While Volkswagen currently struggles to find its niche in the American market, at one time the company could do no wrong. The Volkswagen Beetle was an unlikely candidate to set sales records on this side of the Atlantic, but it did so with regularity. People flocked to dealerships not only for the Beetle but also for Volkswagen’s other products. One of the most innovative and useful was the Westfalia camper vans that introduced generations of Americans to the pleasures of camping with your vehicle. This 1970 Volkswagen Type 2 Vanagon for sale on Craigslist in Marietta, Georgia is a beautifully restored example of Volkswagen’s highly sought-after camper conversions of their Vanagon. With an asking price of $38,950, this is a driveable classic that you can use for both car shows and camping. Or, do you think the price would restrict it to a place in your garage as a collectible only? Thanks to Mitchell G. for this very neat tip!
If you grew up in the sixties or seventies, Volkswagens were part of your life. Beetles were so prevalent that “Punch Buggy” was the game of choice among kids in backseats across America. The familiar sound of an air-cooled flat-four was as ubiquitous as the rumble of an American V-8. Volkswagens weren’t known for their blistering speed or tire-melting horsepower off the showroom floor either. That is why it seemed so strange that a Volkswagen Type 2, better known as a Volkswagen Van in the parlance of these times, was propelled by nearly the same engine as the pokey little Beetle. With the aerodynamics of a loaf of Wonder Bread and a passenger carrying capacity limited only by how many hippies you can cram inside, it is a wonder that any of these vehicles got to their destination given the limited amount of horsepower available to do the job.
Yet travel they did. VW vans were the weapon of choice for a generation of young people traveling together. From granola-munching hikers and campers to the Deadheads who faithfully followed the Grateful Dead across this great land and back again. If you weren’t in a hurry on your multi-day trip, the VW van could be a very practical choice. That wasn’t overlooked by the folks at Volkswagen. To provide a camping-ready version, Volkswagen had long partnered with Westfalia-Werke to convert these vehicles into one of the most innovative and practical campers ever offered. From the early 1950s through 2003, Westies (as they were affectionately called) were offered in Volkswagen showrooms.
Even though production stopped over 20 years ago, these vans demand a hefty premium over a standard VW van for many reasons. Nostalgia is a big driver of their value as many of those who spent their youth galavanting around in these vehicles are now enjoying the part of their lives when disposable income makes it possible to relive their youth. There is also the matter of rust and wear. The survival rate for VW vans as a whole is low due to these factors and the simple fact that vans of all types are routinely used up and discarded. When that van has the roof cut out to make camping more enjoyable for the vertically challenged, that rust has a greater chance of ending the party early.
The good news is that you will not have to worry about rust with this 1970 example. It has undergone a restoration that addressed the exterior, interior, top, and mechanical bits and pieces. It is powered by a 1,600 cc dual port flat-four engine with a four-speed manual transmission. When refurbished, it was repainted with the original Ivory finish it left the factory with and the interior is likewise decked out in classic black vinyl. A few of the other features include radial tires at all four corners, a rear defogger, headlamp shades, backup lamps, seat belts, and an updated Kenwood AM/FM radio with a CD player.
When it comes to camping, the pictures show a remarkably space-efficient interior filled with features to make any weekend jaunt almost comfortable. These include the pop-up canvas tent top, a fold-down table, a sink, a small storage cabinet, a fold-down bed, privacy windows, a rudimentary electric plug system, and woodgrain trim. Adding up all of the items they managed to cram into one of these vans makes you wonder why Volkswagon stopped making such vehicles. There is no comparable product available in the commercial market today. You see a lot of homemade van conversions made by people with the express purpose of economically traveling from place to place to save on lodging. Could a modern-day version of this VW van be successful in today’s market?
If the incredible number of people involved in the outdoor lifestyle today is any indication, it would be a safe bet for VW to return to its roots with an updated version of the VW van with a Westfalia camper package. They currently offer a similar-looking vehicle in the electric ID. Buzz. Sadly, the base price is $59,995 and it doesn’t appear to be big enough to compare to a classic Westy. With the electric vehicle market cooling off, perhaps VW will offer a larger version with gasoline power at a lower cost. It would be nice to see VW back in the affordable camper van game, but this Westy would be a tough act to follow.
Have you ever owned a Westfalia? Do you think that a new version would sell if VW could offer it at a reasonable price? Please share your memories and thoughts in the comments.
My Little League baseball coach had one of these. The entire team of 11 or 12 kids with all our equipment would pile in after a game to go get ice cream. Then we would walk home. Simple and good.
Gone.
Steve R
On paper these seemed ok, but reality isn’t as kind. They were so heavy! The motor worked so hard it just thrashed itself to bits and seemed to always be in the shop. The interior is cramped and the top was best left down or it had leakage issues. I’d never own another. But I do get the nostalgia and there aren’t that many left. I think I got a couple grand for ours and was glad to see it go..
Excellent write-up Jeff. I have no experience with them. Reading the article, I wondered how happy these would be under today’s driving conditions. I’d think they would be downright scary on an interstate with semis flying by you at 80 mph. Are they happier going to the campground via low-speed rural two-lanes?
Our good friend and man of legend, Terry, had a ’72 Westy that he popped a Corvair 6 into and gawd it was fun!
