Have you SEEN ONE on the road lately? Vanagon Spotters Thread

[teabone]

For a while now, if I know I'm going to be "a few minutes late" for work, I can be pretty sure I'll see this van on Hiawatha in south Minneapolis. Maybe 6:50 am? Hey there. I commute in the black old school Saab 900S. I've waved, but who pays attention at that ungodly hour.

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And how about this? Maybe you read these forums... Your van was seen by us a number of times last August in the Canadian Rockies. You may recall seeing us smiling and waving after piling out of our assuan brown Westy in the lot at Athabasca Glacier. This photo is from Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park about a week later on August 16, 2007, headed out of Waterton Village (uphill) towards the Prince of Wales Hotel. We had camped overnight at the Bertha trailhead and were down by the lake thoroughly cleaning out the van before heading back over. I saw you drive past, tried to catch up on my bike to no avail, and shot the photo you see here. Somewhere in those pixels is a van with a darker yellow top and maybe dark blue (purple/black??) on the bottom. Oregon plates. Just saying hey.

Hey.
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98 B5 A4 1.8t Quattro
92 Golf GL (montana green)
84 Westy Vanagon (GW 2.2)
85 Scirocco Deluxe 8v (resurrection in progress)

[MootPoint]

Just got back from five days in Seattle.

Holy cow! I swear there was a Vanagon or a Bay Westy on every single block. Ms. MootPoint and I started playing "Spot the Westy" (sort of like a travel game with a six year old) after we'd seen three of them on our way into town from the airport. The trend continued for the rest of our visit. There were three within a two block radius of where we were staying by the Zoo. I guess if you are going to camp in the rain you can't beat a fiberglass roof. How come that didn't occur to me during the 13 years I lived there?

One particularly sad one (white 87+ Westy), directly across the street from where we were staying had a flat tire when I first spotted it. Couple days later the tire was fixed but the back window was smashed. Ouch! If you are reading this, you have our sympathy.
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1984 Westy with tencentlife power!

[winkshog]

Saw a two tone white and yellow one the other day heading to waly world. and I drive by one at a repair shop. every morning on my way to work.
And a couple months back there was an air cooled at the GoodWill. There are two or three that live by me. thast i see all the time when it is not snowing.

the sun was out today
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85 Westy
85 7 pass w/AC 2.2_Subaru
Facebook for Operation Injured Soldiers For those how gave when they servered
Loghome for sale For those that want to get away from it all....

[campism]

There was a grey hardtop with NH plates visiting here in Richmond VA a few days ago and was parked on S. Colonial between Carytown and the RMA. It's been gone the last few drives past, so I guess s/he's gone home.

[Jake59]

Yo MootPoint, I hope you had a fine time in our city. I live 7 blocks south of where you saw that White Westy and I can't agree more it hurts when you see any old vehicle (not to mention a Westy) disgraced like that.

I have the ugly memery of our family 23 window split window sitting in a parking lot and some a##h### had smashed every window out .(welcome to Stamford CT).
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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.

[sav1028]

[gravedigger7]

There are only two that I see one is mine and the other is the exact identical of mine!!! Same color and everything!! Folks get us confused until they see the stickers on mine!! One time my wife asked who the girl was I was driving with!!and my boss thought I was driving around when I called in sick!!

LEW


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[BFLOBUS]

Lew's right about very few in Buffalo. My white 91 is in North Buff or at United Imports on Sheridan. About 50/50! The mechanic has a lite blue diesel Westy

[0to60in6min]

location: 405 North freeway, Irvine, near the OC airport (California)

time: approx. 6:40 pm. / 04/10/08

description: GL Westy, White, rectangular front lights, very clean, chrome wheels may be 15" or 16", going about 80+mph... talked to myself "what the ..$%$^*.. engine he has in there...?

note: the driver has a beard.

this is my good day... yay.. I saw one

[RCWesty]

Hey Gravedigger7,
strange deal today. I just saw an similar ride this morning on the way to work.

also -
brown 85 on the main street in front of my house on the way home from work..

Red syncro in Tahoe City on Tuesday morning. Early 60's splity blue and white in the afternoon.

I've seen more in the last few couple weeks than I've seen all winter.. Must be spring time in Reno...

[Williamtaylor33]

Seen a brown westy with front end damage in Mountain Home AR yesterday evening. Dont see to many other vanagons on the road here.
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89 Bostig powered syncro westy

[GWTWTLW]

[kenmag]

Far and few between here in Toronto, though I did see a nice white/light blue two-tone 85(?) passenger on hwy427 southbound on Wednesday afternoon.
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87GL Westy/suby ej22
87GL tintop/suby ej22
05 Golf TDI
95 jetta GLX

[Williamtaylor33]

[campism]

Driving my grey '87 Westy on an errand I spotted a new-to-me early Assuan Brown Westy heading my way. I honked and waved and flashed the lights but the blonde woman driving it was oblivious. Damned VW drivers never pay attention.

[1621]

Saw a real nice burgandy Westy in Gresham, just east of Portland. One of the nicer ones I've seen in a while. Lowered, with Ronals, a Subie conversion, and Yakima box up top. Really nice.
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'85 Westy

[msinabottle]

I can go for a longish time without seeing a Vanagon, there's a camper bus parked in a florist's parking lot on Broadway that I can see any time I want to. But, oddly, on a day when I was going to Harbor Freight to get some cheap clamps for Winston's jalousie glue-up--mission successfu! -- I passed two 'Square Eyed' Vanagons, one coming, one going.

'Coming' was a maroon, including the top, out of state Westy, couldn't tell what state it was, I was in traffic and it turned off, and I was in the Saturn, so there was no way to establish my 'bona fides' for a wave-over. 'Going' was a dark blue with gray cladding Carat, I presume, transporter, being driven by a young looking kid with a LOT of stickers.

Well, at least I had a FEW seconds to ogle.



Best!
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'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[Perales]

I saw Ben's rig on the road today. It really stands out with that bright red paint job.
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-- 1987 Westfalia automatic (Captain Vino)

[seans67]

For the small town I live in I see a fair amount of Vanagons. This time of year though is when the tourists start rolling in and am happy to see people are still cruising the Alcan in a 20+ y/o car. I saw a tan (not sure official color name) Syncro Westy last weekend during the Shorebird Festival.
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Sean

'71 Squareback '71 Porsche 914 ‘80 Camper '87 Syncro Weekender 1.8T '87 Wolfsburg Weekender '97 Toyota Land Cruiser ‘03 Audi A6 Quattro 3.0 ‘04 Audi A4 Avant Quattro 1.8T ‘05 Audi A4 Quattro 3.0
‘06 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

[Alan Brase]

This thread REALLY points out the need to put your location (not BS) in your header , or whatever it is called. I guess I kinda understand the idiot humor of the splitlist guys (and even some of them give a hint at the true location, like Ronnie, who says "where hell meets the ground" which is LHCity, AZ.), but so often what we say is location specific.
Unfortunately, nearly all of them around here are owned by me. Another nearby old collector died, and his family CUT UP about 20 last year.
Al
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Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home