1987 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia

I bought it in 2015, lived in it for half of 2015 / all of 2016 with my then girlfriend, and have had many amazing adventures in it.

But it's time for me to move on as my focus is less about travel adventures and more about staying in place projects.

Shane Becker (801) 898-9481 veganstraightedge@gmail.com

Engine / Mechanical

  • ~176,000 miles
  • Automatic transmission
  • Two wheel drive (2WD) (i.e., NOT a Synchro)
  • 2.1 Liter waterboxer engine (i.e., NOT a Subaru conversion, not a GoWesty engine swap)

Recent upgrades and replacements

  • GoWesty rebuilt transmission/transaxle in 2016
  • Stainless steel coolant lines (Buslab installed 2019)
  • Stainless steel coolant pipe kit (Buslab installed 2019)
  • Frontend suspension (upper/lower ball joints, upper control arms bushings radius rod bushings, lower control rod bushings outter tie rod, sway bar, power steering rack bushings) (Stargazer Garage installed 2021)
  • Rear coil springs (Schwenk Westy spring set, GoWesty spacer pad) (Stargazer Garage installed 2021)
  • CV joint and boot kit (Keep Trucking Garage installed 2022)
  • Exhaust header (Keep Trucking Garage installed 2022)
  • GoWesty coolant Expansion tank (Keep Trucking Garage installed 2022)
  • GoWesty coolant warning tag
  • GoWesty fuel line kit (Keep Trucking Garage installed 2022)
  • Inner tie rod (Keep Trucking Garage installed 2022)
  • Radiator, radiator fan switch (Keep Trucking Garage installed 2022)
  • Steering coupler (Keep Trucking Garage installed 2022)
  • Upper shock bushings (Keep Trucking Garage installed 2022)
  • Water pump (Keep Trucking Garage installed 2022)

Recent maintenance/service (late 2022):

  • new spark plugs
  • new air filter
  • new coolant
  • new alternator belt
  • new power steering belt
  • front wheel alignment
  • oil/filter change
Camped in a forest, with the top popped. This could be you.
On the way out of Descend on Lost Sierra. I met so many other Vanagon folks. You should go to there.
Engine
VIN is WV2ZB0252HH002387, for you to use in a lookup.

Exterior

Camping in Joshua Tree behind a friend's "small" RV
Driver side
Front / driver side
Driver side / rear
Rear / shotgun side
Driver side / rear. Steel bumpers, swing away system, full size spare tire / cover, Rotopax containers
Recently purchased tires’ tread
Full size spare, swing away arm, steel bumper, inner tire storage, Rotopax (fuel, coolant/water)
Rooftop LED Light Bar - 52 inch Curved with 5D Lens–300W and Vanagon light bar brackets

Interior / house / camper

  • All original Vanagon interiors: cabinets, seats, curtains
  • Kitchen all works great!
  • propane stove burners
  • sink (with manual and motorized faucet)
  • original fridge (runs off of house battery, shore power, or onbard propane tank)

Upgrades / replacements

Front cabin:

Kitchen:

House:

Rear:

Backseat folded into bed mode
Rear door open, swing away system, reverse mounted full size spare, Rotopax containers, tool organizer, steel bumpers
Rear door open, engine bay lid, rear closet, rear upper shelf, Venture Libre Veggie Bravo tool organizer
Venture Libre Veggie Bravo tool storage / organizer
Camper carpet floor
Camper floor below the carpet
Rear closet with three classic Volkswagen / Vanagon books
Back seat closet and table
Front seats
Kitcen cabinets
Kitcen sink, cutting board, dish drying rack (on top of the two burner stove)
Rear (trunk area) cushion, combined with back seat folded down to make the "downstairs" bed
Super rare Venture Libre veggie smuggler bag, only two ever made

Upgrades to be done

These are upgrades that I’ve bought but haven’t installed yet. You get to get them and do the upgrade yourself! I found that the van felt more like mine once I installed some projects in it myself. Hopefully, this will be true for you too!

Upgrades that I bought but never installed. Projects for you to do!

Extra supplies

Extra supplies: distilled watter and coolant (for mixing), extra reusable air filter, extra washer fluid, 12v lighter port mini-fan, leveling chocks and anti-roll locks, extra Mann oil filters, 12v lighter port to adadpter 2 USB ports, magnet hooks, magnet spice jars.
50' of drinking water safe RV hose

Projects I would do if I was still in Vanagon/Westy mode

Problems

Let's be real. This is a 35 year old classic card that's used for adventuring, there's gonna be some imperfections.

Let's think of it as: the good, the bad, the ugly.

There's lots of the good listed above.
There is no the bad.
Below are a few places of the ugly. Three are very small, one is medium.

  • Shotgun door lock key doesn’t work from the outside, can be fixed
  • Driver door map pocket screw loose
  • Backseat table arm swings out on its own, even when tightened down, without something stuffed under it (towel)
  • Under window rust spots
  • Needs new brakes (pads or rotors, not sure which)
A few rust spots below the rear window, key for scale
A few rust spots below the rear window, key for scale

Bonus

If you otherwise drink beer and you buy my van, you get three six packs of Fort Point Westfalia Nuremberg red ale. What makes it Westfalia beer? Nothing, per se. They just named it that. And put a cool little illustration of a Westy (with the top popped!) on the box. You can only get this in California because they don't ship across state lines. It's not super rare or anything, just and little extra treat.

Bonus treat (if you drink…): three 6-packs of a beer from San Francisco named "Westfalia"

Shane Becker (801) 898-9481 veganstraightedge@gmail.com