Perfect Time to Buy a Pop Top Camper

Written by: Nick Hantge

Spring time is right around the corner and we have already been tempted with some 70 degree days. Soon the campgrounds will start to open and the nights won't cool off as much. The weekend traffic to the mountains will begin to slow down leaving pleanty of room on the highways for a VW camper. There could not be a better time to buy a Pop Top Camper!

If you are looking to buy a eurovan, vanagon or westfalia camper you can steal one this time of year especially with the state of the economy. I've talked to the owner for JDB Imports the biggest supplier of pop top campers in Colorado and he said sales are slightly down from the year average and now is certainly a great time to buy. "If you purchase a eurovan this time of year you will get the most use of it (about 7 months) and dealers or owners or pop tops might be willing to cut you a deal" says Mr Biglow. He also said that buyers usually wait too long to start looking for vw campers because once the weather gets nice sellers are less likely to sell at a discount because the demand is high.

Besides the economy, weather, and optimal use it is a great time to buy a vw camper because its ability to be used as a camper and a vehicle. Maybe your child is turn 16 or your family is just in the market for adding a vehicle. Have you been thinking how great it would be to be able to go camping with the family as well? A eurovan, vanagon or westfalia is great for individuals in situations like this. VW Campers are great for tooling around town for groceries or erands and always bring excitement to the weekend.

Best Eurovan Campers

If you're looking for a eurovan camper there is only one place to get it! JDB Imports has the largest selection of vw campers in the midwest and and one of the largest inventories of eurovan campers in the u.s.

If you are looking for a clean eurovan, JDB Imports completely restores the interior of all their vw campers and puts all of their vehicles through a 100-point inspection. You can be sure you are getting one of the cleanest, well maintained vw campers in the U.S.

Contact JDB Imports today (303) 287-9797 or check out their website www.vwpoptopcampers.com

Why Buy a VW Pop Top Camper

If you are thinking about buying a camper, it is a good idea to check out all of your options before making a purchase. You many not be set on a Volkswagen camper yet, so here are some reasons to buy a VW pop top camper.

One of the major advantages to the Volkswagen camper models such as the Eurovan, Vanagon, and Westfalia is their slender size and usability. Being compact with a low roof option they are also great for daily use and weekend trips, as well as being excellent general multi-purpose vehicles for surfing, bike riding and exploring the entire United States. There are not too many other campers out there you could be comfortable driving around town in besides the VW camper models.

Another advantage to the VW pop top camper is the amount of money you put in the gas tank. Volkswagen campers are known for their great gas milage. Even when they are full of camping equipment you can expect to get 15-17 MPG but when empty, you can expect to drive in the mid 20's for each gallon of gas. The other campers out there are gas hogs and again, most of them that are relatively the same size as pop top campers need to be pulled by some kind of vehicle, which really decreases the gas mileage.

The last thing I want to bring up is price. If you want to be able to take your family on a camping trip in an RV you are going to be paying at least $30,000+ for a used vehicle. You can spend that kind of money and buy a brand new top of the line VW pop top camper for that. Most used Volkswagen pop top campers in good condition are in the $15,000 - $22,000 and the older models you can find under $12,000. These vehicles will last forever and are at half the cost of other camper models out there.

If you are looking to save money on a camper that gets good gas mileage you are going to want to look at VW pop top campers. We carry Eurovan, Vanagon, and Westfalia models that you can use for everyday life, not just the weekends.

Four Wheel Boxes

Contributed by Michael Rad

Vans have been around since the 1960s and the very first van that was available in the U.S. was a Volkswagen. The word comes from caravan, being the last part of this word. The idea behind the van was that a car was simply not enough, a van being able to transport more people or more goods. So, the van is larger than a car but smaller than a van, and has the shape of a box on four wheels. In some areas, the vans are called LSV, designating light commercial vehicle. Pay attention that a van has diverse meanings in different parts of the globe. In Great Britain a van is a multi purpose vehicle, while in Japan it is a small bus that carries people only. These boxes on four wheels can be of diverse shapes and sizes, ranging from a mini van to a 5 meter long vehicle (this being the maximum length of a van).

As mentioned earlier, the Volkswagen was the very first van in the U.S. Today, the Volkswagen Eurovan camper is a popular van as well. The latest launched model is the generation T5 type 2 Transporter. This has an aerodynamic design and has many improvements compared to the first Transporter. Ford is another well known manufacturer of vans. The Ford Transit Connect was introduced in 2002 and is a panel van, and won the award of van of the year 2004. This model will be available in the U.S. in 2007 as well. However, the most popular van from Ford still remains the older Ford Transit. The Transit connect shares some of the Transit's features, but has some improvements and differences as well.

