| Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... | |
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+29ianclarke1970 sunny1 jme Sunny Batman KC thesplitsombrero Dalesman JLS 62 jj123vw yabbit Matt steve andrews Tallulah AbsintheKombi geoff&rach dizzylizard Skytiger irishman absquatulation dazdub EOS2010 Scooby kiteman Captain Haddock dean&jo butten jboa TimV 33 posters |
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How did you get to your Brazilian Bay? | I just knew I had to have one | | 42% | [ 55 ] | I hired one before I bought | | 8% | [ 11 ] | I had a Classic T2 previously | | 17% | [ 22 ] | I looked at Classic Bays too but chose the Kombi | | 33% | [ 43 ] |
| Total Votes : 131 | | |
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jj123vw
Cabin : Business Location : Bristol Posts : 1545 Join date : 2009-09-30
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:14 pm | |
| Great story and shows how versatile the T2 still is. A true Multi Purpose Vehicle ! | |
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JLS 62
Cabin : Club Location : Leicester - the centre of the world - sorry England Posts : 521 Join date : 2011-04-06
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:00 pm | |
| Both my wife and I were VW fans from years back. My wife wanted an 'old' T2, I wanted a 'new' one based on being more reliable. Hence we settled on a danbury - but it had to be aircooled. Saw on a website and drove to Leeds from Leicester to see it. Ummed and aahed and finally decided to buy it. Thta was 3 and a half years ago. hda to have an engine rebuild soon after we got it and since then - it has been fine. Hols in Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset and lots of VW shows.
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Dalesman
Cabin : Exec 009 Location : Wensleydale Posts : 425 Join date : 2012-03-01
| Subject: Having considered all the options...... Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:12 am | |
| having never owned a camper before but now being in a position to afford one and having the drive space to park one in addition to my daily driver my first decision was that it had to be a VW, ruled out T3's, 4's and 5's - very practical I'm sure but I want a thing of beauty to look at when i'm not driving it. So a Type 2 it has to be but Split Screen? well I haven't won the lottery yet, so a Bay it is. 'Original' ie falling apart or stripped down and rebuilt - that would be nice but - wow - the prices! or a new or nearly new brazi bay? For less than the cost of a rebuild i can have a nearly new Kombi with better mpg and (hopefully) better reliability. Keeping my eyes open for a suitable candidate - one or two options in the running........ | |
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thesplitsombrero
Cabin : Economy Location : ZummerZet Posts : 356 Join date : 2011-03-15
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:53 am | |
| First off I couldnt stand bugs or buses, my ex ex Father in law had a splitty as a daily driver his son had a beetle and I really didn't get it My Austin 1100 was faster than that and warmer My first mistake was bidding on two beetles on ebay and sadly won them both (there's a lesson). I attended my first show with a tent and decided a van would be better, so bought a 74 Devon. Then the whole thing got out of hand, the two bugs and the bay were sold and with the help of my then 8 year old daughter picked a splitty (which I still own, aircooled rah rah rah! dont tell Jane I said that). I then bought the Mex bug (why?) which I still own and my daughter might take on when she has passed her test. It gets worse because I had a massive itch to import one from California, so i did, a 1969 bay which turned out to be a rot pot and I have since sold on. Then along came Jane, a Dub virgin, and whilst coming back from a family visit to SE London (A303 Stonehenge to be precise) I read out the Danbury ad in Volksworld Magazine. Well that was it, the following week we visited the showroom and we picked our van. I must say although I still prefer the aircooled bus, the aqua is a pleasant litttle thing with its quirkey little rad grill and more economical and powerful engine( yeah right ) but underneath that its a 70's bus with 70's technology in abundance. Were happy with our Jack HAA HAAAR | |
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KC
Cabin : Economy Location : Brighton Posts : 184 Join date : 2012-02-21
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:15 pm | |
| I'd owned a 1303 beetle when I passed my driving test many moons ago - I loved it and it's quirky-ness, but then came the MOT........erk... Rot-abundance!
So had to sell her.
It took me a while to 'get' the van appeal though - friends bought / sold old bays and I was fairly indifferent. Then for some reason one day 2 years ago, we talked about a family trip to the Isle of Wight - before I knew it we were researching campervan hire, and stumbled across Ian @ VWKampers, who rented us his Brazibay, Bluebell. We were HOOKED! The best weekend we'd had in ages - so much fun. When we took her back we talked to / at Ian for ages (poor bloke - it was a sunday, and he was in teh pub when we phoned!). He showed us around loads of vans and we just preferred the new van interiors. Also he talked about fuel economy, general maintanance and the reliability of the new vans.
12 months later, we rented again, this time from Isle of Wight campers - we specifically asked for one of their Brazibays again - we were sold!
A few phonecalls & visits to Ian at VWKampers, and we walked away poor but happy campers!
