C-Brats: Have you ever owned a VW bus/camper?

I have (mostly) good memories of my 1982 VW Westfailia Vanagon Camper (air cooled 2.0 liter engine & pop top).
The Good:
-Both my daily driver and my weekend escape vehicle.
-Fits in downtown parking garages and almost any camp site.
-Mini-galley with sink, 2 burner cook top, and refrigerator.
-Roof rack for my kayak.
-Enough power to tow a trailerable Sea Pearl 21 sailboat. Great land-sea combo.
-Back seat folds down to a double bed.
-Plenty of compartments and bins for storing gear.

The not so good:
-Underpowered- going over the mountain passes screaming in 3rd gear or lugging in 4th gear.
-Air cooled engine in the rear= no heat during winter driving.

I would say that there are parallels between VW campers and C-Dory: Simplicity, great use of space, functional design. Neither are "go-fast" vehicles, but are geared for folks that enjoy the journey vs. rushing to the destination.

Sold it, and like a C-Dory, the depreciation was minimal.
 
We were pulled over once (well, I got pulled over regularly driving that '64 bus) after the speed limits were lowered to 55. I knew the drill: I had my license and registration ready for the officer... first thing they always did was take a big sniff when I opened the window.

Our daughter and 2 Old English Sheepdogs were in the back. He didn't smell anything with his "sniff check"... he said, "I clocked you doing 68 back there."

I laughed out loud (for you youngsters, this was before "LOL") and said, "This thing won't do 68... going downhill... with the ass-end on fire! Maybe that was the Buick that passed us?"

He laughed and said, "You're probably right. You folks have a nice day."

8)

We also had two Beetles - back in the day. We put a gas heater in one... it would nearly burn the hair off your legs! That was back in the day before those pesky recalls. :wink:
 
Like others, not a bus or camper, but a '71 Super Beetle with the "Auto Stick"..a three speed arrangement in which you used the stick to shift gears, but there was no foot clutch..sensors felt the stick being moved, and disengaged the clutch until it was settled into the next position.

Have a 2103 Passat TDI now. VW will be buying it back from me, I hear, in November. The deal is quite good...should have bought more than one! :lol:
 
We had a love/hate relationship. I loved that bus when it was running, which was most of the time, and we had tons of fun with our Orange and White friend. But that VW had a tendency to simply die without warning, and always at the worst possible time. We got stranded, and often, in places we really did not want to be. Let it sit awhile and it was ready to go again. No mechanic could diagnose any problem, until we finally managed to fry the motor and sold it cheap.
 
Vanagon Westphalia pop-up camper, approx 1980. We used it for camping out vacations, including towing our 13 foot inflatable from Sacramento to Monterey Bay or Sonoma/Mendocino coast for fishing and diving fun. Perfect camper for a young couple with two young girls. Not a great road vehicle however. We sold it after one of my best buddies was killed in a collision in a flimsy vehicle. Replaced it with 1988 Chevy Suburban beast-tank.
 
No buses or campers but a '68 squareback while stationed in Germany, then a '72 notchback in USA then a '84 Beetle "heco in Mexico" while stationed back in Germany. Enjoyed all of them & they were the first to start on cold German AMs vs the neighbors' BMW or Mercedes.
 
The family had a 66 bus, my mother and I camped with it a lot in the late 60s.
We also had 2 bugs back than, I learned how to drive in one.

My first car was a 65 bug with about 30,000 miles on it, paid $650.00 for it.

Got my drivers license on my 16th birthday, bought the car the next day with my own money earned commercial fishing.
 
Funny, I made a similar post about C-dory owners and Jeeps. I think in general we are a unique bunch of people, who like interesting, fun, adventurous and cool looking vehicles/vessels.

I also have owned a 1978 VW camper, "Riviera" style pop-top. Those were fun days!
 
...as I suspected.
There just seems to be a natural affinity between C-Dory's and VW campers/busses!
C&M
Currently in Estes Park - headed across TrailRidge Road
 
30 years ago my wife and I bought a used pop-up VW camper on the streets of London, England (in those days there was a specific street on the east side of the Thames where travelers bought and sold used vans/campers).

We sold it a year later on the same street after having lived in it while traveling all over Europe (even Turkey). We did NOT stay in camp grounds (well, almost never), but instead simply found some deserted dirt road, or a field, or some beach dead end, and called it home for the night. It had a refer and stove. We shopped in local markets and my wife, who is a fantastic cook, made the most remarkable meals. We always had plenty of wine and ice cold beer on hand. We showered by standing naked on a rock or bush, and pouring water on each other out of a 1.5 liter plastic water bottle we filled with warm water heated on the butane stove. Occasionally we stayed in a hotel, but out of maybe 350 days, we slept a good 320 of them in the camper. One of the best year's of my life!

Amazing how similar that was to crusing in our C-Dory today.....except we have greater luxury in the C-Dory -- not to mention a space heater :lol:
 
Well, recounting OTHER VWs besides the '71 van...

I had a 1961 Bug purchased for me by my Dad in 1966...I drove it through college, Patty and I took our honeymoon in it in 1967 to the Grand Canyon! It sat in my Dad's driveway 1968 - 1970 while we were in the Peace Corps, and then we drove it back to NJ, where Patty and I drove it everywhere, including a road trip to Nova Scotia! I sold it when I graduated from law school in 1975, and I wish to this day that I had not sold it. Great car!

I bought a Bug for son Barrett, and it served him pretty well. Don't recall what happened to it.

When I wrecked my '91 Miata (a great car but another story entirely), sentiment got the better of me and I bought another Bug, I think it was a 1973. This car was a disaster, it did not run most of the time that I owned it, and was happy to see it driven off by our purchaser.

Lessons learned, I have no desire to ever own an old VW again!
 
When I was in High School my dad bought and sold cars on the side. He bought a bug, don't remember what year. It was not too pretty but ran. I was driving it as fast as it would go down a minor hill (maybe 60mph) when the bungie holding the hood let go. The hood smashed into the windshield and I could not see a thing. I was lucky enough to pull over to the side of the road without hitting anything.

Dad looked at the bug, took the hood and the motor cover off, got a jigsaw and cut the fenders down and called it a Baja bug.

Hey Pat, Would love to hear about your Miata. I bought one a bout a year ago and it is so much fun to drive.

Steve
 
Steve, not to highjack the thread, but since you asked...

I bought a used '91 Miata probably in 2002. It was blue with a white racing stripe (I always planned to remove the stripe but never did) It had a convertible cloth top plus a detachable hardtop. It was the most fun car to drive ever. I would have another one in a heartbeat.

One day on my way to a meeting in Bellevue, I was going through Issaquah on I-90 and thinking about my meeting and not really paying attention to the traffic! Too late, I saw that traffic was at a complete stop by the SR 900 exit (people from the Eastside will know this is a fairly common occurrence at rush hour). I hit the brakes, did a doughnut, and came to a sudden stop UNDER the trailer of an 18 wheeler.

End of Miata, nearly the end of me...the insurance proceeds from the Miata bought the disastrous Bug mentioned above...
 
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