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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.
I’ve gone on and on about the extreme prices Westfalias command, especially the gorgeous examples we usually feature here. Today I’m going in a slightly different direction, as this Westy is being sold by someone who knows nothing about VWs in general and is an opportunity for someone to make a lot of money. It’s a standard Westfalia that is pretty rough around the edges; the interior and exterior need some love, and its engine swap goes in the reverse direction we usually see, backwards to a an old VW Pancake of unspecified capacity instead of a bigger VW, Subaru, or Zetec motor. For all these faults, however, if you’re looking for a project, this is one that would be fun, has a myriad of parts available, and could likely be sold for a profit.
If you want to go camping in your vehicle these days, there’s not a lot of ready made options out there on the market short of specialty RVs these days. But years ago, Volkswagen was more than happy to meet the need to take your home out on the highway with the Vanagon. The Westfalia Camper was offered through most of the Vanagon’s life, offering a pop-up camper top and miniature kitchen. To this day, few have matched this van’s utility, especially when coupled with Syncro four-wheel drive. This Vanagon GL Syncro Westfalia for sale in Oregon is ready to tackle the scenery of the Pacific Northwest with aplomb.
My proclivities lie in the 80s, especially when it comes to VW Vans. The old buses are cool, but after riding in my brother’s college-edition enough, it’s a little post-war for me. The Eurovan has always seemed like a capable fellow, but I was initially turned off by front wheel drive and less distinctive styling than the Vanagon. A friend is in search of one to someday be the ultimate family vacation vehicle, and despite being the more modern Van, they can be had more affordably than Vanagons. Today’s eschews the bland looks with an amazing original teal paint job. It’s put on some miles, but that’s what adventure vans are for!
Here’s a good standard-bearer for all of those Vanagons I post. It’s a clean, non-Syncro pop-top with just 117k miles; about all you could ask for in a clean Westy. The omission of 4WD keeps it about 50-75% cheaper, but it’s still pretty steep for a 27 year-old van and speaks to the desirability of what many see as the ultimate vacation (or living, in many cases) vehicle.
