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Like the spotting of the Ivory-billed woodpecker decades after it was declared extinct, we have a Vanagon Syncro Westfalia today that is in nearly perfect, all-original condition. The 4WD Westies are rare enough, but nearly every example has been well used, with the nicer ones having undergone swaps and restorations (often by the great but pricey GoWesty guys). This example is the only one I’ve seen that spent most of its life in a garage and has never gone camping. Little items such as the sink sticker and vinyl drip tray cover are still intact, as this was apparently just used as occasional transportation by an older lady for 17 years, then parked after a small fender dent.
The Volkswagen Type 2 “Bus” is one of the most iconic vehicles of all time, perhaps second only to the Type 1 Beetle. They draw smiles everywhere they go, and are perfectly acceptable as rusty survivors and perfect, climate-controlled-storage classics. The one my brother drove for a while was of the no-muffler beater variety, but today’s examples are gorgeous, show-quality items that will blow minds with both their looks and their prices. Both are modified to take on the look of the desirable “21-window” bus, but the first one has significantly more than that…
Vanagons can be found for cheap or ludicrously expensive, but today’s restored Westfalia seems to be the right van for the right price. From an updated interior (check out those front seats!) to a 2.3 liter GoWesty engine update, it’s a fully-functioning camper that needs nothing (except maybe some new wheels). It’s not a bonkers Syncro mega-worldrover, but it is clean and well-done. $35k isn’t cheap, but it’s a reasonable price in the Westfalia world, especially considering the work done here.
The last few months I’ve found myself examining all manner of Vanagons, from aged DoKas to pristine GoWesty Syncro Westfalias, but today’s 7-passenger Syncro is an interesting case. Aesthetically, it’s not all that, with some ill-fitting wheels and lackluster paint. Inside, the non-camping setup is contrary to my intended use. However, the Syncro 4WD is an awesome option box that usually comes with a huge price tag. It’s covered well under 100k miles, and has my favorite of all Vanagon grills, the South African quad-light setup. The asking price is a mere fraction of what most Syncros go for, making this all-terrain Vanagon a pretty decent deal and a solid starting point for the intrepid adventurer.
Let’s face it. Vans are not normally considered the coolest genre of vehicles. But with Volkswagen forbidding US customers access to their most recent Transporters and the commonality of the SUV, the Eurovan, as it was known stateside, has gained a bit of a cult status in the US. While the version equipped with the VR6 engine might be fresh in our minds, a few were sold here in the early part of the 1990s with a 2.5 liter inline-5 cylinder engine. This Eurovan for sale in Florida looks very 1993 with its shade of green and is one of the early examples equipped with a 5-speed manual gearbox.
