Date: Thu, 9 Feb 95 23:05:00 -0800
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: dan.clay@ggcs.org (Dan Clay)
Subject: Re: Buying cheap used van
Steve Mathers wrote:
S.>I would like to buy a cheap used van (something like a combie) for
>travelling around Europe. I figure having a bed in the back, and a
>portable stove etc...will mean that I will save money in the long run.
You will definitely save money. In addition, you will *see* Europe
and you will see it close to the ground <a name=3D"Hit1">-- </a>out where=
the
real Europe is.
S.>I have been told that the place to go to buy old cars is England=
because
>other countries have very strict road worthiness laws. Can anyone
>comment? Has anyone done this?
Yes, I've done it a number of times. We've driven all over Europe in a
<strong>kombi</strong> van and we, along with many others, believe it is the
only way to
do Europe. You'll love it.
You can buy <strong>kombis</strong> in London, though I've never done it.
There is an
informal market, which used to be near Waterloo Bridge, where one can
buy them. It gets rousted by the Bobbies every now and then so who
knows where it is now. You won't have any trouble finding it, I'm sure.
There are lots of Aussies buying and selling there. You should be
able to find someone in Oz who can tell you more about it.
I do know that it is a seat of the pants operation -- no warranties, no
reserving in advance, etc. You sort of need to know what you're doing.
Having some knowledge of things automotive would be invaluable; if you
know something about VWs, all the better. You'll only get one chance.
The people you'll be buying from are folks who are coming off the
vagabond circuit and leaving as soon as they sell the van, and
you'll never see them again. OTOH, if they have airline tickets and a
deadline, they have to unload that thing and you can usually cut a
pretty handsome deal for yourself. One other thing about buying in
London: I've heard that the Brits can be a bit difficult with
registration and tax matters.
I've always bought my <strong>kombis</strong> in Holland and would recommend
it to you.
Here are two outfits you can check out and see if they appeal:
1) Campanje Tel. (31)30 - 44 70 70
P.O. Box 9332 Fax (31)30 - 42 09 81
3506 GH Utrecht
Netherlands
2) Alias Smith and Willard Tel. (31)30 - 93 71 63
Krugerstraat 6
3531 AP Utrecht
Netherlands
I have no financial or any other interest in either of these businesses.
I have bought <strong>kombi</strong> vans from both of them and have come to
know the
proprietors personally. They both know what they are doing and have
been doing it for a long time. They both do a lot of Aussie business,
if it matters. You can order exactly what you want in advance and for
the most part get it, depending on availability. They will put a custom
<strong>kombi</strong> together for you if given sufficient notice. Utrecht
is a very
nice place to start your trip. Tax, registration and insurance are
handled by the seller and it is an extremely simple process in Holland.
I would tell you that Campanje deals almost exclusively in 2Liter
"Voyager" model VW vans. That translates to newer and therefore more
expensive. Smith and Willard will get any kind of VW van you want and
so offer a much broader price range. S&W is however not as
sophisticated an outfit as Campanje. Both are run by nice, plain folks.
Both offer guaranteed buy back deals and both come to your aid if you
have mechanical troubles (they therefore like to have their vehicles in
such shape that that is not often necessary).
Drop them a line and they will send you a brochure explaining their
businesses. Whatever you do -- do Europe by <strong>kombi</strong> van. It
is the
greatest.
---
p SLMR 2.1a p
</pre>
<hr>
<pre><strong><a
href=3D"/doc/stdhelp/DocumentHelp.html">HELP</a></strong><strong> <a
href=3D"/Home">HOME</a></strong><strong> <a
href=3D"/Query">QUERY</a></strong><strong>
<a href=3D"/AccountInfo">ACCOUNT INFO</a></strong><strong> <a
href=3D"/Feedback">FEEDBACK</a></strong><strong> <a
href=3D"/Titles?qid=3DQUERY.c21918.vV1UU.1">TITLES</a></strong></pre>
</body>
</html>
<html>
<head>
<title>InfoSeek Document: Kombis und Verletzungen Re:...</title>
</head>
<body>
<a name=3D"Hit1"> </a>
<h1>InfoSeek Document</h1>
<hr>
<dl>
<dt><strong>Kombis und Verletzungen (Re: Police-Helme unterschiede
?)</strong><dd><cite>zer.z-netz.freizeit.motorrad, zodiac@darkness.gun.de
(Ralph Seichter),
Thu, 26 Jan 1995 12:38:45 +0100
(1K)</cite>
<br>
<a href=3D"/CollectionHome?cid=3DCOLx2ex2enn4w">Usenet News (current 5=
weeks):
Jan 29 - Mar
01</a>
<p>
</dl>
<p>
<pre>
=========================================================================
Date:
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: zodiac@darkness.gun.de (Ralph Seichter)
Subject: <strong>Kombis</strong> und Verletzungen (Re: Police-Helme
unterschiede ?)
