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VW T25 – A Great First Camper

July 2, 2009

Buying a VW T25

The Vanagon is a good first camper if you’re on a tight budget, and they’re often restored to cutomised designs. They’re great for summer festivals and enjoying economical camping holidays.The VW T25 is larger than the earlier VW campers and can be bought cheaply and were made over ten years from 1980 to 1990.

Look out for this model if you want to try out a camper or your budget is tight.But they are all nearly twenty years old – so check with care and be prepared to do more maintenance than you would with a more modern camper.

Do Your Research

They are quite straighforward to restore – both the mechanics and the interior. You do need to look at a number of VW 25 campers before buying. Do your research. It’s an opportunity to become more knowledgeable and you can walk away from a big mistake.

Gather information on the history of the vehicle and ask the owners how they have used it. Watch for vehicles that have been stored for long periods, or looks like an amateur van conversion.

Check the Bodywork

Take some time to really have a good look around. Look over the gutters and the roof and the pop-up mechanism. Get the owner to demonstrate it working.

Bumps and waves along the sides can be a sign of damage and filler. Most rust will start between the Vanagon body panels, can be serious and needs to be checked thoroughly.

The battery tray can hise problems and also the steps – carefully look over both the front and back steps. You’ll also need to check the fuel tanks as they can rot on the TOP!

Check the tyres. Are they the same model? Look at the spare tyre? Make sure the tires are proper van tires not ordinary car tires. Low profile tyres are a problem as they will be for a car not a van.

Engine Checks

Listen to the engine and check how it starts. Dirty smoke from the exhaust and oil on the engine are warning signs. Petrol or diesel smells could indicate the fule tank is rusty? Check what engine it has, when it was fitted, where it came from and the mileage (which can be difficult to prove). It’s also worth trying to find out how well it’s been maintained – ask about oil changes and servicing.

Does the engine start straightaway or does the starter motor struggle? They can pack up without warning. The VW t25 had aircooled and petrol and diesel engines. 1980 to 1982 were air-cooled. They’re cheap, easy to repair and easy to work on but the smaller engines are slow and not very economical. Later engines (1982 onwards) are water-cooled diesel and petrol.

Over to you – do you want it. Is this a great budget bus, a good Vanagon, VW t25 camper – or will you be letting yourself in for a lot of hard work and heartache?

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