Weekender Values?

[PopTopDreamer]

All other things being equal...are weekenders generally worth more (because they are harder to find) or less (because they do not have full camping amenities)? Thanks

[danfromsyr]

YES...

and

NO...


really it's like that..

very subjective to
the person selling
the condition of the van
and the person seeking or buying..
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[Yellow Rabbit]

I've owned both. They both have good qualities. I don't need the extra seating in a weekender. The kitchen in a full camper is nice and the swivel seats add nice interior room when camping. Personally I'd pay more for a full camper.

[tgraham]

I think all things being equal there is a market for each model. I spent a while waiting for the "right" weekender to come on the market, and paid a fair price for it. I wasn't necessarily in the market for a full camper, although I think they're awesome and when the madspaniard listed his rig, I tried to buy it but someone from Boston was already on a plane out with plans to ship it east.

The '90 Multivan I now own was listed the following week ... couldn't be happier.

Although, factory swivel seats ...

[danfromsyr]

swivel seats are easy for any semi-competent welder to install.
some have even installed them in a bolt in fashion..
though I prefer the welded in fashion.

just make sure you get ALL 3 PIECES to make them up if someone is selling..
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[jimf909]

Definitely less.
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- Jim

[djkeev]

Pound for pound, option for option, a full camper will always be worth more for the two unit options in IDENTICAL CONDITION (such as new).

When used, used as these units are, two to three decades used, condition becomes a big player and can seriously skew the price relationship.

Today, Hard and fast rules do not apply.
The Pop Top does add a huge premium to value.

Dave
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Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[vanagonjr]

While I prefer the Weekender, most looking for a Westfalia camper want the full kitchen. It certainly has more Gee-Whiz factor to new owners.

Now that for most of the country, most Vanagons, especially Westfalias, no longer do daily driver duties. When they did the Weekender would have been preferred by many as kid hauler during the week, camper on the weekends.
_________________
John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798

[PopTopDreamer]

Thanks for the insight, I was not familiar with them until recently. Somewhat torn...I like the extra seating, but also the full camping options.

[bobbyblack]

I've had both. I have a full westy now. I am not using the parts the full one has very often, and I am wanting the extra seating. Solution I am working through is adding a rear facing seat from a weekender into my full.

Trouble is, I want more Westy's. I want at least two, in fact. I've had two at a time before, and I liked it. My kids are driving age now, or will be in a couple months. I want them to have one each too. Or, I guess, two each.

First kid just got her BF to buy a Vanagon last week. I helped a bit. (dollied it 4 hours back from Milwaukee) He is turning out to be more apt that I had previously thought. Bonus! He got it running, and driving in just a few hours, with only needing me to point to a couple things and flap my arms a bit.

Its SO nice to have my kid get something to use instead of continually asking for mine!

So, I guess my answer is: get one of each.
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[ThankYouJerry]

From what I've seen I'd say prices are about equal.

Granted GoWesty prices are not the norm. They are very high for fairly good reasons (ground up restorations where every system has been refurbished to as-new condition... and they have a business to maintain ). Here is a link to their "Sold Vehicles" page:

http://www.gowesty.com/vehicle-sales-history.php

Looks like their Weekenders are right up there with Full Campers.

You can also compare asking prices here on the Samba:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/cat.php?id=55

Just remember to type in both "Weekender" and "Multivan" in the search field to see all the results.
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1990 Multivan - "Ohana"
1.8T, Auto w/3.27 R&P + Peloquin TBD

[vanagonjr]

[Jake59]

If we were to start our search all over I would go with the Weekender. Not that we are disappointed with how our full camper has performed and given us years (no decades) of enjoyment. I would have maybe preferred the extra room and weight savings vs the covenants of storage. We find we cook more outside anyway unless the weather is poor and we use the fridge for nothing more than a liquor cabinet (OK that is important storage).

OK it is a toss-up just get yourself a Westy and start enjoying this wonderful world we live in.
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Curent ride: 87 2WD Westy, 2012 Jetta Sportwagon 2.5S

Past Rides: 62 (23 window) Bus, 64 Ghai convertable, 68 single cab, 72 Super Bettle, 78 Bay window Bus, 84 GTI.

