Hi all.
Just wanted to throw some of my experience into the mix for any newbies to the VW experience and those looking to buy their first van.
Modern or classic.
Its a tongue in cheek piece, but there's some truth in it. And you might find it amusing.
Pre pandemic i was tootling along building campers as i have done for 20 years around having a dayjob, keeping my margins low and really making a nice job of things, then during the pandemic I had more emails and phone calls about buying a van in 1 month than I did in two decades.
People were hysterical, I literally saw marriages destroyed over the financial decisions people were making in the blood lust like frenzy that occurred when the government locked everything down and stopped foreign travel.
I know of a guy who spent their life savings (about 42k) on a van as a 'suprise' for his wife.
Guess what. Not married anymore. And he was laid off during the pandemic and had to sell the van.
What happened to buying tents? Why this life altering mania over campers?
Time after time. The emails and calls developed the same pattern and people said the same things by way of making unimaginably bad financial decisions...
"This camper will be the next X years holidays for us"....
"We want to go on an adventure"
"We want to make amazing memories"
"We love 'wild camping' "
this one was my favourite ... like where do you think you'll get thats 'wild' With those low profile tyres, 20" rims, bodykit and your 80mm lowering springs when the potholes on the B&Q carpark scrape your front end.
Ironically the excuses and justifications people would throw up became strap lines for van dealers and the vw culture...who trust me, became pirates....putting 5-10k on vans that last week they couldn't sell at the original price....(and people bought them).... then, customers became like clones,,,,rather than being free spirited individuals expressing themselves, everyone settled for the same as everyone else just because it was there.....a mass hysteria that came from not really knowing anything about campers, and just buying the same as X person because they had done it...so it must be ok.... for example, do you have a massive decal/graphic of a compass and the silhouette of some trees on your your van to show off that you're on an adventure........or the words 'on an adventure'.....??
If you do, put your hand up!...
If you just put your hand up...A) that's weird, you're reading a post.... B) So do 50,000 other campers in the uk.
Camper ownership is fun but expensive....especially if you own anything pre-T5....and this is magnified 1000 fold if its pre 1980.
If you think modern vans are pricey, try finding a garage that knows how to competently strip and rebuild an air-cooled engine and transmission, I can think of about 3 in the UK that I'd trust with my money 100%.
The rest? A Haynes manual and 'ginge' the day release college apprentice will have a pop at it for you.
But try telling that to a 25 year old couple looking to spend grannies inheritance on their 'dream' of traveling in a classic camper.
Its an air cooled 49 bhp engine guys, it will be on fire before you get to junction 5 or the M42.....And easy on the brakes (about as effective as BMX brakes) if you brake too hard, the top might separate from the chassis....sorry... did I say chassis? I meant rust.
this image they have of cruising along in a classic, hippy beads in their hair, meeting cool people also on adventures usually culminates in ending up at the side of the road ringing Dad to send a tow truck, or sleeping in laybys and being woken in the night by the sound of truckers pooing in the bushes.....or worse...(no judgement...driving lorries can be lonely and very stressful) and cars full of stoners blasting drum and bass next to you whilst hurling the remainder of their maccies milkshake up your front window.
Same as camper builds.
I had a customer (sorry Paul.... using you as an example) who bought a 15k van and asked me to fit it out fir him.
Paul is married with triplets (7 years old) and has two golden retrievers.
Paul's plan was to have a van that he could 'create great memories in'.....
Paul wanted cream vinyl, cream gloss evo motion furniture, grey carpets and a full fit out, so microwave, gas oven and hob, 12v tv, everything.
Paul is 6ft 4 and 19 stone.
Mrs Paul is 6ft 1
The triplets are 7 years old but look 23
The dogs are big bouncy retrievers.
You see the issue? its a commercial vehicle sir....not the tardis.... 'Suicidal' was the word I used when he asked what it would be like on a road trip accross Cornwall with the family.
Fact is, however pumped up and excited you are about camper life, you have to look at the practicalities of it, the costs of ownership, insurance, maintenance, ongoing modification. And the realities of uk law and where you can and can't camp
A dealer sells you your dreams, knowing full well the limitations of those in reality. Do your research and give yourself time to think....
And as a man with LOTS of experience with classic campers.....please....just dont buy one....
lets compromise....just buy one of those canvas/prints of a classic camper and a sunset and hang it over your fireplace, so when guests come round they see your modern camper on the drive, then your classic camper picture and think youre a spiritual person with an appreciation for classic vehicles...
Get a van fit for your needs, not what looks cool.
Anyway, till next time.
Just wanted to throw some of my experience into the mix for any newbies to the VW experience and those looking to buy their first van.
