Some things to look for in buying a bus

[Lind]

so you have $xxxx and you want to buy a bus. here are my suggestions for what to think about and what to look for. they are not in any particular order, you need to look at and evaluate all of these things.

first off, have you riden in or driven a bus? if not, get out and find a freind with one and ride around in it, drive it, go on a road trip in it. get the feel of an old bus and see if that is something that you would like.

second, what model do you want? take a look around and see what the different models are and think long and hard about it. if you want a truck and you want to be able to take your whole family out to the movies in it, you better get a doublecab unless you have a small family or boys that like to ride in the back.

third, what color do you want? it is highly recomended that you stick with a stock color and preferably the original color for that bus. if you have your heart set on a green bus, but you buy a red bus and paint it green, it is going to look like chrismas when it gets any scratches. not to mention the adverse affects on the value.

fourth, what is the condition of paintwork? paint is very expensive. a good paintjob for a bus can easily run $8k-$12k. a cheap maaco paint job will seriously devalue the bus and it will look like crap in two years. original paint is nice, but hard to find and never perfect. a fresh repaint can look shiny now, but can have big problems in a few years. an older repaint will show more of the quality of materials used. if the repaint is ten years old and it can still hold somewhat of a shine, and it isn't rusting through and the bondo isn't cracking, that is a good sign. if you are still thinking about getting a bus painted, go around to a few body shops and see if they will even take on a bus. most won't because they can make twice the money doing insurance work.

fifth, how much rust? all buses have rust, its just a matter of how much. if it is just a tiny amount, you can treat it and not have to get any welding done. if it has a few panels that need replaced, you will be spending quite a bit of money getting that work done. also see my thoughts on paint, because it will likely need painted after the rustwork is finished. a good freind of mine (who has restored and customized hundreds of cars over the last 30 years) once told me, "I will take body damage over rust any day of the week". this is because body damage is a lot easier to fix than rust. rust is incideous and it hides in hard to reach places.

sixth, how much body damage? see paintwork and add at least a couple thousand dollars.

seventh, how complete is the bus? parts can be expensive and hard to find.

eighth, how does the bus drive? the mechanical condition of the bus is important, but less so than the paint/body/rust because it is easier and cheaper to fix. it never ceases to amaze me how a freshly shiny car that drives like crap will sell twice as fast as a faded original car that drives perfectly. its not a deal killer for the bus to drive bad, but it can cost $4k-$8k+ to do a complete mechanical rebuild. factor that into the purchase price. if it doesn't run, consider that it needs everything.

ninth, how is the overall wear on the bus? does the bus appear to be worn out? do more things not work than do work? in the long run it will cost much much more to make a turd nice than it will to buy a nice bus and make it nicer. buy the best condition bus that you can afford and if you can't afford a nice bus, you probably really can't afford a crappy bus.

tenth, how patient are you? this is really important. buying a bus is not like going to the store and buying a loaf of bread. sure, there are 360 buses for sale on this site while I am writing this, but there still may not be the right bus for you. the more money you have to spend, the easier it is to find a nice bus, but even then, patience is a virtue. you want to buy the right bus to begin with. be sure that the bus you are looking at is the right bus for you. if you have big doubts about that, then it is likely the wrong bus. be prepared to wait for up to a year to find the bus of your dreams. everyone that I know who has been serious about buying a VW and had a realistic budget and some patience has been able to find the right car in less than a year. I see just as many people get impatient and buy the wrong bus and later regret it after they have dumped too much money into something that they only kind of wanted and then they see their dream bus get sold for less money than what they have into their bus, but they can't buy it because their money is tied up in their bus.
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Wanted:
Idaho VW license plate frames or other dealership items.
VWoA literature and early dealership or distributor literature/pictures/information
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[BWD]

Thanks Lind!
Lot's of good info!
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BWD
JHC
member #2850
1966 Beetle
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[Saggs]

Very well said and to the point! At first I thought those figures seemed high but after thinking about it,there's so many parts on a bus that can need attention that you can lose $5-8k in a hurry. Patience is the most important thing unless you have cash falling out your orifices.
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"One man can make a difference...Jesus did."

[Conant.D]

Lind is on the money. I bought a cheap bus, for 1250 bones and nine months later I am 6400 bones deep total. Thats a used engine, lots of body work done by me and others, all the tools, had not a one, and a pretty good paint job! anyhow, it is not running but soon will be. I love my bus because of all the work I have done on it, but damn if I would have saved up a bit more money I would have been driving that sucka for a long time now.

DC
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1967 Kombi
1987 Syncro Westy 2.0L BOSTIG ZETEC

[j.pickens]

Yeah, but how much does it cost to slam it and roll it on BRM's?

