Properly maintained they can be perfectly reliable really. They won't thank you for a lot of use on salty roads though.
& in reality, they're cold noisy & slow. Get a cheap runabout - either something you can think you look 'cool' in like a £500 mx5 and treat it well. Or buy something end of life like a £200 Proton and see how long it will go; spending no money/playing cam-belt roulette/knowing that it's final journey will be over the bridge/replace it with another unwanted, unloved end of life motor.
I'd still change the cambelt on the Proton. The MX5 will rust quicker than the T2... but on a £500 car welding and bodywork will be uneconomical. How about a Scirocco?
Slow, I can deal with but would want bigger type 4 engine so it's not mega slow. Noisy, I'm less keen on but I plan to put plenty of sound proofing in which is supposed to help quite a bit. Cold, I don't really want! That's the thing that will make the wife and kids dislike it. Others have said they can pump out a fair bit of heat if the exchangers are good.
Get one then - It sounds like by the time you've spent a millionty pounds, it'll be almost as good as my old nail.
what about a t25? get a water cooled one and it'll be relatively warm, fast and quiet. later ones don't rust as badly as bays either. I was going to get one when I bought my bay but my heart took over.
i drove my brazillian bay every day for three years and it was fine but because i also have to do site vists and its hilly around here it at times became difficult when late for meeting etc if just too and from work then i found it fine even in winter but it does test your love of the vsn and creature comforts its good for a van to be driven but i wouldnt go back to having one for dsily use for my needs its a personal choice really
if you don't work too far away it would be fine as a daily and cheaper than having too vehilces but I agree with Kongi need to check your classic ins though but still they were built for taking some hammer.......obiouvsly nshootign up motorway everyday aint a good idea.