thinking of buying a transporter style VW camper

rust in floor boards, light reflectors/covers door seals, take it for a test drive and see if there is noise in the running gear, rust on dash (leaky windshield seal)

look at oil color. black means someone hasn't been maintaining oil. look at distributor cap and rotor. check for wear. make sure all tin is in engine compartment, on bottom side of engine. does rear end ride low? interior panels, window roller handles, interior lights, rubber floor mats,

Jen

After all that, buy a Vanagon Westy! They are the nicest camping rigs ever! I have a 1982 Westy that has 125,000 miles on it and it is quite dependable. Change the oil religiously, be prepared to rebuild the engine at 80,000 miles, and change the oil, air, fuel filters often. The only weak points are the brakes, they wear out pretty quickly. Don't drive on worn brakes, it gets expensive quickly. The fuel system is also a weak point, be sure to replace all of the fuel lines with quality lines. You don't want a rolling bar-be-que. Other than that, you will be happy in the largest air cooled Volkswagen van!