Picture the scene; delicious mouthwatering picnic on a tartan blanket, sipping wine from plastic glasses, the sun shimmering gently over the lake before the rolling hills of rural Britain.
Picture the scene; delicious mouthwatering picnic on a tartan blanket, sipping wine from plastic glasses, the sun shimmering gently over the lake before the rolling hills of rural Britain. It’s serenity. It’s perfect and only one addition to this scene will make it Utopian. No, not the presence of your other half nor some kind of illegal high but a VW Campervan.
Yes, the purring engine of a VW Campervan is all that is needed to make anyone’s picnic complete. Let’s not get completely carried away with ourselves though, I am not talking just picnics, I am talking holiday’s, weekends away, festivals, cups of hot chocolate on cold days, a safe retreat, a second home and even the perfect conversational piece for all people of all ages long for a VW.
Contain your jealously – purchasing and owning a VW Campervan is not a decision to be entered into lightly. We have had some teething troubles; engine cutting out at random, loosing power, complete windscreen wiper failure on the M1 in the middle of a smog attack to name a few. There’s also the fact that it is quite large and being a lady with the spatial awareness of a stranded whale, I have collided the back end of our vehicle with a wall..umm twice. However, these thing could happen in any vehicle, right?
Aside from the Aston Martin magic of 007 does any car actually come close to being as awesome as the Camper? Chitty Chitty Bang Bang can fly and sail but one can’t warm bake beans in it. If only Ian Fleming had given 007 a VW Camper – not only would Mr Bond be surrounded by all of his usual gadgets but he could also cook up a great meal on the stove, pull out a bottle of Mont Blanc from the carefully placed fridge and who needs a four poster when one can stick four cushions together and make a bed? In the words of Alanis he could ‘wine, dine, 69’ all in the comfort of his VW. Not to mention the small fortune the agency would save on hotel bills.
Ok so you’re not James Bond, but for the everyday student like you or I the VW offers freedom, flexibility and fame. Yes, if you are lucky enough to get your hands on one of these babies not only can you wine, dine, 69 but you can do it anywhere at any time, you will be amongst those smug looking toffs at festivals who hop into their portable homes whilst the mortals sleep under the stars. You can be the guy with the VW, the one who doesn’t have to pay for accommodation as he lives in his car. Awesome! You can even use the word awesome repeatedly as only VW Campervan owners can get away with.
What do you have to loose? I’ll tell you – a small fortune.
A second hand Bay or Split Campervan, will set you back between £10,000 and £40,000. A new VW Transporter is around £50,000.
Don’t let that put you off though, you might get lucky. Our camper was sold to us by a friend who collects VW’s, it took all the money we had plus the sale of our everyday car to buy it. But we do not regret it. This Summer has been the best, even the rain hasn’t dampened our spirits as it really doesn’t matter whether it rains, sleets or snows as we are safe, cosy and warm in our camper.
‘It takes all the fun out of camping’ I hear you say? This is only something that campers who don’t possess a VW say. Having experienced camping under canvas and camping under steel the steel wins hands down every time. Firstly, you pull up and you’re there – no wrestling with ground sheets and tent pegs. Secondly, you can use your camper twelve months of the year. For between £400-£1000 one can purchase a heater which will keep you toasty warm all year round. Thirdly, close the door of the camper and listen…no noise, no sheep or randy campers bleating at three a.m leaving you to get your necessary beauty sleep or alternatively to bleat freely as the noise from inside does not carry either.
Finally, the thing that makes the possession of the VW so awesome is that it is not any more expensive than camping. A pitch for a VW Camper without electric can cost anything between £4.50 and £30 a night, tents? Well, you will be surprised to hear that tents cost more or less the same. You could argue that our carbon footprint is high, but how many people do you know who go camping on foot? How many Range Rovers with trailers have I seen pull up on to a camp-site and pitch up this year?
Why camp when you can camper van? I was never cool at school, I was the one who was picked last for sports teams, wore white socks with black shoes and always did my homework. Now I have a VW Camper, I am officially awesome.
