Are Westfalia's really that reliable?

[Cheli]

I came across a CL ad for a Westfalia which got me to searching more about them on eBay and other sales sites and I am blown away as to how expensive they are and how old they are.  They are like $15-20k starting for one from the 1980's.

They are super cool but are they really that reliable that people spend that much money on something so old?  I would love to get one because it's all customized and I could just hit the road but I'm worried about the risk.  Of course I understand it depends on the condition of it and past maintenance like buying any used vehicle.

Does anyone have any input on these little treasures?

I would love to rock out across the country in a hippy mobile.  hahaha

 

[WanderLoveJosh]

Theyre essentially classic cars, which is why theyre so expensive. Now theyre kind of a hipster mobile.. theyre nice, but all I ever see is people constantly talking about them breaking down and having to be worked on. They crossed my mind for a second, but i'm not mechanically inclined, so it made more sense for me to get something newer... in my mind for me a 2000 ford E150 was just new enough lol

 

[rvpopeye]

IMO Cult following is the reason they cost so much.
Like everything , they do break down and same reason on the expensive parts.
I have a workamper friend that has one that she totally loves ,,,, last time I heard from her it was in her back yard ,,,,,with a blown transmission !

 

[skyl4rk]

They are NOT reliable. They are probably the most unreliable type of camper van out there.

 

[Cheli]

Ahhhhh ok that makes sense. I thought they retained value because they were so reliable and great. hahaha

Yes, for that kind of money I can get a newer van that will be more reliable.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions.

 

[Van-Tramp]

I thought this thread was a joke.

Actually, Westfalia's are extremely UNreliable. The worst, for sure. You are much better of buying an old stubborn donkey as it will get you further with less hassle. With that said, the old VW's have a huge following and that crowd seem to be very helpful with each other. You will see pictures of the old guys traveling all over the world, even today - many decades after their creation. If you have the itch to constantly tinker, and instantly be a part of a large community that will accept you based solely on the car you drive, the VW can be fun. I know a few that love them... when not hating them.

 

[Cheli]

I thought this thread was a joke.

Nope not a joke, just me being a tad bit sarcastic.  LOL  Although a little part of me wasn't sure if I was missing something.

But the "cult following" and "classic car" aspect makes more sense than reliability.  And no, I have no interest in spending that kind of money on a 30 year old van to be accepted by a group for the vehicle I drive.

 

[SternWake]

I bought a 73 westfalia, in Capetown South Africa.  Took it upto Mozambique.  Many hours were spent in mechanics shops, and made for part of the adventure.  It was a money pit, but the dollar to rand exchange rate was good and having the clutch replaced cost less than 100$.  it never really broke down bad, but something was always needing attention and I had little confidence in its mechanical ability


I drove a vanagon westfalia in 2001 when Van searching. Its price was reasonable.  it however required special attention and a special process for getting it into third gear.

not a day goes by that I am not glad that  its third gear was a giant red flag.

Underpowered POS's with a loyal following of frustrated owners.
  No thanks.

I do like the interiors, they make very good use of the available space.

 

[DannyB1954]

I had a Westfalia with an air cooled engine. It was the opposite of reliable. It had a problem with the valve seats falling out of position which caused the valve to stay open. To repair I had to remove the engine heads and replace them. I was in the San Francisco Bay Area and there was a shop that specialized in VW air cooled motors. That is where I got the replacement heads from. The replacements were no better than the originals. After doing the job twice it was running good and I sold it as fast as I could. It still may be running today, so I didn't dump it someone before it broke again, but by this time I already had my fill of it.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

As mentioned not the most reliable vehicle on the road, some people change the VW engine for a Subaru and that is a positive upgrade, but really they are overpriced due to cult following. On the up side the Westfallia camper design is great, poptops, swivel front seats, rear retractable seat/bed, kitchen mid ship tried and true, practical with a great use of space.. A company in California " GTRV" converts, Dodge Caravans, Toyota Sienas, full size Dodge,GMs and Fords, also one in Montreal " Condo Safari", using the same layout, pricy for new ones but there are second hand ones out there, I have a 1993 Dodge Caravan that was built by GTRV when it was new, so they have been doing this for awhile.

