Considering an 83 Watercooled Manual--What should I know?

[FertigLos!]

There's a sub $6K not running single owner 83 Westfalia about 5 hours from me I'm going to look at tomorrow. 160,000 miles. It's got some rust, doesn't look too bad. Interior looks in pretty decent shape. I'm new to VWs, but have a fair amount of mechanical experience on tractors and trucks, and quite a bit of experience with old motorcycles (Russian and Japanese). I've rented 90s Vanagons in the past and really enjoyed the experience. Any advice appreciated.
Apologies if I'm posting in the wrong spot.

[danfromsyr]

run,
it'll get you in shape for walking

there's a steep learning curve in a over priced project..
and don't fool yourself to think it's other than that..
do you need something to do with your time?
someplace to spend your extra money?

or are you looking to step into 'the van life' ideology?

[skills@eurocarsplus]

so...

i've been into vw's my whole life. got my first bus when i was 11, and owned one ever since

i have a shop and although i don't specialize in VW's i do a lot of vw work. i have had vanagon's in and out over the years that belonged to customers who own what i do specialize in (volvo and subaru)

anyway, i gave most of them the boot...unrealistic expectations and huge lead times for parts. having said that...i recently found a 84 that i could stomach. pretty much rust free and bought it cheap, knowing what it would take to rehab.

anyway, between brake parts, some misc stuff to get it running, fuel tank reseal parts etc...i'm in at about 3k MY COST on this stuff....

add in the new tent, pop top seals paint etc...add another 1500

what you're going to find is there is NO deal on vanagon parts. if you see something you need... BUY IT, because unless you have unlimited time...it could be a while before you find it again.

it got so bad (for me) it just made sense to buy a parts van. now, my van doesn't *need* a ton of those kind of bits, but say 20 25-30.00 pieces and it just made sense to buy another for those foolish pieces.

rust is a big, expensive issue to deal with. i lucked out (or i tell myself that) i have a 3 owner (i'm #3) and this van sat inside up until the last 3-4 years...then sat on a driveway but wasn't driven in salty crap.

anyway, post photos before you pull the money gun
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[Wildthings]

Most 83 Vanagons were aircooled which have their pluses and minuses, others are natural aspirated diesels which were the slowest things on the road way back when and have gotten no faster with time. 83 1/2 models got the first water boxer engines and aren't bad over all. You might as well assume that both the aircooled and the diesel are going to need engine work, maybe or maybe not for the WBXer. If you can't start and test drive it, you might as well assume the brakes and transmission are both shot and the exhaust is cracked or rusted through in multiple places.

Just be wary, most vehicles this old were crushed long ago because they weren't worth trying to get back on the road.

FWIW, my 83 1/2 passenger van cost me $400 and ran well enough to drive it home, but still needed a lot of work. It's a pretty decent vehicle today a dozen years later.

[MarkWard]

Sub $6000 sounds like a lot for a van that you can't start and drive and has rust. If it's complete, and the rust is minimum, it might be worth the cost of entry, but yes expect to spend another $6000 to get it reliable and road worthy.

I think the days of the $800 vanagon campers are behind us.
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[FertigLos!]

Really appreciate the insight, guys. I'm not looking for time/money pit, but enjoy tinkering. I'd like to get into something like a Westy for something in the vicinity of $12K, but recognize that'll involve a decent amount of luck. I've been looking casually for a few years and only seen a few things running pop up under $15K.
This van was apparently running recently, but then stopped while idling for an extended period of time (while a mechanic answered a phone call(?!)), and was presumed to have overheated and seized. Apparently it started again a few days later and runs now and "sounds fine". This is a bizarre second-hand story and I hope to clarify more when I'm on the ground. If I can get this thing for under $6K and get it rolling for another $6 and some months of work I'll be happy. I don't intend to undertake extensive restoration, just go on some weekend camping trips with my wife and 7 yo.

Here are images from the ad. Nothing of the engine bay, but is supposed to have new exhaust system, "tune up kit", o2 sensor, lift gate supports, and comes with new clutch that has not been installed.

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[danfromsyr]

do note that very rarely is a vanagon rusted structurally.
the worst would be that the front seat belt bolts on the fenders go bad, so lift up the carpet by the seats on the front doors.
then it's the sliding door track..

little else generally goes bad or is structural

that being said, BRAKE lines will likely need to be changed.
and the metal coolant lines if it is either a diesel or a WBX

many here spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of dollars chasing superficial rust so that they can have it look good. but the view out the windshield is the same either way.

make it STOP before you make it GO. in other words expect to completely R&R the brake system including the hard lines.. they're hard for a reason.
then expect to R&R the coolant system before you go and make it get hot and steamed.
Ohh and then replace ALL of the high pressure fuel lines from the pump to the engine, all across the engine to the injectors and back to the tank.

these steps are MANDATORY
then you might as well R&R the fuel tank because it's very likely to puke gas when you fill it up, as there are 3 seals and several vapor lines that are BELOW the filled level of gas.
you'll have the tank dropped to deal with the rusted brake lines anyways.

don't mind that the gas pedal will pop loose of the floor, no the PO didn't pop rivet it down, that was the factory way of doing it.. yes the hinge is just a thinner section of the plastic pedal. it may crack from fatigue or when the pedal goes sideways from the rivets corroding off the floor from being under salty shoes for some time.
just snap the little down rod back into the notch in the plastic of the pedal and take it easy till you get it home.

lastly this is purely a vanity item, but the heater core has been a condo for a few families of mice, they should leave but like bad tenants they poop all over the house.

[valvecovergasket]

that really doesnt look that bad to be for 6k
the interior appears nice, and complete. the rust at least in those pictures isnt horrific. some seam rust at the back and that rear window looks crusty - budget for new seals if you go through and do the window seams

youre going in with eyes open and expecting to double the purchase price on repairs, at which point with a fair amount of DIY (free labor...) it should be really solid for around 12k

assuming theres no further scary rust hiding there id vote to jump on it
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MegaSquirt resource - SpitfireEFI.com

gone, but not forgotten: '83 tdi westy - swap thread

[FertigLos!]

Thanks, everyone. Sold out from under me. Back to the hunt.