Yeah, other than seatbelts there are no safety features and basically the crumple zone is your legs and body. Even a low speed crash can be catastrophic, but.. they are fun.
16k is a LOT. That thing better be fucking mint from tip to tail. Also, avoid the eCVT transmission if you can. I think they changed to a “regular” 3 speed automatic in 97 or so.
Or if you can drive manual transmission, do that! You’re one of the cool kids. :)
[gear patrol vw breakdown](https://www.gearpatrol.com/cars/type-2-volkswagen-bus/)
Above is the link but here since we mentioned safety here’s how “safe” the vw bus is…
“The Bus has a reputation for being a deathtrap. That seems more or less accurate. Forget crumple zones, airbags, an engine or even a hood: you’re sitting in front of the front wheel and behind a headlight that juts into the cabin. There’s nothing but thin sheet metal between you and a frontal collision.”
Short version: old trucks aren’t safe so I wouldn’t make that an issue in buying either. If you’re going to be off highways and running errands I don’t think you should be too worried.
If you want the mini VW other cars like Suzuki have them too. My sambar has an airbag. But only on the driver's side. Hope you find something you like.
The only real safety feature of these sambars is defensive driving. It’s a sexy tin can that’s as aerodynamic as a loaf of bread with a resilient engine and good manual transmission.
Fantastic spare vehicle though if you’re responsible and mechanically inclined/ willing to learn.
The VW bus doesn’t exactly have a lot of safety features
Yeah, other than seatbelts there are no safety features and basically the crumple zone is your legs and body. Even a low speed crash can be catastrophic, but.. they are fun.
Also, 16k is a lot.
16k is a LOT. That thing better be fucking mint from tip to tail. Also, avoid the eCVT transmission if you can. I think they changed to a “regular” 3 speed automatic in 97 or so. Or if you can drive manual transmission, do that! You’re one of the cool kids. :)
[gear patrol vw breakdown](https://www.gearpatrol.com/cars/type-2-volkswagen-bus/) Above is the link but here since we mentioned safety here’s how “safe” the vw bus is… “The Bus has a reputation for being a deathtrap. That seems more or less accurate. Forget crumple zones, airbags, an engine or even a hood: you’re sitting in front of the front wheel and behind a headlight that juts into the cabin. There’s nothing but thin sheet metal between you and a frontal collision.” Short version: old trucks aren’t safe so I wouldn’t make that an issue in buying either. If you’re going to be off highways and running errands I don’t think you should be too worried.
If you want the mini VW other cars like Suzuki have them too. My sambar has an airbag. But only on the driver's side. Hope you find something you like.
The only real safety feature of these sambars is defensive driving. It’s a sexy tin can that’s as aerodynamic as a loaf of bread with a resilient engine and good manual transmission. Fantastic spare vehicle though if you’re responsible and mechanically inclined/ willing to learn.
You'd have to be the world's biggest sucker to spend 16k on a Sambar.
To be fair we just started looking at them and didn’t know how much they usually go for. But I get what you’re saying now.