What about Volkswagens?

[Stephen]

I have watched numerous videos of folks that have Westfalias. They all seem to have mechanical problems. The problem is, the wife and I have said since we got married that one day we would travel the country in one. Now that we are looking for a van we keep running into the VW. I remember what people say about mechanical things, but I still like the van. 

Any suggestion, comments, or criticisms?

 

[djkeev]

I have an 86 2.1 Vanagon westfalia.

I have gone through the entire vehicle, upgrading it and replacing known failure items.

Except for a new fuel pump failure I've done almost 20,000 trouble free miles.

Dave

 

[Ticklebellly]

I have a 2011 T5 Four Motion with a 7 speed DSG gearbox. Brilliant!!!! I did the conversion myself. Putting swivels under the front seats seemingly doubles the living space.

Ticklebellly

 

[ccbreder]

This guy did a nice job on his VW. http://www.tosimplify.net/p/rig.html
I have only seen three of these, they all had different engines. Two with Fords, one with a Subaru.

 

[MrNoodly]

...the wife and I have said since we got married that one day we would travel the country in one. ...but I still like the van. 

Sure, decades-old promises and nostalgia are always the best basis for life-impacting decisions.

But let's take the brand of van out of the equation for a moment. Two people living in something as small as a van is really rough. I know couples who've attempted it. They've either moved up to an RV or schoolie, got vans for each of them, or split up. A microbus/Westie is smaller than American vans, so the problem is even greater.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Any suggestion, comments, or criticisms?

The triumph of wishful thinking over rational decision making?

 

[eDJ_]

About a month or so ago I was a photo of a VW Camper mounted on the back of a Pickup Truck.  I've spoken of it here since and still can't find it.  I believe it was a Dodge 4X4 somewhere in the 70's.  The bed was removed and the VW Camper had the windshield taken out, the front doors removed, the door post at the top of the windshield was cut and the floor at the bottom back side of the door cut across.  Thus removing the driver and passenger area from the front of the VW....only saving the roof portion.

The roof portion of the VW Camper shell fit over the roof of the Pickup and was welded to the roof and finished to look like it was part of it. Thus
you would have a cross thru from drivers compartment to the Van.

I've seen so many old VW Camper Vans over the years on junk yards with the engines & transmissions removed, the front suspension removed and otherwise just sitting there waiting for someone to need something from it.  Similarly I've seen so many Pickup's with the beds rusted out to where they aren't usable any more.

So this is a "photo shopped" image of what I saw and haven't been able to find since.

Thus,  the new life of an old VW Camper Van and the reliability of a good ol' American Pickup truck with a large engine and sturdy transmission more suited to the long hauls of our Highways here in the States.   Did I mention ease of maintenance ?  Or Diesel ?

I'd give it a design of the year award if it was up to me. 

I've worked on numerous VW Bugs going all the way back to the 36 hp models and VW Vans too. 

The main thing on those Vans is they burnt Valves rather easily,  so I would get  "Stellite"  exhaust valves and put in those engines when I had one out of the Van.   Stellite is a "very hard" coating that can stand up to the
high temps the VW Van subjects them to.   They are worth every dollar that they cost when doing a valve job as they will cut the maintenance intervals which are all to frequent on those old air cooled models.

 

[TMG51]

...mechanical things, but I still like the van...

You just summated the entire spectrum of discourse, no other input is required.

Old VW vans are not known for their reliability. Or power. Or.... well, anything other than their nostalgia. Which also makes them expensive upfront as compared to more modern and practical vans. But people still like VW vans just because they like VW vans. Buy one if that's important to you and you know how to tinker (or can pay someone else to tinker).

 

[highdesertranger]

unless someone is well versed in repairing VW's I would never recommend a VW. highdesertranger

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

unless someone is well versed in repairing VW's I would never recommend a VW.  highdesertranger

And knowledegable, experienced-air cooled VW mechanics are going the way of Ford Model T mechanics . . .

 

[Stephen]

I think I have my answer.

 

[DannyB1954]

I like Harley Davidson's. That doesn't mean I would buy one. VW is just too much trouble.
As a disclaimer, yes I have owned both, and have had friends that had them too.
Today I place a higher importance on getting there and back.

 

[Ballenxj]

I think I have my answer.

I realize you have probably already decided not to go this route, but I've gotta add my two cents anyway.
Years ago I thought it would be cool to drive off into the sunset like Arlo Guthrie in his VW Micro Bus.
Now, fast forward. I had a mechanic in Vegas that had worked on cars for me, both domestic (which he preferred) and Japanese, which he scowled at, but always did a very good job anyway. I trust his judgement when it came to working on cars. He said he used to work on Nascar Fords in his younger years, and I believe him. He was that good. (I have turned a wrench or two myself, so realized he was what he claimed.
One day while dreaming about that VW MicroBus again, I asked my mechanic what his thoughts were on those?
He simply said; they're junk, stay away! I suppose the exceptions would be Zetec or Subaru equipped conversions.

 

[steamjam1]

I'd do a bus if it was Subaru, or Toyota power. Buses/Vanagons are GREAT if you either have a ton of cash to pay someone to fix it, or a shop to do it yourself. I have a spare Toyota 4AC laying around and Ive always though it would be good in an old Bay window bus..

 

[ArtW]

Not a van story, but a VeeDub story:
A friend of mine had a Beetle, which he was very happy to buy
after he'd had it a while, the charging system quit, so like any 'murican, I replaced the generator for him
No dice
Huh, bad genny, I guess
exchanged it
repeat 4x, still not charging
Took it to Bear's german motor works
guy gets in, turns the key
genny light's burned out
So?
So it's part of the circuit, it's like a fuse, sorta, charging system won't work if it's burned out
Fixed genny light, charging system fixed
Lesson learned, VeeDubs and other german cars aren't for those not versed in german cars, you need a guy who 'speaks VeeDub'

 

[Ballenxj]

Lesson learned, VeeDubs and other german cars aren't for those not versed in german cars, you need a guy who 'speaks VeeDub'

No sprechen sie VW.

 

[ArtW]

No schpechen sie VW fur scheisse

 

[rina]

I happened to have watched this last night. He's a smart, interesting kid, experienced RV dweller, with a mechanic dad. And he says, "DON'T!"