Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 15:12:30 -0600
Reply-To: "Melissa J. Cullison" <MelissaC@CAPLAN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Melissa J. Cullison" <MelissaC@CAPLAN.COM>
Subject: non-westy camper advice
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Hey Volks,
We're lookin at purchasing a fixer-upper and we need some advice about the
value (or non-value) of a non-westy conversion.
It is a '85 Vanagon with the engine completely dismantled on the van's
floor. (gulp) The paint is in great shape and all the interior needs a
good, hard cleanin. We are concerned with the quality/performance/resale
value of it compared to a Westy.
It has the straight-up poptop with grey vinyl & zippered windows & screens
on all 4 sides. It seems a bit harder to open up and the hammer-shaped
latches are a bit tricky. The vinyl looks to be in great shape. The
fiberglass poptop needs some patches & major cleaning. The hardware of the
top seems in good shape - no visible rust or marks on the vinyl. The
galley is the other major difference. The cabinet of the galley is several
inches higher and almost a foot deeper - taking up more floor space. The
sink and stove are completely independent from each other - not the clever
one-piece deal like the Westy. There is no top to close - the sink & stove
are always visible although the 2-burner propane stove has it's own lid.
The Dometic fridge is much bigger than and there is only one tall cabinet
on the right of the fridge. The back clothes closet has the regular
wedge-shaped door opening towards the back k, then another huge door that
opens towards the front. There is no back to the large closet - you have
natural window lighting for your closet! The back bench seat does fold
down into a bed and the storage access is through fold-down panel from the
front - not lifting up the bench like in a Westy.
Those are the major differences. Has anyone seen this type of conversion?
Any idea where it came from? Any thoughts/opinions/rants on this type of
camper & its usefulness/merit? Any and all help is deeply appreciated.
THANKS ALL
Melissa
Melissa Cullison
Multimedia Maven
Caplan Productions/ Touchwood
St. Louis, MO
http:\\www.caplan.com
MelissaC@Caplan.com