Modern or classic.
Its a tongue in cheek piece, but there's some truth in it. And you might find it amusing.
Pre pandemic i was tootling along building campers as i have done for 20 years around having a dayjob, keeping my margins low and really making a nice job of things, then during the pandemic I had more emails and phone calls about buying a van in 1 month than I did in two decades.
People were hysterical, I literally saw marriages destroyed over the financial decisions people were making in the blood lust like frenzy that occurred when the government locked everything down and stopped foreign travel.
I know of a guy who spent their life savings (about 42k) on a van as a 'suprise' for his wife.
Guess what. Not married anymore. And he was laid off during the pandemic and had to sell the van.
What happened to buying tents? Why this life altering mania over campers?
Time after time. The emails and calls developed the same pattern and people said the same things by way of making unimaginably bad financial decisions...
"This camper will be the next X years holidays for us"....
"We want to go on an adventure"
"We want to make amazing memories"
"We love 'wild camping' "
this one was my favourite ... like where do you think you'll get thats 'wild' With those low profile tyres, 20" rims, bodykit and your 80mm lowering springs when the potholes on the B&Q carpark scrape your front end.
Ironically the excuses and justifications people would throw up became strap lines for van dealers and the vw culture...who trust me, became pirates....putting 5-10k on vans that last week they couldn't sell at the original price....(and people bought them).... then, customers became like clones,,,,rather than being free spirited individuals expressing themselves, everyone settled for the same as everyone else just because it was there.....a mass hysteria that came from not really knowing anything about campers, and just buying the same as X person because they had done it...so it must be ok.... for example, do you have a massive decal/graphic of a compass and the silhouette of some trees on your your van to show off that you're on an adventure........or the words 'on an adventure'.....??
If you do, put your hand up!...
If you just put your hand up...A) that's weird, you're reading a post.... B) So do 50,000 other campers in the uk.
Camper ownership is fun but expensive....especially if you own anything pre-T5....and this is magnified 1000 fold if its pre 1980.
If you think modern vans are pricey, try finding a garage that knows how to competently strip and rebuild an air-cooled engine and transmission, I can think of about 3 in the UK that I'd trust with my money 100%.
The rest? A Haynes manual and 'ginge' the day release college apprentice will have a pop at it for you.
But try telling that to a 25 year old couple looking to spend grannies inheritance on their 'dream' of traveling in a classic camper.
Its an air cooled 49 bhp engine guys, it will be on fire before you get to junction 5 or the M42.....And easy on the brakes (about as effective as BMX brakes) if you brake too hard, the top might separate from the chassis....sorry... did I say chassis? I meant rust.
this image they have of cruising along in a classic, hippy beads in their hair, meeting cool people also on adventures usually culminates in ending up at the side of the road ringing Dad to send a tow truck, or sleeping in laybys and being woken in the night by the sound of truckers pooing in the bushes.....or worse...(no judgement...driving lorries can be lonely and very stressful) and cars full of stoners blasting drum and bass next to you whilst hurling the remainder of their maccies milkshake up your front window.
Same as camper builds.
I had a customer (sorry Paul.... using you as an example) who bought a 15k van and asked me to fit it out fir him.
Paul is married with triplets (7 years old) and has two golden retrievers.
Paul's plan was to have a van that he could 'create great memories in'.....
Paul wanted cream vinyl, cream gloss evo motion furniture, grey carpets and a full fit out, so microwave, gas oven and hob, 12v tv, everything.
Paul is 6ft 4 and 19 stone.
Mrs Paul is 6ft 1
The triplets are 7 years old but look 23
The dogs are big bouncy retrievers.
You see the issue? its a commercial vehicle sir....not the tardis.... 'Suicidal' was the word I used when he asked what it would be like on a road trip accross Cornwall with the family.
Fact is, however pumped up and excited you are about camper life, you have to look at the practicalities of it, the costs of ownership, insurance, maintenance, ongoing modification. And the realities of uk law and where you can and can't camp
A dealer sells you your dreams, knowing full well the limitations of those in reality. Do your research and give yourself time to think....
And as a man with LOTS of experience with classic campers.....please....just dont buy one....
lets compromise....just buy one of those canvas/prints of a classic camper and a sunset and hang it over your fireplace, so when guests come round they see your modern camper on the drive, then your classic camper picture and think youre a spiritual person with an appreciation for classic vehicles...
Get a van fit for your needs, not what looks cool.
Anyway, till next time.
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you choose.
) and have two young boys, and decided that I'd rather enjoy life while now, especially while they still want to spend time with their old man. 
