Hi all
We are very new to the VW camping scene but have decided to go for it and buy one. However to prevent us ending up with a costly nightmare, we have a number of basic questions which we hope someone can answer for us. Apologies if they seem a little dumb but we all have to start somewhere and we really want this to work for us. Before I go onto the questions, here is some background on our plans -
We “believe” we want an earlier Bay because splits seem so expensive the early bays look cool and we like the idea of a tax exempt car! We (my wife, 9 year old daughter, our border collie dog and me) will be using the van for 4-5 holidays a year and weekends away. We live in the Cotswolds and will be travelling down to Cornwall for the main holidays (about 2.5 – 3 hours in a normal car) and hopefully into France at some point. We understand that VW Campers are not the fastest things on the round but would like (if possible) to convert the engine to achieve a reliable 65-70mph. We are thinking of starting with a project so we can customise the van to our specifications. Budget wise we are estimating about 12K. We are not planning on doing much ourselfs and are looking for a VW camper specialist to perform the work (so we maybe being naive on the cost!). Below is a list of must haves even if they are not fitted initially -
Rock and role bed and a sturdy single bed for another adult (we do not like the hammock arrangements and would prefer something more bed like).
Electric hook up.
Heater.
Cooker and Fridge (we can forgo the sink).
Front seats with head rests and headrests on the back seats.
Seatbelts in the back for 2 people.
Disc brakes.
Now for the questions.....please bare with us....we are still learning!
Question1
What conversions should we be looking at that provide the sleeping areas we need and can these be fitted to a tin top at a later date?
Questions2
What engine if at all will fulfil the 65-70mph limit and do you begin to compromise on reliability when fitting bigger engines / tinkering with the existing engines?
Questions3
What do people do for heating systems in their camper, is there a heater that can run off of gas / electric as you find in caravans or are we again being a little naïve?
We have a load more questions but at least this will get us on our way. We are trying to do our own homework as we have been reading (just subscribed to the 2 main campervan magazines), off to the Bristol VW show this weekend and we went to the Malvern show last year. However, there is a ton of things to learn and we really do not want to make a mistake.
Many thanks for any help you can provide. |