The Best-Looking Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia We've Seen in Years Hides a Nasty Surprise

While this Volkswagen Vanagon looks rad, the choice of colors might go beyond its good looks. The previous owner liked the red and black paint but never thought of the practical aspects of a paint job. For instance, it must’ve been weird for him to notice that no pop-top roof has any color other than white. He wanted his to stand out, so he painted it black.

But there’s a good reason why all these fiberglass roofs are painted white. It’s because of the sun. Unless you want to use the light to warm up the cabin, it’s a bad idea to have it black. Maybe this works for folks further up north, but this camper is registered in California, so you see the problem. It looks great, but you wouldn’t want to spend time inside during the day. Even with air conditioning turned on, it would not make a difference.

Other than that, the Vanagon is fantastic, well maintained, and ready for action. The interior has been refurbished, and the current owner reupholstered the seats and the rear bench. The current or previous owner hated cold more than anything else because the cabin features a heater (and a fire extinguisher for good measure) but no air conditioning unit.

Being a Westfalia build, it comes with all the necessary equipment for a camping adventure, including the coveted kitchenette with dual propane burners, a sink, a fold-out table, and cabinets. The refrigerator is reportedly inoperable, but it should not be hard to replace with a new one. The missing gas, water, and electrical hookups are noticeable in the gallery.

The engine is an air-cooled 2.0-liter flat-four equipped with Bosch fuel injection, popular with the Vanagons in the U.S. The seller mentions a tune-up performed in 2021, so it should be good for the next few years. The Vanagon is listed on Bring a Trailer, where it sells with no reserve. The highest bidder is now at $8,000, with three days left for bidding.