Date:         Wed, 4 Jan 95 16:46:30 MST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         todds@sonny.chotel.com
Subject:      Re: ADVICE NEEDED.

> Please advise on:
> 71 camper top bus, has no propane tank under door like I've seen before.
> Has 1 very well siezed motor, 1600 dp rebuilt once, and will need new heads, 
> one has a spark plug hole
> which has been helicioled and blew out.
> Body good, little rust, one ding in door, but small.
> Can anyone ID. the vehicle for me- that is whats the type of camper?

I'm not sure what you mean by "type of camper".. on a '71, if  it
has a fiberglas top hinged in the front, with a tent and a single
cot up above, a sink, table, bed and closet inside with no stove,
it is probably a Westphalia Campmobile (check for a metal tag by
the bottom of the closet door), the most prevalent camper top bus,
as you put it.  There were a couple of other firms which modified
VW busses into campers. If it is a one-piece fiberglas top with
windows, that doesn't tilt, it is probably one of these.

What's most important it whether you are right for it, and is
it right for you.  This sounds silly, but the people here will
tell you that keeping an old bus alive is a labor of love. Yeah,
other bussers will wave at you on the highway, and people at
McDonalds will tell you how neat the old bus is, but are you
ready to embrace the fact that you will be fighting a never-ending
battle with entropy, that you will go everywhere slowly, you
will always drive with at least one ear open for bad noises,
you will spend many weekends with the darn thing apart in a
million pieces while you try and track down the one piece they
haven't built in 20 years, &c &c &c....?? How important is heat
to you? If you live in a cold area, be prepared for arctic
conditons inside the bus.

Have you been around VWs much? Why do you want one? I'm not
trying to give you a hard time, but this is important.  If
you've been lurking here for any time, you have a glimpse of
what it means to own an old VW.  If you go for it, we'll all
be behind you and supportive, but we want you to know what
you're getting into! :->

As for price, I paid $1550 for my '71 five years ago, with a
decent engine, so that price sounds pretty good to me.

I don't mean to speak for this esteemed assembly, but I feel
pretty confident that my sentiment is fairly representative.

Know also that everyone here will willingly give encouragement,
but you're the only one who can decide if it is right for you.
-- 
Todd R. Schroeder          |    Without vision, a people perish.
todds@sunnet.chotel.com    |      Proverbs XXIX:18
'71 Campmobile