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1979 Westfalia Price: $26500
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Adventure is out there!
For sale for the 3rd time in its life (as far as I know) this lovingly maintained and cared for 1979 Westfalia with CA emissions and fuel injection. From its original owners and service manuals to its perfectly patina-ed factory Dakota beige paint job and the dreamiest dealer applied tri-color pin stripe you ever did see, almost entirely original except for a few upgrades, this thing is part Time Machine, part thoughtful functionality. Its original 2000cc motor still fires up every single time. The original factory westfalia components are all there including the child hammock/cot, rear mosquito net, front card table and leg support, storage seat/cube, kitchenette, cabinets, brown factory carpet, even the original refrigerator and condenser (which i never got to work). Also still present are the original dealer installed AC components (not working).
When I bought it back in 2013 from a rad old hippie it had been entombed in a car port in the dry Arizona desert for 15 years and had 98,000 miles on it. That’s one of the reasons this thing is in remarkable original condition for a 46 year old car. I put a little over 4200 miles on it in the last 12 years. Most of those miles were as a local daily driver in Los Angeles and a couple dreamy camping/surfing trips up the coast. It was worked on by the wonderful fellows at Automiester in Manhattan Beach during that time. It has been garage kept for the last 12 years except for 2 of those years in SoCal when it was just in a carport. I had it shipped to the east coast 7 years ago when we relocated and it has sat in my garage on a trickle charger for all of that time. It gets driven a few times a summer but mostly on our property to thrill the kids and camp in the back yard. It was registered CA non-op for most of the last 7 years, still has the CA plates. Not currently registered and have requested a replacement title from DMV.
All of the work on this occured over 7-12 years (5 lifetimes?) ago so this is my best attempt at recalling the love and enthusiasm that poured into this beauty.
-The fiberglass pop top was entirely refinished, complete with old interior flocking removed, insulation, hull liner, stainless steel fasteners and new hard wired dome light added.
-locking tule roof racks with multiple mounting points.
-Koni adjustable shocks on front and rear
-oil and cylinder temp sensor added
-tachometer added
-Bluetooth pioneer radio and front/rear speakers added
-new canvas pop up tent
-replaced all of the (downstairs)upholstery and cushions with new original plaid color pattern. Upper bed is all original.
-upgraded stock kitchen work light to an LED light bar and added a second on the other side towards rear. (Saved original light)
-new hankook tries have 4.2K miles on them
-upgraded headlights (saved originals)
-Fiamma F45s awning (fabric separated on front corner during an unfortunate interaction with the infamous Santa Ana winds) still functions great.
-new accelerator cable
-new alternator
-brand new AMG starter battery
-1 year old deep cycle battery
-I replaced all of the locks -though i have no memory why- I saved the original cylinders and handles and ignition. I think i may have wanted all of the keys to match…again, that was 10 years ago.
-new front abs kick panels
-new thermostat bellows
-upgraded front seat belts
-new Catalytic converter
-sandblasted and powder coated the onboard propane tank
Here is a list of things that the new owner might address:
-well the newest thing as of this year is that the sliding door handle broke in half and the slider wont shut all the way. Needs a new handle and a refresh.
-Windshield has always had a hairline crack right down the middle. I have a replacement windshield channel and new windshield weather seal.
-drivers side mirror is missing the glass. I have original side mirror that can be swapped, though.
-I think a hose coming out of the sink pump had some water in it a few winters back and froze and now has a leak.
-top bunk plywood has fractured a little near one of the hinges, needs a new piece of ply.
-when i installed radio i tried to put a switch in the glove box to change radio power over from drive battery to aux battery. I clearly got something wrong bc there is some bit of power draw still when car is turned off. Ive kept on trickle chargers like most old cars and I don’t drive it on road so it’s not been a big deal for me. But new owner will want to get that sorted, it cant be too complicated.
-from those two years that it was in the garage port in LA, the luggage rack paint is peeling some and the new front seat upholstery has faded a bit.
Included in the sale is a cache of spare parts and supplies that I’ve acquired in my time with this bus. Spare Bosh blue coils, spare NIB Bosh alternator, accelerator cable, shift (or brake)cable -cant remember which, cabinet handles, electronic parts, jalouise window crank mechanisms, spare jalouise window assembly, sound proofing, floor matts, never used GoWesty water proof luggage bag, VW service manuals, weather striping, belts, fabrics etc.
I will also include any original parts that I removed when upgrading, even the delete plate for the radio.
My adventures look a little different these days. I bought this thing back in 2013 when I only had one child and no house. Our family of 6 has now out grown this little dream bus. I also need my garage to expand my wood shop and I don’t want this thing to be a driveway car. It deserves better than that. Throw a canoe on top and take the family for a good ol fashioned camping trip. Live your #vanlife dreams. Drive it to the beach with a few surf boards and use it as your remote office between surf sessions. Make it a unique AirB&B or guest house on your property. Keep it for the kids or grandkids to play in (after all these years, it’s STILL my kids favorite thing), keep it as a Time Machine or give it a proper EV conversion. They sure don’t make ‘em like this anymore. It’s got many more years of head turning and adventure to give.
Happy to answer any questions and I will consider all reasonable offers. No trades.
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