What is the Attraction of VW T2 Campervans?

[PaddyM]

... but with no facilities on board I guess you're limited to sites with services..

Had a loo and we had a driveaway awning in which we had a full kitchen ! Fridge and freezer , oven and range and plenty of workspace. The only thing we lacked was a shower really , tbh tho it was more camping than motorhoming . We had two modes , overnighting and full on holiday , long drags up French motorways were interesting with the lack of oomph!

 

[Nasher]

Each to their own, when I was a lad my next door neighbour had a VW beetle, my dad had Cortina mk2 1600E - guess which one I preferred - it was also the first car I drove (legally) on the road on my 17th birthday

Then in 1996 I was given a VW Passatt company car which was the worst car I have ever known - a typical example was the day I opened the door, a bit of trim fell off, I picked it up & put it in the passenger footwell, upon shutting the door the interior mirror fell off - absolute pile of poo, it leaked, was slow, difficult to start, etc. just horrible

So not a VW fan, although I did have a T5 for a couple of years as my first moho, I've always thought of VWs as rubbish vehicles that had a good reputation they didn't deserve

But if one floats your boat & you're happy to maintain it, then good luck to anyone that has one & I hope they enjoy it

For me the definition of a classic: it leaks oil, is rusty, slow & unreliable. I know this to be true, because I restore classic race motorbikes for fun!!

 

[vwalan]

I used a company in Princes Risborough I think to fit a recon engine as I was to busy. They did a good job, I use Just Kampers for odd bits nowadays but no longer have a VW

yes i cant remember their name but it rings a bell. there was so many ,i used to get lots of spares from tradex a company from andover/amesbury ,there really was so many places years ago.
down here was me ,volksupply . then ken thomas at vw engineering at redruth. phil davis in plymouth . luckily we were all good friends .
i used to be going all over the place importing bits . poland , east germany ,spain , one of the reasons my wife and i decided africa to travel in was we used to buy from lots of companies in nigeria that supplied vw nigeria.
mind vw nigeria were a great company.
the vw t2 was made in many countries all over the world.
i liked the 1600cc single port engine , it was a bit nicer than the twinport and didnt crack cylinder heads as easy.
the syncro was a bit temperamental used to mess up gear boxes and front diffs . mind i did have one for awhile but decided it wasnt strong enough for my kind of travelling.
my brown t2 did have limited slip diff fitted . ideal for crossing the sahara .
often wish i had kept it . but come june i will have had my artic trailer 20 yrs ,sold the t2 about 17 yrs ago. should have kept it in the garage in the dry,
mind my garden is like steptoe and sons now . ha ha .

 

[gus-lopez]

I long for a t25 panel van though. T25 panel van syncro....

I know a man with what he tells me is the only factory built, RHDrive ,Dutch army spec syncro,dokka, in existence.Owned it from new. Also has a matching westfalia syncro that was stripped & completely rebuilt 2 years back.

 

[the1andonly]

In answer to the title question,
None
For anyone wanting a practical campervan, it s a bongo (or other more modern jap mpv)
Only reason for buying a T2 today, is image, and a huge support network ready to remove your hard earned.

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[Daz n Tina]

I owned two in my 20s, great times, Run to the sun in the summer, wild parties on beaches, smoke the good stuff, wake up on the right side of the wrong bed,
Twin carbs, high lift cam, deep sump, straight through exhaust, quick shift.
go nowhere fast. Those were the days.
Present times. I own a bailey

 

[mitzimad]

all i know about vws is if you put the diff in the wrong side you can do 60mph in reverse

 

[bobandjanie]

My mum and dad had one many years ago, seeing them now I can't believe how small they are, our old labrador always got excited when she heard one, ? at the time with two young girls we had a caravan. ?
One time we was camping in the new forest, and a pony had got into my dad's awning and broke the zip, he was not best pleased, our eldest said I better go and see if grandad is all right. ?

And now after over 25 years she has her own t25. ?

Yes they do fetch loads of money, I don't know why either, same with beetles we had a couple of those before they were popular. ? Bob.

 

[tjay]

We have had 2 of them , both 1972 models but bought years apart , have a Autotrail Scout and a newer VW T4, love the driving position and wife likes short journeys in it but will never go away in it !! She much prefers the bigger one with all mod cons !
Suits me fine if I want to go with my mates for a weekend away or a solo trip too the Hebrides or Orkney I will go in the T4 can go anywhere I want, down narrow lanes ect cheap ferries.
And I get around 50 mpg !! sorted

 

[MyrtleGuru]

In practical terms, from a modern perspective, it is pretty useless.

