[Steve]

Ok...we have been looking to do a two week camping trip to France but by the time we have hired a car (we don't have or need one here normally) and then paid for a tent and other camping stuff we are getting close to the cost of an old VW campervan. The better half has always fancied owning one and tbh if we did it would get used quite a lot, so we are wondering if it is not better to invest more money now (on top of the car rental cost) and buy one now rather than throw away all the rental money 'just for a holiday' and have no long term return on it.

The problem is that I know nothing about them, their faults, reliability, what I should be looking for etc. So does anyone have any experiance or thoughts on the subject that they would like to share?

[Gary Bagshawe]

Our nextdoor neighbours bought 1 about a month ago, They are never at home now and when they are they sit out in it drinking beers,

[silkstone]

If you mean one of the old split-screen VW campervans, they have great character and some of it is quite good.

In uni days four of us went around Belgium, France and Luxembourg in one. I remember being dripped on by condensation from the fold-up roof, and also going 'yahay!' (or something like that) if we managed to coax it to over 50 mph.

I reckon they're wonderful, but they are nothing whatsoever like a modern car to drive, and you're likely to be unpopular with all the people stuck behind you.

It's difficult to predict reliability with something so old - it depends on what has been replaced. The engines are usually OK if they haven't been round the clock three times, although they have to work very hard. Exhausts are a weak point, and electrics especially if rust has got to the earth points.

Whatever you do, don't put any antifreeze in it.

[Dave]

Did you ever watch the series with Jamie Oliver travelling round Italy in his fully restored one ? His broke down a few times, so I would say get it checked over properly. Prone to rust, as is any vehicle that age & darn slow, so watch out on the motorways

I love old vehicles like these, but wouldn't like to own one if you know what I mean

[Steve]

I missed the Jamie Oliver show where he was in Italy as I had already moved over here however I did see the episode of Top Gear where The Stig did a lap of the track in his VW Campervan, apparently it has a V6 engine in the back...they had Jamie trying to cook something while it was on the track

I have done a little more research into this today and found out that VW do/did two different engines one was a 2 litre petrol and the other a 1.6 diesel, I know there is a fair amount of weight in the thing but I would have thought that the 2.0 would have enough power to plod along at a reasonable pace?

[silkstone]

Mmmm... I think there were more variations than that, and I hadn't heard of a diesel one???

The engines ranged from 1100cc when they first went into production to 2000cc by the end. I think the one we went in was either 1500 or 1600.

There's some info at Tips on buying a VW camper - Read this and avoid nightmares!

... and a history at Volkswagenbus History @ Aircooled Volkswagen Bus Stop, although some of that seems to be in (double) Dutch only!

[Steve]

Cheers for the links Silkstone...off for a read

[lon10c]

I had 1976 VW Camper Bus, Green. I used to race dirt bikes and my mate and I would travel all over the Eastern United States in the thing. Pull two Husqvarnas on a trailer, 10gal of premix, plus all our gear. The thing was a blast and held up good. Just keep it tuned up and the oil changed.

My Dad was a mechanic and he worked on the motor and found about 15 more horsepower. He also put a heavy duty oil cooler on the motor and that really helped.

Buy a small Marine Chemical toilet for the inside.