What it's like to own a 1975 VW Camper van

Consumer editor Jeremy Korzeniewski gives us a tour of his 1975 VW Camper Van.

Foot to the floor, I glance at the speedometer. It reads 74 miles per hour. Incredulous, I thumb the button on my two-way radio and inquire from the van behind me how fast we're going. "About 75," I hear through the walkie. I nod. Must be pointed downhill.

This is life in the slow lane, and I'm relishing every minute of it. So far this year, I've driven two supercars capable of exceeding 200 miles per hour – the Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder and the McLaren 720S – a Hellcat or two, and I rode a Ducati throughout Monterey Car Week that can do 0-60 in the blink of an eye. But today I'm behind the wheel of my very own 1975 Volkswagen camper van.

The factory rated my van's air-cooled 1.8-liter engine at a little less than 70 horsepower, and that was probably generous. It's a high-top camper, which makes it even more brick-like than the more common pop-top conversions. Even with those cards stacked against it, my camper van mostly keeps up with traffic. As long as the road ahead is completely flat. And there are no significant headwinds. And there's a semi in front to draft. (Just kidding. Sort of.)

The Toyota Sienna carrying two videographers in hot pursuit has dual power sliding doors. My van does not. It also has no air conditioning. No power door locks or power windows. Heck, it doesn't even have power steering. But when we stop to grab a coffee halfway into our journey, each of my coworkers traveling with me on this two-hour road trip say they'd like to take a turn driving my van. Maybe later, I say.

We're caravaning our way to Deception Pass State Park just north of Seattle, Washington. It's a beautiful sunny day, and we're going camping. That's where my van really shines. It has hookups for electricity and running water, a refrigerator stocked with food and drinks, a stove we'll use for eggs and hash in the morning, and a nice, comfy bed thanks to the two-inch memory foam topper I keep under the rear package shelf.

My wife and I use this van as much as we can. Because daily life can really be a drag, right? Late in 2017, we made our first long journey in the camper van that its previous owner appropriately named Blue. We put a thousand miles on Blue making our way across Washington and Oregon, stopping along the way to take in the sights and sounds. And to replace a fuel pump (twice, though that issue has since been sorted – I think).

Blue is no garage queen, and he's got the chips, blemishes, and imperfections to prove it. I still think he's held up better than most of the rest of us. I keep a small bag of tools under one of the seats, an in-depth owner's manual in the glove box, and a smile plastered across my face whenever we head out for a drive. As I say in the video up above, I may be the last one to show up at the campsite, but at least I'll show up in style.

[GangstaNDress]

This is awesome I cant believe how authentic this is ...

[garyschneider]

Back in the '70, s I had a 1959 VW Bus that two Vietnam Veterans drove across country ! 1 amazing journey and Ride that we still talk about... Sweet😁👍

[KristenBritton]

5 of us (3 adults, 2 kids) lived in one just like this (even blue!) for 3 months in 1975. Best memories ever!

[tellulaire]

idk why but whenever i see one of these old vw buses, it just brings me pure joy
i really want one when i grow up, hoping the prices wont skyrocket too much :)

[tonyb]

What is it like? We had a 1978 Devon Moonraker. It was slow, it was noisy, it leaked oil, the brakes were c..p, the roof had to be held up with "molegrips". I spent half my time grovelling underneath in the dirt or covered in oil in the engine bay.
He was called "Buster" and he carried our little family on holidays from the North of Scotland to The Alps as well as being my daily driver. Sadly he rusted out from underneath me. We had no money to restore him and we cried when he was sold on to a mechanic who could and now we can never afford to buy him back.
What is it like? maybe think of an old family dog, slow, faithful, willing to please, occasionaly messy but you forgive him anything and you're lost without him.

[curtismarean]

I had a '77 pop top, loved it! Me and the wife and cat left the north east around Christmas and went to Florida for three months. Best time of our lives! I'd love to get another one some day.

[swicheroo]

My parents owned a 1960's VW Van, back in the early 80's. We used it for our computer distribution business--to make small deliveries. Brother delivered the Los Angeles Times--heavy newspaper--for a few months in it. We took it on some camping trips. Eventually, we sold it to some blond college boys who were slouching toward hippie-dom...and were going to take it on a cross-country. I doubt we sold it for much--maybe a little over a thousand. I'm amazed by the prices these vans command nowadays.

[ggolds]

My first car (bus) was a 75, in 1982 when I was 17.My dads deal was he would give me $1 for every dollar I earned to by it. Consumer Reports said it was a coffin because of the lack of frontal crash protection and horrid cross wind control. It costs $2995, had 79, 000 miles ( a lot for a 75 at the time), new orange and white paint. Fuel injection, which notoriously crapped out, in town usually. Through Manhattan it was reliable, thank G-d. It actually drove nicely, and steering was oddly pinpoint. OH, by the way it was an AUTOMATIC tranny. Which meant my girlfriend could drive it. That wasn't such a good thing, but she never crashed it. She once asked if she could take it on a trip to Maine with her "girlfriend". I wasn't sure if I should have been upset or just turned on!. I chose the latter when she, they, let me join one time. Wholly crap that was insane!. Give me back 1982 again. Now those were the days. Crosswinds would nearly tip the bus over. Not many people talk about just how dangerous it could be in cross winds. It was good in winter, but by the end of winter was nearly rotted out. It caught on fire literally while driving past a VW dealership. They bought it from me in 1985 for $1800. Which was actually pretty good, being that it was charred. I drove off the lot with a 80 Rabbit. It broke down weekly, and I mean weekly, on the dot. I still dream of that bus no matter how unreliable it was. I really miss it.

[dandare]

In the early 1970's my auntie used to drive from the UK to Greece & the Greek Islands in one of these, what I would have given to do that as a kid! I drove it a few years later after just a few driving lessons, it seemed huge 😳

[robertaxel]

I really like the cheerful light blue color, our first 2 VWs were that color; it should make a comeback...

[Masterchiefa]

Had a 72 Westfalia VW camper! Some of the best of our camping days!

[thelittleredbarn]

Been working on the same exact bus for the last 4 years I'm alm9sy finished with and the advice I always give to friends who are looking for one is if you want to buy one that you could just hop right in to drive around without a care in the world what you need to look for is the Toyota.

[Living_Legend]

Beautiful bus, mine is a pop top orange 73, the pop top that goes straight up

[SemperDad]

Just for the record, the 75 bus would have come with an electrical fuel pump to support the Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection system. It's apparent all that was replaced with a carburetor system on this application.

[RichardNaslund]

That is a beautiful camper van I'd love to have one just like that you don't have to be blue and white though😊😊😊😊

[letsgowestfalia]

I often think about getting one of these old hightops. This is a very good example of this model.

[SergeoGabrielloGomez]

Check out the vintage speed exhaust I put on my 74 . Night and day difference from stock . Great little video

[jimihendrix]

He says, "Spirit Campers no longer exist, but the van does, and that's all that matters." I would imagine the employees of Spirit Campers may have felt differently about that, but...

[Marsupial]

Who else things that looks like boomerang from Kombi Life?

[robozstarrr]

nice, you can get all the heat ya need by installing a simple bilge fan blower in the duckwork up in the front area... 160 F out the defroster (in Iowa winter)