1983 VW Camper - Should I Look Into It?

[WanderingBadger]

Hey everyone! I've been looking into either getting a camper for my truck or selling it and getting a camper van of some sort for quite awhile, but lately I've been trying to get more serious. One of my friends who lives some distance away said she found a camper van that I might like, and I wanted to get some opinions on whether or not I should try to look into it more. It's a 1983 VW Campervan going for $3750, has 178k miles (which makes me think it might be on it's way out) but the owners of course say it runs great, and everything inside of the van functions perfectly fine. Admittedly I'm a newbie at all of this, so what do you think? Should I look into this a bit deeper, or be on my way and look elsewhere?

Here are some photos that my friend took: http://imgur.com/a/AwVoT

Thanks for any help in advance

 

[Christian P.]

It's not a bad price for this van as it looks pretty decent and original - even with the old blue plates.

However if this is an air cooled model, those are bit more "special" - no a/c or much heat. they also worth less on the market

 

[Jb1rd]

For less than 4k you can have a grand adventure, breaking down is part of that adventure but owning a bus is something I recommend everybody does at least once in their lives. Don't be afraid to wrench on it and get buried in online forums, more info than you can possibly take in. Offer them $2500 and keep as much in reserve as possible for eventual repairs and upgrades. Most importantly, HAVE FUN. :sombrero:

 

[photogdave]

That's a smokin' deal for a running, driving, camper-functioning westy! This one is either a water-cooled 1.9L or a diesel, not air cooled. 178K isn't really high mileage but it might need an engine rebuild.
You can usually expect to pay 6-7K for a van like this that would still need work. Have it inspected, visit the FAQ in The Samba Vanagon forum for all the tips you need for pre-purchase inspection and make an offer. Check the condition of the coolant pipes that run under the van from the radiator to the motor, and the fuel lines.
Hard to go wrong at that price!