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June, 2025

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First Car? VW Bus or something else?

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Nacho+
Posts: 3748 - Karma: 7,792
So I have the option to buy a 1972 type 2 vw bus in fantastic condition. Virtually rust free, new interior, 100k miles, and the engine runs great. Now I've always wanted to road trip with my buddies or my girlfriend across NE or across the country to California, and this could be the car to do it. The only problem is that it is $10k, and realistically not the most practical everyday car for me. Now, I am at boarding school and only need a car during the summer, which makes the van seem a bit more reasonable as I'd only really be using it in the summer.

So my question is ns, do I spend all my money on the van and road trip across the country, or spend maybe 2k on a more reliable, practical car, and still have money left over? Obviously I want the van, but am I making a mistake? Help me out
10 years ago
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arnie_grape
Posts: 3459 - Karma: 11,912
you probably shouldn't spend 10k on a busted ass 43 year old van
10 years ago
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TOAST.
Posts: 7780 - Karma: 40,087
Buy a car and a tent.
10 years ago
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OregonDead
Posts: 7089 - Karma: 26,776
Those things fog up like crazy. Also as mentioned before it is not a practical decision to spend that much on a 40 year old van that was never that great when it was new. Sometimes people do impractical things for love but remember love hurts and love gets expensive fast.
10 years ago
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Huck-e-Cheese
Posts: 303 - Karma: 417
Just get a fozzy, way cooler, and eventually one day you will get out of boarding school and have a 4 wheel drive beast for a ski car, and also have 5k laying around. Easily the most versatile and practical car ever.

10 years ago
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Huck-e-Cheese
Posts: 303 - Karma: 417
The embed gods aren't having it today
10 years ago
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Lbird
Posts: 401 - Karma: 2,190
If you plan on actually driving up a mountain don't get a vw bus
10 years ago
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Chubz.
Posts: 13918 - Karma: 25,673
Huck-e-CheeseThe embed gods aren't having it today


lifted forester with big tires might be the coolest looking car i've seen
10 years ago
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CitizenKane
Posts: 5794 - Karma: 22,483
with 10k you can get incredible cars on craigslist. buy a low miles outback for 5k and keep the rest for repairs and shit.

or if you're into fast cars, you could easily pick up an old m3 or a8 for 10k
10 years ago
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.Hugo.
Posts: 17360 - Karma: 28,494
10k on a vw bus? Hahahajahahajaha

Why someone would even contemplate that is beyond me
10 years ago
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last_tango
Posts: 2635 - Karma: 2,665
Vw busses are really expensive to fix. Buy a dodge ram 2500 5.9L Cummins and make a business with it.
10 years ago
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Brule.
Posts: 3988 - Karma: 6,719
You can easily find something more reliable for $10k. inb4 volvo 240
10 years ago
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japanada
Posts: 13785 - Karma: 1,959
For the bus, thats a decent deal esp if its in as good of shape as you said. That being said, as cool as that is to roadtrip in, driving 3k miles at 60mph suuuuucks. And you WILL get pulled. My buddy has one, doesnt smoke at all and got rolled on 3 times from WA to WY. Nothing in the car and it got torn apart each time b/c the cops 'knew' he has drugs in it lol.

The van route is sick as fuck tho, get an AWD astro or conversion van! You can build beds in it, or keep the seats in and carry more people. Better gas mileage, can cruise at 80mph, more reliable, CRUISE CONTROL, AWD!!!

And for 10k you can get a pretty damn nice van that around 10 years old.
10 years ago
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607.
Posts: 521 - Karma: 35
The VW bus would be dope, but I would drop 5-7k on a decent truck and then use the rest of the money to put a cap on it and convert the bed into something that can be slept/lived in for a road trip
10 years ago
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weedoo
Posts: 650 - Karma: 1,851
Keep in mind that the van will not be very fuel efficient so I would say a car, saves you money both short and long term. :)
10 years ago
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saskskier
Posts: 4774 - Karma: 10,005
Do you currently work on vehicles or know anything about mechanics? The fact of the matter is regardless of how good of shape it is right now, you will need to work on it. Old VWs are awesome and generally pretty simple to work on, but they are finicky and need lots of love.

My bro's been driving VWs and working them for 10ish years now, including a 62' Beetle. His roommate had a bus and he was always working on it, even with a completely rebuilt engine.

A bus would be a great second vehicle, but not as an only vehicle, let alone one you are planning on going on huge roadtrips with. It WILL break down and if you don't know how to diagnose and fix it, you'll be stranded and left with towing/repair bills.
10 years ago
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saskskier
Posts: 4774 - Karma: 10,005
If you can find a Westfalia/Vanagon with a Subaru engine swap (lots of people do this), you'd be golden. For ten grand, you might be able to find one.

Something like this:
10 years ago
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FastSpeed
Posts: 646 - Karma: 645
Buy a 4Runner for like 5k, they are super reliable, have a V8, 4 wheel drive and are huge on the inside. If you want to do a cross country road trip get one of these.

http://www.cascadiatents.com/Roof-Top-Tents.htm?m=87&s=615
10 years ago
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corona
Posts: 12845 - Karma: 33,293
Fred_Bear10k on a vw bus? Hahahajahahajaha

Why someone would even contemplate that is beyond me


10k is cheap for a good condition vw camper. Great condition vw vanagons with recently rebuilt engines can easily go for 15k.
10 years ago
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corona
Posts: 12845 - Karma: 33,293
last_tangoVw busses are really expensive to fix.


