Volkswagen’s third-generation (T3) of the Type 2 series had an exceptionally long lease of life, as well as many names. It was produced between 1979 and 2002 sporting little or well-known nicknames such as the Transporter, Caravelle, Microbus, or Vanagon. More importantly for camper aficionados was, though, its Westfalia designation.
Looking like a box on wheels, the Vanagon received a lot of praise over time, and Volkswagen itself made it a point by claiming that we are dealing with “the best of a van, the best of a wagon, and better than both.” Additionally, the Vanagon was a very popular starting point for camper conversions.
This 1989 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia Camper will spare its future owner the hustle of cooking up all the needed personalization on top of the factory modifications with an exceedingly long list of mechanical, exterior, and interior upgrades. There are so many of them we would easily tire of writing them all down here, especially since they are already available in the description provided by the consigning dealer, Garage Kept Motors of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
So, we had better stick to the major highlights. These include the cool Titian Red metallic paintjob, the light gray interior treatment, the fiberglass Westfalia pop-up camper top, the aftermarket 15-inch alloy wheels, as well as the entire “tiny home” cockpit treatment. Before there was such a movement, these great camper conversions offered from the factory nailed the atmosphere exactly right.
As far as the oily bits are concerned, there is a 2.2-liter horizontal four-cylinder engine located underneath the rear floor of the cabin. The good news is that the motor was installed just 4,600 miles (7,403 km) ago, and it is hooked up to an automatic transmission for easy handling and cruising. Speaking of driving, this Vanagon has probably seen a lot of road trips during its time, as the odometer now reads no less than 170,206 miles – which translates to almost 274,000 km.
Still, by the looks of it, the Westfalia camper is ready for even more adventures... but only if the next owner agrees to the rather pricey quotation of $59,900. Yikes!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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