Newbie checking in introduction and hello

[SpaceKitteh]

Hello all you wonderful VW fan folks,

I'm new here and hunting for a Volkswagen Vanagon. The good people at the VW Vanagon Classifieds Facebook Group politely pointed me this way so that I can listen to your advice. I had initially found a 1984 VW Vanagon and thankfully they saved me some heartache by pointing out potential hazards and rust spots. Ultimately moving me away from a bad VW first experience. I'm Addiison Breaux on FB btw:) so if any of you FB group folks are also on this website and reading this: thank you.

Where should I begin research wise? My budget is 7,500.00 dollars. I've noticed the classifieds section here has a much better array of VW's than say Cars.com, Autotrader, and CarGurus. (the search tools I was previously using)

I look forward to learning from you all. If anyone is a glider/sailplane pilot and wants to chat please feel free. Or even better if any of you wise folks have any advice that you wish to bestow unto a newbie such as myself I would really appreciate that:)

Take care and peace,

SpaceKitteh

[Glenn]

Moved to Vanagon forum from Feedback forum.

Welcome.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

[DanHoug]

Welcome! as you mull this over with a budget of $7,500 don't immediately discount a vehicle with SOME rust... panel seams, etc. not everybody can buy collector quality on the first go-round and you'll have just as much fun in one with some rust as not. i drive a rusty one and have just as much fun as anyone else and it ain't gonna fall apart.

but yeah, it's great if you can get a rust free one, don't get me wrong!
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-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[Jeffrey Lee]

Welcome to the madness!

The Samba Classifieds are indeed the best place for a Vanagon newbie to shop and buy. No guarantees, but most vans found there will have been owned by Vanagon enthusiasts who took better care of them, and who know more about that particular vehicle. The prices will reflect that, too, but may still be cheaper in the long run than a supposed 'barn find' of questionable heritage and condition ...

Here's a great place to start:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6236040#6236040

Pre-purchase lists, Post-purchase lists, differences between model variants, tons of Buyer's Guide info to get you started on the right foot!
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Camp Westfalia
Camping Tips • Newsletter • Cool Campervan Apparel
www.CampWestfalia.com

[Vanagon Nut]

[Yellow Rabbit]

What’s your goal? Will this be your only vehicle daily driver, a weekend camper, or something you want to drive around the world? Is that your “all in” budget or do you have extra to address deferred maintenance and repairs? If that’s your all in budget, you need so set some aside. In that case your purchase price might be $5,500-$6,000. Every Vanagon needs something right away.

These days even $10,000 does not buy much of a Vanagon but you can still find deals. Place a wanted ad on Craigslist and you might be surprised what turns up. Don’t shy away from pre 86 vans. That’s where you might find a better deal.

[Jeffrey Lee]

If you haven't yet narrowed down your preferences as far as models, years, features, etc., consider checking out a local VW show, esp. a campout. There you'll see a wide variety of VW Campers of all vintages and configurations, and proud owners who will likely pop the engine lid and talk your ear off. You'll learn more on a Saturday afternoon than months of online tire-kicking.
https://campwestfalia.com/vanagon-westfalia-resources/#camp
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Camp Westfalia
Camping Tips • Newsletter • Cool Campervan Apparel
www.CampWestfalia.com

[joetiger]

Welcome!

One of my favorite quotes on this forum, from jimf909:

"No camping trip was ever harmed by seam rust."

With your budget and your part of the country, don't let a little rust scare you away.

However, be advised that not all purchases are success stories. Recently this Samba member bought a bargain dream van and had it all go to hell pretty rapidly:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=750967&highlight=

I'm usually the one blowing sunshine for prospective and new owners, but this story stuck with me. Be ready for anything.
_________________
Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

[danfromsyr]

do keep in mind that the newest of these are 30 years old
and that the lower end of the economic scale ie sub $10k
have either been neglected, driven hard or both.

if your not capable of doing (or learning) it your self and have to rely on others or shops for tools and service expect your budget to double..

sure there are some rare scores out there.. and if you are one of those gifted with good fortune and luck in life.. try the state lotto.
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[Crankey]

Hey welcome SpaceKitteh...
My thoughts are probably the usual basics....learn about the basic changes over the years of production and decide what you'd really like to have, vs what you can deal with (i.e. upgrade to on your own).
I guess the only thing I'd like to have on mine that would be really hard to upgrade to is the more modern blade style fuse box. I have an '85 vehicle and I think the fuse box was changed to blade style in '86 but folks here will know for sure.

But everything can be upgraded with money/work etc. 2wd to syncro, tin top to pop top camper etc.

So in the end, look for the least rust, least mileage you can find/afford. Balance out all the wants and needs vs costs and goals.

Don't discount the odd paths to find what you want. I called a Canadian website that didn't look very active but I figured what the heck...that led to a local phone # referral and yet a 3rd # to call back in Canada. I actually never looked at craigslist, samba adds, eBay or any other source.
So be open to serendipitous conversation. Initiate these conversations. Possibly calling vanagon related businesses you might learn of a clients vehicle that's for sale or in process of a referb for flipping.
My truck was a Canadian guys daily driver who imported higher end vans / trucks from Europe. I didn't want a super fancy TriStar or syncro like what he usually sold but to a flipper everything is a commodity and has a price on it.

It helps to be obsessive compulsive.
Good luck to you !

[4Gears4Tires]

Welcome and good luck your hunt!
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'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition

[Microbusdeluxe]

With your budget I'd stick with a tin-top. How many people are going to be camping in it? Assuming it's 1 or 2 folks a tin-top works fine and you can get a much more reliable one for the amount of money you can afford.

We actually had our greatest VW adventures in a 1970 tin-top bay window. Drove the length of Africa, took numerous trips game viewing throughout southern Africa. I'd trade in my '89 syncro Westy to be able to go back in time and do it again.

On the subject of a Bay window. The 1600 cc air-cooled motor is dead simple to fix. Yeah they are slow, but they actually handle rough roads and snow better than a 2wd Vanagon.
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'69 Squareback RIP
'65 21 window deluxe sold before the price spike, damn it.
'70 rhd bay now a taxi in South Sudan
'81 Westy sold
'89 hightop Westy Joker syncro 16" now with Bostig!

[Yellow Rabbit]

[Crankey]

[DanHoug]

[Microbusdeluxe]

I can only base it on my years of experience owning and driving a Bay window on REALLY bad roads in Africa during the 1970s. (The roads there are much improved now so it's kind of funny to see all these monster "Earth Roamers". People think that they need to spend $1/4 million on a rig to travel in South America or Africa.) We rarely saw any over-landers back in the day, maybe a few Unimogs and British Leyland trucks but usually went weeks without seeing another westerner.

The best rig was a young French couple in a Citroen Deux Chevaux we met in the middle of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.) When they got stuck in the mud, they just hired a couple of bystanders, lifted it up and moved it. Voila!

On the other hand my old 2wd Westy couldn't handle snow at all and needed a lot of help in deep sand. So no technical wisdom, just lots of miles on bad roads.
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'69 Squareback RIP
'65 21 window deluxe sold before the price spike, damn it.
'70 rhd bay now a taxi in South Sudan
'81 Westy sold
'89 hightop Westy Joker syncro 16" now with Bostig!