T25 all new to me??! Advice

[festivalgirl73]

Hi All,
Just joined this forum mainly to look at the for sale ads, basically I've just sold my T2 Bay which turned out to be a rust bucket, lost a whole lotta money on it and don't really want to say anymore about that! Well, now from what I made from the sale of the Bay I am looking into getting a T25 I'm hoping I can expect it to be a bit less hassle and perhaps less likely to be so rusty???? But I'm really not all that clued up and advice would be most appreciated. I'm due to go and look at a 1980 Xplorer 6 berth (viking roof) camper thats looks in good nic and has 12 months MOT, what should I be looking out for? its recently been resprayed and the guy says the underside is fine as far as he knows, the interior is all original and I must say a little reminisent of Frank Spencers lounge but its kinda cute and retro in its own way! As its only 5 years newer than my old van and still Aircooled am i likely to have just as much trouble? I'm limited on budget and all the ones I do see that look perfect are 1k-1.5k more than I can afford! Help!
All you wise folk out there, help me find a goodun
Jen

[ju]

Welcome!

Nothing wrong with aircooleds, so long as you service and maintain them well. Don't get a van with 1.6 CT engine as they are crap, go for a 2l CU if you are looking at Aircooled vans. If rust is there, you should see it down the seams (depending on how well the repsray was done), wheel arches, rear lower quarters, and just above the bumper on the front are common areas.

Hope this helps, Ju

[kevtherev]

Welcome to the forum festivalgirl73

take a look in the wiki at the top of the page there's some info for prospective buyers.

Bodywork, bodywork. bodywork,

did I mention bodywork?

Oh and the 1600CT engine... VW's joke

[Steve P]

Welcome to the club Jen.
Cant really offer any more advise than what has been given already.
Whereabouts you from? And if you do buy it, it will be another viking in the club

Steve.

[dugcati]

Welcome!

Nothing wrong with aircooleds, so long as you service and maintain them well. Don't get a van with 1.6 CT engine as they are crap, go for a 2l CU if you are looking at Aircooled vans. If rust is there, you should see it down the seams (depending on how well the repsray was done), wheel arches, rear lower quarters, and just above the bumper on the front are common areas.

Hope this helps, Ju

steady now chap...you will upset those with the CT (that stands for crap technology) engines

[Therunner]

the 2 litre isn't all it's cracked up to be,
it's seriously thirsty & expensive to run, unless
you can afford an lpg conversion (around the 1k mark)
& they also have a tendency to swallow their own valves..

Our Ct has gotten us around very reliably despite its' cracked
head & its' melted head & binding brakes & whatever else it has wrong with it,.
(what can you expect for a £75 engine...)
also despite this, the fuel consumption was far far better than the 2litre!

selling our 2litre has given us the budget to get a Laurie no mates 1776,
& we can't wait,

so i'm still thinking you should get a Dieseasel,
they're much more common, any local garage should have
more of a clue when they wouldn't with an Aircooled one,
& they're more economical..


the rock machine has gone then

[festivalgirl73]

Oooh, isn't it bizarre how people know who you are!! Yes the Rock Legend has gone and I lost a lot of money on it but had to be honest when I sold it, thats why I'm so tentative about the next one. I just want to go camping, thats my main priority really and want to get there without blowing up!

I hate to say this, and I'm prepared for an onslaught of abuse and punches but I did look at a Talbot Express yesterday!! Run away quickly!!!!!!!!!!

[rainman]

I expect it's all been said before, but that's never stopped me. I'd be wary of anything recently resprayed if looking at the cheaper end of the market, there's bound to be rust and I'd rather see what I'm getting than have it covered up.
Mines a 2L Aircooled and the engine's fine but not noticeably more powerful than my old bay, I never push it though and usually cruise between 50-60mph.
I don't think a 1980 T25 is necessarilly going to give you any less hassle than a bay. depending on how much you want to spend you might do better in terms of hassle-free motoring if you look at some non VW campers (am I allowed to say that?)

[Therunner]

i can't blame you for that,
i think you can sometimes get a bit more for your money if you leave the vw world,
but you don't get so many helpful forums & people selling good 2nd hand parts ect,.
i don't know about Talbots but your Mazdas & Fords can be pretty f*cking rusty..

[rainman]

I hate to say this, and I'm prepared for an onslaught of abuse and punches but I did look at a Talbot Express yesterday!! Run away quickly!!!!!!!!!!

Ha, you must have posted this while I was typing the above.

[festivalgirl73]

Aaah, thanks for not slating me, I was expecting a torrent of abuse! I must admit I feel like a right splitter for even looking but basically for the same money as I would py for the 1980 T2 I could get a 1993 Diesel in the other formentioned make, I still don't know what I'm going to do but I must admit the luxury of the rear kitchen, shower and toilet has almost got me swayed, I'm a pathetic woman!

[rainman]

makes sense to me but then I'm probably not what you'd call a dedicated VW enthusiast. The point about the availability of parts and advice was one of the main reasons I chose to buy another VW, the other being that I liked the sound of the engine! On the other hand I guess if you get a more modern van the parts etc. won't be such an issue. I'd still say hello to you if you were driving a Talbot.

[elsid]

I had an A/S Harmony on a Talbot Express base it was an ace bit of kit but I just hated the bed. It was made up from loads seat sqabs and seat backs leaving joins. Some people put a sheet of foam over it but it was such a bind to do every night. The rock and roll bed is a much better idea. The shower and toilet was handy when wild camping. It was a 1990 and I sold it for £6000 and paid £4000 for my 1985 A/S Trident
Sid

[Chantuz]

Heya Jen, I'm new to T25's aswell and I've got a 2ltr air cooled model I've only had it for just over a month and theres nothing thts goe wrong with it, touch wood hehe

Welcome to the forum!

El x

[The Bobdogs]

Welcome!

Nothing wrong with aircooleds, so long as you service and maintain them well. Don't get a van with 1.6 CT engine as they are crap, go for a 2l CU if you are looking at Aircooled vans. If rust is there, you should see it down the seams (depending on how well the repsray was done), wheel arches, rear lower quarters, and just above the bumper on the front are common areas.

Hope this helps, Ju

steady now chap...you will upset those with the CT (that stands for crap technology) engines

Well said Dug!! Had mine up to 65 on the A46 today....could have sworn I heard Scottie..."It's no good Jim,you cannae go any faster"