The Adventure Begins
12/02/10 08:50 Filed in: VW Camper
Ever since I was a kid I wanted a Volkswagen Camper. My first car was an orange, 72 Beetle. I loved that car and I’ve had a soft spot for VWs ever since. There’s something about the sound of the engine and that very specific Volkswagen smell that makes me smile. I know, it’s weird.
I remember lusting after a Type 2 Westfalia back in the early eighties that looked just like this one. As I recall, the engine ran (just), the rust wasn’t too bad, the interior was functional if not pristine and when I took it for a test drive I wanted it badly. But the seller was asking something like $2,500 which might as well have been $1,000,000 to me at the time.
Fast forward 20 years or so and I needed to find an affordable beater to replace a lease that was about to be turned in. I got the bright idea that if I could find a functional camper that wasn’t in imminent need of major engine or transmission repair it would be good experimental replacement for the lease. I had six months left on the lease, more than enough time to get the camper on the road and try it out for a bit. I figured in the worst case, if it didn’t work out I could sell it for about what I paid for it. No harm, no foul.
Enter “The Moose”, a faded brown 1984 VW Country Homes Camper Vanagon in great working condition. I had a local VW guy check it out and when he gave it the green light I was sold. There were some paperwork delays that essentially had it parked for two months (lesson: make sure you know what you’re doing when buying an out of state used car), but that’s all cleared up and she’s my beast free and clear.
Lucky for me, basically everything works. Sink, water tank and pump are fine, propane tank and stove in good shape and working, DC/AC fridge gets ice cold, pop top intact with no rips, upholstery is fine and even all the curtains but one (on the sliding door) are present and accounted for.
That’s not to say it doesn’t need any work. I’ve already fixed a few small things like the gas assist lifters on the rear hatch and windshield wipers. The most significant repairs are one I knew about and one I discovered recently. The muffler was missing when I bought it though the rest of the exhaust system is intact. The first time I filled it up with gas I found it has a common malady of nearly all Vanagons, a leaky vent pipe on the gas tank.
Turns out both are relatively easy and comparatively inexpensive repairs. So, the parts are on order and one of these weekends soon I’ll be installing it.
She’ll basically be road worthy at that point and I want to schedule our first family weekend camping trip in late February or March. There are plenty more upgrades and minor fixes I want to do over the next year, too.
By the way, a huge, awesome “Thank You” to the community of camper enthusiasts out there. I almost freaked when I realized I’m missing the muffler hanger bracket and you can’t get those from parts shops any more. I found a site that makes stainless steel replacements. Awesome!
I remember lusting after a Type 2 Westfalia back in the early eighties that looked just like this one. As I recall, the engine ran (just), the rust wasn’t too bad, the interior was functional if not pristine and when I took it for a test drive I wanted it badly. But the seller was asking something like $2,500 which might as well have been $1,000,000 to me at the time.
Fast forward 20 years or so and I needed to find an affordable beater to replace a lease that was about to be turned in. I got the bright idea that if I could find a functional camper that wasn’t in imminent need of major engine or transmission repair it would be good experimental replacement for the lease. I had six months left on the lease, more than enough time to get the camper on the road and try it out for a bit. I figured in the worst case, if it didn’t work out I could sell it for about what I paid for it. No harm, no foul.
Enter “The Moose”, a faded brown 1984 VW Country Homes Camper Vanagon in great working condition. I had a local VW guy check it out and when he gave it the green light I was sold. There were some paperwork delays that essentially had it parked for two months (lesson: make sure you know what you’re doing when buying an out of state used car), but that’s all cleared up and she’s my beast free and clear.
Lucky for me, basically everything works. Sink, water tank and pump are fine, propane tank and stove in good shape and working, DC/AC fridge gets ice cold, pop top intact with no rips, upholstery is fine and even all the curtains but one (on the sliding door) are present and accounted for.
That’s not to say it doesn’t need any work. I’ve already fixed a few small things like the gas assist lifters on the rear hatch and windshield wipers. The most significant repairs are one I knew about and one I discovered recently. The muffler was missing when I bought it though the rest of the exhaust system is intact. The first time I filled it up with gas I found it has a common malady of nearly all Vanagons, a leaky vent pipe on the gas tank.
Turns out both are relatively easy and comparatively inexpensive repairs. So, the parts are on order and one of these weekends soon I’ll be installing it.
She’ll basically be road worthy at that point and I want to schedule our first family weekend camping trip in late February or March. There are plenty more upgrades and minor fixes I want to do over the next year, too.
By the way, a huge, awesome “Thank You” to the community of camper enthusiasts out there. I almost freaked when I realized I’m missing the muffler hanger bracket and you can’t get those from parts shops any more. I found a site that makes stainless steel replacements. Awesome!