[Zeitgeist 13]

I've owned two Vanagon campers (ASI and Westfalia) and I ended up pulling all the cabinets out of both 'cause they didn't get used and I needed the cargo hauling space. The Carat/Weekender interiors are really the best all around utility value in the Vanagon platform.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[turbotransporter]

I owned a few full kitchen Westys and I much prefer the "pop top-no kitchen" Weekender. I've added a Propex, a Shady Boy, a 200ah aux battery, 6 usb ports, 3 12v sockets, LED lighting with dimmers and a 110v exterior port for shore power and battery charger.
It's my daily driver - it's fun to drive, easy to park, decent mileage.
It's my work van - all my carpentry tools fit inside safe and dry, it will accept 14' stock inside and the roof rack will easily handle my extension ladders plus I can sleep in it on out of town jobs. I've also had a number of sub contractor and inspector meetings inside where it's been warmer/dryer and with better lighting than the job site!
It's our friends and family shuttle bus to and from the ferry - we live on an island and we often have guests walk on the ferry to come over for dinner or just visit. Having room and seat belts for 7 passengers is awesome!
It's our road trippin' motel, private guest quarters and stealth camper - We never cooked inside our full kitchen Westys and the stock fridge was seasonal use only we do miss the sink but we're fully equipped to prepare our meals outdoors (under the awning if necessary), we store perishables in a ice chest and I carry a 5 gallon water jug. (An ARB refer is on my Christmas list...) My wife much prefers the bigger lower bed for sleeping and lounging. The swing up table is convenient, sturdy and when the weather was nasty we've actually managed to feed 6 around it!

The full kitchen Westys quickly became dedicated/single use vehicles that didn't always get driven enough to keep them tip top to be confident in their reliability. I'd often spend extra time checking them out and tinkering before leaving on a trip whereas the driven daily Westy Weekender is always ready to go. Having a dedicated use vehicle also means an extra vehicle to insure and maintain.

Value really depends on how you intend to use it... I would never trade our Westy Weekender for a full Westy as for us, our real world use of the full Westys was very limiting compared to our Westy Weekender.

[jimf909]

[turbotransporter]

Also rocking the Bostig conversion RG6!

[vanagonjr]

[greebly]

[61Scout]

Here we go again...

I have a weekender and a tintop. I have no desire to even own a full westy. Perhaps if I stumbled upon the right deal, but meh. I prefer to cook outside (more space, no risk of lingering odors.) I've never needed a sink (water belongs outside, imo.) I've been a cooler guy forever, but I do have my eye on the portable fridges. I purposely sought out a weekender because I didn't want the permanent gear. Also, full campers tend to have that seam rust problem on the left side.

The weekender has been great. I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything. That said, being a single guy it's usually just me and my dog. Sometimes a girlfriend if I'm dating someone. The larger bed below is nice. The upper bed rarely gets used by a human. It's mostly a dead space for storage when I set camp. The main advantage for me of the pop top has been the ability to stand up while changing clothes and just the feeling of a larger interior space. I like the table and jump seat too. Makes for easy games of scrabble, backgammon or a nice perch for the laptop.

The tintop has proven to be a very capable camper for my needs. I have a rocket box up top and racks for lashing whatever I want up there. I find I move gear around less when camping in the tintop vs the weekender. The only thing I don't like about camping in the tintop is I can't fully stand up inside. Not a huge deal, but it would be more of a pain if I were taller.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably just buy a tintop and forget about the pop tops. Better bang for your buck in terms of initial purchase price. Maybe I'll build a hightop one of these days. In any case, it all boils down to needs and how you plan to camp. There's really no right or wrong answers here.

To address the actual question in terms of value. Full camper, weekender pop tops, hightops, tin top weekenders, tin tops.

Kevin
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1986 Westfalia Weekender Wolfsburg, RJE 2.3
1985 Tin Top, Subie 2.2 + 5MT
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