Campervan advice please?

AdrianC

kipperman wrote: »

We rented a T2 for a weekend, and jolly glad we did - as it was a complete nightmare. Could not pull the skin off a rice pudding, especially going up hills. Brakes needed a 5 minute warning before actually starting to slow the thing down, and even then slewed to one side.

Yes, even a rental can be poorly maintained...

onomatopoeia99

kipperman wrote: »

We rented a T2 for a weekend, and jolly glad we did - as it was a complete nightmare. Could not pull the skin off a rice pudding, especially going up hills.

They were ridiculously underpowered from new, especially the early ones. Some even had reduction hubs as the original Beetle engine could not get a fully loaded van up a hill with its stonking 25bhp.

vansboy

When I was last in Cromer, the chip shop I went to, had a noticeboard with local businesses advertising. One was for a guy who apparently buys VW campers to order, by trecking California, selecting some for clients, before returning to England with the rust free, prime examples, he can find.


Chip shop might have been

https://www.maryjanes.co.uk/
So possibly ring them and see if his advert is still on the notice board. Was something simple, like Simons Campers...or Steves Campers....


Sorry to sound vague, but maybe another way of not buying a total money pit!!


VB

Flobberchops

Hi all, the hit-and-run OP has returned! Some great advice here and probably exactly the kind of reality check I needed. My apologies for not returning and thanking you all earlier, I probably came across as an enormous ingrate.



I'm going to take the advice offered and a) join some classic camper groups/forums and b) hire a couple of different vehicles to get a feel before committing to a purchase. While I'm still slightly swept up in the "romance" of driving a pastel-coloured Hippy-wagon rather than a big brutalist monolith resembling a converted builder's van, this is something I'm going to either have to get over or else push through. The poor mileage and frequent breakdowns that some posters warn of are exactly the kind of thing that would put me off owning an original model - I love the idea, but I don't want it to turn into a labour of love in itself, consuming time and money with constant servicing and spares required.



Cheers again! I'll report back and ask more stupid questions in due course.

downhillfast

Flobberchops wrote: »

While I'm still slightly swept up in the "romance" of driving a pastel-coloured Hippy-wagon rather than a big brutalist monolith resembling a converted builder's van, this is something I'm going to either have to get over or else push through. The poor mileage and frequent breakdowns that some posters warn of are exactly the kind of thing that would put me off owning an original model - I love the idea, but I don't want it to turn into a labour of love in itself, consuming time and money with constant servicing and spares required.

There is a bit of middle ground here that has been touched on but not really expanded on...

Up until 2013 the bay window vans were still being built in Brazil. There are a number of companies in this country that have imported them and converted them to campers. These allow you the look and feel of the old vans without quite so much rust and mileage already on them.

My friend is an enthusiast and set up a website which is considered the goto place for anything brazilian-bay related.

http://www.brazilianvwbay.com

Can I also point out that in this country the square VWs aren't actually referred to as T3s... they're T25s! I had one and loved it... although I now have a T4 and love that in a different way!

Good luck and happy camping! :beer: