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posted on August 1st, 2006 at 05:31 PM
Which Kombi to go for
Greetings all.
After much frustration and lack of room running about in a '97 Barina, I've decided to up(down?)grade to a Kombi.
To give you an idea, I'm a musician carting a speaker that's as tall as I am, and it doesn't fit too good in a little car.
So, some general questions from the experienced members here.
Firstly - Does anyone have any references to know issues with certain years/model Kombi's?
Secondly - Can anyone reccommend a Kombi for a uni student with moderate amount of money (I can handle doing servicing my self, or taking her in for
work every now and then, and don't mind spending a couple of grand a year on fixing her up, but major engine rebuilds and huge amounts of body work
exceeding $5k a year is out of the question)
Thirdly - What are the rough running costs, economy and servicing figures like? What is performance like? Redbook is of very little use, it doesn't
seem to have any fuel consumption figures, power figures, etc. (For ease of use, I'll be driving manual if I can find one).
So, can anyone reccommend any hints, tips, starting points, information, etc. for a keen VW enthusiast?
I'm looking to spend up to around $5000 or $6000 to purchase the Kombi initially.
Cheers,
Joel
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helbus
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posted on August 1st, 2006 at 09:28 PM
$5000 will get you a very reliable kombi. You MUST get someone who knows about VW's to check it out. A $100 payment to have a mechanic compression
test the motor and look at a few other things can certainly help prevent a $3000 heartache later on.
Abot 10-11 litres petrol per 100k's country driving and 14-17 city driving would be expected, especially from a 1700, 1800 or 2 litre motor. They are
a preferable motor however as they are a more robust design than the 1600 which is based on the Beetle motor.
A 1970's bus would be pretty good to buy as they would be less likley to suffer from any bad rust which will affect the operation, safety or
roadworthiness of the vehicle.
Change oil every 5000km, (along with check and adjust tappets), oil filter every 10,000, along with points and condensor and clean sparkplugs, and you
will have a fair amount of preventative maintenance happening. That is what I used to do.
Every 20,000 I would change the plugs, air and fuel filter also.
However, it would be wise to only expect a maximum of 100,000 k's out of an engine before there is a chance something could start to go wrong like
worn rings, cracked head, burnt valve, dropped valve seat. More diligent maintenance and a bit of luck will prolong it.
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posted on August 1st, 2006 at 09:29 PM
mine's a '77 2litre kombi... it's big, relatively fuel efficient, and cos of the 2litre it pulls away from the line, and cruises a lot nicer than
most other kombi's on the road... for practicality i'd really recommend a 2ltr. Especially if you're lugging around sound equipment.
I got mine for $4800 in very good condition... it's only needed minor work so far, and hasn't really let me down yet. Even when there's stuff wrong
with it, it just keeps on ticking hehehe
"Mr Writer, why don't you tell it like it is? Why don't you tell it like it REALLY is?" - stereophonics
baybuscamperkid
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posted on August 1st, 2006 at 10:32 PM
if your lucky you can get one converted to subaru power like me and peter, then economy will be 12-13l/100km around town and 10l/100km on the freeway
good luck theres some good ones out there, will be good to see
another muso in a kombi in melb
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Kippa-Dee
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posted on August 2nd, 2006 at 08:30 AM
Subaru power being a WRX engine dropped in? Turbo or NA?
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pete wood
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posted on August 2nd, 2006 at 06:16 PM
EJ22 NA is the cheapest. That what helbus has. :thumb
