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Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:28 pm

so i im going to look at an 84 westy with supposedly a new-ish 2.1 with only 1500 miles on it but who know because the odometer doesnt work. it looks nice from the pics and if he has all the receipts for the work hes done is it worth 10,000$ or should i look for an 86 or newer knowing what gowesty.com says about that year and newer being the best ones. also i know theres alot of demand for these vehicles but do you think not having the odometer working will hurt me selling it in the long run?

Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:36 pm

Maybe. :?:

Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:11 pm

some like the color of the earlier interiors, if the motor is a rebuilt 2.1l then there's no great need for a newer bus
unless, it doesn't have power steering, you may like to square head lamps, the big mirrors etc
personally i prefer the interior color of the pre '86, but i prefer the look of the later square headlamps, and i'd REALLY like to have the bigger electric mirrors and the big bumpers
other than that, at this stage a 27 year old bus, is not that much newer than a 22 year old bus, comparatively
buying an odometer is not going to kill any budget, an extra $100 - $150
shouldn't make it a go or no go on $10k

you'll know when you see it if it's the bus for you, if it is use it, enjoy it
and put up pictures to show it off :D

if it's not THE bus, don't be disheartened
the right bus will find you

Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:30 pm

The overall condition of the car and the depth of records is more important than what year it is. Plenty of us are perfectly happy with our 1.9s, or as it would appear with this car, 2.1s dressed with the early accessories and systems. Sure, the later ones have more bells and whistles, but they are just more things that can go wrong and need fixing. Also, most of those bells and whistles can be retrofitted if you really want them. Or, get newer aftermarket power locks or windows. IMHO, the only real issue with the older vans is that there are a few more parts that are no longer available. But that has not kept us off the road. Venders are always finding substitutes or making new ones etc.

If the body is free of rust, the engine is strong and maintenance records are there, its a good buy. If the odometer is broken, get a working one in the clasiffieds to help you track the miles. Good Luck!

Hans

Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:11 pm

thanks for the advice. i just looked at it today and it has a few rust spots on it but nothing major. it does have a few things that worry me tho...the propane tank is rusted pretty bad, the watter tank smells pretty bad and he doesnt have the key for the fill cap, rust on the hinges on the pop top, and the biggest thing i noticed is that it wants to die occasionally when first giving it a liitle gas from a stop and it even (after it had warmed up) died on me. would that be a bad fuel line or fuel pump? does anyone know?

Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:38 pm

I have an 84 with a 2.1 engine in it. it also has some parts from an 86; lights, seats and maybe some other parts.

no rust at all, but not the most perfect paint. a couple of small dents. we have put our efforts into the mechanics, as we live in a dry climate, and rust isn't a threat.

we paid $5000. I have not ever regretted it.

what we have done: tires, ball joints, alignment, heads, radiator, thermostat, starter, fuel pump and filters, alternator, linkage parts, some wiring to radiator fans/ac, misc. cosmetic parts such as pop top gaskets, water faucet, and probably other things I've forgotten.

It is in great shape, feels dependable. although there probably always is something else we will have to fix because it is the nature of a 28 yr old vehicle, it is worth every repair and penny spent.

Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:45 pm

the round headlights are, or can be more easily made, superior to the square ones

isn't the coolant system better on the '86-on MY's?

also, any pre-'87 will have the low quality brown plastic up front and that will fall apart if it hasn't already

I prefer the tan colors for the laminate, etc. on the - 1986 MYs

The carpet in my '86 is an ugly baby poo yellow.

More:

Early Vanagons - round headlights

1984 - 1985 – water-cooled 1.9L engine with simpler DigiJet FI. The 84's lack power steering - only makes a difference below 5 mph. At speed, I actually prefer no power steering.
The 84's have a slightly funky-operating sliding door, not quite as smooth as the rest.
The 84's front seats and interior cloth are kind of crappy looking, but any of the other year seats will slide right in. The 84's have *slightly* sub-par suspension.

