Wanted watercooled campervan

After debating air cooled ..... I’m looking for a watercooled campervan if anyone is thinking of selling please contact me especially if you have a westaflia style roof , righ hand drive and power steering !! But will consider any van .
Thanks

kirstencarleton wrote:

After debating air cooled ..... I’m looking for a watercooled campervan if anyone is thinking of selling please contact me especially if you have a westaflia style roof , righ hand drive and power steering !! But will consider any van .
Thanks

VW Kampers have 2 Kombis in at the moment both with the Westy style roof. 1 water-cooled, 1 air-cooled. Never discount the air-cooled.....

re: Westfalia roof your could maybe get a tin top & have one fitted. £3240 for a tin top all in. I assume they can be put up & down easily by one person and that makes them better as pop tops?

I agree with Tim, obviously. The air cooled engines have certain advantages:
you can take them on the channel tunnel
classic sound
bullet proof reliability
less things to go wrong
much bigger support network as all the classic vans have very similar engines
Only disadvantage I'm aware of is that they are a little slower. I don't know the mpg comparison.

sundialsoft wrote:

re: Westfalia roof your could maybe get a tin top & have one fitted. £3240 for a tin top all in. I assume they can be put up & down easily by one person and that makes them better as pop tops?

I agree with Tim, obviously. The air cooled engines have certain advantages:
you can take them on the channel tunnel
classic sound
bullet proof reliability
less things to go wrong
much bigger support network as all the classic vans have very similar engines
Only disadvantage I'm aware of is that they are a little slower. I don't know the mpg comparison.

I generally agree with the statements above, with the following comments:

you can take them on the channel tunnel - watercooled kombis can go in the chunnel too, some are listed in their log book as "bifuel" which the chunnel police take a meaning lpg. The log book can be updated or a letter provided from a relevant authority to allow them on on/in. Bifuel actually refers to the watercooled kombis being able to run on ethanol or petrol, or a mix of the two. Ethanol (or bio-ethanol) is not currently available in the UK, but it is on the continent (E85 in France) at approx 1/2 the price of regular unleaded.

bullet proof reliability - providing they are well maintained, which also means more regular servicing than the watercooled. The watercooled engine needs a basic service once a year, it is a VW fox engine so can (in theory) be carried out anywhere.


less things to go wrong - really? Not sure I agree with this one.

much bigger support network as all the classic vans have very similar engines - see my point above, regular VW fox engine, parts available from any VW (or VAG) dealer.

Only disadvantage I'm aware of is that they are a little slower - with a bit less pulling power on hills especially when fully loaded or towing.

MPG of aircooled is normally around 24mpg, for watercooled regularly above 35mpg.

Tim - they sold the watercooled at vw kampers before my appointment to see it gutted.
Sundialsoft - have been loooking for Tin tips too as I just love the look of the Westy roofs . You Van is a beauty looking forward to seeing the pics .

re: "less things to go wrong - really? Not sure I agree with this one." I have too many friends with aquabays so I won't delve into this. I don't want to get missed out of the rounds in the pub.

So after me posting this morning and more discussions we have decided budget and condition is the most important aspect in our search !! Watercooled or aircooled and any pop top . It’s so difficult when spending a lot of money ...

kirstencarleton wrote:

So after me posting this morning and more discussions we have decided budget and condition is the most important aspect in our search !! Watercooled or aircooled and any pop top . It’s so difficult when spending a lot of money ...

Hi Kirsten,

as with all Brazibays, there's always a fear of "Oh, I wish we had a xxxx", when you look at other Brazibays. Well, the best ideas are those that are pinched and when we get together, we all love showing off what we've done to ours, but still see the merits in what others have done.

Knowing the background to any car/Brazibay is important; moreso with a Brazibay as you'll form so much more of an attachment to it than any car. Knowing it has been well looked after, has been regularly serviced and is in good external and internal condition is important, as you don't really want to be parting with more money in the first couple of years (unless there are specific things you want to do/have*).

It's never easy, but see a few and drive a few, so you'll get a good feel for them and what's really important for you; if you come to a Brazibay get-together, we can all bore you with how wonderful our own van is!

(* for us, we wanted Litesteer, having seen Neil and a van with Litesteer at Busfest; that, the one-piece throttle cable and the solar panels have been our three best buys. We had Litesteer fitted almost immediately and the throttle cable and solar panels fitted last year).

P.

kirstencarleton wrote:

we have decided budget and condition is the most important aspect in our search !! Watercooled or aircooled and any pop top  ...

I concur with this.  Set your price and buy the best overall BraziBay at that price.

Thanks bumble for you advise . Hopefully I will soon be a brazilbay owner soon and I already have questions about lite steer .....

Thanks for the buying guide Tim very useful .

kirstencarleton wrote:

After debating air cooled ..... I’m looking for a watercooled campervan if anyone is thinking of selling please contact me especially if you have a westaflia style roof , righ hand drive and power steering !! But will consider any van .
Thanks

hi

did you find one

I am just selling my 2010 now with very low mileage if your interested