1978 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon

Minivan/Van

4 - Cyl.

Manual

2282087953

Gasoline

Please read the entire description, fully, before bidding/purchasing. The Bus is over 30 years old, she runs, good, she has rust, bad, she has the original 2 liter air cooled engine, and it really has less than 90K miles on it, she really has rust but it is not all bad. Oh where to start, the bus is a type II transporter, it runs good but needs a tune up and a new pair of spark plug wires wouldn't hurt. It needs a new set of tires if you are going to drive it on the highway, but I would not hesitate to drive this bus anywhere, she is beautifully reliable and simple to maintain. She does leak a little oil but most of it, which isn't much, comes from the valve cover gasket, really it's a very small amount. She always starts, and has actually had most of the important things replaced over the years, brake lines, fuel lines, various components including new brake sensors last year, new interstate battery last year. Mechanically she's good, she would very much appreciate a new oem vacuum hose, the one on there is a generic hose I got at the hardware store, it works, it cost me $1 but if you know anything about VW engines, and this one is designed by Porsche, it has the funny bend around and the pre-fabricated hose, about 6" long will give you better air flow than the generic one, it will cost you about $20, and it will improve the gas mileage, which is currently about 12 mpg in the city. The good, the bad and the ugly.....she handles good, with just a driver, anything over 60 mph on a windy day will leave you gripping the wheel, with a full load, she cruises pretty nice at 70 mph, I took 6 large guys on a short road trip last year, for old times sake, and it drove nicely. Steering is decent, suspension is fine, brakes work good but make a little noise, I think it's just glazing since it's driven so little but front pads are probably due for a change anyway. The tires are bad, I drive on them and even drove 100 miles on the highway last summer on them but they definitely need replacing, I do have a full size spare. Also, the tire jack on the VW bus is useless and dangerous, I will include for free a heavy duty bottle jack. All the glass is good, the interior is not bad for VW, dash is in good shape, never had a radio installed, all the wiring is good and clean, signals all work fine, horn works but can get fussy on really hot days, go figure it's a VW bus. The interior lights don't work, the wiring is fine but the casings are cracked, I pulled them out with the intention of ordering new ones but never got around to it. AHEM.....again, this is a 30+ year old VW, in the midwest it's entire life, and I believe in full disclosure so the following is the bad and the ugly, the rust is limited but has eaten through the cab steps, the battery tray, the bumpers, the bottom one inch of sheet metal all the way around the fenders. The frame itself does have rust but does not appear to be eaten through, the support members connecting the frame to the cabin are eaten through, a couple of them are about as strong as a rice crispy treat. Do not be horrified, a welder can cut them out and weld in new members for a few hundred bucks.....I have driven it and unless you are carrying a heavy load it's driveable, under heavy load, I would recommend taking turns slowly as you can hear her creak and groan if you turn too fast. She's a lovable work horse, reliable, still fun to drive, definitely needs some work but with some welding and some tlc she would make a lovely restoration, or just drive it as it is. Some more things to note: drivers seat is showing a spring, passenger seat is fine, there is only one rear bench, I have the mounting hardware for another bench I will include transmission and clutch work great, shifting into 3rd gear I recommend double clutching sliding door works but requires a good shove to close there is a tear in the head liner ***it's an air cooled engine, no heat in the winter, blower works but the heat ducts are shot and the under carriage heater is broken..I have a complete replacement unit, and will include it for free, includes relays, bladder everything, it's an espar b model gas heater, real nice in the winter I have all the paperwork, manuals, receipts for the Bus ****Note, the speedometer/odometer stopped working two years ago, I am pretty sure it's the cable but you have to be a contortionist to get to the cable attachment, it's either broken or just popped off, they do that. Now I know you are thinking...if the odometer is broken how do I know the miles are accurate? Well, first the miles up until two years ago are all documented, I have service records which will show that the mileage over the years, I even have a picture of the odometer shortly before it stopped working, and I own both a honda civic and a truck, so I rarely drove this for the few years that I had it, and you can tell by inspecting the bus that the mileage is really low for a vehicle this age, the engine sounds good, engine looks good, drives good. I suppose a little bit about it's history, it's the Champagne Deluxe edition, with the larger 2 liter Porsche designed air cooled engine, plenty of power, it started like in Green Bay WI, and then was traded in, purchased by an older gent down in Evanston IL, who took exceptionasl care of it for many years, was briefly owned by another party from whom I acquired it. I was going to rebuild it and use it as a family camper but too many projects, I really love driving this thing, really nice ergonomics and very reliable. I actually decided to go diesel for a family camper so I have a new project and really would like to see this go to someone that will do something with it, it's a fairly rare vehicle to find and in spite of the rust it's in decent shape with mostly solid metal. I have stored at a facility in Deerfield Illinois,,right next door to Highland Park, it's outdoors and need to have it gone. Again because this is a 30+ plus year vehicle, there is no warranty of any kind, immediate deposit via paypal required, balance in cash at pick up, clean and clear title. Please contact me with any questions before purchasing If you have less than 20 feedback, a history of problem transactions or just plain don't want the vehicle please contact me before purchasing. The bus is located in Deerfield Illinois, about 30 minutes north of Chicago, I can pick you up in Chicago if needed. On Sep-08-10 at 07:25:47 PDT, seller added the following information: Yes, I am lowering the price, no it does not have air conditioning, yes it has rust, yes it must go, yes it will need new tires if you are going to drive it home on the highway, yes it has the clock in the dash board and it works. Feel free to send me your best offer, I lowered the reserve and may waive it all together if the reserve is not met, i.e. will offer to high bidder even if the reserve is not met. On Sep-26-10 at 10:26:56 PDT, seller added the following information: Couple of updates, the reserve has been met and I must say the bidders are all respectable. I apologize if I failed to answer all of your questions, we've been moving this week/weekend and things are a bit chaotic. The bus is fuel injected, fuel system works fine, has had new fuel pump and fuel lines a few years ago. The tires are usable, but one of them is worse than the others, it's the spare tire, which replaced a tire that I thought was going flat but I now realize the kids were jumping up and down on the stem, thus it's leaking at the stem. I have the tire, still mounted but the stem will need to be replaced. All of the glass is in good condition as are tail lights signals and headlights, dash lights also work, the wiring in this vehicle is in very good condition. One bidder is trying to coordinate an inspection, hopefully today, I will post the results of the inspection if possible. The bus actually runs good, tires being the primary issue, and of course the rust. Again, with the exception of the tires, I would not hesitate to drive this bus anywhere, tune up would be nice if you are worried about gas mileage, but mechanically she's great, solid and runs smooth, the body is rusty but not falling off the frame, she will creak and groan if you whip her into a turn at high speed under load but so does my 25 year Chevy Suburban, she is drivable and with the exception of the rust as described, most of the metal is solid, floors, door frames (hinges) etc. Anyway, looks like someone is going to be the new proud owner of this bus, named Horton. also included is a full box of oem fuses, funny little things, and I have so spare parts, including the bunch of piping for the heater system.