1981 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia Camper

$24,995

Year

1981

Make

Volkswagen

Model

Vanagon

Odometer

108,808

Engine

2.0L

Fuel Type

gasoline

Transmission

manual

Drivetrain

RWD

VIN / Chassis #

WV2ZA0252BH118604

Seller

Laguna Classic Cars

Location

Laguna Beach, CA

Seller Stock #

1970032

Title Status

clean
This Westy has received great care by the consignor and recently had the engine rebuilt, the  transmission rebuilt, new clutch, in addition to many other maintenance items which are documented in the service files.

Here is the consignor's comments and history of this 1981 VW Vanagon with Westfalia pop top:

My life with “Brownie”:
"My wife and I first rented a vintage VW camper van to test out “VW life” and after one weekend we were hooked! It was dwarfed by the humongous “aluminum box” RVs parked next to us, but everyone came over to talk with us and admire all the clever space-saving design solutions. As I say, we were hooked.

I looked at a LOT of vans in all price categories but decided to go with “Brownie,” so named because the van was brown, my mother's nickname was Brownie … and my wife loved to bake brownies. (She always baked some extra so we would have enough to offer all the people who came over to look over our cute little van.) Brownie only had 80,000 miles on the speedometer and I was told it had been in storage for over 15 years when I bought it in 2015.

I wanted to keep the van as original as possible so I only replaced what needed to be replaced and refurbished the rest. The canvas top was moldy so I replaced it with a top quality tent kit from Westfalia. I didn't NEED to replace the front seats but I wanted the more comfortable “captain's seats” with armrests from the 2 year later model. (I kept the original seats and they will follow the van in case someone in the future wants to restore it to totally original condition.) I reupholstered the other seats and mattresses with the original patterned fabric.

I wanted to take Brownie on a long camping safari from California to Colorado and back, so I invested in a LOT of camping accessories: a full set of window coverings, an awning, camping chairs, levelers … you name it, I bought it! Of course all this equipment will follow with the van.

I made sure everything in the “kitchen” worked. I sterilized the water tank and made sure the faucet in the sink worked. I filled the propane tank so the stove worked. (Right now the valve that opens the propane tank is not working. It needs to be replaced.) I also had the refrigerator repaired to operating order, but that was a mistake: the original refrigerators in these models never worked very well and mine is no different. Most owners replace the original refrigerator with a newer type.

I repainted the fiberglass Westfalia top so it looked new and added pop-top lift-assist hydraulic struts to make putting up and taking down the top easier. I also added a skylight from a later model Vanagon for increased ventilation. Now for my tale of woe: a piece of rubber somehow made its way into the gas tank and lodged itself in the outlet. Unbeknownst to me, this restricted the flow of gas to the engine and made it run hotter. One hot summer day, the engine overheated and the block cracked. I had to buy a new block and have the engine fully restored. So Brownie now has a “new” engine that is 5 years old and has less than 1000 miles on it. My economic pain; your gain. My son took the Vanagon on a camping trip and somehow managed to seize the gearbox, so I had to have that rebuilt about 3 years ago. Again, my pain, your gain.

Why am I selling it now? Because my son has become obsessed with motorcycles and has no time for the Vanagon, and I am 73 years old and less enamored of the joys and rigors of camping. Brownie needs a new home, maybe with a family, with kids who will love her."

This car has a clean California title, a current smog certificate, a Carfax report, and the owner's manuals.

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