(Just kidding)

Seriously, though, good advice all around.
From someone who bought a bus unfinished, needing a new deluxe interior.
I'm never getting THAT money back....
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Founder and Chairman Emeritus, ECMSAS
BBX BBXII and BBXXI Long Distance Award Winner

[Tribalbus]

preach on brotha lind!awesomew tips!the first thing i personally look for is rust.this is your buses worst enemy!i do my own mech. work,so not too concerned about that.motors are a dime a dozen.its the rust that scares me most.if your going to look at a bus look in the following places to name a few because splits love to rust,and neil young can tell you rust never sleeps!enough gabbing heres my list when i look for rust:front floors{underneath bus and lift the floor mat!},rear cargo area{again under and lift mat!},doglegs{section under front doors},nose at bottom of seam,around front windows,roof rails,jack pionts and frame cross members.{while you're down there look at over -all condition of under carriage}rockers on both sides,rear corners towards the bottom.i can go on and on.it is important to start on one side and walk all the way around the bus until you come full circle and looked at EVERYTHING.....good luck!............Louis
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my rides:
59 type 221
58 1/11g {euro spec)soon to be powered by judson

[vwkombi1966]

lind, you hit this one dead on! i spent about two years my self looking for the "right" bus for me! although i spent 2K on it at first, it was in terrible need of attension. guess the old saying "you get what you pay for" is true! however, there is one point i wanted to add, even "crappy" busses can have a good value. my bus did not exactly come "complete" or restored, but because i have had all of the work done to it, i have the "warm & fuzzy feeling" when i jump behind the wheel, because i PERSONALLY know what has, and hasn't, been done to my bus.the drawback though, is that it has cost aprox 14K so far, but it was well worth it!
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Aircooled VW: more expensive than CRACK!

- 1968 Squareback (Scarlett)
- 1969 Westy

[53 0val]

Always buy the most expensive restoration you can afford and start from there. I have known too many guys who start with some cheap rust bucket and just keep dumping money into it. Soon they lose interest and it becomes somebody elses "great deal".

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"What a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away." Dobee, Dobee, Do

[Lair]

I just bought my first bus, and I'm OK with the price I paid and the overall condition of the bus.

However. . .I wish I had done a close inspection and serious inventory of the bins of parts before settling on a price. Half of the parts the guy said he had are not here, and half of the parts that are here are incorrect, unusable, or broken.

The lesson I've learned: When buying a project bus, don't take the seller's word for anything. Check it out yourself - BEFORE you settle on a price. You could save yourself some time & cash. I thought I was getting a great deal, but it turned out to be an OK deal instead.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find some correct front seats, a rear bumper that isn't rusted through, three jail bars, interior panels, two popout windows, two stationary windows, cargo door latch rods, an engine, rocker trim, bumper trim, hatch trim, and a front emblem that isn't rusted through.

That'll get me started.

[CMoran]

Thanks for the info laid out in this thread to everyone, I'm just starting to look now and patience part gives me hope. Been sort of looking and realized I was incorrect how I was going about it. Now time to refocus and be patient. Thanks again and any new info would be greatly appreciated.

[BulliBill]

Lind, you are an incredibly knowledgeable Transporter guy! Timeless advice to a possible Bus buyer, even 15 years later, right on the money. It ought to be required reading for any "newbie", even some of us "oldies" too.

Thanks Lind! Hey we gonna see ya this weekend?

Bill Bowman
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I'm looking for these license plate frames from old Volkswagen dealerships for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

[FlusteredBust]

I am starting to look again, and Lind's post is an excellent checklist. One thing I would add, is that when you compare the cost and time involved in extensive rust repair, to shipping a relatively rust-free bus (they all have some rust) from the desert Southwest, SoCal or Texas. Shipping becomes a really good deal. I just shipped a jeep from Florida to LA for about $1300. So the question you have to ask is... do you pay the shipper or pay Klassic Fab?

I love those threads about the bus pulled from the Maine woods and saved with months of heroic metal work. Realistically though, most of us don't have the skill, workspace or time to take on something like that.

[chrisflstf]

In todays world, not much rust, means only the bottom 12" needs to be replaced

[Lind]

[karl h]

I would add:
do you have space to store the bus and keep it dry, preferably a garage. how much does it cost you per month?

if you are going to do work yourself, do you have the tools?

does your significant other approve your hobby? having discussions every time you spend time or money (and you will need lots fo both) is very annoying
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61 panel: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=465022
68 ghia vert
arctic alice (63 ragtop on irs): http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,27456.0.html
86 Caravelle
04 new beetle vert

[thom]

so you have $xxxx

$xxxx doesn't get you much bus any more
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-Thom
1956 Single Cab
1957 Porsche 356A Sunroof
1957 23-Window Deluxe
1957 Mercedes Westfalia single cab
1963 Unimog 404
1965 E-Type

[Lind]

[Skim]

Should be made a sticky and posted up top for good ^
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GFK
Samba since before the towers collapsed. Still here.
1953 Kabriolet
1959 Lowlight Ghia vert
1960 Lt Grey Double Cab SMZ LEGIT
1963 Deluxe Turkis Walk Thru 15 Window OG Paint

[aa390392]

Agree with skim
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getting grumpy & less tolerant!


55 ragtop
56 delux sedan
56 Kabriolet

[type2rescuemaine]

^X3