VW T3/Vanagons are some of the slowest vehicles one can love. Trust me, I own one. Still, these are true enthusiast vehicles which offer a lot of fun in camper form. Someone decided that today’s feature would be better off with Gulf Livery to give off a racing vibe, for better or worse.
Don’t worry, this one’s still slow. It has dual carbs, but that can only do so much. These air-cooled versions are generally regarded as being even slower than the water-cooled versions. This should be good in mild climates, but one has to watch out for overheating when struggling up hills.
We think this is a cool-looking van, but we’re not so sure the paint scheme adds to the value. We’ll see what the market has to say…
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Seattle, WA, USA
$1,600 with 18 bids, reserve not met and 5.5 days to go
Yes, this even has a Gulf logo to go with the paint. The lower cladding was taken from a later van.
Top still pops!
This air-cooled Vanagon lacks the lower grill of its water-cooled, younger siblings, but someone installed the later, square headlight grill. Bumpers were painted to match the scheme.
Rear carries on the paint scheme and wears an RS badge, presumably emulating a Porsche.
Here’s the combination cargo area and bed.
Here’s the cluster in metric. Basic Vanagons had a clock in place of a tach in some years.
Interior is standard Westy with no AC. Upholstery has been replaced, however,
Here’s the air-cooled flat four with its dual-carb setup. Hopefully, it does put out a little more power than stock.
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We thought this would be a fun, adventurous van to tramp around in. Instead, I’m having a kid.
This vehicle Canadian and previous owner had lots of work done it and the receipts to show it, including gas tank (5/2016) transmission (4/2016) dual carburetors (3/2016), double battery system (2011) and a new 2.0L engine (2009).
The mileage and speedometer are in metric, and it has 281,00 km, which comes out to about 168,600 miles. (Though not sure how many on the new engine.)
This van is a beauty!
Custom paint job really stands out, and strangers may want to drag race you at stop lights. Could make a cameo in the upcoming Fast/Furious installment (Vin Diesel, I’m awaiting your call).
Dual carb engine gives it more oomph than the standard air-cooled Westies.
Canvas is good, interior is nearly immaculate and it all has a cool blue color that matches the exterior. Windows are tinted all around.
Camping gear -stove, fridge- work well.
It has a bunch of other gadgets that I sadly haven’t even gotten to explore, like the interior heater and dual battery system.
In addition to work from the previous owner and have had some minor work done since getting it (fuel pump connection replaced, heater box replaced, propane tank removed.)
Like most 1982 Vanagons, this one has some minor things that you may or may not want/need to address -blower motor fan, faulty gas tank gauge, minor seam rust, etc etc- the things you should expect from a 34 year old vehicle!
Feel free to call, text or email with questions.
Thank you and happy bidding!