Help choosing between two Westies

[pinetreeporsche]

[djkeev]

[bobbyblack]

P.S.

Hold off on your 'boos and hisses'

I drive and love my '87 Westy.

BUT, that said, I thought the T4 was an appropriate option. I took it when I had my chance. I am glad I did.
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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

[bobbyblack]

Um...

Well. Ok here goes.

The 'upgrades in the 86+ are nice, true.

The 1.9 of the earlier one makes me feel sorry for it, and personally would have to do something about that.

HOWEVER, I have owned several split Westies, drove one to AK, the other to Fl, and loved them, I had a '71 tintop camper, it was fun too, but no heat, ouch!

Then the world changed for me and I bought, new off the lot, a 2003 Westy.

Here, this is probably more like what you should get, if you want a fairly worry free 3 months, and able to sell it off fairly quickly again:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1920058

Good luck.
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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

[raoul mitgong]

All depends on you and your $ situation. We all have our opinions on the +/- 86 vans and those opinions are all over the place. We would need to know more about you ($ and mech ability) to give a good answer.

I'll try anyway. If an extra $10k doesn't bother you, an easier opening slider door and the other minor upgrades might be worth it. If 10k is a big number, go with the 84.

It is good you are doing your research and asking questions. Welcome to the club.

-Darren
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84 Westy with a 2.1 (Groover)
86 Tintop Syncro (Crow)
86 Tintop Syncro to Westy project (Tom Servo)
91 Westy (Only the top 12 inches of this van (a burn victim))

[michaelbteam]

NEITHER. No vanagon "expert" here, but I've learned a little at a time owning ten various Westies. I would not own a 1.9 again, and I like the upgrades of 86 on. AND, my experience with automatics precludes owning one again in my canyon country.
I would hold out for a better deal, echoing many of the comments here.

[chrisfreemanca]

[dobryan]

[AZ Landshaper]

Buy the 84 and hold on to some of your cash for repairs. I personally dont think a westy is worth 21k unless you know the back ground and its "solid" all around.
I paid 25k for my first home so Im biased based on that.

And i agree with ^. A PPI is often not worth jack. Ive purchased a few vehicles with a PPI and not been happy with my decision three days later.
My solution has been to look at a few more options and typically something stands out as either good or bad.
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-------------------------------------------------------
85 Weekender w/ EJ22
Previously
64, 71, 72, 73, 76, 81, 84, 85 & 87 Campmobiles and Westfalias
and a 67 bug.

[jimf909]

[Yellow Rabbit]

Purchase price is just the beginning. If the more expensive one doesn't leave you with cash for repairs and upgrades, get the cheaper one. There are things I'd change on either before a long trip. For example, I have driven on 14" and 16" tires, I wouldn't leave town on 14's. Personally, I think they are both overpriced. I think the older one is on eBay now. Maybe you can get a deal.

[bluebus86]

have a complete prepurchase inspection done. even a low mile rebui.d moror can be a liability if not built right, or if amiantance was not done on it in a timely fashion. a new otor that say for ten yearsbwith old antifreeze could have a head gasket leak the firt time you run it.

get it tested, you might be able to find a westy rental too. might be less money for you for if it fails the rental company is responsible.

good luck
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Stop introducing dirt into your oil when adjusting valves ... https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=683022

[j_dirge]

[Tom Powell]

Several years ago I bought an '87 poptop sight unseen,with no PPI for $8500. It was delivered to my grandson, in school in Oregon, who has little mechanical knowledge, but told me, "It looks like a car that you would drive."

I picked it up and drove to the East Coast, with some skiing in Utah and visiting friends in Colorado and museums in Dayton. Crossed the Mississippi on a ferry. I parked the Vanagon at the hotel near Dulles and went to England and on a cruise ship for six weeks. Came back for my granddaughter's graduation and cruised Washington DC and Rhode Island. Drove back to SoCal with my daughter with stops at Carlsbad and the Alien Museum. I've have used the van for several more ski trips to Utah and Tahoe.

I did replace the front tires and had an alignment done after returning from the East Coast. Got a CV boot torn on the freeway in Las Vegas. I replaced the CV boot, the oil pressure switch, repaired a flat tire, switched in a tachometer, and undid some PO hacks. On the East Coast I went through some prior maintenance receipts and found a GEX warranty. It probably expired several years and tens of thousands miles ago.

Bottom line:
You don't always get what you pay for. Sometimes more, often less. If you know how do do repairs and maintenance, it gives you the confidence and ability to drive an unknown. I had a flexible schedule and was prepared for a break down with money, time, tools, some knowledge, and TheSamba.

ROLL THE DICE

Aloha
tp

[jimf909]

[chrissev2]

[CanStan]

I agree with some of the comments about the '87 being more desirable for potential buyers if you plan to sell after your trip. However, I think the '84 could often be an easier sell. There are more people who have $10,000 to invest in a toy than those who have $20,000.
If you think you might keep it long term, pick the one you will be happiest to drive. Do power steering, power mirrors, armrests, bigger engine, etc mean a lot to you? If you don't care either way and you can save $10,000 buying the '84, that's a huge savings.
It's hard for anyone to definitively say one way or the other what you should do, but there's lots of good things in this thread to think about to help you make the right choice.
Good luck with whatever you choose!

[Tom Powell]

The '87 is an automatic, has a sound system, poptop canvas with windows, ARG's and arm rests. Both look clean, but '87 mechanicals and records are unknown. Do they have clocks or tachometers? Neither one has poptop lift assist. You'll want the lifts if you use the ARG's for Yakima racks. Many good comments posted earlier regarding new paint. Lack of rust is more important than new paint. Inspect the fuel lines and change them. Prior maintenance and reliability would be big factors if you plan to keep it only for a short time. If you buy the less expensive vehicle and keep it for a long time you'll have a bankroll to do a sound system and other upgrades. The '84 might not resell immediately and you may have it for a longer time than you intend. The '87 might resell easier, but may not, because many people want a manual transmission and/or are suspicious of new paint. i.e. lipstick on a pig

94K miles and no mechanical work may have been needed and will not be needed for another 30K miles.
155K miles, 10K on rebuilt 1.9L, rebuilt transmission under 10K miles. Should not require drivetrain work, but suspension parts will probably need maintenance and/or repair within 30K miles.

50/50 choice
20/10 price
40/60 reliability
?/? fuel lines

Drive them both and you'll like one better than the other.

Aloha
tp

[Gauche1968]

[candyman]

Buy em both