Rob and Marvy
New member
Wow, why are Westfalias so expensive? I am seeing 1982 vans for $11,000! and others like it so much more than Chevys or Fords.
Westfalia
- Thread starter Rob and Marvy
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And if they have a Diesel engine, that’s a big factor, in my experience.
Driven and cared for, those diesels are expected to easily go several hundred thousand miles.
Driven and cared for, those diesels are expected to easily go several hundred thousand miles.
Welcome to the CRVL forums Rob and Marvy! I'd venture a guess that many long-time travelers on the forum owned a Westfalia at some point but very few of us own one now. From a practical point, they don't make sense. They're expensive to buy, require constant repairs, and are smaller than other vans. But they are fun!
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highdesertranger
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I agree Westfalia are way overpriced and overrated. it's a fad type thing, yes like airstreams. however once they reach a certain age then it's a collectors item like any classic car or truck. highdesertranger
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
You can thank the millennials for being willing to pay those insane prices in hopes of being the next "big thing" on Instagram. They are tiny, unreliable as all heck, and unsuitable for full-time life in their VW-form. Only those that take one and spend $50k to complete remove all VW out of it make them worthwhile, and even those still have constant reliability issues. The only plus side is that you can easily find some other millennial to buy it at twice what you paid for it... because it is a vanagon.
becida
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People with a lot of money think they are neat, the price goes up. I can't afford one anymore.
An '82 is probably an air cooled (could be a diesel), nice but not worth as much as a water cooled engine bus, IMO & I've had both.
Keep in mind that the last VW Vanagon was a 91 & that would be a 27 year old VW today. A love of working on them or deep pockets generally....
An '82 is probably an air cooled (could be a diesel), nice but not worth as much as a water cooled engine bus, IMO & I've had both.
Keep in mind that the last VW Vanagon was a 91 & that would be a 27 year old VW today. A love of working on them or deep pockets generally....
God forbid, you ever get into a front end accident with one, the windshield is at the same position as the front bumper, so no crush panels between your body, and that stopped semi truck in front of you.
VW busses, and Westfalias have sky rocketed in price mostly due to millenials trying to relive their parent's carefree youth.
VW busses, and Westfalias have sky rocketed in price mostly due to millenials trying to relive their parent's carefree youth.
regis101
Well-known member
I have owned all three flavors of VW vans.
Eurovans don't count.
I can't say that I'll never own another but it is very very unlikely.
Man oh man. If I was only able to get back half of the money.
On the other hand, has anyone priced up a decent 65 Mustang or 67 Chevelle recently?
In closing, as told by an elder, It doesn't matter what one pays for an antique. Ya just have to like it.
Eurovans don't count.
I can't say that I'll never own another but it is very very unlikely.
Man oh man. If I was only able to get back half of the money.
On the other hand, has anyone priced up a decent 65 Mustang or 67 Chevelle recently?
In closing, as told by an elder, It doesn't matter what one pays for an antique. Ya just have to like it.
basin+range
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What's your point? If you don't like them, move on. Some of us own them. And love them. And aren't "hipsters", part of the vanlife movement, or filthy rich. Some of us found them on Craigslist for a less than 3k.
Generalize much? Stereotype much? Just don't. Please.
Generalize much? Stereotype much? Just don't. Please.
regis101
Well-known member
Are you asking me? I moved on from them because I could not justify the coin required to keep one going. It was a fun hobby . I met a lot of good volks along the twenty year ride.
There's just a certain cool factor to Westfalias. My favorite style is mid-60's split window. Some neat engineering and good use of space with the conversion. I just don't care so much for 'dub engines and drive train. I've worked on my F-inLaw's and they are temperamental. Top speed 45mph down hill with a tail wind...
Here's some pics of a buddys '66 Westfalia that he's had since late 70's. Note the offset curtain rod with a bungee on the bottom, screens on the inside of the jalousie windows, cam over latches on the shirt closet... Just all around a good fit and finish, rear seat folds down into a bed, plus it smells like an old car. BTW, the owner is in his 60's and definitely not a hipster, super rich, or van movement type...
Here's some pics of a buddys '66 Westfalia that he's had since late 70's. Note the offset curtain rod with a bungee on the bottom, screens on the inside of the jalousie windows, cam over latches on the shirt closet... Just all around a good fit and finish, rear seat folds down into a bed, plus it smells like an old car. BTW, the owner is in his 60's and definitely not a hipster, super rich, or van movement type...
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Jeffrey Lee
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One has to be careful about casually tossing around such generalizations. Many here on CRVL are offended and feel misunderstood when others consider them homeless, bucket-poopin' hoboes, living in a van down by the river. Yet, those same vandwellers happily dismiss drivers of a certain nameplate as shallow, wealthy hipsters who live only for Instagram.
As a 55-year-old working stiff, I find that I am in fact one of the 'kids' among the majority of Vanagon and Westfalia owners. Many in the online circles in which I run use their vans as daily drivers, most use them for extended camping trips with family, almost none have jumped on any bandwagons in recent years.
