1982 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia from North America - Comments

My interior dashboard lights failed due to electrical problems other than the bulbs.

My clutch cable broke only 17000 miles later.

Fuel line leaked underneath the van which had to be replaced.

Seats have started to wear.

This is the most versatile machine on four wheels ever made- period. The most fun vehicle I have ever owned, and only wish that Volkswagen would not have discontinued the Vanagon after 1991, but rather improved on its engine performance and fuel economy.

Great steering radius and visibility, and unparalleled in ergonomics/space, road trip and camping comfort. Room for as many friends as you want, and no other van, truck, or luxury SUV ever made can come close to matching the amenities and uses that the 1980-1991 Vanagon Westfalias offer.

However, it is woefully underpowered- Going up any hill becomes a stressful experience. I would not want to risk going up the "Grapevine" (Interstate 5 in between Bakersfield to L.A.) or to Las Vegas (Interstate 15) from L.A. in this van.

The fuel economy is totally horrendous (91 octane only, averages approximately 9 miles per gallon city/11 miles per gallon highway best case scenario). I've met several other Westfalia owners and they have reported similar results. However, one diesel engine Westfalia owner reported averaging close to 25 miles per gallon. This makes me want to swap engines...

I totally agree, the Westfalia camper truly is a swiss army knife on wheels and I love it. But think again about the "woefully underpowered" bit before you consider the standard 48-hp diesel engine! On some hills on I-80 in California when loaded with gear I've had to downshift my '82 diesel Westy into SECOND to make it all the way up, and I'm down to 30mph when I hit the top, with trucks going 75mph roaring up behind me. Very stressful!!! That's the trade-off; mine gets around 27mpg empty, or 22mpg loaded with all my stuff. But the diesel engine is stressed beyond its ability during normal highway driving, which in my case means I need a new engine at 104k. I absolutely love everything else about the camper though, so I plan to cough up the dough to install a newer VW turbodiesel or TDI engine.

Clutch cable? I thought they had hydraulic clutches, maybe only the diesel had it, I wish my gas air cooled Vanagon had a cable operated clutch, I've had to change the slave cylinder three times and all the weird sized hydraulic lines because they rusted through. A word to the wise, don't drive your Vanagon in the winter, the road salt will kill it.

I have a '90 Westfalia full camper, with 109,000 miles. I service and take care of the vehicle, and it will get 20-22+ MPG on average country road driving 45-65 MPH. I drive the unit on vacation trips when I am not in the hurry - enjoying the scenery. The only one thing will destroy your engine if you push high speeds!! This vehicle can go 215,000 miles if you drive no faster than 70 MPH. May be I am lucky, but so far I had no problems. I agree, it is the best utility vehicle if you are not in the hurry.

I just purchased an 82 with a new gas/air cooled/2 liter fuel injected in denver and drove it home to memphis. averaged about 60 mph and got 18-20 miles per gallon using 87 octane. I agree that it is underpowered, but on two lane roads, who cares. I love the westy and wish I had gotten one years earlier. what a fantastic little vehicle.

I am a high schooler that drives my dads Vanagon. It is the best thing ever, except that there are a couple things wrong with it. The first thing is that my handle on my sliding door broke off about 5 years ago when my dad drove it. Another thing is that once my fuel tank gets to about half tank my engine starts to loose power and acts really funny. One of my friends told me that since it sat, without running for a year or two that some dirt and grime has built up in the tank so whenever I get to a half tank I am sucking dirt with my gas, but I don't know. My Vanagon also gets very poor gas mileage, but other than those flaws it is the coolest thing at school.

I'm the guy who put up the original post, and to this day (May 2008) I STILL have my Westy (its been 9 years now)! Thanks for the corrections, there's no clutch cable, it was hydraulic; I also just had a fuel line that was not securely attached, so I would leak gas; Another correction is I could use regular unleaded (87 octane), I got the "91" from looking at my owner's manual, which was the German equivalent of 87 unleaded, basically. Awesome van, I intend to keep it as long as possible.. If the engine dies, I'll upgrade to a Subaru 2.2 liter boxer engine and convert it to water-cooled! For those that never had the experience of a 2.2 (Legacy) or 3.3 liter(SVX) Subaru-powered Westfalia Vanagon, THAT is the way to go. From a true, die-hard Vanagon owner...

I threw a 2.5L suby engine (2004) in there and get awesome power with about 20 city 24-26 highway. Definitely solved 90% of what sucks about Vanagon, and left all that was nice, ride, kitch, and hippy-ness.