And there is a shop in LA that transplants Subaru engines into them, and then, they roll.
My daily driver is a 99 VW Eurovan GLS Camper that I have invested to keep up since I bought it in 03 with 99k miles from the original owner. It has the offset VR6 water cooled engine which now has 137k miles. I have offers all the time and my Dentist has mandated first right of refusal, so if you think these things are not fun? I am 73 but would not part with it.
Our scout troop took a trip from Wichita, Ks to the mountains of Colorado in and one of the dads drove his VW van in 1984 and it barely got up the inclines, so wouldn’t want one with this motor. I also don’t think he ever ran over 60mph.
I’ve been in the market for early 70s VW van I just don’t want this camper style and the only ones I keep finding for sale that are worth a darn are these camper ones so the hunt goes on
Dad bought a brand new 1971 VW non/camper Van, an Engineer, he had a large diagram of the Van divided into little squares, every month we’d fill in more of them until it was paid off. No AC (at all, and the Heat was “Nominal”) not sure how we survived driving cross country once in January, and once in July, got stranded in Gillette Wyoming with a broken accelerator cable, and had 2 separate thrown rods (guy just came, took the engine out, fixed it, and brought it back), learned to drive stick in it, remember it topping out at 70 (it was pretty old by then) Dad sold it in the late 80’s to some Hippy, not realizing what he had
If you’re looking for a zippy sporty car, why even comment on this. Read ‘loaf of bread’ above….
I’ve enjoyed 6 of these over the past 50 years. Models from 69-91…. so I feel as though my input does have some merit here. They are PERFECT for what they are. And yes, smaller roads are where these thrive. Leisurely drive through the countryside, take in the view, stop for the night at a beach or by a lake. There’s nothing like it. Mind you, this is not a vehicle for someone who needs a shop to change their oil, rather it’s for a wrencher who isn’t afraid to tinker. The simplicity of the pre 1984 air cooled models cannot be overstated. And making simple repairs on the side of the road with nothing more than a butter knife… is part of the allure. This is an ideal vehicle to remind you of the past, when travel was without time restrictions and any challenges were just… adventures.
Good luck to the new owner, enjoy.
Somebody ran and bought this one already. Considering how insane Westy prices have gotten in the past five years, what they were asking was pretty modest by comparison. As others have said, this is a vehicle born in a different time and requires an owner with a different mindset. Part of the attraction for someone like me is that it is a slow goer, and would force me to be one too!
When first married we bought one new. Our first road trip was to drive it from Detroit area to Colorado and back camping out the whole way. We got used to pulling off the road to allow people to pass in the mountains. The next year we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway and were glad it was bear resistant at night. Great memories but I’d never do it now. The reality is they were dangerously slow, hot in the summer and freezing in the winter…nostalgia is great but wouldn’t have one now when there are so many other useable choices for a collector car.
In 1970, my buddy, Ken and I were working on a surveying crew on a project about 60 miles up the interstate from home. Commuting was a pain, so we set up a campsite to work from. Ken drove a ’59 VW (19 window?) van. You could always tell when Ken was in camp because his bus could be found broken down in a gas station about 40 miles up the road. His bus never once made the entire trip. A few years later, I opened a imported auto service and serviced hundreds of VWs, including buses. If I had to do ANY service on a bus engine, I would take it out first rather than crawwl into that hole.
I had a 1971 just like this. I paid $400 for it. Times sure have changed.
Well guys, I still have my 1969 Westy that I bought around 1985, and it was not in great shape at all, but over the next few years, I completed a full restoration on it, and in 1998 it won first place in a big VW car show in Arlington, Tx. It has virtually every accessory that was available at the time it was new, which was not a lot, but it has a nice side tent that seals to the sliding door opening, and the loose stool that sits between the middle seat and the ice box. I had the engine rebuilt to 1776 cu in, with a mild cam and two-barrel weber carb. It runs like it has perhaps 100 hp, and I have passed trucks on the highway at over 90 mph. It will hold its speed on hills as easily as it runs on level roads. The heater does a good job in the winter, but not having an air conditioner is a bummer in the hot summer. Even after all these years, it is still in pretty good condition, with no rust, and the interior is still nice, not perfect, but nice. My first wife and I had a lot of fun in the 1990s, but it has been resting in my car port for too many years now, but I have been doing a little work on the paint and may try to take it camping again soon.
I have been a VW lover since my first 1960 bug that I bought new right after I got out of high school. I believe I have owned at least 30 VW bugs, busses’, Westy’s, 1967 Karmann Ghia that I still have, dune buggy, and a VW trike that I completed in 2008, this one I still have and was also a 1st place winner at the big trike event that used to be held at Turner Falls camp grounds in Oklahoma.
Mom bought a new red one in 1970. Seven of us +gear+pulling a small pop up traveled all over. Remember being down to 25mph in the Smoky Mountains. These things were almost always petal to the floor. In the winter you had to constantly scrape ice from the inside of the windshield while your toes froze off. We loved every minute of it!
Owned 2, a ’77 and an ’84. Loved both of them. The water cooled ’84 was fun as we could pull a race car 80mph on flat ground and get up hills at a decent speed.