Why Westfalias?
I’m a novice at this, but trying my best to absorb as much as I can every day. I’ve only been a Westy owner since June of 2012. I don’t guarantee information on this site is 100% accurate, but I’m hoping it will be relatively close to accurate. So here’s my story…
My very first Westy. A 1986 Full Camper that looked like it had once rolled down a hillside, but she ran great. Sold her to a guy from the Bay Area back in December of 2012.
While I had long since been aware of VW buses and vans, I was never on a mission to seek one out for my own. However, in the spring of 2012 I was trying to lean up my finances and spending, and deleting a $500/mo car payment from my balance sheet was a big piece of that equation. At the time I had a 2011 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen with a 6 speed manual. For those who know, TDI Sportwagens are just all around bad ass, 45 MPG on the highway, tons of cargo space and fast. However, it had to go, and so it was sold.
My neighbors had recently purchased a low mileage Eurovan Winnebago camper and were selling their 1986 Westfalia full camper. We had taken care of their Westy while they were out of town, and I knew they traveled with it quite a lot when they were state side. While well maintained mechanically, cosmetically it wasn’t in the best shape, in fact, it looked like it had rolled down a hillside. I needed a cheap vehicle, and rather than risk buying something for a few grand off a car lot, I figured I’ve give their Westy a try. We went back and forth on the price a couple of times, and after 6 months of ownership, in so many ways I feel I got the better end of the deal.
Way back in June of 2012 I really had no idea how much fun this van was going to be. Since then, my excitement about owning one of these seems to increase a little more every day. Surfing, camping, hauling, chauffeuring, groceries, chilling, partying, it’s all there and more. The fact that our fridge still runs on propane is a huge plus, as we can hit up farmers markets or pick up other perishables and not have to head home for the fridge there.
In December of 2012 I found this Westy from a nice local family, her name is Juanita. I then sold my 1986 to someone in the SF bay area and I haven’t seen her since. Over Christmas and New Years in 2013, we took Juanita on a journey down and back up the coast of California, epic.
I’m now to the point that a VW Westfalia camper van is something I’m going to try and own for the rest of my life. There are quite a few places you can find Westfalias for sale online, and I find myself looking at a lot of “westy porn” as my sweetheart calls it. While I’m not in position to acquire another Westy anytime soon, I figured I’d post some of my favorite finds when I see them.
There’s no indication that VW is going to be bringing the Eurovan back to the states, let alone a T2 VW. The supply of these vehicles will continue to dwindle in the coming years and prices are going up, better get your hands on one soon! I built this page as a bookmark resource to various places online where you can find Westys for sale. Enjoy!
As a disclaimer, some of the links on this site (like eBay) will give me a cut of certain sales, but so far these links and all other advertising revenue have totaled less than $2,000/yr. This is more of a hobby than anything at the moment.