It’s been a long, strange trip to get the modern Volkswagen Bus back to the U.S. in the smooth electric form of the 2025 ID.Buzz. While that replaces the model, though, it doesn’t replace the old Bus culture. That’s where Seattle shop Peace Vans comes in, having spent six months working with the automaker behind-the-scenes to create camper packages customized for ID.Buzz owners. Quick background courtesy of The Autopian: An ex-Microsoft exec bought a VW repair shop, adding restoration and rentals to the business proposition, and over the last 11 years becoming the largest Bus repair and restoration concern in the U.S. Aside from that, with the rise of Mercedes vans as go-to bug-out vehicles, Peace Vans learned upfitting on modern cars with the German’s short-lived Metris and Metris Weekender, saying it’s done more than 1,000 Mercedes campers in six years.
Back to the Buzz, there are three buildouts for three levels of getaway. The first two require removal of the third-row seats, the last requires getting rid of the second two rows.
The Buzz.Box slots into the rear to suit the “versatile weekend camper.” By “versatile,” it appears the company means, “Here’s a tidy little kitchen so you can feed yourselves, everything else is on you.” We’re not sure how everything fits into the enclosure, but the slideout does look slick, with a sink, single-burner stove, two cutting board areas, a Dometic 35-liter fridge, what appears to be a storage area, and, oddly, a bin to hold the vehicle charging cord. There’s also a trim bin with built-in slots for a Bluetooth speaker, wireless charging pad, and some sort of caddy. This one starts at $7,995.
The Buzz.Box.Sleeper does what it says, adding a “nearly queen-size” bed to the rear area by making the top of the kitchen black and the folded-down rear seats a bed. It costs $10,995.
The Box and Box Sleeper can be ordered from Peace Vans and installed locally, which we’re told takes two people about a day to do.
Then there’s the Buzz.Camper, as close as one is going to get to a real Deadhead special for the moment, minus the acid trip graphics. This one stresses comfort at cost to the prep area. A mini kitchen comes with a sink, stove, refrigerator, but the layout stuffs this portion into an area between the two front seats and the L-shaped rear lounge that converts to a double bed. Note the sink right next to the single-burner stove, while cutting and prep will need to be done on the dining room table in the middle of the lounge. For nice camping spots where the bugs aren’t so bad, the Buzz.Camper does come with an folding outdoor workspace. On the comfort side, the overall layout transforms into four space types: Work, eat, chill, sleep.
Buying the Camper means getting one’s Buzz to Seattle for an install that takes up to three weeks, or buying a Buzz directly from Peace Vans, the so-called Peace Vans Plus option. We don’t have a price for this one yet, and hardcore Bus folks might want to hold out, anyway. The company says it’s working on U.S. Department of Transportation approval for a pop-up camper, expected to be ready in late 2025. That’ll be your Magic Bus. Or Magic Buzz. Perhaps both, depending on jurisdiction.
Order books are open now for all options, first deliveries of the Buzz.Box and Buzz.Box.Sleeper anticipated in November 2024, around the same time VW plans on having the ID.Buzz at U.S. dealers.
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