1982 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia Camper from North America - Comments

Ground wire for fuel injection fell off and it quit running. Dealer repaired it under warranty, but it did it again, so I purchased a maintenance/service manual for it, fixed it correctly, and never went to the dealer again. Gas tank rusted through from the top 3 times, and almost asphixeated me each time, tank is easy to change though, but should be made of plastic so that the mud and salt that collect on top of it don't rust it out. Trans-axle failed at 250000 miles and had to be replaced.

Sloooooow, but handles great. Incredibly tight turning radius and great big bus steering wheel make for easy city driving despite it's size. Very roomy and comfortable.

Agree with your comments about lack of power. Were it not for that, it would be a great vehicle, at least with the Westfalia conversion. Used to have an '86 Westfalia with the automatic and usually had to drive with the gas pedal floored to get any kind of acceleration (which did not do much for the gas mileage).

Don't know about the air-cooled version, but there used to be a conversion on the water-cooled Vanagons to allow installation of a Subaru flat-4 engine, which would not only improve the acceleration, but also avoid the weaknesses of the VW "waterboxer" engine.

Under powered is an understatement, when I had it out on the west coast you could have substituted an on/off switch for the accelerator (on=uphill off=downhill), but it did get 20 mpg consistently and never failed me. Be forewarned, don't let this vehicle run out of gas, the fuel pump will fail and it costs over $200 dollars, but it's easy to change. It also takes a bizarre size and ply rating tire that I'm sure is easy to find in Europe, but is a real pain to find in the states.

Greetings Fellow Westy owners, I'm kinda slow too, so having a slow vehicle is OK with me. As far as the tires go, Yokohama makes one Michelin makes a great tire and I have a set of 185R14C 6 ply sidewall. Got a brand new spare when I bought the rest. Along with an oil change, I change the fuel filter and have the tires rotated every 5000 miles. An alignment every 10,000 miles.

Bought them from Firestone back in August of 2001 and these tires show no wear. I paid $40.00 each for them in 2001 and now their going for $70.00 each.

I would buy these again, only if the price was $50.00 or

$60.00.My next set will probably the Michelin since you can buy them on line at a reasonable price.

Happy trails 2all...RCB.

Have an '89 Westfalia w/automatic and love it. I don't find power to be a problem. It cruises nicely at 65mph, mileage hangs around 18-20mpg. I don't like to drive freeways anyway. As long as you're not in a hurry I find it perfect. No other vehicle does what this one does and it feels solid as a rock.

I own a 1984 Vanagon Westphalia Camper, the only gripe that I have on the vehicle is that it is extremely SLOW, SLOW, SLOW, SLOW! Did I mention slow? It has no AC, no power steering, basic transportation. I love it as a camper, but I do find other faults. Little gremlins like, cutting off in the middle of traffic, just to mysteriously start again twenty or thirty minutes later. Then there are those who try and scare on the Internet, warning me and other fellow early Vanagon Westy owners of the water boxer head-gaskets, and the inadequacies of the third to fourth hub assembly in the manuel tranmission. I have currently 125k, with the only complaints being NO POWER, and ELECTRICAL GREMLINS. Other than that, it is the best vehicle, camper van, thus produced. (Can you name another vehicle that runs and drives like any other-except speed-park in a regular spot, and still comfortably sleep four?)

Absolutely! I too am a proud owner of both air and water-cooled Vanagons and Westfalias - in this increasingly turbulent economy, these Westfalias are worth MORE than their weight in gold! No matter what, you always have a comfortable place to sleep or live if you have to, and be home wherever you roam! With the cost of car registration & insurance shooting out the roof now, these Westfalias are priceless.. Even if the engine or tranny goes out, hold on to it as long as you can, and upgrade or replace, whatever your budget can do.. I'll take a Vanagon over any 2009 or 2010 car any day - MAYBE I'd trade for a late Dodge/Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, but that's about it.