, you will come back at some point. vws never leave the system!
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July 1959 Mango Standard Bus aka Obus L346 L347 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256592&highlight=
June 1973 Pumpkin Orange Thing aka Othing L30H
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=711775&highlight=
1960 Paprika Red Karmann Ghia Convertible aka Schatze L452 built 5/20/60
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=
66 21 window bus built 8/31/65 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=777273

[boscoitalia]

I bought a rat 66 Lotus white deluxe about 10 years ago. Drove it all over- California to Colorado and back, did all the mods -camper interior, Westy stuff (roof was caved in so I installed a Westy pop top on a delux -real vw bastard shit) I sold it for nothing... put time and cash in. Fast forward - I got lucky last year -03 to get a swweeet deal on a single cab. A real beaut- rust free from Santa Cruz.. I hate where the vw scene is going but I love my vw.. when I see trucks WORSE than mine going for over 2k more than I bought mine for it tells me - keep it, tinker on it make it my VW - shit If you sell it you will regret it. They dont come cheap these days.

[oilspot]

You don't have to call it off and sell everything to take care of your family. You just don't sink any more cash into it for the time being.
I never really have the money to put into my bus. It took me three years to get my bus on the road due to my work, family, etc. Now I'm driving it daily, and it's a hell of a lot cheeper than a car payment keeping it going.
I'd say just put it all on the back burner as long as you need.