Finally, a less risky way to find a VW camper van for under £12.5k

Looking for a way of buying a VW bay camper van, but avoiding the nightmares I experienced during my brief ownership of a 1963 Split? In this article I'd like to introduce the 'Find A VW Camper' service offered by Adrian Chandler, whose article Tips on buying a VW Camper Van has proved very useful for many people.

Preliminary note: The following article is written by Adrian Chandler. The photos on this page are taken from my VW photo portfolio, and show the general type of vehicle Adrian can help you to find. Please direct all enquiries to Adrian Chandler, who will be pleased to answer your questions.

OK, that's all from Aidan, over to you Adrian...

The demand for Bay window VW campers is steadily rising and many good examples are matching the prices of Split screen versions.

Several potential buyers have had problems finding suitable vehicles and have asked me to source a Bay window van with an average £12,500 budget.

This now seems to be the going rate in the UK for a good, fully equipped and reliable Bay with new MOT needing minimal cosmetic work.

Prices rise to around £20,000 for the best fully equipped Bays needing no work at all. Many buyers are looking overseas for a rust free example, but even those can have problems in other areas making them an unwise purchase.

Everyone has specific requirements in a vehicle's specification, and as each VW camper is different inside and out, it can be a daunting prospect finding the right one for you and your family.

To take that worry away, I offer a service that reduces the risk as much as possible in you buying the wrong one or a bad one.

With over 30 years experience working on VW Campers and Beetles I can search my contacts and the national and international market for you.

I charge an advance fee of £700 for this, which includes a search until a suitable vehicle is found - usually within 2 months, all telephone calls, up to 500 miles of travel to any suitable vehicles and realistic price negotiation with the seller on your behalf.

I get a lot of information by asking the right questions of the seller first before wasting a visit.

Once I find something suitable, I send you pictures via email and a full report on the vehicle's condition and specification.

If you proceed with the purchase I put the you in touch with the seller to discuss payment and collection/delivery. I can also deliver the vehicle personally if required at the rate of 75p per mile one way

If I find a suitable vehicle for you overseas, there would be additional charges to cover any further expenses incurred in viewing/shipping/import/registration/UK MOT/delivery.

All costs are confirmed clearly before you proceed with a purchase.

Case studies of bay campers found using the 'Find a VW Camper' service

I recently found a basically sound and well resprayed light blue/white 1979 model with full length Devon lifting roof for a buyer near Banbury.

It was advertised on the south coast at £9750, but I negotiated the price down to £7000 as it had a short MOT & needed a lot of remedial work, which I did at extra cost, to make it into a very good example. The owner then received a sound vehicle with no problems for under £10,000.

Also I sourced a superb orange 1974 Californian rust-free imported Westfalia for £10,650 including my costs.

I can supply emailed references of these if required.

Since then, prices have risen, so if you're interested in acquiring a good quality, reliable VW, better do it sooner rather than later!

Vehicle Import Fact Sheet: Compiled by Adrian Chandler

Here are the details anyone in the UK will need for registering an imported vehicle into the UK

You need the following:

• Form V55/5 & form VAT 414 from the DVLA.
• Fee is £38 to register new vehicle.
• Fee for the cost of the tax disc.
• Proof of Insurance - Specialist insurance is available which will be considerably cheaper - Adrian Flux - they are reasonable and will insure you based on the chassis number as it is an import, also give a discount if you are a member of an owner's club, which you probably need anyway - see below.
• MOT certificate - you can legally drive the vehicle from the point of import to a garage near your home to have an MOT before it is registered (But you must be insured!) Ask the garage to leave the registration mark blank
• The original registration document
• Proof that VAT & import duties have been paid
• Confirmation of name & address - your driving licence will do for this

Additional things DVLA don't tell you!:

• vehicle to confirm the chassis and engine numbers (no cost).
• They may well ask for proof of the age of the vehicle. The easiest way to do this is to contact the VW Owner's Club of GB and ask for a letter of confirmation for the DVLA - they ask you to join the club £22.50 - all you require is the Chassis number.

Contact: Rodney Slay Tel: 01952 242167, 28 Longnor Rd, Telford, Shropshire TF1 3NY or website www.vwocgb.com Plus Shipping costs from overseas location to the UK, price obviously varies.

So if you want to become the proud owner of a VW Bay Camper van without any nasty surprises or bills try using the 'Finding a VW Camper' service from Adrian Chandler.