 

[Rugster]

I have had several air cooled vehicles, several Bugs and Buses and one Type Three. They were all reliable and ran great, as long as you kept the oil changed and didn't go over 60mph. I was in an area where air cooled VW's were pretty popular in the 90's, you would see numerous VW's on the streets driving through the small town and everyone I talked to loved them and their simplicity and reliability. Or course, everyone has their own experience but it is surprising to hear people talk bad about old air cooled VW's. I found more than one in Florida for $50 as it had no title, took it back to Georgia, changed the oil, put on a Bosch distributor and a new(er) battery and cranked the damn thing up. Try that with a car made in the 90's

The Vanagons that now get such ridiculous prices were never known for reliability and the prices people are asking for them is insane, wish Hipsters would fall in love with something I have so I could sell it for tons of money

 

[highdesertranger]

I agree with what everyone has said. stay away. highdesertranger

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I don't think you could find a single person who owns one that doesn't have the same number of breaking down/repair stories as adventure/travel stories. Down the road those stories will blend and probably be as much fun to talk about as the actual trip but when it's happening in the moment it's usually anything but funny.

I always found it ironic and a bit funny that they've become so expensive and popular/trendy/hip.......as the original people that bought them & made them popular were against all the established institutions of money, mainstream culture, trends, etc.

 

[bullfrog]

All right I guess I'll take some hits here but I have had several air cooled VWs in fact I still have a home made Baja Bug fishing rig for sandy beaches that has pulled out several four wheel drives, but I would take a Suzuki Samuria any day over the Baja except on rough roads at high speeds (55 MPH or more). The old VW camper bus required constant maintenance but was easily done on the side of the road, even pulling a motor out of a split windshield model changing a clutch and putting it back with a floor jack was less than 3 hours. If you want a great book on VWs "How to keep your VW alive for complete idiots" by John Muir is as much art and lifestyle as mechanical information. The air cooled VW was designed in the 1930s so if you want a camper van sorta like Henry Fords model A camper truck the air cooled VW is for you. The newer ones had better camping componets but worse mechanical problems that were not easily fixed.

 

[highdesertranger]

the problem with the air cooled ones is when it's hot out like right now in the south west. you will cook the engine trying to drive it with a load on these temps. sure there are add on oil coolers and such, but it will not help when it gets this hot. highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

With no AC most people would die now a days in the 110 degree heat we have here today clinics full. When I went fishing last night still in the high 90s could not stand the vent window blowing hot air at me more than a few miles. With old air cooled engines you want at least 60 degree outside air temps and no more than 80 degrees without extreme measures to keep motor healthyl. If you can not pull the dip stick out without burning yourself it's too hot for the motor and you!

 

[Rugster]

Then I was very lucky. I bought a 73 Superbeetle in the late 90's for $400 and drove it for Dominoe's for over three years and other than changing the oil, never had any mechanical problems. It drove perfectly fine in the middle of summer and the drove just as well in the middle of winter.

Of course, an additional 20 year may have caused it to not be as reliable

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I think using them as you did is fine, and bugs are far better then the vans, I had several bugs, a fast back and a notch back and a station wagon, as well as two Westfalias, like someone said they are easy to fix, however the vans were underpowered, I went through engines, I didn't have issues with the bugs, other then ignition issues, don't get me wrong I like them but would not suggest someone buy one that has no mechanical skills.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

the problem with the air cooled ones is when it's hot out like right now in the south west.  you will cook the engine trying to drive it with a load on these temps.  sure there are add on oil coolers and such,  but it will not help when it gets this hot.   highdesertranger

HDR has nailed it.  I had a sixties VW camper bus - not the poptop - in the seventies.  I had a rebuilt engine put in and because those engines were oil cooled as much as air cooled, beefed it up with a large add on oil cooler and Stewart Warner oil pressure and oil temp gauges.

On a hot summer day, running through Hyde Park, air temperature in the high 90s, I saw the oil temp gauge peg out and the oil pressure gauge drop to zero.  And that was with Castrol 20W50 oil.

 

[ZoNiE]

Many folks are doing Subaru Conversions on them now. $15K (incl labor parts, and engine) will take a really nice Westfalia, that otherwise is a mechanical piece of shit a very nice vehicle...

Lots of shops do it, and there is a kit you need HERE plus a good donor engine.