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looking at buying old vw bus
Beril
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Well, a little back story first. I've always liked the 60s-70s VW buses. I now have enough money to buy one in mediocre condition, but before a drop a few grand on a possible pos I want to know more about it. Are repair costs for a car like this outrageously expensive? Could A/C be put in it? What is a good price for one? Will I be able to take this to a shop, or will I have to do everything on my own? Basically, what all should I know?
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The biggest problem with old vehicles is usually parts, but their popularity means that the classic VWs are probably as good as any 60s/70s era vehicle is going to get in that regard. Same applies to finding places to service or repair is, but you will find that non-classic specialist places won't want to work on it.
Best advice is to make sure you're either capable of doing most general maintenance yourself, or there is somewhere nearby that will be able/willing to do it for you. Make sure you know of somewhere that either stocks, or can order in, tyres in the correct fitment for it. Find an owners club website/forum and read through it, that's the best place to get advice on prices, common faults and how to identify them, servicing advice and intervals, running costs, etc.
I don't know about retrofitting A/C to an older car. I don't doubt there will be someone that has attempted it, but it doesn't seem like the best idea.
Repair costs aren't bad and parts are plentiful on the internet, worse comes to worse, duct tape and chicken wire can hold most things together until the parts arrive.
Yes A/C can be retrofitted, but that is not a cheap proposition in most cases and really should be done by a professional.
Price depends completely upon condition. At BugJam I have seen them go from $1k up to $15k. The more stock they are the more expensive they are. If driving a complete numbers correct resto isn't a big deal for you, you can probably get a really nice one for $3k-5k.
Yes, you can take it to a shop. Most mechanics have had some experience with air cooled, and they are extremely simple vehicles to work on.
Your best bet is to find a local VW or VW Aircooled club and introduce yourself. VW people LOVE bringing new people into the hobby and you will be amazed how many people are willing to throw blood sweat and tears into helping you work on your VW.
I recommend www.vwvortex.com for a start. They have an aircooled section for parts, cars, and chatting. That site will also help you find a local club.
A fully restored Type 1 with all the superfluous windows can pull $65,000 without too much trouble...
Also, thanks for the input.
Yes, there are mechanics out there that work on these, but you will want to learn to do the basic maintenance yourself. It will save you a ton of money and really help you out for when you break down on the side of the road. This will eventually happen, no matter how good you are about keeping your bus in good shape. Also keep in mind that there was an engine change in the early 70's. They went from the type 1 to a type 4 engine. The type 4 is more expensive to work on simply because there were a lot fewer made and there are fewer people familiar with them.
The basic rule of thumb, at least a few years ago, was that a decent bus would cost you $5000. You can either pay that up front, or buy one that needs work and put some money into it.
AC was an option when new, but it took a lot of power away from an already underpowered engine. Many of the original systems have been disconnected and are missing some components, but you can put it back together or there are new options available if you really need it. The vent windows are pretty effective at cooling on their own, though.
You should definitely get someone experienced with aircooled VW's to check out any bus you're considering buying. There are a lot of things to check out that someone unfamiliar won't know what to look for. Also keep in mind that owning a classic car is a lot of work, especially if you want to use it as a daily driver. Keeping up on the maintenance or fixing a previous owners work can take up a lot of your time.