The VW “Westy” is an iconic camper van that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. This one looks old-fashioned, but it no longer uses cassette tapes; instead, it utilizes modern batteries and sound. With current VW power, it’s also reliable and fast enough to go far. The Volkswagen T3 van from the 1980s and 1990s remains a memorable car, despite not being as well-known as the original VW Microbus. This is particularly true for the Westfalia camping edition, where sleeping in the Westy’s pop-up roof tent is as much a cherished part of childhood camping memories as s’mores and bug bites. By 2025 highway standards, a regular Westy is so slow that it acts as a moving pylon for traffic to go around. This is the biggest problem. Today, Bring a Trailer’s camping-friendly pick is a 1990 VW Westfalia that has been updated with some nice new features, such as a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that has enough power to handle driving on the highway easily. With a few weeks of late-summer camping and sunny days still left in the shoulder season, it’s an ideal vehicle for cruising along the West Coast. Don’t forget to pack your graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. Let’s talk about the engine first. Because the engines in the first Volkswagen campers were air-cooled, even short trips took longer than a Grateful Dead match. It never made more than 100 horsepower, even though the engine was a more modern water-cooled type near the end of the Vanagon’s run in the US. This 2.0-liter four-cylinder crate engine is made by Foreign Auto Supply (FAS). It has about 135 horsepower and 135 pound-feet of torque. The Westfalia should perform similarly to a Golf when paired with a four-speed manual transmission. But this model should have the right powertrain, and any VW shop should be able to get parts for it. Porsche also gave some of these cars a flat-six engine so they could be used as testing support vans. Next, we’ll bring a 1990s camping van up to date. The new lithium-ion auxiliary battery for this Westy, which has power converters, handles that job. The old 12V refrigerator has been stored away and replaced with a much more energy-efficient movable 12V fridge/freezer and a portable solar panel. The stereo can now work with Apple CarPlay, and the sink has been improved. The canvas top is also brand new, and the suspension has new bushings and springs. Several seals have also been changed. Rocky Mountain Westy made the front and back bumpers look tough, and it has better lighting. There are just a few modern touches added to the standard Volkswagen camping trip to make it even better than you remember. This Westy is for sale in Portland, Oregon. If you want to buy it, you could fly out and drive home, sleeping along the way. You could also drive down the Oregon coast to re-watch The Goonies and enjoy some of the best camps along the coast. For some reason, a Vanagon Westy doesn’t have the Woodstock vibe of a classic VW from the 1960s. However, it is a beautiful bus.
