The bus
The bus
My travel companion is a plain Volkswagen T3 Multivan (known as the Vanagon in the US and the T25 in the UK), built in 1990, in mocha brown.
I bought it in spring 2020.
The goal was to turn this solid base – which already had camper-like features thanks to the Multivan trim – into a complete camper that could also handle a bit of off-road.
From the factory it already had a rear bench that folds into a bed, swivel seats, the large mirrors and the external power socket. When I was looking for the right bus, it was important to me that the T3 had either the WBX petrol engine or, better, the JX diesel. In the end I managed to get hold of this one with a 5-speed gearbox – also a must-have – and the JX turbodiesel.
The base seemed solid, and the bus also has the much better rectangular headlights, power steering and central locking.
The individual modifications are explained in the builds section.
Here's a rough list of the other work I've done:
- replaced all window and door seals
- welding (wheel arches, driver's door, passenger seat, window frames, driver's floor pan, kitchen seam)
- completely renewed the brakes
- tinted the windows
- fitted pop-out windows
- lined the interior with carpet felt
- sealed the cavities in the pillars
- retrofitted wind deflectors
- replaced the bumpers
- replaced the headliner
- insulated with Armaflex AF
- converted to Syncro four-wheel drive (2025) – read the report
Here's a short room tour.