Home » Auction » 1983 VW Vanagon Westfalia Camper w/ GoWesty 2.4L Engine – Auction in Clackamas, Oregon

Auction

1983 VW Vanagon Westfalia Camper w/ GoWesty 2.4L Engine – Auction in Clackamas, Oregon

Mike

1459 Views 7 comments

SaveSavedRemoved 0

+24

-2

1983 VW Vanagon Westfalia Camper w/ GoWesty 2.4L Engine – eBay Auction in Clackamas, Oregon

Updated 4/29/15 at 9am PST (See comments below post)

Fresh on the eBay auction block is this clean and well sorted 1983 VW Vanagon Westfalia Camper with 20k miles on a GoWesty 2.4L engine and automatic transmission, along with a plethora of awesome upgrades.  Located in Clackamas, Oregon, the auction ends on Sunday April 19th at 11:04 am PST. eBay Link

According the seller, it wins every car show it’s been in. While I’d take that with a grain of salt, it’s still a pretty epic rig.  Some of the features and upgrades include….

• GoWesty 2.4L engine w/ 20k miles. These are great when installed properly with a warranty. They don’t make the 2.4L anymore, just a 2.3L and a 2.45L.  They are loved and hated across the world in VW forums. These are at lest $5k, not installed, and without all the fresh cooling system stuff that should be done as well. Call it at least $10k done right at a pro shop.
• Rebuilt GoWesty automatic transmission w/ 20k miles.. I’ve never even driven an automatic vanagon, though I wouldn’t be afraid to buy one, especially if I were going to let others drive my van. Personally I’d rather drive a manual.  This is at least a few grand.
• 16″ wheels with BFG AT tires.  The 14″ to 16″ upgrade I did on my Westy a while back is amazing.  I have a 1.9L stock and lost some power and tourque, though in the end it is more than well worth the handling. Easily a $1,200 upgrade here.
• Programmable Propex propane heater. These can mount in a variety of spaces, but the best location is underneath the van to save interior space.  Not all propex models can mount underneath.  There’s no pictures or description of where, but either way it’s an amazing upgrade and likely cost well north of $1,000.
• RockyMountain Westy bumpers with swing arm plus full size spare wheel/tire and gas can AND front and rear hitch receiver.  I’d love to upgrade my stock Westy bumpers someday, front and rear hitch receiver has endless possibilities (bike racks, winches, etc). These with the swing arm are at least a $2,000 upgrade, likely closer to $3,000 depending on if and how well they’re welded on.
• Custom 3 bar rack set up. Always inspect for cracks in the fiberglass around the rack mounts. I love having a rack on my pop top, but they are fragile, especially when not installed properly. I’ve seen this style before, but I honestly know nothing about it.
• Jack Bombay pop top shock kit. I just installed these recently on my Westy and they’re epic. All three support variations fit the mounts, and they’re easy to change out with a screwdriver.  It’s possible the seller has a 2nd set, but if not you can purchase the standard or medium or HD and they should fit.
• Yakima Skybox.  I love my rocket box, so handy for stinky things, dirty clothes, skateboards, wetsuits. It’s amazing how much we can cram in ours.  Get the HD shocks for the Jack Bombay set up and you can still pop the top easily with 50+ lbs in your box.
• A Wasser Stopper rain fly. I’m not 100% sure this comes with the deal, as it’s only pictured and not mentioned. The pop top tent canvases are generally not waterproof, especially the original ones, however GoWesty makes a water proof tent that can be attached on the outside.
• Fog Lights. They’ve got some mounted down low and on top, don’t know much about them.
• Bed liner around the rocker panels and lower front grill. Hopefully any rust underneath was properly dealt with.  Otherwise a nice worry free addition when properly applied.
• Fridge, stove, sink, propane all function properly. Huge win here.  My original Dometic fridge can still make ice cubes, it’s awesome when these actually work.
• Remote start, keyless entry & door locks.  I’m guessing that’s power door locks, which didn’t arrive in Vanagons until the late 80s (87 maybe?). As long as everything works flawlessly and you can still get in with a normal key if the electric contraptions break, then you’re stoked.  I’m guessing this means it might also have an alarm?
• RV battery set up (likely two) with a charge controller and power inverter.  Great to have set up already, as they’re actually not cheap.  Would be great to know how old the batteries are as well. Nice deep cycle batteries are not cheap.

The main thing I’d be sure to discuss with the seller is though the mileage records.  According to the free eBay Auto Check report, the van had a reportedly 317k miles on the odometer back in 2003, then 140k in 2008, 13k in 2012 and 125k in 2014.  However, the seller specifically notes the chassis have 140k miles. The VIN is of course provided ( WV2ZB0254DH104929 )and you can do your own title check ups (like CarFax) if you so desire (recommended).

I’m thinking the seller wants at least $25k for this, though the reserve could be as low as $17k, mainly because of the mileage discrepancy and the body age. However, it’s all it’s cracked up to be and more, it could fetch north of $25, though I don’t think that will happen on eBay.  What do you think it’s worth?  Tell us in the comments below, or head on over to the individual discussion about this Westy on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Google+. eBay Link