buyigna vw camper van

dhjjessel

dhjjessel

dhjjessel

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18 Oct 2002
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England's Green and Pleasant Land
Hey guys

I was thinking about buying a camper van and was wondering whether people might be able to advise:

1. Will i be affected by the £25/day thing with the london congestion charge?

2. What are the essential things to look out for when buying a camper van?

3. recommended makes. obviously the VW but i know there are many other good ones.

4. the practicalities of travelling in one : how many people is comfortable etc (fr those who have had the experience?

thanks!
 
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Can you be more clear?

Are you buying or hiring? You mention both.

What is your budget?

Do you want an older camper or a new one?

*n
 
If you mean the old 'Surfer' or bay window type from the 70's then they are cramped & you can't stand up in them unless they are fitted with a' pop top'
We have a 1991 Fiat ducato 'high top' which is excellent & fits in a standard parking space in any car park ( unless its got a cross bar) you see lots of these around- some with short wheelbase & some with long,
the bigger over cab type are Motor Caravans rather than camper vans & it can be difficult to find somewhere to park . Campervans hold their price very well. Autosleeper is a popular make, they buy in ordinary new parcel vans like Ford transit or Fiat & Puergeot version & add a high top so you can stand up & then they are fitted with various cupboards fridge/cooker etc. some have toilet cleverly fitted in. The seats convert into beds at night, take a look at campervans on Ebay to see whats available

http://motors.search.ebay.co.uk/camper-van_Campers-Caravans-Motorhomes_W0QQfromZR34QQsacatZ121904
 
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penski said:
Can you be more clear?

Are you buying or hiring? You mention both.

What is your budget?

Do you want an older camper or a new one?

*n
Click to expand...


at the moment i havent decided a budget
probably buying
i quite like the idea of a retro camper
 
£25 congestion chare applies only to vehicles over 3000CC. I'd imagine an old VW Camper will have a smaller capacity engine than this.
 
Right...

Firstly, don't get a VW unless you enjoy paying through the nose for everything.

Look at a Barkas, Commer Camper, Taunus Transit, Mk1 Transit, Sun Tor, Bedford CF or similar. All are better than a VW camper. All are at lest 75 percent cheaper.

*n
 
Commers are lovely but another thing to remember with all of these is that they are olllllld vehicles.

They won't go and stop like a modern car...Not until you fettle them that is ;)

So expect to drive in a more leisurely manner.

I know of a couple of Commers which have had Volvo B-series engines put in them...That can mean anything from a 100bhp carb'd lump out of an Amazon to a 300+bhp redblock out of a 7-series Turbo.

Fit decent brakes, lowered and uprated suspension and even a 100hp engine and you have a great wee thing that will keep up with modern traffic, and will have brakes and handling you can be confident in.

*n
 
image.axd


That looks quite cool. I like the front window to body ratio.
 
Unless you are a diehard enthusiast don't even consider buying a van that you can't stand up in as this can become tedious in the extreme. Remember that you will temporarily live in it which involves standing up activities such as cooking ,washing up,& you will soon appreciate a bit of comfort, some owners of lowtop vans do the aforesaid outside under a canopy but its not very practical when making a stop in a carpark or whatever
 
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