Everything I love, hate, and changed about my Westfalia

Sid sold his Sprinter to buy a 1984 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia?! Sid gives us a tour through his personal rig and shows us what he loves, hates, and has changed on it.

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ELECTRICAL:

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MISCELLANEOUS:

[juliantaylor]

I have owned Katie a 76 bay window Kombi for over 35 years, have done over 700, 000 km in her with my wife and family. She is still my daily drive and wouldn’t have it any other way. What you say about that intangible vibe is absolutely true. I disagree however with the always breaking down / reliability thing. My girl has rarely let me down in all the km I have done. You just need proper maintenance. Learn to do it yourself and you’ll develop a relationship that you would never have with any other vehicle. I know when the hand brake needs adjusting for instance. More than 10 clicks and it’s time to but that on the todo list. In short you’ll only get my Kombi keys when I’m dead and buried.

[robbwolf]

The vw van has more soul that a sprinter in my opinion. Love the video

[sharonn]

The dinosaur comment and his reaction, plus

[johnhamill]

Having owned busses, the "never know if you're going to make it or not" is definitely part of the experience. I was a real trooper and left mine 6V, which required a crew in the bus at all times to assist in the push start! My 89 Westy fridge still works great, holds 40F all day, not ditching it yet!

[CarstenWolfram]

Oh man I feel everything about this video. I have a vanagon myself and especially the part about the vibe is true. Also I'm always happy to see another one on the road and give them a virtual high five!

[slimpickins]

So cool, you are so right about the vibe, anyone and everyone can drive a sprinter, just look around, but theres nothing like cruising down the highway at 55! The smile on your face, and your pride in ownership is unmatched. I drove my 1980 Vanagon off the showroom floor 40 years ago, and have had every experience you mention, but today cruising along the ocean I couldn't have been happier!!

[MrmultiJeep]

So glad to see you are a TRUE Westy enthusiast. I was watching someone else’s Westy channel for a very long time until he switched to a brand new 2020 Mercedes Sprinter... so sad.

[donthonkpush]

You nailed it with the 'vibe' explanation. I was smiling during this entire video, just like I do whenever we take our 1980 VW Vanagon Riviera out for a drive. If I am ever having an off day, or am out of sorts, my husband will say, "Let's take the Vanagon" and then the world is just as it should be. We usually get about 10 miles from home after a weekend road trip when my husband starts thanking the Vanagon for getting us home again. Keeping the vehicle all original stock might work for some, but I like the idea of making modifications that make it more enjoyable. We also have the same ARB fridge taking up valuable floor space, but I would never go back to an ice box. Thanks for the honest review.

[danahawthorne]

Cool. I like your enthusiasm! Thank you for showing me around.

[alexhjohns]

You're 100% right about the vibe and the feeling of arriving at your destination in a Westfalia.

[michelemartinage]

I so agree with the fun aspect and the vibe. I find myself laughing and patting the dash whenever she's running well and we've managed to get from point A to point B. Really enjoyed your video!

[Vangriff]

you are so spot on in your explanation of why "I" love my 81 westy, especially 'will it make it" great video

[HybridVW]

The floppy stock mirrors can be fixed easily with a washer made of scotch brite inserted into the ball and socket adjuster. You can still move it around, but it adds enough friction that it takes deliberate effort. Mine haven't moved out of adjustment for a couple of years.

[ceciliacroce]

Would you really like to know how to turn around your driver seat (180 degrees)? There is a little lever on the left side of the seat rail, that would let you slide de seat forward to complete the turn. We also have 2 batteries, they are behind each taillight, with a manual switch hiding behind the license plate to isolate each other. We also moved the rear bench seat 5' forward to make room for the porta-potty, because we are still using the original Dometic refrigerator. We have the same water faucet! We will study your heater suggestion since we really don't have one, we use an electric heater when we go to campgrounds. Thank you for sharing your beautiful Westfalia!

[nonnoinsandiego]

The VW's are modern day classics. Your video, mods, and honest acknowledgement of it's historical reliability issues, has made me change your mind about them. Happy trails to you.

[jenocean]

Oh my God, if there was a "love" instead of "like" button, this video would deserve it! I LOVE your Westfalia, every mod you did looks awesome. Wonderful job!

[kensoutham]

Thanks for the re-review. We have owned a couple of Westfalias and have many great memories. We took a Eurovan hightop Westfalia to South America and back 3 years ago now. Sold it when we returned (to a nice lady on the next street) and see it almost daily. It still brings happy smiles to our faces. It didn’t break down (not once). We went the Pleasure Way Sprinter route and now are building a new Ford Transit AWD sort of a hybrid Westfalia, some modern nice to haves but no rooftop air or generator since we never used them. We also went shorter again as we loved the short size of our Westy’s not quite as short but less than 20’ again. Ultimately the back to Westfalia simplicity and functionality. 🙂👍

[P_Luke_]

Oh man, I spent my childhood ('93-'04) riding this camper van with my grandparents all over Europe. It was brought from California in the early '90s and it replaced an RV that my grandpa made out of Mercedes 406D. Every year (Except for '99 and '00) I'd go with them for a month so I basically spent almost a year of my life living in it. I love how you changed it but it still has familiar sounds (the screech of your bamboo table and the unfolding upper bed). Uncanny.

Thanks for uploading the video (a year a go to the day). This was an excellent trip down the memory lane. I still plan to restore the car as my grandparents still have it (albeit it hasn't left the garage in a few years) and maybe take it out on one last adventure :)

[jeffreykohler]

As the original owners of an 87, your vibe and community description is exactly why we keep sinking coin into this money pit. I know some day we’ll have to part with it and I’m sure there will be tears too.

One suggestion - get a T3 heavy duty sway bar. Fighting the wind is one vibe you will not miss.

[margarinedolby]

I've added a thin eggshell foam mattress that I can fold for the top bunk in mine and it's game changer on the confort.