But, from an aesthetic perspective, it is a design icon (and the curves help there).

The heart says 'VW camper'; the head says 'Anything but'.

I am trying to analyse what it is about such designs and I am still thinking the curves are at the heart of it. Think of modern Audis and how the TT, with its curves, looks way better than the boxier models -- actually the TT seems to be getting less curvier with each iteration. Think of the Nissan Figaro, a much loved import-only model, the Porsche Speedster, the Citroen DS. It's all about the curves, as the song might go.

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[Chris51]

It's an image thing. say" camper van" and many people think of the VW. a bit like say" motor bike" and many think of Harley Davidson. Image. They're a bag of s*** but they have that image that some love, don't handle, don't go very fast, unreliable and sound like a tractor. But people love them. Same thing!
And yes I have owned a couple so feel entitled to comment. ( Harley Ferguson) that is. ?

+1 ..goes against anything a m/cycle should be !

 

[Coolcats]

Many thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I need to get my thinking cap on to try and draw all the thoughts together.

I like the idea of linking them to the appeal of Harley Davidson bikes. I can see the similarities. Different, but there is a connection I think, history, tradition, image and the social side. ?

It’s probably the same reason why people buy a Morgan or Caterham, many people who drive a Porsche or other Modern sports car would not entertain one but a T2 are classics and maybe that is just enough excuse to buy one

 

[ambulancekidd]

We had a look at a few of these before we bought a Bongo a few years ago. The VW is not a good drive, uses a lot of fuel, is noisy and slow. We chose the Bongo.

But they do have an image, and a lot of people go by that, how else can you explain glamping?
If we had bought a VW, I'm sure we would not have lost money when we sold it, they keep their prices well, but from a practical point of view, not good.

Gimmie a Bongo over a VW T2 any day, the Bongo was good on fuel, had charm, drove quite nicely & had built in side window blinds, oh the engine was more or less in the right place too.

 

[Mikey RV]

Had VW,s from the seventies, still got one now but a modern Passat. Had splitscreens, bay windows type 25 and T4,s as well as golfs, polos,Jetta, beetles. Custom show winning beetle, Baja bug etc. Love them. Was bought up with them. Only wish I had my split screen camper now, would be worth a fortune. Used to go to shows all over the U.K. it was a good scene in the early days. Many happy memories. If you want to see the biggest gathering of VW vans head for Busfest in September at the three counties show ground in Malvern. The biggest VW van event in Europe.

 

[Coolcats]

There is a VWT2OC T2 Owners club the answer may lurk there as whypeople buy them restore them and love them. The T2's also tend to gather at VW shows and until recently Danbury were selling them and believed they only stopped because production ended, if there were still made they would probably still be converting them <Broken link removed>

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[Silver-Fox]

OK for a day out, but that's about it..

I do that any way.

Not because I’m cool I just can’t remember people’s names ?

Apart from yours obvs ?

 

[Odd-no-more]

Gimmie a Bongo over a VW T2 any day, the Bongo was good on fuel, had charm, drove quite nicely & had built in side window blinds, oh the engine was more or less in the right place too.

We absolutely loved our Bongo, the only reason we replaced it is age, not the Bongo but me, I'm at the age now where I need a van with a toilet

 

[wasp]

I tell you the good thing about the pre 1972 vans, is that you can take off the bumper and the back panel to drop the engine out, that was a piece of cake . You didn’t have to Jack the back end up.

 

[vwalan]

i had a bongo for awhile butagain roof tent and the teardrop caravan made it very handy.
i only got rid of it as when me and my partner at the time split up i found i didnt use it very much .
mind i also think possibly i may get one again . nice small size ideal for narrow country lanes etc ,bit small for winters away but it might be going abroad for winters will be a thing of the past soon.
the bongofury club was great and we used to do quite a few of their meets ,great fun.

 

[ambulancekidd]

I tell you the good thing about the pre 1972 vans, is that you can take off the bumper and the back panel to drop the engine out, that was a piece of cake . You didn’t have to Jack the back end up.

Doesn't that beg the question of why would you need to take the engine out?
I'd rather have a vehicle which is reliable enough to keep the engine where it belongs & I already know all about the dreaded VW crankshaft endfloat issues.

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[ambulancekidd]

I tell you the good thing about the pre 1972 vans, is that you can take off the bumper and the back panel to drop the engine out, that was a piece of cake . You didn’t have to Jack the back end up.