They're really not that bad if you're good at sourcing parts. I recently did a complete engine rebuild of a vanagon, new heads, bored cylinders, new water pump and stainless coolant lines, new power steering hoses, new fuel injection system, all gaskets replaced, new clutch, all new bearings etc etc and went for the quality german parts where I could find them. Whole bunch of other odds and ends too. Whole thing cost 2500 Canadian. For a 25 year old specialty vehicle that's really quite excellent. I mean someone can easily spend half that just to get their clutch redone.
10 years ago
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Laurent.
Posts: 10056 - Karma: 25,311
Fuck that shit. Buy Perfection. Buy a....


10 years ago
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CameraWiz
Posts: 735 - Karma: 2,112
Never bring car questions to NS, people will just say to get a fozzy or 4runner or something along those lines. Sure those cars are great but if you get a fozzy with a 2.7 and the head gaskets go then you're pulling the engine (same with 2.2 but less common to happen) 4runners are decent unless you're cutting out at higher rpms almost like fuel cut then you're looking at 4k in repairs...

I'm looking at travelling to either penn state to buy a truck or cali to buy an '86 e30 (I live in MN). Does that seem like a good idea? No not really. Do I want the vehicles? Yes. I'm willing to pay up from a vehicle I want.

If you really want that bus then go get it. I think 10K for it is a bit much though. It all depends where you financially stand also, if you only have 10k to send then it's a bit scary to be put in a crunch like that.

Keep looking around though, maybe you'll find other vehicles you like or maybe you truly want to buy that van. Just make sure you have a clear cut path and go for it. If you aren't sure then don't do it.
10 years ago
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Huck-e-Cheese
Posts: 303 - Karma: 417
CameraWizNever bring car questions to NS, people will just say to get a fozzy or 4runner or something along those lines.


I'm a dumb teenager who torture's his forester, three years later and she's still going strong. You can't tell someone don't get a forester, the engine will definetely knock or don't get a 4runner it has fuel cutout. Its possible that any car you buy on craigslist is a lemon, its a game of luck, but both of these options are much more practical than a VW bus.
10 years ago
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1kewldewd
Posts: 796 - Karma: 1,147
Buy an astro safari and like someone else said. They don't have the aesthetic the van has but otherwise they are better in almost every way. They are super cheap and v reliable and the awd drive makes them boss in snow. For 10k you could get a really nice one and have a bunch of money for potential repairs that probably won't happen or pimpin it out for ideal roadtriping. I have one as my dd rn
10 years ago
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CameraWiz
Posts: 735 - Karma: 2,112
Huck-e-CheeseI'm a dumb teenager who torture's his forester, three years later and she's still going strong. You can't tell someone don't get a forester, the engine will definetely knock or don't get a 4runner it has fuel cutout. Its possible that any car you buy on craigslist is a lemon, its a game of luck, but both of these options are much more practical than a VW bus.


If you knew anything about the 2.7L subaru engine, you'd know how junk it is. Sometimes you get lucky but these are just how these cars work and I encourage you read a few forums about it.
10 years ago
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Huck-e-Cheese
Posts: 303 - Karma: 417
CameraWizIf you knew anything about the 2.7L subaru engine, you'd know how junk it is. Sometimes you get lucky but these are just how these cars work and I encourage you read a few forums about it.


I know the only people who would post about their subie engine is someone who tortures their car, its not the engine, its the drivers of subarus
10 years ago
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ghosthop
Posts: 631 - Karma: 1,027
if you want some vw magic get a vanagon. fuck trying to source parts for an aircooled. but don't get a vw
10 years ago
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Deepskier
Posts: 3270 - Karma: 4,865
I wanna meet op vw busses are sick I was looking at getting one for a first car to bum in but dont pay 10k for one for that much you could get an like 2000 tundra or something. And beavis and butthead is life.
10 years ago
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MLB
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 298
Go to a auction and get a Chevy express van in AWD ( if you can find one with a Duramax diesel....jump on it) with the handy man stand up bubble.

Covert into travel house with bunks and kitchen. With saved money travel all over the place.
10 years ago
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Troy.
Posts: 5070 - Karma: 12,550
Dude fucking do it. Dire Straits once said "money is nothing to worry about, it comes and it goes"

The memories you'll get from having a van? Fucking unreal.

The only thing I'd suggest is to learn some mechanics, because those VW's aren't the most reliable machines on this planet, and you don't want to be stuck in Casper, WY during a storm.
10 years ago
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
1972? That van is over 40 years old! I can't caution you enough against spending 10k a vehicle that old, no matter what the condition. If you have a budget of 10k, you can buy something far more efficient and reliable.
10 years ago
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last_tango
Posts: 2635 - Karma: 2,665
VinnieFThey're really not that bad if you're good at sourcing parts. I recently did a complete engine rebuild of a vanagon, new heads, bored cylinders, new water pump and stainless coolant lines, new power steering hoses, new fuel injection system, all gaskets replaced, new clutch, all new bearings etc etc and went for the quality german parts where I could find them. Whole bunch of other odds and ends too. Whole thing cost 2500 Canadian. For a 25 year old specialty vehicle that's really quite excellent. I mean someone can easily spend half that just to get their clutch redone.

That's not bad at all. For a 60s bus to have a professional do work on it here state side is really pricey for some reason. Looking at 2k alone for head gaskets and machining the heads on a Subaru.
10 years ago
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