In the past five years alone, my wife and I have racked up over 40,000 miles of cross-country camping travel in our 1983 Westfalia, and dipped the front wheels in both oceans, with virtually no roadside mechanical breakdowns (well, I had to adjust a V-belt once ...).
The OP's question had to do with current Westfalia values, and these have CERTAINLY been driven upward by a minority of moneyed Millenials, and the iconic Vanagon and Westfalia have seen a surge in popularity. But the vast majority of Vanagon owners have in fact owned theirs for a couple of decades already, and we have watched with amazement and amusement as selling prices have climbed. Now would be a great time for us longtime enthusiasts to sell, if only we could find something else as practical, efficient, compact, and fun.
For example, here's last year's trip from Wisconsin to the Pacific Northwest (pix heavy):
https://campwestfalia.com/pacific-northwest-2/
Keep on vannin'!
As a 55-year-old working stiff, I find that I am in fact one of the 'kids' among the majority of Vanagon and Westfalia owners. Many in the online circles in which I run use their vans as daily drivers, most use them for extended camping trips with family, almost none have jumped on any bandwagons in recent years.
In the past five years alone, my wife and I have racked up over 40,000 miles of cross-country camping travel in our 1983 Westfalia, and dipped the front wheels in both oceans, with virtually no roadside mechanical breakdowns (well, I had to adjust a V-belt once ...).
The OP's question had to do with current Westfalia values, and these have CERTAINLY been driven upward by a minority of moneyed Millenials, and the iconic Vanagon and Westfalia have seen a surge in popularity. But the vast majority of Vanagon owners have in fact owned theirs for a couple of decades already, and we have watched with amazement and amusement as selling prices have climbed. Now would be a great time for us longtime enthusiasts to sell, if only we could find something else as practical, efficient, compact, and fun.
For example, here's last year's trip from Wisconsin to the Pacific Northwest (pix heavy):
https://campwestfalia.com/pacific-northwest-2/
Keep on vannin'!
regis101
Well-known member
Picked up the 78 Westy before kids. They came soon after. Not sure if this is a coincidence or not, (wink wink)
Used that for a decade. Put some money into it and a Bunch of miles. We, the four of us, had fun. Sold it because someone wanted it more than I.
Picked up a 67 Split. Put some money into it and a Bunch of miles. Sold it because someone wanted it more than I.
Picked up the Vanagon and kept 'er for five solid. was hoping to be my forever vehicle. Put some money into and drove a Bunch of miles.
But alas, it can't all be fun and games. The Vanagon was requiring some money needing age items above and beyond the usual. This one was prime for a full blown drivetrain overhaul with a few ancillaries attached.
Couldn't justify the increasing cost(s) of keeping it going - Here in Cali-smog-afornia. I envy the states with relaxed vehicle laws. I have no problem with smog checks, just ease up a bit.
So... I sold that one. I miss it. But I have pictures.
.....And the band played on....
Used that for a decade. Put some money into it and a Bunch of miles. We, the four of us, had fun. Sold it because someone wanted it more than I.
Picked up a 67 Split. Put some money into it and a Bunch of miles. Sold it because someone wanted it more than I.
Picked up the Vanagon and kept 'er for five solid. was hoping to be my forever vehicle. Put some money into and drove a Bunch of miles.
But alas, it can't all be fun and games. The Vanagon was requiring some money needing age items above and beyond the usual. This one was prime for a full blown drivetrain overhaul with a few ancillaries attached.
Couldn't justify the increasing cost(s) of keeping it going - Here in Cali-smog-afornia. I envy the states with relaxed vehicle laws. I have no problem with smog checks, just ease up a bit.
So... I sold that one. I miss it. But I have pictures.
.....And the band played on....
JD GUMBEE
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WanderingRose said:
They used to come into the boneyard with less than 150,000 on the older non-turbo diesels all the time. So much blow-by, they would run away on their own oil. The "TDI" units did a little better, but around town driving killed them just as fast. In a Rabbit, some saw 200,000 well cared for miles...before it would start to run away on its own oil, again, due to horrific blow-by. (Some pure highway cars, that racked up 70,000 miles per year-highway use only, lasted more than that...but they were the exception, not the rule.)
The later engines were a little better, but not a whole lot in the longevity department.
(They would burn oil and keep running...but after 180,000 or so, most would no longer start in cold weather.)
Any VW van is way overpriced. Totally not worth the hassle.
Even the front wheel drive years are cursed by the hipster pricing.
The Subaru engine swaps are kind of funny. Even though they have more power, those engines are nothing to write home about either.
Any Ford, Chevy V6 will outlast those Subaru swaps with far less tinkering. Hands down. (Even the garbage 4.2 V6 Ford replaced the old straight six with...and those were pure garbage.)
(Not to mention the $$$ and hassle involved in doing that swap.)