1986 –better 2.1L engine*; rectangular headlights; poor a/c design; has modern spade type fuses; still has brown interio plastic that crumbles to dust

1987 – grey camper interior material instead of tan; black plastic instead of brown; Better A/C
1988 – plastic vents at rear or rear side windows; larger fiberglass bumpers
- larger VW logo in center of F grill
- VW logo in center of R hatch
1990 - Manual trans. has improved 3-4 Gear Synchro Slider Hub
1992 - last year of Vanagon Westies in US
In South Africa, improvements continued until 2001?? – bigger motor, better headlights/grill, bumpers, wheels

the early top mount A/C systems are poor

*1986-on 2.1L Engine Improvements
- longer throw crankshaft (74mm vs. 69mm, displacement increased from 1915cc to 2110cc)
- improved #1 main bearing design,
Important changes for 2.1L Engines:
improved exhaust system
ignition
fuel injection (Digifant)
brakes
Most Important Improvement: Cooling system -- completely changed for 1986-on (nearly the same until end of production in 1991) – has fewer parts, is much better at keeping air out, and is easier to maintain.

Ground clearance:
1986-87 – 7.5”
1988-91 - 6.3" – due to aero fiberglass bumpers – can remove them

Common Rust Spots:
- at the seam under the hookups towards the bottom of the van.
- areas around all of the window seals - especially the windshield.
- on the passenger side behind the sliding door on the seam above the
rear wheel.

Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:47 pm

BTW - I agree that condition is MUCH more important than the differences above.

Pay a top notch mechanic who knows Vanagons well to inspect it thoroughly.

The $200-$300 is well worth it.

Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:02 pm

I've got an 84 and to be completely honest some things get to me. It being Assuan Brown for one haha. Power steering isn't a big deal but it would certainly be nice to have. I'm definitely a fan of the later year grey interior over the tan/brown and the front seats are garbage.

In the end none of that really matters for me. If it's a decent van I say go for it. I ended up with a great van that's had me out camping nearly every weekend since I've owned it. I'd love to own an 86+ but I'd probably still be complaining about something then. Who knows, maybe I'll sell this and get another in a few years, but right now I'm learning a ton (thanks to everyone on here) and I'm having a blast.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 4:34 am

I've owned 3 '84's and each a diff level of accessories BUT all had pwr steering???

Mon Jun 11, 2012 6:04 am

Just to represent the other side of the coin a bit more, I absolutely love my 84.
I love the brown interior and very much prefer it to the grey of later years.
I have power steering & it works fine (would suck to not have it).
I've never had a sliding door issue and wasn't aware the 84's were somehow "inferior" until I read this post. :?:

All of my brown interior trim is doing just fine and nothing has gone brittle or disintegrated (except the rear view mirror which baked in the sun and did disintegrate. I've replaced with a black one.)

Sure I'd take a new one or a bigger engine but, I love what I have and it's treated me very well.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 7:30 am

X2 on being a Happy 84 owner.

It's not worth ruling it out simply because it's an 84. Mine didn't come with a fresh water tank key either, no problem. Many vanagon parts sites sell replacement filler hookups for about $60 apiece, it only takes 20 minutes to replace it.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 9:03 am

Another vote for the 84!

Ours has almost exactly the configuration you are looking at, and we love it. It was sold to us as an 88 by a PO who had no clue. (And neither did we, at that point!) She had owned it about 4/5 years, and had not saved all her receipts but we know it had a rebuilt 2.1 and a rebuilt transmission.

As it turns out, it's basically either an 84 or 85 with an 88 engine and VIN, and 88 body front end with square headlights! So what? It runs just fine. I'm not a collector so I don't really care much if it's stock, as long as it's nice and it's functional.

It was cosmetically pretty grungy and had been used in her business by some sloppy drivers--slightly torn upholstery, a few dings here and there, rock chips, etc. etc. The power inlet had been taken off and the shell patched over. The poptop canvas was mildewy and had rips.

