Hi all from a new memeber but long time VW tragic.

Long story short

For as long as I can remember, my mum drove a '66 Beetle/Type 1. We used to go on holiday with 2 adults and 5 (I kid you not, 5) kids in it down the Great Ocean Road quite regularly.

My family (2 adults, 3 kids) travelled through Brazil, Argentina & Chile in a Kombi in 1978. Light blue, barn doors.

I learned to drive in the '66 and a '74 Beetle. I got my hands on a 75 1800 Type 2 Bay about 6 years ago and have driven it all over the place ever since. I replaced the 1800 with a 2000 about 2 years ago after a spectacular valve drop on top of the West Gate - a white mist descended over the Yarra that day.

I finally got around to chopping out some rust and giving it an external enamel respray 6 months ago to keep it going until I get a shed in the near future (I currently live in West Melbourne in a terrace, but will be moving to the country next year - yay!). All the work did was give me the bug (pun intended) to fix up my bus properly. But to do that, I'll need another one to drive in the meantime :thumb

I drive the old girl everywhere for work (as an enviro scientist) and play. My favorite Kombi moments this year were:

1. Turning up at a mine site at the top of the Great Dividing Range outside Benambra at the end of a gravel logging road at the top of a 1500m hill to cheers from the grader drivers

2. The looks on the faces of 4WD drivers in their $50,000+ beasts on the 4WD (???) track near Mt. Cobbler as I drove past them in the rain on my way to hiking at Mt. Speculation in the Alpine National Park.

3. Having my car filmed as part of a pilot TV program for ABC@ (digital) last month. The TV program has a 50% chance of running on air. That's what the world needs - more TV shows about kombis

BTW - there is a nice king-cab splittie ute, blue with a white roof that parks around the corner from my house every week or two in West Melbourne. If the owner is on this site and ever wants to pass it on to a caring owner, let me know. I'll keep it on the bitumen, I promise

I might post some photos of IBI soon

Post away, we love it (I'm insatiable)

Hello Volcboy47 and welcome.

I like your fav VW stories. Good luck with finding another daily driver until you fix up your bus.

I've had two beetles for a couple of months now and can't wait to drive 'em, as I'm fixing them up properly (Rebuilding the engines and removing rust and repainting).

Do you have any pics of your bus?