QuestionHello, I am a divorced woman on low income disability and I am thinking about selling a car I have to buy this vintage 68 VW Van so that I can go camping in it. It has new brakes, a rebuilt engine and I don't know how many actual miles but it looks EXCELLENT on the outside. It looks like it's been well taken care of. I'm wondering what kind of expenses I may be possibly getting myself into, as I am on low income. If it is pretty mechanically sound, then do you think I should go for it? I would absolutely love to have an old hippie van like this...it is so clean looking. Do you think it might be fairly low maintenance for me? They want $2600 for it, which seems reasonable. Thanks.
AnswerThe old VW vans seem to run forever, IF they are given the necessary maintenance, and they do look cute - that's the plus.
The negatives are................
1. The most important negative is, they are really not very safe vehicles. In a front end collision, you have ZERO protection - there is nothing up there but sheet metal. There are no airbags, shoulder harnesses etc, and the structure is not very strong.
2. You really need to do your own maintenance and minor repairs, so if you are mechanically knowledgeable, and have basic automotive tools (metric in this case) and a good manual that covers the whole vehicle (there are many, the best and most famous is "VWs for Dummies" or some similar title - the public library will have a copy - ask the librarian, take a look at it, and see if you think you can cope. Read through the section of the book on recommended maintenance BEFORE you buy it - things like valve adjustment need to be done frequently or you will have serious expensive engine repairs.
3. They cannot keep up with traffic, even slow traffic, if there are hills where you want to go. Even back when they were new, they were a moving roadblock going up hills to the other traffic, so if you are going to drive it in traffic, be prepared to receive the one-finger salute frequently.
4. As with any old car, rust is very likely, so have it inspected by a mechanic before you buy it - rust repairs are expensive and in some cases, must be done before it is safe to drive. Cosmetic appearance can be VERY deceiving - everyone makes a car look as good as they can before putting it up for sale - if the paint is fresh looking, suspect hidden rust problems.
In my opinion, for $2600, you should be able to find a 15 year old Toyota or Honda in decent shape from a private party - watch the "Pennysaver" type free newspapers, and the AutoTrader - which you'll find at your local convenience store.
Buy one of those two brands after a mechanic's inspection, and you'll have ZERO repairs and an much safer car, one that will keep up with modern traffic and burn a lot less gas. The model doesn't really matter -a Corolla or a Camry is a great choice in Toyota, but any Toyota is a good car (or truck, for that matter). Same for Honda - trust the brand name.
Carry a picture of a VW van with you to look at, if you really like the looks that much.
You asked for my opinion - now don't shoot the messenger!
Good luck to you,
Dick