Doesn't that beg the question of why would you need to take the engine out?
I'd rather have a vehicle which is reliable enough to keep the engine where it belongs & I already know all about the dreaded VW crankshaft endfloat issues.

 

[wasp]

When I bought mine the engine was poorly so I took it out, rebuilt it and fitted new clutch at the same time. That’s why I mentioned how easy it was to take out.

 

[7735]

I bought one new in 1972 a Danbury. As a camper for two adults, 2 very small children and a dog it was useless. We always took a tent as well. In the 8 years that I had it after 50000 miles, new engine, new cylinder heads and it was very rusty when I sold it. Used to die on hills.In high winds it was a nightmare, try stopping it on a wet road, it was a very long slide. I have no wish for another one.

Spongy

 

[Spriddler]

For years I restored desirable wire wheeled and chrome bumpered MG's, many of them very rusty/rotted.
A pal brought his beloved VW T2 along one day as it had failed its MOT: "A bit of a rusty chassis". Heavens, I can deal with a bit of rust and more but this thing was a death trap with serious rot throughout. I declined. Even though replacement panels were available there was virtually nothing to weld them to. I was very worried as he drove it off the ramp that it would break in half. He scrapped it.
Incidentally, it also failed on the hooter not working so whilst chatting I dismantled the horn push in the centre of the steering wheel and discovered it was inoperative due to being full of baccy where for many years he made roll-ups whilst driving.

 

[vwalan]

Doesn't that beg the question of why would you need to take the engine out?
I'd rather have a vehicle which is reliable enough to keep the engine where it belongs & I already know all about the dreaded VW crankshaft endfloat issues.

the crankcase end float isnt really a problem . you just have it inline bored and get bearings with thicker shoulders on them . plus change the end float shims . easy to change the shims , just remove flywheel etc .
on my 79 bay i adapted the rear panel so remove bumper and out you can pull the engine , didnt have to jack the g,box then.the later t2,s the box was mounted better.
the biggest problem with the aircooled 1600cc engines was folk over raced them . drive slower and they go on for ages .
the one i took to africa was originally a 2ltr engine . but i changed it to 1.6 single port for reliability.
worked great. with the slip diff it would go lots of places the landrover lads were afraid to go.

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[MyrtleGuru]

In practical terms, from a modern perspective, it is pretty useless.

But, from an aesthetic perspective, it is a design icon (and the curves help there).

The heart says 'VW camper'; the head says 'Anything but'.

I am trying to analyse what it is about such designs and I am still thinking the curves are at the heart of it. Think of modern Audis and how the TT, with its curves, looks way better than the boxier models -- actually the TT seems to be getting less curvier with each iteration. Think of the Nissan Figaro, a much loved import-only model, the Porsche Speedster, the Citroen DS. It's all about the curves, as the song might go.

I suppose, if going down the classic curve route, I have to add the Morris Minor and the Citroen 2CV -- others have already mentioned the VW Beetle.

Anyone fancy a furry Morris Minor?

 

[haganap]

its a scene,
its a love affair
it represents something free.

I love VW vans from Splities to t5s

what I don't love is the prices.

 

[GMLS]

We purchased our type 2 about 15 years ago when we got the camper van bug after hiring a camper in NZ.

I also wanted a classic car (maybe an MG or mini) so thought we could combine the 2 in one vehicle.

Long story short, we still have the VW and have been fortunate to have had 3 motorhomes in that period, the most recent purchase being last year. My wife and I also have nice daily drivers and we have have also since purchased a 1973 beetle which is shared with my father. We've both said (and truly believe) the camper would be the last vehicle we would get rid of if worse came to the worse. Hard to explain but true

We got into the VW scene and have met some really interesting characters along the way and some good friends. We use the VW for days out and weekend VW rallies and the motorhome for longer trips to Europe and winter camping so for quite different purposes.

Its also the only vehicle I've owned that has gone up in value

 

[mitzimad]

its a scene,
its a love affair
it represents something free.

I love VW vans from Splities to t5s

what I don't love is the prices.

make a nice toad for the gin palace could use it as a dog kennel

 

[busbuddy]

To most they are a hobby which leads to weekends away surrounded by like minded individuals
The trouble is people with no maintenance skills buy into 'the lifestyle' and bury lots of money into the van with varying results
I'm sure there is a VW forum out there with a discussion about why anyone would buy a motorhome ?

I have stopped in my swift and fixed some that I have seen broken down, I sold mine over 10 years ago because I needed something bigger with a bathroom

Each to their own

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