I have a friend who has a camper in the family of this 1983 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia. His is an ’82, and he lives up a hill. It’s not a mountain, more like a hillock, and he can barely get the thing to make it home most nights. That even after he spent several thousand dollars on the engine. I doubt the van for sale in Lakewood, Washington is that incapable of self-motivation, having had the engine done just 1000 miles ago, but neither would this be a fun car to get to 65mph on an onramp for a smooth merge. That hasn’t stopped a series of owners from driving it nearly 220,000 miles to date, however. Now it’s someone else’s turn, and there’s currently a healthy handful of bids that have run the price up to $7100, though the reserve is considerably down the road of this.
Could running this hotel-on-wheels be a money-saving proposition? The buy-it-now price is $16,500. At a hundred bucks a night for a hotel room, less the $25 bucks a night it costs to camp, you’re looking at 220 nights sleeping in this thing to make it free. But do you really think four adults can sleep here comfortably, as the ad suggests? Fitfully, maybe. Not the least of which is because while I see a fridge and a gas stove (more economizing—cheap meals on the road), there’s no hint of an AC unit, so those are going to be some steamy nights in some parts of the country.
Still, if you could get this Vanagon well below reserve, you could have a very off-the-grid type of hobby car. At the least, the kids would surely get a kick out of staging campouts in the driveway, and if the big one (earthquake, tornado, flood—whatever your area is susceptible to) ever hits, you’re still going to have a place to cook a hot meal while your neighbors wait for the gas in their houses to come back on. Thinking of that, maybe my friend is not that far off in his reasoning for keeping this, his dream machine. That’s a plan as long as he hides the VISA card statements so Mrs. T doesn’t see what it costs him to keep his van on the road.
So check this 1983 Westfalia out here on ebay, then dive in. You might not be buying a proper VW 1960s hippie van, but you would have a decent grocery hauler, lumber store goods retrieval machine, or, like my friend, slow-as-heck commuter car. And if you live uphill from work like he does, you’re good. You can coast to work as fast as gravity will take you. Just don’t plan on getting home all that quickly.
Brian, you obviously have never driven one of these, especially the the water cooled version. Our ’77 version spent most of it’s time in the western mountains and the ’84 water cooled unit had no trouble with anything. We solved the AC situation by putting a small window unit under the back seat on the right side. Worked just fine. Did do 4 people one time and got away with that by putting the portapot in a tent outside. These are fun to use and fun to drive.
Oh, they towed well too.
I love it. A tiny ac unit–I’m telling Mr. T this (not THAT Mr. T, the friend who owns one) first thing I talk to him on Monday.
Tell your friend I put a small intake vent on the right outside and exhaust vent out the angled panel under the seat.
If the stock drivetrain isn’t sufficient, Subaru conversions are a popular solution.
Lovely looking Vanagon. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I remember the VW Vanagon.
When traveling with 4 adults there will be no fraternization in the upper bunk, please! Our 76 P27 was fine, we made it over the Alps in November and stayed in the right hand lane at all time. The ice maker worked as well as the propane stove. Air conditioning was not available I believe, we got it at the factory. Heaters worked great going over the Alps , less so on the way down.
Cool cars and so preferable to today’s RVs.
The 80-82 aircooled were pigs, a 1.9 Wasserbox will do ok (unless auto trans)… I have half a million miles logged on various powered T3s…
the 76 with the first year fuel injection was okay, but was not always the first in line
Our ’85 eats money like I eat Cheerios. That being said, we’ve had it for 25 years, driven from Alberta to Nova Scotia, San Diego, and most points in between. If you’re not in a rush, they’re well worth owning. Lotta good memories in that old van.