Best decision we ever made. | |
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thesplitsombrero
Cabin : Economy Location : ZummerZet Posts : 356 Join date : 2011-03-15
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:53 pm | |
| Nice one KC what was Ian's take on fuel economy and has it lived upto it ? | |
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Scooby
Cabin : Flight 004 Location : Reading Posts : 8831 Join date : 2010-12-12
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Batman
Cabin : Exec 072 Location : Central Dorset Posts : 321 Join date : 2012-01-22
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:11 am | |
| Elspeth got her Beetle Convertibe about 4 years ago - we loved Primrose and loved the idea of the style of the VW shape without the problems of the air cooled engine. Then started looking at a classic Splitty - always had to be RHD - but then started investigating Danbury - test drove (whcih wasn't very enjoyable) - hummed and ha'd for a year or so then decided money in the bank was making sweet FA and so decided to enjoy the money instead - and Robin came along not long after. Also the club helped in making our minds up. | |
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KC
Cabin : Economy Location : Brighton Posts : 184 Join date : 2012-02-21
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Sun Mar 04, 2012 12:36 pm | |
| Sure was - we're getting a very comfortable MPG....haven't calculated it exactly by circa 35mpg. Iain showed us a 2.0 Westy which he reckoned would do about 15mpg on a good day! ouch.
First outing of the year yesterday after 5 months in storage - all ship-shape, but a little dusty. Started first time......oooh yeah!!! | |
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TimV Admin
Cabin : Flight 001 Location : Brighton, East Sussex U.K. Posts : 14343 Join date : 2009-09-27
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Sun Mar 04, 2012 12:50 pm | |
| - KC wrote:
- Iain showed us a 2.0 Westy which he reckoned would do about 15mpg on a good day! ouch.
... and this is the thing, you can spend upwards of 25k on a fully rebuilt Classic, but you can't do anything about its fuel economy, bar park it in your drive and let it sit pretty, costing you nothing. ________________________________________________________________________________ Max SportsKombi - The Bay Racer @brazilianvwbay | |
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Tallulah
Cabin : Flight 011 Location : South Somerset, UK Posts : 5101 Join date : 2011-06-05
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:08 pm | |
| - Quote :
- bar park it in your drive and let it sit pretty, costing you nothing
....and rusting, and depreciating.... ________________________________________________________________________________ www.alpinegrovetouringpark.com Twitter: @AlpineGrove Facebook: facebook.com/alpinegrovetouringpark
| | Former owners of the amazing Tallulah (2011 to 2021) Proud winners of Spikes Trophy, 2016. Freedom, in style... |
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TimV Admin
Cabin : Flight 001 Location : Brighton, East Sussex U.K. Posts : 14343 Join date : 2009-09-27
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:25 pm | |
| It's interesting that one of the Classic Bays VW Kampers put together for the Dorset Cereal Competition, which was valued at £25,000, has been for sale for months now. It is currently £17500 on dubs4sale.com having started at £23000. ________________________________________________________________________________ Max SportsKombi - The Bay Racer @brazilianvwbay | |
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KC
Cabin : Economy Location : Brighton Posts : 184 Join date : 2012-02-21
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:59 pm | |
| Don't get me wrong, I regularly go ga-ga over a lovely early bay or a splitty /samba.....
But in the end we wanted something that I can get in and drive (relativel) care-free! Trips to France, around the UK, you name it......without shelling out mega-bucks or stressing that every noise I hear is a new mechanical nightmare rearing its head! (We have enough noises in the van as it is but I know what these are at least!).
The fully restored vans that VWKampers do are lovely - the one featured in last months Camper & Bus magazine was amazing to look at. Ian was very helpful at talking us through the +'s and -'s of each though, and he did make the point that the engines are still thirsty on the old vans (and even after the resto a large part of the van is still 30+ years old!).
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thesplitsombrero
Cabin : Economy Location : ZummerZet Posts : 356 Join date : 2011-03-15
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:06 pm | |
| [quote="KC"]Sure was - we're getting a very comfortable MPG....haven't calculated it exactly by circa 35mpg. Iain showed us a 2.0 Westy which he reckoned would do about 15mpg on a good day! ouch. My split returns 30-35 MPG and manages a comfortable 65-70 MPH on the motorway it has a 1641 with a twin carb set up, so when we're getting 32 average mpg from a van with no interior and not exceeding 62 MPH motorway or 50 MPH on other roads, with a boasted 40MPG, I think you'll understand my concerns. After the service the performance improved due to the throttle being recalibrated (I told you it wasn't right) but MPG is still 32. All in all its a 70's designed iconic vehicle and we still want to live the dream, A dubs a dub Dudes whether its a 67 or an 07 they will all rot and depreciate, its just how we look after them that decides by how much and how soon. I'm gonna keep buffing ours, it should outlast us | |
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KC
Cabin : Economy Location : Brighton Posts : 184 Join date : 2012-02-21
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Wed Mar 07, 2012 9:21 am | |
| We love our BraziBay - we're living the dream without the stress. But I know it's only a matter of time before I buy myself an old van. It'll be a project, a pain, an expense and a labour of love. But then I've got something to tinker with and nurture back to life, and our BraziBay for fun! | |
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Scooby
Cabin : Flight 004 Location : Reading Posts : 8831 Join date : 2010-12-12
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thesplitsombrero
Cabin : Economy Location : ZummerZet Posts : 356 Join date : 2011-03-15
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:49 pm | |
| Sounds good KC my split is now due a resto, after 45 years i think he deserves it The cool thing is you can get a split on Gran tourismo, according to my mate at work, and no resto required probably one of the cheapest ways to own one (matchbox, corgi etc excluded). They are a labour of love and hopefully we can keep the brazi fleet alive for forty years or more | |
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Sunny
Cabin : Exec 050 Location : Wiltshire Posts : 1743 Join date : 2012-01-22
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:04 am | |
| Oh what a journey! I've had a yearning for a VW camper for many many years, and when my cousin went around Europe in one for a honeymoon I was very jealous, though a little dubious.