Two years later, we've done a ton of cleaning with a variety of solvents, replaced the floor, sewn side windows into the canvas to get rid of the rips, de-mildewed the roof and the canvas, put on a new electric inlet, futzed around with a bunch of the camper stuff that has nothing to do with driving, touched up lots of bits of paint, and actually PAID for a new starter, new brake calipers and discs, and a new muffler. (The last one is the one that gets me; the PO had paid for a lifetime warranty muffler but of course the warranty isn't transferable :? )

Do I regret all the work and the not insignificant money that's gone into this? No--I love the look of the van--very retro, including all that funky tan Arborite and the stripey cushions). It looks WAY better than when we got it, and I'm pretty sure that if we had to, we could get out all/most of the money we've put in.

Doing the restoration/(slight) upgrade work that we have ourselves--bodywork, electrics, and easier mechanical stuff)--and forcing ourselves to read about doing same in Bentley and on the Samba--we're much more familiar with this vehicle than any we've ever known!

And as others have said, every time you drive it is like going on an expedition :lol:

Kathy
85/88 Westy

Mon Jun 11, 2012 9:08 am

I searched for the nicest waterbox I could find and it happened to be an 84.... Previous owner never even used the frig or stove, factory plastic is still on both. It goes 75 miles an hour down the freeway all day long and is easily the coolest thing on the road. A nice, well taken care of Westy is friggen bullet proof and wont let you down. If its a nice van, buy it and go have fun.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:44 am

jwwwolf90 wrote: ...also i know theres alot of demand for these vehicles but do you think not having the odometer working will hurt me selling it in the long run? P.S. The odometer is a $58 plus postage fix; not a big deal!

http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_371/odometer_fix.html

Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:00 pm

We love our 84, manual steering and all. I've never used the outside water tank fill. Initial price was good and by looking at it as a hobby the time and money going in don't hurt too much and conceivably we could get most of it back in the end, though that is not a consideration at this time.

@ nachtfalter- nice looking van, same color as mine but nicer! Check out jack bombay's pop-top shocks in the classifieds, they'll change your life (a little piece of it anyway)!

Mon Jun 11, 2012 4:15 pm

whafalia wrote: We love our 84... nachtfalter- nice looking van, same color as mine but nicer!...

We should start our own club -- the Elfenbein 84s!

This thread is turning in an 84 Lovefest.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 4:59 pm

I'll join. I love mine too. the color inside and out is my favorite combo. bright and open feeling.

I don't mind not having power steering, in fact prefer it. love the big wheel and the lack of pump means less to break and just a tiny bit more horse power.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 9:29 pm

whafalia wrote:
@ nachtfalter- nice looking van, same color as mine but nicer! Check out jack bombay's pop-top shocks in the classifieds, they'll change your life (a little piece of it anyway)!

I think Ile give em a try. thanks for the heads up!
The van belongs to my wife and because of work, I am not around for every surf trip with the kids... and she has a hard time popping the top alone.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 9:32 pm

A love fest indeed.
Hard to point out anything really un-well with the ‘84. The factory made good changes throughout the year; adapting little tidbits of improvement. The late model year Wolfsburg Westfalias were icing on the cake.
The 1.9 models are easy to work on especially when no a/c is in the way. Simple stuff for the most part. All Westy’s make me smile. But truth is that I go with what I know how to wrench on. And my goodness there has NEVER been a bigger plate of available parts to restore these wallet-loving critters. Any old car takes skill, patience and money. But not all old cars give good bed.
.
I am on my second 1984 model camper. The brown carpet and trim hide a lot of “accidents”. Back when they were brand new I test drove the 1990 camper and desired it a lot. But the light gray carpet and trim made me ponder how well it would deal with two little girls and the introduction of mud. Plus the brown cleaned up pretty well from the mountain pass vomit episode (same girls, BOTH spewed).
.
Time has passed…perhaps gray would be okay today.

Cheers,
Jeffery