What should i look for and avoid when buying a VW bus?

i am looking to buy a VW bus (70-79) and i was wondering what problems i should keep an eye out for to avoid huge repair costs later on?What should i look for and avoid when buying a VW bus?Rust.What should i look for and avoid when buying a VW bus?
1/ Would probably stay away from Dual Carbs, lots of problems, and parts hard to get.

2/ Check that the fuel filler rubber is still there, that many have broken off and went into the fuel tank, causing fuel blockage.That the fuel tank has to be pulled out, and have the rubber debis removed.

3/ Male sure the Brakes are safe, that the master cylinder, and brake parts are very expensive to replace.

4/ Check the front susp, that these parts are very costly also.

5/ Look for Rust and Body Damage.

6/ Check the engine number that it goes with the year and model.

7/ Check the shifting and look for leaks at the trans, and rubber mounts.

8/ Check all the electrical that it works, looking for modified wiring, or missing wiring.

9/ Place the bus on a Rack and look under it, looking for leaks and damage.

10/ Check the steering box free play, these Boxes are very costly.



These are a few things I would look for.What should i look for and avoid when buying a VW bus?You are getting into Fuel Injection (in the later years) and that could be costly. Get a good injection specialist to go with you and they will be able to tell if some of the engine controls have been tampered with. Depending on your county, and model year, you may have to have all the emission's stuff on that engine, and that was a major expense.What should i look for and avoid when buying a VW bus?
wiring and rust are probably the 2 main issues...my bus had lots of rust so it was overwhleming. good luck.What should i look for and avoid when buying a VW bus?rust on the frame underneath and engine noises (especially buses 72 to 79)What should i look for and avoid when buying a VW bus?
its a 30 year old car,



what 30 year old car doesnt have problems?
This was taken from Richard Atwell's site.

http://www.ratwell.com/





Baywindow Bus Buying Guide



by Richard Atwell

(c) Copyright 2004



I think a perfect 68-79 bus is worth $6,000-7,000 in today's market. That's a lot less than the last Vanagon issued (especially if it's a Synchro Westfalia) and a lot less than a fully restored split window ($40,000!!!) but those are the breaks when you are the awkward middle child.



Every year there are fewer busses on the road and as cars reach collector age the prices tend to rise. But who is complaining! Volkwagens were an affordable, dependable "people's car" and purely based on the prices of the other generations, the 2nd generation bay window bus is still a true embodiment of that philisophy. Now is a great time to restore or recondition a baywindow and enjoy it: quality German parts are still available and affordable.



Used prices can be are higher if the buyer is on the East Coast where everything is rusted or simply unavailable. Higher again if the bus is a Westfalia with all the accessories. Ideal condition is hard to define because so much feeling is involved in a purchase but lets say this is a bus that has been well cared for, driven regularly perhaps infrequently and has had a some of the original equipment replaced that relates to wear. A history of receipts is very useful to look at so be sure to ask the seller about them.



Some busses go for $250 while some are advertized on eBay for $16K. The latter is of course ridiculous because you could restore that same $250 bus for much less than $16K unless you get ripped off or go crazy with bodywork ressurecting the dead. Any bus in absolutely original condition means that over time rubber items have perished, plastics become brittle or cracked, greases have gone hard etc. You can't expect to buy a bus like this and drive it like a similarly well cared for bus that didn't cost as much but was well maintained. Your intentions wrt this time machine should be purchasing a museum piece unless of course the model is rare. For example, a 12K mile garaged double cab with original paint that was never sold in the US.



Any smart buyer with an infinite amount of patience will price the necessary repairs against the prospective bus, drop the price accordingly, make an offer or just keep looking. Of course sellers have their minimum price in mind and may just wait for the next prospective buyer. For most of us that are eager about bus ownership, it requires a little give and take because looking for a good bus is no where near as fun as driving one. At least in your head, consider the cost of the replacement parts to give you an idea of what you are really paying for. These vehicles are 30 years old and you want to be safe on the road while driving one for your sake and for others.



If I was the prospective bus savvy buyer I would make a list and grill you on the following categories below checking each item as I consider the implications of buying your bus. Anyone buying a bus solely based on color is only human but if you stay objective it will pay off in the long run unless you really enjoy restoration work and have time, the space and the money to perform it.



These gems are all largely the same wrt features despite the original purchase price (1968 camper was $2,765, 1979 camper was $7,295). Some prefer the earlier busses with the familar but underpowred 1600cc engine, others the later models with the Type 4 engine, fuel injection and more modern camper interiors.



In general, the 1971 and 1978 models are the most desirable but I'd take a favorable bus from another year because parts can be swapped and upgraded. Chances are the engine and transmission have been rebuilt and/or isn't original. You really have to know your busses to figure out what's not original sometimes. If you have to smog test your bus then you might want to consider a model year that is exempt from testing. Likewise you may want to avoid a model that has been converted to carbs and unable to pass a visual inspection test.



All of the prices below assume that you will be doing the repair work yourself and buying NEW parts. While used parts are available, buying some news parts is unavoidable. Engine and transmission work is expensive and I've estimated the labor cost of each in the price. If you are comfortable with engine and transmission replacement then you are fortunate and have more options available to you. For other items the price range reflects the severity of the problem. I can't list every possible part that can go wrong so they are only estimates that cover common categories. For strictly labor items I've indicated this also.



Also review my engine inspection article before you make your purchase so you don't end up buying a dud.



I've provided some annotations to the list below:



* [labor intensive] means it's not a simple replacement even if you have the proper tools but you can do it.

* [buyer bew