VW Bus Buying Advice

[omacdon2]

Oh no really? I didn't take any closer pictures of the bondo cracking covering the rust, but there were two areas on the side just like this picture on the front too. For all I know the whole thing may need an engine rebuild because the owner said after he got it rebuilt by a guy that he said didn't really know what he was doing, he only drove 10 miles, then gave up on it when the engine light came on and it's been sitting there ever since (for a year).

[tommu]

What is the hole in the floor like? I can't really see it from the pictures.

[omacdon2]

It's a bad picture, but the hole is the yellow circle near where the pedal is attached. Also, there was water in the bus all on the mats on the passenger side floor. He also said there was a hole underneath the battery so he patched it up with a board.

There's this bus too, which runs and drives already https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds ... id=2233684

[Amskeptic]

There's this bus too, which runs and drives already https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds ... id=2233684

Why is the front all glossy to the both b-pillars? Check it out. When a seller calls a car "straight", it does not answer the question, "did it used not to be straight?"
Colin
(solid possibility though, the engine looks to be relatively present, even if it has the @^&!# wrong again *$!&^ tailpipe because these ^%@$!#$^$%^@&%^* vendors only sell what they HAVE, and not what it &@%$ needs!)
(537 suffix means straight out tailpipe, not the truncated little dwarf 537A for splitties)

[hippiewannabe]

Why is the front all glossy to the both b-pillars? Check it out. When a seller calls a car "straight", it does not answer the question, "did it used not to be straight?"

Look again, he was quite clear on this point.

Her body needs some TLC in a few spots, but is straight besides that.

So it's definitely straight, except where it's not.

[Amskeptic]

Why is the front all glossy to the both b-pillars? Check it out. When a seller calls a car "straight", it does not answer the question, "did it used not to be straight?"

Look again, he was quite clear on this point.

Her body needs some TLC in a few spots, but is straight besides that.

So it's definitely straight, except where it's not.

"Look again?" Seriously? Do you think I overlooked that sentence? No, I zeroed in on it.
When a seller calls a car currently "straight", it does not answer the question, "did it used not to be straight?" I was (and am) quite clear that I don't take ad copy at face-value. Amskeptic, and all.

Look again at my question.
Yes, "the body needs some TLC".
Yes, "is straight besides that", but did it used to not be straight, especially notable underneath?

You think I haven't seen ads claiming "complete original!" and it is a wreck with a gutted interior and the wrong engine?
You think I haven't seen "ORIGINAL PAINT" and it is a lousy re-spray "hey, it's the original color, that's what I meant."
You think I haven't visited an advertised car with "only 68,000 original miles!" and discovered that the poor claptrap had to have had 168,000 miles if not 268,000 miles, and I had to notify Everett on theSamba of material misrepresentation?

All I am suggesting here is to get underneath the front and look at the frame rails and lower valence box, carefully.
Clearly,
Colin

[hippiewannabe]

Why is the front all glossy to the both b-pillars? Check it out. When a seller calls a car "straight", it does not answer the question, "did it used not to be straight?"

Look again, he was quite clear on this point.

Her body needs some TLC in a few spots, but is straight besides that.

So it's definitely straight, except where it's not.

"Look again?" Seriously? Do you think I overlooked that sentence? No, I zeroed in on it.
When a seller calls a car currently "straight", it does not answer the question, "did it used not to be straight?" I was (and am) quite clear that I don't take ad copy at face-value. Amskeptic, and all.

Look again at my question.
Yes, "the body needs some TLC".
Yes, "is straight besides that", but did it used to not be straight, especially notable underneath?

You think I haven't seen ads claiming "complete original!" and it is a wreck with a gutted interior and the wrong engine?
You think I haven't seen "ORIGINAL PAINT" and it is a lousy re-spray "hey, it's the original color, that's what I meant."
You think I haven't visited an advertised car with "only 68,000 original miles!" and discovered that the poor claptrap had to have had 168,000 miles if not 268,000 miles, and I had to notify Everett on theSamba of material misrepresentation?

All I am suggesting here is to get underneath the front and look at the frame rails and lower valence box, carefully.
Clearly,
Colin

Irony detector a bit rusty there, Colin?

[tommu]

Here's a great post from a British Bay Window forum with some extreme examples of rust and rot. Have this in mind when you get underneath the next bus you look at. Bring flashlight and something to lie on. Better to look underneath before you own it!

http://thelatebay.com/index.php?threads ... ale.35103/

We have the best, most devastatingly inevitable rust in England.

