Gday,

I am new to the kombi scene but am looking at buying my first car (whoo!),i was wondering what you could get for around $8000, i would love to have a micro bus but anything with a good engine and minimal rust is cool with me.

So yeah, with a buget of around $8000 whats out there for a young kombi lover.

---Greezy---

make sure you check out the rust it will be yr biggest cost

there are some nice Bay windows around for that money

Greezy,

Where are you based?

M

Sorry about that fixed up my location, i live in Wonga Park in Victoria near Lylidale.

As VW54 said you should be able to find quite a nice bus for the budget you are indicating.
What to look for prior to purchase.
Body : As previosly suggested rust is and will be your biggest cost if it has any , and trust me they alll have some hiding somewhere keeping in mind that the newest bay you will find will still be 29years old .
I have found over the years of looking at many a bay that the wiring tube just inside the drivers side chassis rail , if this is seriosly rusted then chances are going to be pretty high that the rest of the bus is hiding some more rust so the main rust issues to look for are in the following areas , all window sills especially the bottom of the windscreen ( if it has any bubbles of rust near a window it will be horrifying once the window is removed ) , all sill panels inner and outer and front outer wheel archs are quite suseptable to cancer also and if all looks good also take a fridge magnet with you and if doesn't stick to the sills and outerfront wheel archs anywhere , chances are there bogged up and rusty , other areas that are quite easy to find for rust and not easily bogged over are ,just behind the front wheel inside the wheel arch just below the hump , the floor throughout , battery tray area and the bottom of the front skin panel
Engine & Gearbox: Depending on what year model you look at will and should determin what engine the bus has in it but again being a 30 year old plus vehicle most of them have been messed with in one way or another but if not messed with following is a rough guide on what they should have fitted , somebody will be sure to correct me here if i'mm wrong 68 - 72 = 1600cc type 1 motor ( same as a beetle )coupled to a 3 rib gearbox , years 72 - 74 = 1700cc type 4 motor coupled to a 3rib gear box , 74 - 75 = 1800cc type 4 motor coupled to a 5 rib gearbox , and 76 - 79 2000cc type 4 motor coupled to a 6 rib gearbox .
Once youve determined what engine and box combo it has i would highly recomend that you have a reputable VW shop to check out both the box and motor etc as either of these items go bang and your instantly going to be $2000 + out of pocket.
Hope this gives you a helping hand on your way to being a happy Kombi driver .

Andrew

Hi Greezy,

Not far from me in Ringwood. $8K is a very reasonable budget for a nice bus. You will be able to do it, but you have to be very wary. Looking for $1K cars and getting a pile of dung is one bad thing, but doing it when you are actually aiming for a higher level vehicle would be shattering.

Paying a VW shop to check the bus would be worth it.

http://forums.kombiclub.com/ 
Good place to start

Also make sure you check for oil/transmissions leaks

for 8 gorillas you should be able to get a decent ride however
it will prolly still need a little work so dont expect a car thats in A1 condition thats around 30 yrs old
having said this you may get lucky n purchase someone's ride that they have spent many dollars on and thru some madness offer it for sale
so dont be in a hurry and something sweet will no doubt come your way
good luck with the search
h

Can I suggest you buy one for about $5000 (maybe a bit less), and that will give you $3000 to spend on its immediate needs...
Of course that would mean more rust in your bus, so it depends on how much work you wanna do yourself.

Have you thought about T3 / Vanagon / wedge??

These came in air and water cooled

Not as "cool" in the kombi evolution levels - but that said not as expensive.
Although not as cool - they drive a dam site better

That said - there are some VERY nice looking Vanagon busses out there

Just another option that wears a VW badge

a while back on an auction site i saw a Vanagon someone had cut down to about 5ft long.
the interior was junk but the exterior looked like it was fine.
i think it was like $4,000 but its probably gone by now.