Would this panel scare you away?

[chrisfreemanca]

Pretty sure this rear panel is rusted from just below the rear window down into the wheel well. I'm in a non salt on the road and very low rust area so not sure it would get much worse. How much would that deter you from pursuing it?

[/img]
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87 2wd manual.

[calsurf]

Depends on the price of the Westy and your willingness/experience to tackle bodywork. Probably more to the eye here. But, if there's a deal to be had, I'd use that rust & that lower mid-panel as a negotiation item, cheers.

[bobbyblack]

I'd go on price from there. In my case, I am ALWAYS considering any bus... But then again, I am quite disturbed in the head. Once you have 2, you can't ever think in terms of just one again... Cars and Guitars, it never ends.

If it were the right price, I could see that being an easy Ospho treatment twice a year, and drive it til the wheels fell off thing. The window rust would be problematic, since I would not want to weld in clean metal with the cabinets in place... Not fun to start a fire where you can't put it out.
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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

[DanHoug]

will that panel affect your fun? your ability to camp? where you go and what you see? of course not.

it all depends on what you're buying a westy for.. an investment? a puff piece to garner compliments and stroke your ego? something for the next 20 years?

so the real question is how much money do you have to find one with zero rust? sure, everyone wants a creampuff. if you can afford it, by all means buy one. if you can't afford it, you'll still have a ball with a bit of rust.
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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

[syncrodoka]

The lifting window seals means there is rust festering in there and likely holes. That kitchen wall rot that you can see on westies is a known rust issue that typically is even worse inside.
If want a van to keep for a long time I would pay more for a dry body, if you just want a beater I would use the rust as a price negotiation point.
Would it scare me away? Probably since I know rust only gets worse with time and I keep cars for decades.

[dobryan]

Those windows will have rust holes under the gaskets. Not a deal breaker but be prepared.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[Silverghost500]

Rust is like an iceberg. There's usually a whole lot more beneath the surface.
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1986 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia "Von Westy"
Honda K24A converversion-Road Testing Phase
3-Speed Automatic

Von Westy YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhyZYxJEQrUuLnMbLleeIA

[16CVs]

I think the fact that the service doors are in the wrong location would worry me as much.

That van with that amount of rust should be about $7500.00, I'd bet there is not a single panel without some rust in it.

Stacy
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1987 Syncro Westfalia Triple knob (bastard)
1989 Syncro Tristar Triple knob "Swedish"
2013 Jetta Hybrid a true "Zwitter"
Samba member # 14980
Call anytime number 650 722 4914 .
Keep Your van running and upkept tastefully for the love of the hobby.
Don't let your van end up in an "abortions" thread.

[MsTaboo]

[outcaststudios]

nothing scares me, i drive a vw.
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'88Doka JX td
'69 westy
(rip)couple bugs
(rip)three type III"s
(rip) '81 vanagon
a bunch of french stuff,and 9 motorcycles.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2573791

[steve244]

People in the south don't realize how good they have it.

Car wholesalers ship southern cars up north and we get all the salted ones from New Jersey, or the burned out ones from FL.

Look for a better example. If you live up north and were going to DD it I'd say it's perfect.
_________________
82 AC vanagon approx 200K miles (3K are mine).
DD is a 2015 Leaf
Road Trip to Hell (FL 2023)
The Vanagon's drivetrain and chassis restomod thread. Best sung to the tune of I Did It My Way...

[chrissev2]

That is not really that difficult to fix, and the entire panel is available as a patch.

I have removed and replaced that panel on my vanagon. It is not hard to get it out, and it requires removing the interior pieces behind it and drilling out some welds.

You can find dry, rot free Vanagons, so repairing rust is really a choice. What I would do is dig into it and see what condition everything else is in. If it has new front and rear end work, brakes are recent, engine is functional and recently rebuilt and otherwise in good shape, it would probably make sense to fix it. If everything is junk, then find a dry body and rebuild from there.

You also have the real opportunity and alternative to simply ignore that rust and enjoy the vehicle. It will be many years before that rust becomes something that renders the vehicle unsafe or un-driveable. So you can just ignore it.
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1986 westfalia auto 1.9TD
2023 VW Atlas 3.6 VR6 Highline
2019 Golf Wagon 4 motion
1978 Volkswagen super beetle convertible
1992 Eurovan 2.5 5spd westfalia

[jimf909]

This is all about what you want. I've always said that not one camping trip was ruined by seam rust.

Much more important to me are other things like under-body rust and general upkeep of the van. Has the van been meticulously maintained? Are the suspension components rusted together? The underbody? Will your foot go through the rusted out hole below the pads at the front doors? Those things scare me away, not seam rust. But again, this is all about you.

I bought this van nine years ago and this seam rust hasn't advanced much (although it's accelerated the last few years). The engine bay and underbody are entirely rust free and the we don't hesitate to drive it 1,000 miles.

Pictures of the engine and the rest of the van and its asking prices will get more helpful information from this gang in terms of the whether or not it's worth it.

Unless if you don't like rust, then walk away.
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- Jim

[chrisfreemanca]

[chrisfreemanca]

[chrisfreemanca]

[jlrftype7]

[kamzcab86]

[valvecovergasket]

[steve244]

They look about right. Here's an '82 on BaT right now:

_________________
82 AC vanagon approx 200K miles (3K are mine).
DD is a 2015 Leaf
Road Trip to Hell (FL 2023)
The Vanagon's drivetrain and chassis restomod thread. Best sung to the tune of I Did It My Way...