1971 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon

1600cc

Manual

Clear

NO RESERVE! I ask that you very kindly don't bid unless you're a serious buyer who will pay for and retrieve the vehicle in a timely fashion. Please read the entire description and look at all photos carefully, and be realistic in your expectations. For sale is a 1971 Volkswagen Westfalia Campmobile bus. It seems these buses are generally either fully restored or complete basketcases, but here we have one that is in the middle area. This bus can obviously use some cosmetic attention and bodywork, but it has been completely gone through and is an excellent daily driver which needs nothing. I bought this bus last summer and decided it would be my daily driver. I spent a couple months going through it with the emphasis on dependability and safety. We like to go camping, and I wasn't going to let my nieces, for example, ride in this thing unless I thought it was going to get them there in one piece. It has had a complete tune up with all the usual new parts such as new plugs, points, oil change, valve adjustment, and so on and so on. All new fuel hoses and filter. A brand new muffler has been installed. It has had a complete brake job on all four corners. New parking brake cables have been installed and adjusted. The electrical system has been completely gone through. Finally, I put four brand new tires on it, and they are the correct heavy load tires, not the passenger car tires you usually find on them. Even has new wiper blades. The bus needs absolutely nothing as far as mechanics, brakes, suspension, etc. that I'm aware of or that I can see it needing in the near future. I have been driving it regularly, and often daily, for half a year or so and it's never let me down. I don't hesitate to drive it anywhere, and it starts right up in any weather, even when it's in the single digits. It has a vintage Made in Germany Bosch 009 distributor which performs like a champ, not one of the later junky units. Has an original German Solex carburetor as well. 1971 is known for being the pinnacle year for these buses in terms of safety and dependability. They've got a lot of the great features, like disc brakes up front, but it's the last year for the tried and true upright 1600cc dual port engine before VW moved on to the problem-fraught fuel injection system. The bus had what I will call a rather "unique" paint job when I got it that was pretty embarrassing and worn out, so I did a quickie spray job on it to make it less of an eye sore and to protect it a little better. All the glass is in great shape. The lenses, handles, and other bits like that are mostly in really great condition, which you probably wouldn't expect. I have a couple others to go with it, as well, to replace the few that aren't as perfect. I installed a working Sapphire AM / FM radio in it, which often sell for $250 alone. The broken antenna needs replaced for better reception. My favorite part about the bus is that a single key works all the locks on the whole thing as well as the ignition. You don't see that often! I have three keys in total for it, so you have a couple spares. Sliding door opens, closes, and fits like it should. The camper interior is all there including the ice box, sink, fold down z-bed, table, cabinet, and closet. Even has all the counter tops and the spice rack. It also includes the child's cot. The water jug filler spout is broken, but there's a company that remanufactures them. I honestly never tried the water pump (faucet). Everything else is working and in great shape considering its age. Drain and vent are hooked up. Although it runs and drives perfect, you can clearly see that it needs a lot of the usual body work. I've restored a few Bay Window Buses like this and this one, despite its issues, would actually be the easiest one. The bad areas all have patch panels readily available. The undercarriage is in surprisingly good shape. Wheel wells aren't too bad. The hardest, and one of the most commonly needed, areas to fix on these buses is the lip below the windshield, but this one is great shape and won't need repaired. There's some damage to the nose and on the left rear corner, and the driver's door has a big dent in the bottom but I think it will "Snapple lid" out if you do it right. Otherwise, this Bus is surprisingly straight with no big creases or dents. The only things on the whole bus that don't work are the fuel gauge, the reverse warning lights, and the passenger's side window regulator (a nice used one is included, it just needs thrown on). If you're looking at this, you've probably seen what these campers are going for restored. It's not rare to see one for $20,000 these days. With minimal body work and a paint job you can easily double your money on this vehicle. I'd do it myself, but I'm in the position where I need a little money now more than I'll need a lot of money later, so my loss is truly your gain. It has a box of roadside emergency parts, like a new set of points and things, that will go with it for your safety and convenience. I bought a couple patch panels for it already that will also be included. Has a clean and clear Ohio title in my name. I don't know if the mileage is correct. Buyer pays any and all shipping costs. Sold as-is and where-is. I reserve the right to end the auction at any time or for any reason. I'm happy to answer any questions or to arrange for you to come take a look. Thanks for looking!