Club 80-90 Forums

Nothing to do with me, but what a beauty! In the uk too and 1 owner, still on SA plates...I want it so much
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nice!
Pity the steering wheel is on the wrong side!

Titus A Duxass wrote:Nice!
Pity the steering wheel is on the wrong side!

Pity its £10k

You wouldn't be able to import one as good as that for that money. A 5k bus rapidly becomes an 8k bus with import duties etc. but look at the mileage! It's practically new! What does 10k that buy in the modern stakes? I'd rather have that than a T5.
I know there's somone at t'yard who is thinking the same as me...sell everything and go for it.

What happened there - I'm replying to no-one!
Microbuses and Caravelles were never cheap in SA (far from it) and are still very well regarded - just look at the prices at gumtree.za - It's probably worth the 12k they're asking, what with the exceptionally low mileage.
You could spend 8k on some old warhorse that's done 100k or more and still have to pay another 3 or 4k in taxes. Why bother with all the import hassle and still have a tired old bus?

that's on german plates so no duty to pay just the mot/insurance £40 plus tax
nice bus, very unique, suprised the germans let it get out, maybe not green emmision sticker in germany so no use in the big cities

that'll likely be at VF this weekend as will most of the vans advertised this week

Aidan wrote:that's on german plates

They look like German plates but they don't have the Länder sticker and TÜV sticker is also missing.

Aidan wrote:maybe not green emmision sticker in germany so no use in the big cities

You can now buy a get out of jail card for 60 euros.

Duh! Wolfsburg plate. Stupid boy
What's suprising is how and why it went to Germany "for build quality assessment". Now it's a 1998 bus, and they'd been building them since 90/91 with big window panelwork etc, so why the interest from VW so late in the day?

So that vw Germany could axe the SA production of the T3? It was a very sad day in SA when production ended. For both the public and VW and not VW SA's choice,so i was told.
Russel

I was under the impression that VWSA was largely autonomous, after all they kept making other models well past their european sell-by date. What about Brazil and the crap they are still churning out?
You can't tell me that those awful new Bays are better built than the T3ZA!
Or were they percieved as a threat to the new T4, which (as I understand it) never caught on in SA and now Toyota rule the roost for the whole Kombi market.

Perhaps Silverbullet is the best person to answer this:

The SA 2.6 is a fantastic bus because of that fabulous engine. We hired a brand new one for 10 days in Jo'Burg back in 2001. It was before I was in to T25's but I remember how great it sounded and how well it went with 8 of us on board!

One question I have though. There is mention somewhere that these vans have different dimensions to what we knows as a T25, mainly because of the size of the engine, which requires the floor to be raised in that area. Can you still convert them to a camper? or is the floor to high for rock and roll bed etc? Are the panels the same?

Rustytop

rustytop wrote:
One question I have though. There is mention somewhere that these vans have different dimensions to what we knows as a T25, mainly because of the size of the engine, which requires the floor to be raised in that area. Can you still convert them to a camper? or is the floor to high for rock and roll bed etc? Are the panels the same?

Rustytop

The rear seat in a SA van also converts into a rock and roll bed.....it's just that because of the raised engine compartment the rear seat/bed backrest lays level with the engine lid so you have to use a self-inflating mattress or airbed.
It is possible to alter the rock and roll hinges though to gain an extra few inches so a cushion can be placed there.
This had been done to the VR6 Bluestar that I used to own.

As regards the panels...if you mean the exterior side panels then no they are different to UK,US,Euro spec vans because of the larger side glass...even the doors are different.

Speaking from experience (as no doubt Steve is too) even with a self-inflating mattress in the back, laying on the engine cover is like sleeping on concrete. I'd much rather doss in our small window bus anyday.
T3ZA's post 1990 are the same height, width and length as anything German built; but from the door handles to the gutter are quite different. Front scuttle and tailgate pressings are also unique to SA.

g60steve wrote:It is possible to alter the rock and roll hinges though to gain an extra few inches so a cushion can be placed there.
This had been done to the VR6 Bluestar that I used to own.

I ought to look into this. Got any more info?

Sorry I don't have anymore actual info.
I seem to remember seeing something on the t'internet for doing the modification but I've just looked and can't seem to find it??
I think it was done on a US Vanagon VR6 so the info may be on Samba.com?

So with an SA engine (and gearbox?) and specific panels and windows - what are spares like to get hold of? Is there an SA equivalent of Brickwerks??

Would love to import one day that's all

Rustytop