It's time to move on... Goodbye Westfalia 

Most certainly.

I bought my '82 van in '96. still have it. It is a great family car. We used it to go to prom! It's a great weekend van. You have snacks already in it, you can make hot chocolate at the park if it's raining. It still fits in most garages (although with the lift kit and 15" rims it's 6'9"ft clearance). I have recently put a drawer under the rear table (Van Cafe) which would have been great for the kids to store their books etc in it. I installed the shoulder strap seat belts for the back seats, easy peasy, one just bolts in place the other you have cut a small hole (tape it so that the surface doesn't crack). I also installed a third lap belt on the bench seat for those rare, need to carry 3 kids and two adults. I bought a rear facing jump seat out of another van, and had that installed, put in a shoulder seat belt for it. I have a Yakama bar rack on top, which I have used to bring a canoe for camping. I installed the lift kit so it goes down dirt roads better. I put the top lift struts on so that I can have a box up top and still pop the tent. I added a console from VanagonLife for secure storage. Then I installed the underseat drawers from Van Cafe. I have the hitch, which I use to tow a 16ft dory, but not with a full camping load or over high hills. The Trailer and boat weigh ~500lbs. When camping, I brought a basic tent for the kids so that we had more room when they became teenagers. I now have an awning which makes it even better for camping. I moved the spare to the back, and put a gowesty storage box underneath the front for more space. As for the cold weather, add sweaters and a blanket for the kids in the back. You can get a propex heater if you want to camp in the cold. For the first few years, you can put the kids up top on the upper bunk. Remember the Iniut had babies in igloos! They are seriously ok in a "cool" environment. The inside fits a twin mattress. I used the van to take all three of the kids to college (one at a time) with all their stuff. It all fit! Since you have a water cooled version, when the motor needs replacing, go with a Subaru replacement. More power for those hills. If you maintain it, it won't break down on your trips. Yes have towing insurance "just in case" but really these vans make for great family vehicles. Sprinters, way more money. Can't be used as a second vehicle, as they don't fit in most parking garages. Do you really want a van you only drive 3 or at best 4 weeks out of a year? With these vans you can just keep modifying them to fit your current needs relatively inexpensively vs buying a kitted out Sprinter. Down here in SoCal, they run $80K to beyond! You can do a heck of a lot of mods to your van for that kind of change.

Fully agree with everything 👍

We loveeee our Rockwood Geopro Bunkhouse and have a SUV that we drive daily which can pull it!

I used to work for a major RV dealership and the price of drivable campers almost NEVER make sense right now. Not only is the initial price of them astronomical but there are higher ongoing costs for maintenance. Travel trailers or 5th wheels offer more space & flexibility for your money.

haha that might be a bit much!

I like the idea of a small trailer. Easy to pull, park and maintain.

indeed, all good pros and cons to each. lots of deciding ...

Trailers suck. They limit the number of back roads you can drive down. They are hard to park in town when you stop for groceries. They sit unused for most of the year. If you live in a wet climate, they mold and mildew. It's one more set of tires to maintain.

@@garyp.7501 Some seriously good points.

yes, I've heard that! it's very practical atm!

The Sprinter's quite a tall van, why would you need a pop-top? As a Syncro owner, I find the extended Sprinters would be the perfect camper.

gotta bring the bikes!! perfect for camping

"How are you going to live while repairs are being made?" Seriously? Uber and a hotel room. If you ever needed that, and I haven't, it's going to be a lot less expensive than paying for a class C van. Or having a pick-um-up truck. Granted, if you need a Pickup for regular life, ie you live on a farm, or whatevr, then the incremental cost of a trailer might not be so bad. But you are going to need a place to store that trailer when you are not using it.

I would actually love to do that trip! So many amazing places along the coast 👌

ahhh! I am on the West Coast - have driven from San Diego to Washington (though still need to explore more of that area). The California coast, at least from about Morro Bay to as far north as Hwy 1 will take you - is spectacular at every twist and turn. You won't be disappointed! And Oregon...'nuff said. Just amazing.

great advice, never thought of a school bus!

@@heynadine :) looking forward to see what your next adventure brings.

thanks for the input, there are some small and large c class so definitely options there

haha I'll have to get an opinion from Kristen Sarah!

ugh, no. Those original fridges are garbage. They don't keep anything cold, they take up a huge amount of space. You can install a 12V in that same cabinet, but it's better to rig a second 100AH battery and use a stand alone fridge. That way you can put it in the bear boxes at campgrounds, and remove it from the van for your regular driving.

Also if you plan on having it for 5+ years, make sure it has a decent size bathroom so it will make traveling and potty training easier.

indeed!

haha maybe not quite like that!

100% agree. I have an '82 westy that I bought in '96. No plans to ever sell her. I just keep upgrading and maintaining it, and it gets nicer and nicer to drive.

I know, I wish we could keep him but wouldn't make sense.