[ Total Views: 1948 | Total Replies: 11 | Thread Id: 74262 ] |
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greezy
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posted on January 22nd, 2009 at 11:22 PM |
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Buying a bus
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---
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vw54
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posted on January 23rd, 2009 at 06:07 AM |
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make sure you check out the rust it will be yr biggest cost
there are some nice Bay windows around for that money
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Michael Evans
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posted on January 23rd, 2009 at 10:30 AM |
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Greezy,
Where are you based?
M
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greezy
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posted on January 23rd, 2009 at 11:15 AM |
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Sorry about that fixed up my location, i live in Wonga Park in Victoria near Lylidale.
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OZ Towdster
A.k.a.: Andrew Westwood
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posted on January 23rd, 2009 at 05:59 PM |
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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
Don't let body work get in the way of real suspension travel
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helbus
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posted on January 23rd, 2009 at 06:19 PM |
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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.
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MR930
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posted on January 24th, 2009 at 03:53 PM |
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http://forums.kombiclub.com/
Good place to start
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Wired66
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posted on April 14th, 2009 at 12:15 AM |
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Also make sure you check for oil/transmissions leaks |
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h
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posted on April 14th, 2009 at 09:29 AM |
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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
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OberonViking
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posted on April 14th, 2009 at 04:05 PM |
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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.
1970 Baja - waiting in the paddock for some TLC.
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Bizarre
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posted on April 14th, 2009 at 04:10 PM |
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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
Futue te ipsum!!!
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FullyDisturbed
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posted on July 22nd, 2009 at 08:44 AM |
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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. |
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