I'd looked at "old" classics and then saw a Danbury ad and thought wow! But the cost of a new dub just seemed ludicrous. However, a review of the issues around owning a classic showed that there was a significant hidden cost and when compared to a new one, total cost of ownership didn't seem so far apart. It was more a case of when and how do you want to pay; up front in a big hit or in dribs and drabs. But then I started worrying about depreciation of a new one as an additional loss of money, and again the equation didn't seemed balanced. In the end I decided that reliability and me being the first owner was the offset to depreciation, a price I had to pay if buying any new car. A fact of life. Like tax and death, it's going to happen.
Then life threw another curve ball, the way it does and the purchase got put on hold for a couple of years, with me still hankering (and Danbury periodically ringing me to see whether I was still interested). Finally, after yet another of those curve balls, I said sod it and put a deposit down and am now excitedly waiting..... | |
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KC
Cabin : Economy Location : Brighton Posts : 184 Join date : 2012-02-21
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:39 am | |
| fantastic news!! Just in time for summer as well.
To pass the time between now and collection day, I recommend researching and compiling an endless list of 'stuff' that you need. Bedding, kitchen stuff, awnings, levelling blocks, camping chairs, books, maps, the list goes on...!
This was my favourite passtime whilst awaiting 'van day'..... | |
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Sunny
Cabin : Exec 050 Location : Wiltshire Posts : 1743 Join date : 2012-01-22
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KC
Cabin : Economy Location : Brighton Posts : 184 Join date : 2012-02-21
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:41 am | |
| So what spec have you gone for??? | |
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Sunny
Cabin : Exec 050 Location : Wiltshire Posts : 1743 Join date : 2012-01-22
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:00 am | |
| - KC wrote:
- So what spec have you gone for???
Started at the bottom and kept adding just about everything. "She" is a Classic Rio and I think the only things I didn't go for were drop down DVD player, oven, chrome or air con. Oh, nor metallic paint (now). Yes, I have splurged and opted for PAS. Thought if I was going to use this on a daily basis I might as well be comfortable driving it. I went for BRM alloys but not the 17", as from prior experience I find the ride a bit too harsh. Quite tempted by the dark graphite EMPIs but for the moment sticking with the BRMs. So, quite an extensive list when all added up. Plan is to show her off at the Sleepover. | |
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KC
Cabin : Economy Location : Brighton Posts : 184 Join date : 2012-02-21
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:27 am | |
| Sounds great! I know what you mean about the 17's - a bit too hard.
I'm still contemplating alloys - can't decide. Brushed steel EMPI's are the current front-runners, but I was looking at EMPI dishes last week!
You're right about the PAS though I think - we have on-street parking and it's always tight getting in / out. It makes parking like a workout for us!
Looking forward to seeing your van at the sleepover. | |
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jme
Cabin : Economy Location : Brasilia DF, Brazil. Posts : 44 Join date : 2011-07-22
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Fri Apr 13, 2012 8:07 pm | |
| I think I've been really lucky - after reading all of that - touch wood, the only breakdown I've ever had in either of my vans was last week ... I forgot to put fuel in her on the way to pick the kids up from school I had a German Diesel T25 in Spain, again crew cab and fantastic vehicle. She used to get a bit on the warm side until we changed the water pump for a bigger one ... that was it. Back in the day though, a mate of mine brought a 70's T2 whilst we were traveling around Australia. I seem to recall that we managed a good 3000 km before we blew her up and sent the rods through the engine ... but what a ride eh | |
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sunny1
Cabin : Club Location : Brighton, East Sussex UK Posts : 47 Join date : 2011-04-04
| Subject: Re: Before you bought your Brazilian Bay .... Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:22 pm | |
| I had been saving for a rainy day for 10 years. Then I had my disabled son and just knew what to spend it on. Our camper is perfect for him as his diet is restricted so we cook what he needs. His mobility is limited also so he has plenty of space in the camper and a big sliding door is perfect for getting in and out and for his set of wheels. It had to be reliable as my day to day vehicle so a new BraziBay was the only choice. Best one I ever made. ________________________________________________________________________________ "Life is for Living" | |
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