I drove a ‘72 VW bus for 12 years that I paid $1500 dollars for. It never saw the inside of a shop. I put in a rebuilt engine early in its career and replaced the clutch and transmission about half way through.
I sold it in ‘99 and got an ‘87 VW Vanagon Syncro Westfalia in cherry condition that I still drive. I put a rebuilt motor and new transmission in that one almost right away and its been trouble free. It’s actually going up in value quite a bit.
Oh, I almost forgot. In Montana I have permanent tags on it, no yearly fee and no smog, ever!
I am green with envy! I've been casually looking for one of these for a few years, but they are now getting pretty rare, and expensive.
I had a '71 westfalia for a few years. A great vehicle. When I moved to Arizona, I had it shipped there (I had several cars that needed to go). The shipping company put the thing on the top level of the transport trailer, all the way forward. Sometime during the transit, the wind got up underneath the fiberglass pop-top, and partially lifted it. When the rig passed under the next overpass, the top hit it and ripped it right off.
Surprisingly, insurance paid to have it fixed (rather than declare it totaled). I drove it for a while, but I think the steep terrain between Sedona and Flagstaff got to it. It died one day while driving up Oak Creek Canyon.
I sold it to a college kid in New Jersey. He paid to have it shipped back there (this time in an enclosed transporter). Several months later, while he was on spring break, he showed up in it at my workplace (out in the boonies outside Flagstaff). He repaired it (the camshaft was snapped in two), and was out touring the country before school started again.