Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000 22:02:31 -0700
Reply-To: Daniel Schmitz <djs@gene.com>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Daniel Schmitz <djs@gene.com>
Organization: Genentech, Inc.
Subject: Adventurewagen info for those who have asked (long)...
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Before I have to smog and register it again in September, and because I now have
a Westfalia, I'd like to sell my Adventurewagen. I'm sort of attached to it, but
I can only park one vehicle in my driveway, and that's got to be my '87
Westfalia, which I just bought recently.
I have owned the Adventurewagen for about 13 years. It has been to Alaska and
back, and all over the western US and Canada. The van has always been very
reliable, with the exception of the stock aircooled engine which seemed easy to
wear out. I have since installed a rebuilt, moderately high performance engine
from Mark Stephens High Performance. They are no longer in business, but this
engine runs really well and I have no worries about it. It produces noticeably
more power than stock, which this camper really needs. It feels like it performs
as well as my '87 Westfalia (which is really not saying much, I realize :) The
engine has less than 2K on it.
The Adventurewagen is an '82 Vanagon L, it runs good, and all the appliances
work. I have also rebuilt the front suspension (ball joints, all control arm
bushings, brakes) and installed the correct reinforced sidewall tires, so the
van handles well (a LOT better than my '87 because that van has the WRONG tires
on it still!)
The Adventurewagen features a propane 2-burner stove, forced-air,
thermostatically controlled furnace, 15 gallon water tank, holding tank,
12VDC/120VAC fridge, fluorescent lighting, teak wood interior trim, sunroof,
lots of storage space, sleeps 4, has provisions for two batteries with separate
circuits, multiple tables, and more.
I am selling it mainly because I have owned it for so long and have always
wanted to experience a Westfalia. So far, there are things about the
Adventurewagen that I miss, like tons of storage space, the ability to stand up
all the time, that van's handling (tires, again!), a much larger refrigerator
and the furnace. The Adventurewagen can be used to camp in cold weather just as
it is. The top is well insulated and the forced-air furnace works great. I have
camped in the snow and this is one area where the Westfalia is lacking without
the addition of an after market heater.
But the Westfalia arguably looks better from the outside, important if you do a
lot of looking at your campers, and since I've had to look at my Adventurewagen
for so long, it's time for an aesthetic change. Plus, because of it's interior
layout, the Westfalia is much better for general hauling of large bulky items
like furniture or going to the dumps.. The Adventurewagen places the
fridge/stove cabinet on the passenger side (better balanced) but this intrudes
into what could be load space. In the Westfalia, this area is totally open. It's
more versatile for general use as well as camping, and I use my Westfalia for
everything.
There are arguably more arguments in favor of the Adventurewagen as a camping
vehicle. But for my current needs, the Westfalia is a better fit. I may decide
some day to go back to the Adventurewagen, in which case I will look for a later
water-cooled or inline 4 conversion. But my research with Westfalias
continues...
Deficiencies:
Needs a new catalytic converter in order to pass smog; planning to do this prior
to selling it. The catalyst is listed as being unique to California models only,
so some vendors listed as such and others list it as the same as 49-state vans.
The van currently has a "test pipe" installed, so is driveable, but not legally
so.
The sunroof leaks, and through neglect, the stove/fridge cabinet has some
moisture damage (particle board has swollen, stove cover corroded) This can be
repaired or replaced by the right person. Another advantage of the
Adventurewagen is that it uses industry-standard camping pieces, where as the
Westfalia seems proprietary in its design.
The paint looks it's age (oxidized, needs to be waxed) although I painted the
fiberglass top several years ago and that looks OK. There are a couple spots of
rust, though virtually no seem rust.
The original curtains are long gone, and some homemade curtains are not standing
up well, probably because they are made from inappropriate material. Stock
Westfalia camper curtains available from a variety of vendors will fix this
situation. The van includes the original cab surround curtain and partitioning
curtains, though, and these are like new.
****
I plan to post some pictures of the van as soon as I can. It needs to be washed
and waxed. I would like to sell this vehicle by mid-September, as a) that's the
registration deadline, and b) I'm taking my sabbatical and will be going to
Europe for about a month.
Any offers, recommendations or other thoughts related to my selling this van are
appreciated. I am thinking of asking around $4K or best offer.
Dan
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