[Amskeptic]

Why is the front all glossy to the both b-pillars? Check it out. When a seller calls a car "straight", it does not answer the question, "did it used not to be straight?"

Look again, he was quite clear on this point.

Her body needs some TLC in a few spots, but is straight besides that.

So it's definitely straight, except where it's not.

"Look again?" Seriously? Do you think I overlooked that sentence? No, I zeroed in on it.
When a seller calls a car currently "straight", it does not answer the question, "did it used not to be straight?" I was (and am) quite clear that I don't take ad copy at face-value. Amskeptic, and all.

Look again at my question.
Yes, "the body needs some TLC".
Yes, "is straight besides that", but did it used to not be straight, especially notable underneath?

You think I haven't seen ads claiming "complete original!" and it is a wreck with a gutted interior and the wrong engine?
You think I haven't seen "ORIGINAL PAINT" and it is a lousy re-spray "hey, it's the original color, that's what I meant."
You think I haven't visited an advertised car with "only 68,000 original miles!" and discovered that the poor claptrap had to have had 168,000 miles if not 268,000 miles, and I had to notify Everett on theSamba of material misrepresentation?

All I am suggesting here is to get underneath the front and look at the frame rails and lower valence box, carefully.
Clearly,
Colin

Irony detector a bit rusty there, Colin?

Oh crap. I am but a shrieking hysterical hyena.
Colin/irony detector 0

[TrollFromDownBelow]

Oh no really?..... For all I know the whole thing may need an engine rebuild because the owner said after he got it rebuilt by a guy that he said didn't really know what he was doing, he only drove 10 miles, then gave up on it when the engine light came on and it's been sitting there ever since (for a year).

Yes, really. If by 'loose clutch' he means too much slop in the pedal, there's wing nut in the rear that is easily accessible. 5 minutes to crawl underneath and twist by hand, give yourself 10 minutes if you need pliers and wd-40 if it is stiff. About 10 minutes to swap out a battery. Give yourself about 20 minutes to remove a shim or two to tighten up the belt...unless of course they are all missing and he has the wrong size belt on it, and then you need to procure the right size belt along with some new shims. Then it's still 20 minutes IIRC...again, it's been 20 years.

If by 'engine light' you mean the alternator/generator light, the fix is simple....see note above about tightening the belt.

As for "..he got it rebuilt by a guy that he said didn't really know what he was doing...." could be frustration by someone (the buyer/seller) when spent a good amount of money to rebuild, and doesn't understand that a simple loose generator belt doesn't mean the whole rebuild is effed. BTW - it is common to have to adjust/tighten a new/fresh belt after it's first put on ...esp. the old style V-belts.

Again, biggest issue is rust. Bus looks fairly solid. The hole you pointed out below the clutch pedal is normal - pedal needs to come through the floor board somehow. At least my two buses had the same hole.

That said, I see the other bus you posted may have a sale pending...if you are the one the sale (maybe) pending with then the above is moot.

[omacdon2]

Thanks for your response! The blue bus with the sale pending was already bought by someone else. Now I'm rethinking the red one. Here are some more pictures. Wires were also coming out and hanging from the dashboard area.

[Amskeptic]

Thanks for your response! The blue bus with the sale pending was already bought by someone else. Now I'm rethinking the red one. Here are some more pictures. Wires were also coming out and hanging from the dashboard area.

Definitely looking rough there.


Here's a couple of correct views:

[TrollFromDownBelow]

Yes Colin, your bus is exquisite. However, it's a bit unfair to compare a $30k+ bus vs a $5k bus.

I think the take-away here is that any bus in the buyer's price range is going to need work. The challenge, and the fun! is finding that diamond in the rough. From what I see, the red bus is worth a second look, but I would really, really, really encourage omacdon2 to bring someone with him that knows buses to give it a hard look...and would suggest bringing a battery with, or at least some jumper cables so you can hear it run. If he was within a day's drive of me I would volunteer.

[tommu]

Hey omacdon2, do you have any more pictures? Post them all up if you have them.

I'm looking at the paint in the couple you posted and wondering if it's covering something up..

Agree with the Troll too - I think Colin's just taking the opportunity to boast again.

[omacdon2]

Yeah I have a feeling the paint might be covering up something. The exterior is a dark red, the interior is white, and the engine bay is a more vibrant red. And the bondo was cracking and shrinking on the exterior nose and side. Here's the rest of the pictures I have... Sorry I have nothing else from the interior or body if that's what you were looking for.