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Mon Apr 12, 2010 5:22 pm

I bought a '84 westy the other day and it came with a crap load of parts. The guy i bought it from parted out an '85 passenger van back in the past which is where most of the extra parts came from. The van he parted out was converted by some company in FL right after delivery into the states and a MARK III conversion was done.. With all these parts is a build sheet stating exactly what the conversion consisted of and most of the parts from the van were included such as... Mag wheels, plush interior panels, door sill protectors, cruise control, extra vanity lights and a few other little odds and ends. Does anyone have a MARK III vanagon or know any other info on it? It was painted up pretty cool. I can send some pictures of what I have.

Mon Apr 12, 2010 6:21 pm

I dont know any Mark III vanagon, but post them up! sounds cool

Mon Apr 12, 2010 6:35 pm

mark iii was a american conversion company out of FL.(think chevy, ford van etc). I think that they are no longer though.
I found someone's 4 sale video on youtube- Check out the crazy back seats-

Mon Apr 12, 2010 6:44 pm

I had one about 7 years ago.

Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:58 pm

I wish I had bought velour futures in like 1969, and cashed in around '82. Woulda cleaned up.

Clever seat design, though.

Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:14 pm

Those rear seats are pretty darn cool!

That's an extra big rumpus room on wheels!

Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:23 pm

Wow.... There is one of these for sale just 20 miles away. That seat arm is the give away. I thought it looked odd, now I know what it is. Thanks.

Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:48 pm

I've seen two of these. They were both 1985s. The first one was on a VW used car lot in 1986 or 1987. They wanted $14,000 for it at the time. The second one was in the VW wrecking yard I used to go to a lot in about 1993. I had a chance to check out the interior of the one in the wrecking yard. It looked about like the one in the photo - lots of american conversion van style fluffy seating and tufted buttons to hide the panel mounting screws. Kind of tacky, but the exterior was much cooler. IIRC, Western Wheel alloy wheels and a cool stripe kit against a silver body.

I have a hunch both of these were the same van. You don't see many of these Florida conversions way up in the Pacific Northwest.

David

Mon Apr 12, 2010 9:44 pm

these pictures remind me of the Ford van called "Chateau" style in the 80'..

it has the look of someone just haul the living room furniture and squeeze it in the poor van...

:D

Tue Jul 13, 2010 8:39 pm

I just bought a mark III conversion vanagon. 1985....looks just like the pics posted..same color. Mine is from the original owner..with all the documents..accessory sticker price from VW, window sticker from Mark III....guy paid $20,980 in 1985..crazy. It has 35k miles. pretty nice bus. Has the mag wheels, luggage rack...little table between the seats like the big chevy mark III conversion vans.

Tue Jul 13, 2010 8:50 pm

ewe, its gross. :P

Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:03 pm

honestly...it's a little weird. but if you don't like weird...you should steer clear of VW!

Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:51 pm

Is it REALLY a VW Vanagon of any mode, it certainly has no comparison to a Westy, where's the traditional interior and we haven't seen the roof? If ANYTHING it could resemble a Weekender, certainly I see nothing that says Westy, not even the seats. Sorry Mark iii sounds like one of the MANY models of a C&C sailboats. They had so many versions in each year for the same length, they closed down (bancrupt) their production, somebody bought the rights and made 1 off (custom mfg of very large models and they went bancrupt too! Tooooo many models of the same things will kill ya.

Does this (above) really legally qualify as a Vanagon of "any model" of the mechanical version and European/North American standard of a REAL VW Vanagon and is it potentially not a "in fact" not a REAL VW vanagon? Limited history here! It just doesn't look German!

Is it (engine) a real VW or is it a "bastardized" clone as in (was it Chrysler) who stole the Vanagon idea when it came to North America in introduction quantities? personally I don't care but a "mark III" authentic???? Is it yet another model as in Country Home and/or Riviera model that just didn't take off.?

Sorry I've gone back to the pictures and the basic van (especially front windshield dash board)BUT definitely see no indication its a Westy, perhaps a weekender???? does look authentic BUT lets hear about the engine, model, finisher, year, pictures to show its a Vanagon and NOT a knock off? I'd like to be proven wrong :roll:

Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:12 pm

It is a vanagon :roll:
A conversion company "improved" it like westfalia or dehler profi or carthago or country homes or adventurewagen or...

Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:19 pm

ok from you I accept that. How many were made and was it recognized by VW (i.e. imports from Germany deliberately or "made up" without license, as in Country Home and/or Riviera) as a legit interior.

It resembles a Weekender but some how the seats just don't fit!

Come on YOU know lots. Educate us, please. So you are saying the engine and external body is a Vanagon. What kind of engine, size, fuel, etc?. Closet VW Model, version, etc...?

Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:23 pm

DAIZEE wrote: Does this (above) really legally qualify as a Vanagon of "any model" of the mechanical version and European/North American standard of a REAL VW Vanagon and is it potentially not a "in fact" not a REAL VW vanagon?

You are 100% correct, it is not, in fact, not a Vanagon.
That is to say, it is, in fact, a Vanagon.

:wink:

Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:27 pm

Quote: (i.e. imports from Germany as in Country Home and/or Riviera)
Those were both conversion companies that "improved" vans from the west coast. Westys are the only official US conversion that I know of.

Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:27 pm

Okay so I have another model to learn! Do you have any idea how many were "designed & sold"? Was it limited to the weekender model type or was it invividually 'created'. I guess we can recognize it outside as a vanagon or is it a Eurovan? Please help as I am 'conquering' the various models of Vanagons and this confuses me.

So are you saying the COUNTRY HOME and RIVIERA are not authorized vanagons? My markings are all engraved as made in Germany and finished by (?) ASI. Sometimes I get the letters wrong but I got the registered etc.... right on the frame. That's all I'm asking

What are the "authorized"/authentic Vanagon models in North American, specifically the USA as I assume there were fewer Cdn built which seem to have some differences in their interior and "finishings". i.e they seem to be Westy's with a wee bit of finishing details according to federal standards as to electrical and water hose, and propane hookups?

Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:34 pm

Quote: made in Germany
By VW as a vanagon
Quote: and finished by (?) ASI
Converted to a camper by ASI- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VW_Camper-Riviera

Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:47 pm

I have a Riviera and it doesn't resemble in any way the OP's internal pictures. So ASI made more models than the super Riviera? I have a Germany built Vanagon, imported to be, finished inside by ASI. How many different models were created by ASI in Washington State? This looks more like a Weekender than an ASI.

I am under the impression that ASI built the Riviera with the Astec Steps on the top AND that their interiors were along the lines of the Westy only different (in my BIASED opinion, more suitable to the single cruiser) and THE same for every one they converted from Vanagon Germany which they imported.

Are you saying that the OP's interior is an ASI? Forget the papers, is it identified and authenticated by a metal plate riveted to the frame and a definable VIN? \

I ONLY want to know, I need to know