Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The Westfalia rollercoaster continues with today’s 1987 model looking like an outstanding value. With many Westfalias reaching above $30k (way above, in some cases), this one comes in at about half that. It’s done its share of roadtripping, with 200k miles on the van, but the engine was rebuilt just 12k miles ago, indicating tons of fun yet to come. Despite some questionable wheel covers, it looks very clean inside and out. Bidding is hot, reflecting a market hungry for affordable Westfalias.
We’ve had a great variety of Vanagons on GCFSB recently, from some non-Westy deals to some of the 20 year old Westfalias that cost more than brand-new VWs. Today’s Kermitized Westy provides a great happy medium, combining the utility and campability of the pop-top legend with an extraordinarily good price. Even at the Buy-It-Now price, it’s a steal compared to most Vanagons that look like this. The weak, 1982-only naturally-aspirated diesel may be partially to blame for the low price, but with this low of miles I’m thinking this original owner just does not know what other Westies are going for. If you can’t handle the well-earned “Slow Moving Vehicle” sticker, you could do any number of engine swaps and quickly have a van worth 3 times what it’s selling for now.
I’ve been trying to find VW vans that provide more affordable alternatives to the Westfalia, which has become the E30 M3 of camper vans. Well, today’s Ivory example shows that these German mini-RVs are as treasured as the color’s namesake with a very serious asking price complementing low-mileage and some choice upgrades. While the South African lights are great and the exterior condition shows the garaged life, the interior is not the nicest we’ve seen. You could buy a brand-new, fully-loaded GTI for $10k less, making some shake their heads and walk away. Some will see this as a low-mileage gem, however, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the seller get something not too far off the asking price.
With Vanagons of all types commanding some very serious prices these days, those looking for economical ways to traverse the continent and sleep in their cars would be wise to consider the lesser-loved Eurovan. Today’s is an early model with a the classic 2.5l inline-5 and a rare 5-speed manual. It’s only had one owner and has covered just over 80k miles in its two decades, making it a great choice for owner #2 who wants to travel in comfort and isn’t too worried about the Vanagon mystique. It’s a comprehensive Eurovan package that combines nice early-model simplicity with world-traveling capability.
As I head up to Sonoma for a weekend of NASCAR, I get to indulge in another incongruous-but-fun journey, loading M5 up with camping gear and parking it next to trucks, campers, and RVs. It even gets a few nods and smiles among this very different type of car enthusiast, but staying in a tent surrounded by generators leaves a little to be desired. This is a long way of saying yet again that I very much want a campervan to increase the efficiency and comfort of my roadtrips. Today we have an earlier but very nice Vanagon, in the exact color as my brother’s non-Westy van. It’s only adventured 84k miles in its 3+ decades and has had some recent maintenance that indicates it could go as many years and a lot more miles. It has a few needs but the cleanliness in undeniable and with no reserve, it could be a good deal relative to most clean Westies.
