How I Got My Vanagon and Broke Most of My Rules

Originally Publisher June 6 2018

So if you read my other blog post you see I have some strong thoughts on getting a Vanagon.  That said I would rather be lucky than good!  Serendipity played a major part in my van purchase.  I started out just as I suggest in the other post by reading everything on gowesty.com and reading lots of other blogs.  Nearly right off I decided on a Weekender.  A friend had one and I liked the extra room.  The bed is a lot roomier on the Weekender and I did not want to cook where I sleep. 

The interesting irony is I wanted a Eurovan and not a Vanagon.  That is what my friend had.  The reason for this was I was thinking of the newest vehicle possible and the ability to drive faster.  You see I am, or better said I was, mostly in a hurry to get where I was going.  The Eurovan is a much faster vehicle on the highway and feels way more modern.  I was looking but not seriously.  I really did not have the money to buy a van and a good Eurovan was in the range of $17K+. 

One night while out to dinner with my parents we came out to find a Eurovan with a for sale sign on it and I told my dad about wanting a van.  He did not believe me when I told him this Van was probably going to fetch $15k or so.  Over the next couple of weeks, I pointed my dad to the articles of interest which had helped me come to my target Eurovan Weekender.  He, in keeping with 40 so years of tradition ignored me.  Fast forward a couple of weeks and he sends me a link for a 1985 fully rock stock Vanagaon Wolfsburg Weekender on eBay upon which he has bid $10k.  I look it over and it is a pristine looking Van but it’s not a Eurovan and it’s not a 86 or newer which were the main points I had made to him on shopping.  Anyway, we won the auction and made plans to fly to San Francisco to check out the van.

From the airport, we worked our way over to where we were meeting Frank the seller to look the van over.  The Vanagon was damn near immaculate.  It was clear that the van had been well taken care of and garage kept.  Frank had all the receipts since new.  There was no rust and I mean none.  Not even on the swing arms.  According to Frank he was selling the van for his aunt.  This, as I said in my previous post, was a yellow flag.

We drove the van around and looked it over.  It had 57K miles and the receipts that came with it told a good story.  I mean it was immaculate, the corduroy seats were in show room condition and those shred fast.  The stock Wolfsburg fridge was in and working.  It drove strong and there was nothing to raise a flag except the clearly BS story Frank was dishing.  Also that was not his real name.  It was a “nickname.”  His real name was unpronounceable and his aunt’s name was not similar.  The name on all the invoices was something akin to Yang.  We had the equivalent of a seller named Mohamad Ramesh and an owner per the receipts of Mary Smith.  It was clear we were dealing with a flipper.  The confirmation came when the title he produced was signed by “his aunt” and not him. 

The thing is the van was too nice to let go.  Near showroom for $10K which even on an 85 was a good deal.  We were a little caught up in the moment but paid and went on our way.  We drove straight from San Francisco to San Diego at 70-80 with no problems.  The van was tight and ran well.  We lucked out big time.

After getting to San Diego we brought the van to San Diego Westy for a once over as well as some must-dos.  We had the radiator flushed and filled, Van Cafe Wheels and 15″ tires as well as a tune-up and oil change.   Nothing showed up as a serious problem and all agreed this was the cleanest Vanagon they had ever seen.

My dad called the former owner as all the info was on the receipts and we found the story of the van.  It turns out the original owners bought it new and had used it just for family weekends.  It was always garage kept.   One day while crossing the Golden Gate bridge the van broke down.  Frank showed up with a tow truck and $3K cash.  Mr. Yang made the very unfortunate decision to sell to Frank on the spot.  A decision that his family was very displeased with.  We don’t know what Frank had to do to the van but given the mileage, I think not much to get his $7k profit.  

After 7-15 years with the Vanagon, I love it.  I don’t mind slowing down and I love the extra ground clearance and interior space over the Eurovan.  It worked out.  I have taken the van from here to Oregon and back with no problems while I continue to improve it with aftermarket upgrades.  It is no longer the stock Vanagon it was.  I expect to own it for many more years and I hope to post many more blogs on the things I have done and the trips I take.

So yes you should do your homework to control the variables but a little prayer might help as well.  As I said I’d rather be lucky than good!

Next post will be my upgrades, mods and why.