Vanagon, Westfalia, TDI
1990 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon
I am auctioning off my 1990 Volkswagon Vanagon Westfalia. I believe in full transparency so here it goes. The van started out as a 1982 air cooled Westfalia from CA which the previous owner bought at a copart auction. He imported it to his home country in Poland where he began restoring it to like new condition. This included replacing panels, new professional paint job, TDI 1Z engine conversion with all new engine internals- cam, piston rings, gaskets, belts to name a few. Smart car intercooler with fan, electronic cruise control (yes it does work!), electronic power steering, diesel heater with direct line to the fuel tank, upgraded copper brake lines,all new coolant hoses, 120W solar panel with inverter and AGM battery, upgraded fridge working on 12V, propane and 110V, new awning, LT XL truck mirrors, 15" Mercedes alloy wheels with Khumo all terrain tires, new fuel tank, new ball joints, linkeages, bearings, bushings and brake shoes.All new window seals. The upholstery for the back seat and mattress was re-done as well. There is no outside propane tank. Instead there is a 5lb propane tank underneath the sink but strapped down. I usually take it out when I'm not camping.
I then found the van for sale on Samba and re-imported it back into the US in 2020. Due to the complexities of Poland's registration process for rebuilt/converted vehicles, the van was not able to retain its original manufacturer's VIN. A 1990 diesel Vanagon donor van was used during the rebuild process when converting it from AC to diesel and the van was re-registered in Poland with that VIN instead. The van does have a clean GA title currently, not a rebuilt one.
Some additional upgrades and work I did:
-new carpeting (May 2021)
-rebuilt DK tranny with taller 3rd/4th gears (April 2023)
-upgraded and rebuilt shift rod from a diesel vanagon
-new injection pump gaskets (July 2021)
-brand new VW TDI wire harness and new valve cover gasket (August 2021)
-engine block heater (Nov 2022), very handy for winter camping
-Chrysler front stow-n-go black leather seats (Oct 2022)
-new front rotars and pads (Dec 2022)
-new drums at the rear (Jan 2023)
-sureflo faucet (May 2022)
-new kitchen/stove front panel (May 2022)
-new 2G ground cables for better starting
-new clear headlight covers to protect frombouncing stones
-Vangaroo on the rear hatch (May 2022)
-oil and filter change (Jan 2022)
-custom bike rack or can be used as a spare tire carrier
-new Alpine stereo with Blaupunkt door speakers
-new sun visors
Final words
The TDI on it now has about 15k miles since the rebuild which is nothing for a TDI. The exterior appearance of the van is new to immaculate. This is not an exaggeration. Absolutely no rust on the body panel seams, window borders or undercarriage. It just needs to be seen to appreciate the work that has gone into it. Since I’ve owned the van, I’ve made a point to drive it at least once a week even when I’m not on road trips and the van is always garaged when not being driven. It’s been recently waxed too.
The VIN is WV2ZZZ25ZLH102832 and its visible on the dash and passenger B pillar. Ebay doesn't allow european style VINs in their ads when listing an imported vehicle, hence why the VIN is a series of ones in the ad specification.
With all the above mentioned upgrades this van should not need any maintenance for a very very long time. If you think I missed something you'd like to know then please ask.
- Make: Volkswagen
- Model: Bus/Vanagon
- Year: 1990
- Mileage: 15000
- VIN: 11111111111111111
- Color: White
- Fuel: Diesel
- Vehicle Title: Clean Want to buy? Contact seller!