Kombi-First Car

Hey guys,

I'm new here, and don't know if this is the right section, but I will ask away.

What do you guys think of purchasing an 8 seater Kombi as a first car?

yahoo!!!!!! have it checked out mechanically though

go for it. you sit up nice and high to see over traffic and no worries of getting a speeding ticket! save all those precious points. only down side will be the fact that you will always be the designated driver on pub crawls:party

Personally i couldn't think of a better first car....:thumb

I purchased a 71 bus for my first car in 89 had it for 8 years drove her to the ground but had heeps of fun,drove a baja for 6months until i worked that they suck to sleep and *#@ * in and have had kombi's ever since .good choice for first car.

I'm looking at a four seater or great so any specific models/versions I should keep an eye out for?

What is maintenence like for these babies?

LOL, I'm guessing these kombi's are actually bad hill climbers. How much would they struggle?

[Edited on 16-9-2004 by Silver_Platinum]

Sorry double post.

[Edited on 16-9-2004 by Silver_Platinum]

i would look for a late model bay with a type 4 engine (1700cc, 1800cc, 2000cc) for the extra power. the earlier bays had 1600cc type 1 engines (like beetles) pretty gutless for a big kombi. other than that go for it. i wouldnt say no to a nice bay.

Sorry about all the questions, I have been told it is not the best idea to drive them on hot days, would you agree?🙁

Sorry about all the questions, I have been told it is not the best idea to drive them on hot days, would you agree?

my bet is that you were told this by someone who has never had a Kombi.
this is a load of crap.
I drove my '73 camper to Darwin and back from Adelaide, trust me, it's plenty hot in Darwin.
the old girl never missed a beat the whole 6 months I was in Kakadu, and it even drove roads that some 4WD's were stuck on.
I can't think of a more versatile and enjoyable car to drive than a Kombi.
Hope you find a good one, and welcome to the world of Kombi ownership.
:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer

Looks like everything is good, are Kombi's prone to rust interior and exterior?

If it is in good mechanical condition it is no problems.

If it is run down or in bad shape, then like any car in that condition it will not be god to drive on a hot day or any day.

We have never had to stop driving our kombi due to heat in ten years of owning them. Not once.

We have had breakdowns, but no more than any other 1975 vehicle would be expected to have.

Silver_Platinum wrote:Sorry about all the questions, I have been told it is not the best idea to drive them on hot days, would you agree?🙁

look out for one with a 2L....best to get the best first

I had a 71 high-top camper (which have even more wind resitance) in Arizona when I lived there. In the summer the temp got over 100 degrees (F) every day for 45 days and I never had any problems overheating even driving up Mt Lemon which is ~1000m climb from Tucson.

Definately go woth the Kombi mate.

Thanks for the advice and tips guys. One more question, then I will go on the quest to find one, Kombi can travel on freeways?
I'm asking this because I say an old beetle and it could only reach a max speed of 60.

With a 2 litre gearbox, you will have nice smooth hwy driving as they are geared higher. We have a 2 litre box in our bus, even though it has a 1800 motor. It sits on 3100 rpm at 110 kph.

Top speed, well lets say 120 is not struggling, but you shouldn't really drive like that all day for more than one reason.

Get it checked before u buy,i got an nrma report on a beetle i was thinking about and then ran away horrified after reading it,must still have a few old geezers still working there :thumb

hey dude
im only 17 and got my first kombi when i was 13 or 14 best thing i have ever done!!! i know own 4 kombi's to my name and there are 16 VW's in the backyard among 3 of us!!!
theres nothing like driving a kombi its like ya driving a bus but only on a smaller scale of size!!!
dont let things like speed, size scare you cause u will love every moment u drive it not matter how fast ur going!!!
cheers
rhys

a beetle with a top speed of 60? is this in KM's or miles? even a 1200 bug should sit on 90km/h on the highway. my baja with its 1600 single port engine and 1200cc gearbox can keep up with highway traffic i just choose not to as it revs high due to the 1200 gearbox (the ratios are lower for offroading). i think you should be disregarding alot of things you have heard from other people about Volksies. they are great cars and i havent had a major issue with my baja since i bought it.

Nick

go form it! my first car is a kombi camper and i love it!

Thanks, guys. I was just after reading this it started worrying me.
http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?s=&postid=3705991#post3705991

My first car was a '72 1600 kombi and I loved her dearly. Some things you should bear in mind though. If you absolutely must have a car available at all times and the kombi would be it you probably shouldn't get a 30ish year old anything, as great as kombis are. If you don't know already (as I didn't) you will learn about how cars work pretty quickly, you can't just put petrol in and drive them and expect them to go forever, they need love and attention. Try to find someone who knows what they are looking at to take with you if you go to buy one.

Good Luck

that topic on overclockers is hilarious 🙂

Kombi's are the ultimate sex machines! That is, if you wanna keep them running, you won't have time for any sex!

Nah, just joking. There are plenty of really bad Kombi's out there, and plenty of really good ones. Telling the difference is essential. Ask someone from a local club what they think about any you're looking at, or take it for an inspection at a local VW mechanic, and you should be fine. Check the links on the site.

As for driveability - man I've driven the best machines Germany has on offer, and I'd take a Kombi anyday. They cruise along with the rev heads on the highway (though I don't recommend doing it for too long. You're just punishing a thing of beauty, and making problems in the long term), they make it up Mountains (slowly - but with ease), you can see everything, and you're a legend just by driving one (many people on the forum have suspect to absolutely no personality, yet are still loved for driving this car. Me for example).

A kombi is a learning experience mechanically, and just adds new dimension to a superior way of life. Go for it!

So many opinions on the same car.

I personally swear by the 1600's. Not real flash up hill, but it will sit on 100 all day.
Rust depends on model & where it was made. The German ones don't tend to rust as badly as the Australian ones.

As quite a few others have said; if you go looking at kombis, take someone who knows what they are looking at.

i have always had a 2ltr till this last kombi which was a 1800 ,found it was a little slower up hills so i got it bored out to 2ltr runs great .if you can a 2ltr is stronger but any kombi is a great first car. about overheating ive experienced this phenonomum once when my rubber tube between the sump & dip tube cracked & i lost oil (rubber cover on spark leads will fit there till you replace tube handy hint) a handy idea is oil gauge connected to dip stick which will give you peace of mind