The LT45 is Volkswagen’s Sprinter-like, light-duty van/truck that was sadly never officially sold here. Like the seller says, however, it serves as a great “Goldilocks” between the Syncro T3s and Unimogs we love to feature here – not too big, not too small, but just right and with all of the capability. Featuring two locking diffs, diesel power, seating for 6 AND a multi-use truck bed; sounds ready for whatever kind of adventuring you can throw at it. Exterior framing and a snorkel look tough but mean heading into the jungle is possible too. The canvas-covered truck bed means its only achilles heel may be winter camping, but I do love that it looks like there’s some suspended-bed contraption back there currently. A little easier to park than a Mog and certainly more space than a T3 van or DoKa, this Goldilocks means business.
Tag: van
While most clean Westfalias come on the market with strong asking prices, today’s is an exciting no-reserve auction. This provides an opportunity to get a nice van for a good price, but it’s also going to attract a lot of attention. Early in the auction there are already well over 50 bids as some VW-friendly adventurers minds start churning. It’s covered a decent amount of miles, but 141k shouldn’t be too much of a deterrent. The rebuilt automatic transmission makes for easier cruising but not as much fun. Swaps and upgrades are always an option with these great vans, but this should be a solid starting point without needing any big-ticket items any time soon.
Click for details: 1990 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia on eBay
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I’ve dreamt about the Mercedes-Benz O309D as an RV before, and today’s underwent a full conversion from a postal van to camper van in the ’70s. It has some distinct pros and cons: On the plus side, it looks amazing in baby blue, is way cooler than a normal RV, and has the venerable Benz OM617 diesel found in the 300D, so parts are aplenty. On the other hand, it’s almost 50 years old with a 40 year-old RV conversion – meaning there’s plenty of work ahead – and the non-turbo diesel inline-5 has to use its ~80hp to haul a massive van up to its 50mph common-sense limit. My calculus adds it up to an overall positive because it runs, has a ton of potential, and putting in a fraction of what some people spend on RVs would make this a killer home away from home.
Click for details: 1967 Mercedes-Benz O309D on Craigslist Indianapolis
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Our last visit into VW Bus-land was with a couple of extreme restomods much more focused on looks than function. Today’s is just as gorgeous but a bit more original. Inside and out it appears like-new, but the dark green and white combo keeps it from looking too much like an overdone toy. It also comes with the EZ Camper package, making it the perfect machine for roadtrips or, as the seller aptly cites, concerts. It may not have quite the usability of the T3 Westies I so often feature here, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a huge amount of fun. 60s Buses are going for crazy money these days so you’ll have to decide if the classic VW Van is worth that much to you. If it is, this is the one I’d go for.
Click for details: 1965 Volkswagen Bus on eBay
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I’ve been getting pretty into these non-pop-top Vanagons recently, and today’s is an interesting case. It comes with tons of miles and a rebuilt title, but has clearly been cared for and gone through a thorough mechanical rebuild. While normally title issues raise huge red flags for me, most older Vanagons are inherently going to be projects, and it’s nice to know that someone has done a lot of the important stuff here. Most of all, if you didn’t know about the title this would just present as a clean, excellently 80s gold-on-tan van. The few issues will keep it affordable, turning this versatile vehicle into a good deal.