Westfalia interiors - older and newer differences?

[Westy1999]

Hi. I'm looking for a kitchen/cabinet set for an 86 and up Vanagon. I actually like the brown/tan but I'm not choosy. However, I think I read somewhere that '84 (and maybe '85) interiors were of inferior quality to the '86 and up. Can anybody confirm or deny this? I will relegate my search to '86 and up if the quality is better.

By the way, I'm not interested in the quality of the fridge since I would expect to need to replace it no matter what the year.

Thanks in advance.

[danfromsyr]

i've a few 80-81-82-86-91 westy here and as far as i can tell the quality is all the same
it may help us help you if you updated your location in your profile
i've a few sets here in upstate ny that get in the way time to time
anyways the stock fridge can..key can be quite nice and reliable
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[CanStan]

Other than the color changing, I don't know of too many differences over the years. They sure look to me to be the same materials to make them. Probably the most obvious change is that the tall narrow cabinet door on later models was shortened so it can be opened without moving the table out of the way first. There are also setups that use an in-tank water pump vs. a pump mounted under the sink, although I don't think you would ever notice a difference between the two while using them.
Having owned vans with both styles of cabinets, I really can't say one was better than the other.
As for the fridge (and I know this is about to open a debate), I've personally found that when they are well maintained, they work great.

[Merian]

AFAIK, the inferior quality of the brown themed earlier Vanagons is only for the plastic parts like those on the dash.

My '86 cabinets & trim are fine & I also prefer the warmer colors (in a gray cloudy environment).

[70coupyel]

The early westys the curtain are hung differently. I do not know of the time that this happened. Also the pop top and table hardware was cad plated and later it was painted.
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[Ahwahnee]

[crazyvwvanman]

My guess is that the "quality" of the interior mentioned was mostly with respect to the fabric and padding used on the seats/bed of full Westys. The 85+ has better fabric and padding, as does the 84 Wolfsburg Westy. The cabinets and hardware are the same quality across the years.

Mark

[Westy1999]

Lots of great info. Thesamba folks really make it easy (almost) navigating through this complex terrain. Thanks so much.

[Merian]

yes - let's all tell the mods to make this a sticky & add it to the FAQ


also, there are A and B series fridges and then some later version with better controls too

[bluebus86]