1971 VW Bay Window Adventurewagen Camper Van

1971 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon Additional Info:

Prince Albert the Adventurewagen ("Bert" to his friends) is a fun camping companion, the envy of all my friends, and a phenomenal icebreaker! His basically sound body has been bolstered this year with some important brake and engine work: new brake calipers, shoes, and brake lines; the fan shroud and bolting replaced; the pulley tensioner repaired; a new battery; recently tuned dual carbs; and exhaustive tuneups from local Berkeley, CA, VW experts (inspection and repair reports are available upon request).His odometer reads 90,000 miles, but his actual mileage is known only to God. As you can see from his M-Plate description (see last photo), he rolled off the production line in West Germany on Thursday, Sept. 24, 1970, and a conservative estimate might be as much as 490,000 miles. (His engine, of course, is a new SCAT 1776 with high-ratio rockers, with only about 3,000 miles on it; his transmission is original and has been rebuilt once, according to the previous owner.)

Bert acquired brand new VW-van-suitable Yokohama tires less than 600 miles ago, and his nice new ignition lock works like a charm. The original 1971 Bay Window glass is getting a little foggy at the edges, but it IS the original glass. A solar electrical system was installed by his previous owner, but it's not yet connected up to Bert's completely original Adventurewagen interior (a fridge/freezer, pump sink, and gas stove). His Adventurewagen queen-sized bed system, with wooden and belt supports, is in place in good working order -- all you need is a futon. All the aft cabin doors (sliding door, engine door, rear door) and windows work and lock (except one vent, see below). All the cabin windows (crank-type top and bottom, and the hinged top deck air vent) are also completely functional.

Work yet to do? The body has been warranted sound, with no rust that affects the safety or stability of the van, by two different mechanics, and it is, as far as I have been able to judge, waterproof all over. There is surface damage (see port side photos) that has been repaired by a previous owner in a less-than-pristine fashion. After the engine work I completed this year, he's driving like a 47-year-old dream -- slowly (starts complaining above 65 on the highway) but surely! His driver and passenger door locks work fine at keeping the doors locked, but opening them is a kind of jiggle-key-tap-door kind of process; I have two original VW key blanks ready to be keyed to new locks, but I leave it up to you whether the original ones are better than replacing them. The driver window can be a pain in the neck (it jams sometimes). One of the back vent windows is also missing its little round locking pin, but it closes fine and isn't anyplace where that will cause difficulties in keeping the car safely locked.

Love this van SO MUCH -- he's been a good friend on the journey! -- but am sacrificing for an international move (I'm a wildlife specialist, and I've got to go where the deer need me). Thanks so much for looking, and good luck with your bid!

SERIOUS BIDDER?Please note: If you win this auction, I expect a $1,000 nonrefundable deposit, as indicated, within 24 hours after the auction ends, payable by PayPal. Full payment is expected within 72 hours, by bank cashier's check (FedEx) or PayPal. Buyer is responsible for shipping.Bert is a 47-year-old classic VW Adventurewagen, and shows the typical wear and tear of many happy camping trips.Please come take a look, if you’re local, or ask for the mechanic’s inspection notes, if you’re not. There are no warranties on this vehicle or any of its parts; thisvehicle is sold as is. Remember that a similar van in pristine, showroom condition would cost tens of thousands of dollars, not ones of thousands of dollars. Thank you!