Fiat is also considered a good van manufacturer. The Eurovan from Fiat was a series launched that comprised many features. The Fiat Ulysses is such a Eurovan, being introduced in 2002. The second generation of Fiat Ulysses has a great design and a V6 sturdy engine and 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic transmissions. The Fiat Ducato is also a successful model of vans. The third generation of Ducatos was launched in 2006 and is both for transporting good and people, being able to carry up to 4 tons (the Ducato Maxi).

If you are hunting for a van, there are plenty of other manufacturers to choose from. You can get a van from Chevrolet- a Sportsman, a Nomad or a Supercarry, or you could get a Citroen van, a Daihatsu or a Dodge. Other manufacturers of vans are Vauxhall, Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, Renault, Peugeot, Nissan, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi and last but not least Mercedes Benz.

Colorado VW Campers

If you are looking to buy a vw camper in the Denver area, there really is only one place to find the best volkswagen campers in the state of Colorado. JDB Imports has the cleanest vw camper inventory in the country and specialize in vanagon, eurovan, and westfalia campers.

JDB Imports is located in Northeast Denver and has three warehouses full of vw campers for sale. They have been selling volkswagen campers for over 20 years and are truely the countries best vw camper dealer. They only work on vw campers and specialize in restoring old models into beautiful campers.

If you are looking at purchasing a motorhome or camper soon, you need to look into the inventory that JDB has. VW campers are the most fuel efficient, user friendly camper on the road today. Most models at JDB Imports range in year from 87-04' but all have brand new interiors. All of the campers at JDB Imports go through a 100 point inspection before becoming part of their inventory. The mechanics at JDB Imports specialize in vw campers and are the best in the country. There is not another vw camper dealer out there that has the experience or expertise of westfalia or vanagon campers which sets JDB Imports at the top of the list.

If you know you want to purchase a Vanagon, Eurovan, or a Westfalia camper you should test drive one from JDB Imports in Denver, Colorado. Call them today (303) 287-9797

Brief History of the VW Bus II

The first generation of Volkswagen buses were built from 1949 to 1967, and are known as split-window buses or 'splitties'. Buses built after 1967 are known as the 'bay window models'. Where these offspring may lack the personality of the originals they feature modifications including winding windows and a top speed of 80mph. After 1979 more modern versions were developed and these became known as 'wedges'. For the original Type II devotees the charm was lost and the cosy vw camper had become a bungalow on wheels.

The splitties sported a split windscreen (obviously) along with a sweeping v-line front and a large VW emblem. These buses were 170 cubic feet (about 4.8 cubic meters) in volume and were spacious enough to hold a 15-hand horse. The vw bus had the engine and axles of the Beetle but had a unitary construction supported by a ladder frame instead of the central frame platform. The payload was roughly 750kg and the engine had a cubic capacity of just over 1100cc with an output of 18kW at 3300rpm (very low!). The terms 'ladder frame' and 'central frame platform' refer to the construction method of the chassis. The ladder frame is two longitudinal parallel girders or beams upon which the suspension, engine, transmission etc are mounted (hence the name).

The VW bus is good for carrying direct loads. The handling is poor, partly due to a lack of torsional stiffness so it performs badly when cornering. The central frame is made of a central spar with ribs to which the engine, suspension, body and so on are attached. The load carrying capacity is not high, but the torsional stiffness inherent in the design ensures that the handling is good. This contributed to the poor handing of VW Type IIs but also explains their usefulness as transporters.

The VW Transporter can carry up to eight people and the two rear rows of seats can be removed in order to transport greater loads. As the design was so elementary, Volkswagen turned out 90 different body amalgamations over the first five years. These variations included buses, pick-ups, fire engines, ambulances, beer wagons, refrigerated ice-cream vans, milk floats, mobile butchers shops, bread vans, mobile grocers, ordinary delivery vans and the more familiar camper (the last variation).

50 years from original production, VW buses are as popular as ever, and they are enjoying a renaissance among the surfing community (as well as others). Presumably this is because they offer copious space to store boards, equipment and friends along with a cool sense of freedom. The Volkswagen bus owner must be prepared to frequent second-hand specialists for parts and to spend a great deal on fuel (expect no more than 25 miles to the gallon) but the rewards are great. There are also numerous customisation opportunities including lowered suspension, tinted windscreens, adding a V8 engine and the groovy paint job.

There are now plans afoot to develop a new generation of bus in the same vein as the new Beetle. Called the Microbus, it is to include a table with games console and Internet access and a camera at the rear above the license plate. The actual engine spec and performance have not been released.