Peace.

Greetings from Portland,

We have 3 VW’s, including a 1982 Westfalia Camper. Up and down the West coast from Portland to Las Vegas, and side trips to Boise and Salt Lake we usually get at least 18 miles to the gallon and closer to 20 on an average. And yes, we do take the grades at 40mph, but it is the journey and not the destination, right? We could go faster in our 84 Wolfsburg Vanagon, or even faster in the 1996 Jetta Trek, but pulling off and camping is such a breeze when you just have to pop the top!

I have a 1982 Westfalia and love it. Yes it is a little slow on acceleration, but it will easily do 60-65 mph, but I prefer to keep it closer to 55 to conserve gas.

But my solution for a power upgrade in the future will be a TYPE 4 Jake Raby camper special engine, which will bump the HP above 90 and increase the torque. This keeps it air-cooled and will cost less than doing a conversion.

Otherwise these vehicles are great and I love the simplicity of the air cooled engine.

I restored my 1980 Westy with the air-cooled, 2.0L (67HP) engine 6 years ago. Mine has the added inconvenience of having the fuel injection unit swapped-out for a 2bbl Weber set-up at some point prior to when I found it. Other than a couple standard mods, it is completely stock including CA spec exhaust. I take it on a 1500 mile (round-trip) drive from my home in New Jersey to a small town in Maine every year. Two of us, each with luggage and lots of 'stuff' still average 18-20MPG running at 65MPH depending on weather/traffic. Not so fun on the big highways where the current trend is to run monuments to modern excess SUV's at 80-85+MPH, but on the two-laners, a soulful and very satisfying ride. Mine has over 215,000 miles, original engine that I only rebuilt once (added solid lifters, oil cooler/filter) - I never tire of hearing it's 'small-but-fierce' engine notes and really wouldn't change much. SMM.

I have owned my 1984 VW Vanagon Country Homes Camper for the last year and absolutely love it. I wish I bought one sooner! It has the original manual tranny and 1.9 fuel injected engine. True, it is underpowered on hills or big climbs, but average highway driving is no problem at all. My average Mpg are between 18-21 between highway and town. Over all, for a 25 year old vehicle, I have had little problems with it and it has not left me stranded. If you like to go on trips and don't mind taking your time, the Vanagon is a good van. Parts are still easy to find, but mechanics who know the Vanagon are few and far between. If you get one, be prepared to learn your own basic maintenance.

I just bought an 82 Vanagon, I love it, but the only thing is a strong smell of gas, making it unbearable to drive or sleep in. Any ideas of what's going on?

Also, any ideas on how many years you should go before replacing the gas lines?

Greetings! I'm the original poster, and I was just responding the comment above: I've spoken to countless seasoned Vanagon owners, both air and water-cooled, and it is HIGHLY recommended to replace the fuel lines to prevent the hazard of an engine fire from fuel coming into contact with the engine. Over time, the lines get brittle, split or crack, and with the air-cooled Vanagons, by the rear firewall where the fuel hose goes through, make sure the rubber hole is protecting the fuel line from being cut by the bare metal of the firewall. I'll be honest, I haven't had the time or bread to replace all my fuel lines, and I drive mine daily. But I know I need to do it so I'm not sorry later. We have to remember, these awesome Vanagons are in some cases about 30 years old (remember they came out in mid-year 1979 as an 1980 model, and it's 2009 now)!

There are other alternatives to the Subaru conversion, of course. My bottom line is cost of conversion and improved power & fuel economy. An in-line VW 4-cylinder Rabbit/Jetta motor will fit in a Vanagon if you get a hold of the diesel mounts and diesel bellhousing (the starter is directly at the center (12 o'clock) on top instead of on the 2 o'clock position.. Anyway, the Rabbit/Jetta motor would sit on its side to fit under the engine deck lid.. So if you're fortunate enough to have one, hold onto your Vanagons as long as you can, because they're getting harder to find in decent condition now.. Dont let any mechanical issues with your stock air-cooled or wasserboxer turn you off into getting rid of a good Vanagon! As long as the body isn't eaten up by rust, you can put any motor in it, from a Nissan Maxima, Ford Focus, Subaru, VW 4 or VR6 cylinder, I've even heard of one or two with GM 3.8 6-cylinder engines...

Regarding the gas odor, we had that with our 87 Wesphalia. It was pinhole leaks in the gas tank right under our noses. Had to have the tank drained and resealed in Montana. I've heard it's relatively common with Westies. Wayne.