SOT - To Bus or Not To Bus, Should I Go VW? Options

[seanery]

After watching the super-cool VW Bus in Bullrun the last few months, then being nudged on by a member posting a link to some busses for sale - I'm seriously considering a bus. To keep the budget/cool factor evened out I'm thinking a 13 window walk through. I like the bigger Porsche Cups or Twists, a 2.0+ type IV, disk brakes, nice but simple interior, maybe a 901.

Here's the rub...I think I'd want it to be my main driver. Now, I'm not home too much. The last 2 1/2 years have been 300+ days on the road per year - and the next 18 months I'll be in Europe & Asia. So, it's not like I'm gonna be putting 15k miles per year on it. Plus, I have the 951 still. The Durango may be sold (as of last night).

But, it would need some sort of rustproofing - or, could it be powdercoated then cleared so it looked like nice shiny paint, but with a hard, durable finish? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

I've seen a couple of A/C systems for the early busses, but they aren't very elegant, seat heaters are probably a must - what about real heat? Are the heat exchangers enough? For some reason Gas Heaters scare me, is that a justified fear?

Anyway, here are a couple of color choices I'm playing with.

Tell me what you think...I know this is a bit unconventional - but I am unconventional (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[strawman]

I say go for it!!!

In terms of VW buses, I've had a '66 with swapped-in 1600 from 1982-84, a '63 21-window rust bucket that I bought for parts (and scrapped in 1983 -- it would be worth saving today!), a '75 with 1800 TIV, an '81 diesel Vanagon Westy that I converted to 1.8 Golf gasoline engine, and an '86 Syncro Westy that I shoehorned a Subaru EJ22 engine in.

The '66 was fun because I was in High School and I was playing the whole Spiccoli thing, the '75 was my college driver that I sold to buy a Eurrail pass after graduation, and the '81 Westy was fun because my wife and I did our first Burning Man in it. I loved the Suby-powered Syncro Westy when I lived in Tahoe -- that thing rocked in the snow!!! -- but we sold it a few years ago when we moved down here to the flatlands of the Sacramento Valley.

Neither the Split nor the Bay Window was "roadworthy" by today's standards for a daily driver, but they were basically stock (the Split had had a header / turbo muffler). I never got around to changing the gearset in the converted diesel Westy, so it hummed on the freeway -- something like 4k at 65 mph. The Syncro Westy could pull 60 to 65 mph over the Donner Pass with the Suby engine, but it wasn't powerful enough to pull and most importantly safely stop the kart trailer -- so we bought a 3/4-ton Chevy Conversion Van a few years ago.

I also owned a '64 sunroof Bug (my first car), a '63 Bug parts car, a '66 Fastback and '59 Bug-based fiberglass Dune Buggy. In fact, when I was born my parents couldn't afford the hospital bill and had to sell their '55 Euro (semiphore-equipped) Bug. So VWs are in my blood. I'm currently comtemplating a '69 Squareback that'll put a crimp in my teener project, but my wife's friend will practically give it to us...