Mileage discrepancy 1971 VW bus!! What to do???

Wow, what a great photo, What year was this?? Guessing it was in OZ??

The guy selling the T2 said it averages 25mpg, on the way back from viewing it, I managed to average 33mpg in my BMW M4 comp :D So if thats the case its also the most thirstiest vehicle on the drive.
Ours averaged 18 mpg. Top speed down hill 45mph with the wind behind you. Acceleration 0-45 in 2 days. And all from a 1200 cc engine..
This was 1970 somewhere in Australia.
Traveling round Australia it had 13 major breakdowns the worst being a Conrod through the crankcase.
Wouldn’t have missed any of it for all the money in the world.
 
Ours averaged 18 mpg. Top speed down hill 45mph with the wind behind you. Acceleration 0-45 in 2 days. And all from a 1200 cc engine..
This was 1970 somewhere in Australia.
Traveling round Australia it had 13 major breakdowns the worst being a Conrod through the crankcase.
Wouldn’t have missed any of it for all the money in the world.
13 breakdowns!!:D That reminds me to renew the AA breakdown cover to the best cover they do!!;)
 
An experience to drive, everybody loves a T2, easy to fix and look soooooo cool, but sooooooo slow compared to modern vehicles, you soon get into the right mindset for Driving a T2, you plan to arrive (sometime) it then becomes fun, I can remember being overtaken by lorries going uphill only to draft them on the other side And crawl past them on the flat.

I have very fond memories of my T2, it was what kickstarted my love of all things VW Transporter and the scene.

it once took me 11 hours to go from Hertfordshire to Newquay (a journey that should take half that time) ! A journey I did many times over the years.
thankfully the marathon journey was Not due to the van, but horrendous traffic on the M4, M5 & A30, I remember getting out of the van on the A30, after a particularly long stationary period, we started washing other motorist windscreens much to their delight at the break in monotony.
we arrived in Newquay totally chilled out and not aching at all due the T2 driving position, something that you would not do in a modern vehicle!
This was back in the day when you could park up on the Esplanade road overlooking Fistral beach and stay for a week, using local campsites for the occasional shower (if they didn’t catch you !) and the public toilets on the Esplanade Road (still there) for your daily ablutions.

My Van never let me down once, they are mechanically basic but that a bonus, as they are easy to fix with basic tools, they ooze style.
the van provided some great memories for me and a sense of freedom that can only come from a vehicle such as a camper, that I still hold onto to this day.

aah the good old days.........nostalgia isn’t what it used to be!

enjoy your ownership. (I’m not jealous ......... much ).
:cheers
 

:D:D:D They defy all pragmatic scrutiny and logic! and I'd love one :thumb
Great article , it’s spot on .
They forgot to mention that the ice, in winter, on the inside windscreen is worse than on the outside !
and takes about a week to defrost due to the highly efficient heating system !
 
Haha…older vans can by fixed any proper mechanic as they are super simple, there is far less to go wrong; biggest issue is fighting rust.
In the early '80s I travelled to Greece in mine, no problms whatsoever. I met a couple of South African guys in Corfu who owned one which kept having engine trouble and they carried a cut down supermarket trolley so they could drop out the engine and fix it, which they apparently did frequently.
Forgot to say that mine had a cross threaded spark plug (normally dealt with by carrying out a hellicoil repair) which was eventually carried out about 50,000 miles after first discovery. (by which time it was misfiring).
 
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Wow, what a great photo, What year was this?? Guessing it was in OZ??

The guy selling the T2 said it averages 25mpg, on the way back from viewing it, I managed to average 33mpg in my BMW M4 comp :D So if thats the case its also the most thirstiest vehicle on the drive.
Don't forget the oil as well, I bought a brand new engine for my one when I had it (not recon) and even that still burned a litre every 1000 miles, the old engine in it when I got it used a litre by the time I had done 200mile on a trip to Wales:)
 
Couldn't resist it. Apologies for the off centre view. I don't know how to tidy it up. I'm surprised how nostalgic this thread has made me, @Perfectos and I must drink a virtual beer together.
CCI04072023.jpg
 
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@Scoobyboy5555, you might be interested in the MoT record for VCG 516H (the reg of my old camper) still on DVLA register. Now described as red, so maybe transferred to same age and type of vehicle (unlikely?).
2007 mileage 16564: 2008 mileage 165742, 2009 mileage 18630.
 
That con rod reminds me. After I bought the California my mother in law bought me a VW Camper book. My favourite story inside was a German couple who were travelling the Silk Road across Asia in the 1970s in their VW Type 2 had mechanical trouble in Afghanistan. They managed to limp to Kabul where their hotel receptionist tells them where they could get it fixed. They take it down an alley where a mechanic tells them he can replace their broken con rod but he will have to make the parts and it will take him at least six days. This is a great result they think.
The next morning as they are leaving their hotel to wander around Kabul, they see another German couple arriving in a Type 2. They too have a broken con rod. Afghan roads are not very smooth. They are happy to tell them about the garage down the alley.
When they return to the hotel that evening they are surprised to see the other couple’s van outside looking washed and shiny. They see the wife in reception and ask what happened. She says “it’s all fixed. We took it to the dealership.”
 
@Scoobyboy5555, you might be interested in the MoT record for VCG 516H (the reg of my old camper) still on DVLA register. Now described as red, so maybe transferred to same age and type of vehicle (unlikely?).
2007 mileage 16564: 2008 mileage 165742, 2009 mileage 18630.
Just checked on it, yeah must have been a typo at the MOT station!!
 
@Scoobyboy5555 oh now I’ve seen the photos I am really jealous! Jumping on the nostalgia train….. I am reminded of my first car…… a ‘67 1500 Beetle in VW off white (cream?)….. that had 11000 miles on the clock when I sold it in 1979 (yup already gone once around the clock…..99999)…….it was highly tuned and I drove it like I stole it……. ( I used to lurk in dark places looking for Ford Cortina GT’s to race haha) Never missed a beat!
 
Back in the day when you could pick up a T1 or T2 for peanuts and buy spare parts for almost nothing and we’re prepared to get you hands permanently dirty they were great.
But today with vehicles that will get twice the fuel consumption and cruise along safely at 70 or 80 mph in comfort and quiet why would you really want something like this.
With prices of new Californias reaching ridiculously high prices and second hand ones pretty much the same people think the other option would be a T1 or 2.
If you had ever owned one in the past you wouldn’t be thinking that way.
Nostalgia ,rose tinted glasses and very deep pockets are keeping the prices sky high.
 
If you are looking for a T2 with guaranteed mileage, I can recommend my parents one.

I can 100% guarantee it’s mileage for the last 35 years… ZERO!

IMG_2267.jpeg
 

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