2.0 ABA-Powered 1980 Volkswagen Vanagon

This 1980 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia three-door camper van is furnished with versatile interior space including a refrigerator, a stovetop, and wood cabinets. The rear-mounted, Jetta-sourced rebuilt ABA 2.0-liter inline-4 is paired with a 4-speed manual transaxle and received documented maintenance in recent years including a fuel system service, alternator rebuild, cooling system service, and replacement clutch components. Finished in brown with a white fiberglass pop-up rooftop over a brown cloth interior, this Vanagon is now offered with service records and a clear California title in the seller’s na

Sold outside North America under other nameplates, the Vanagon model went into production in 1979 on the T3 platform as a light commercial vehicle in available three-door van and three-door pickup body layouts. This 1980 Vanagon passenger van was repainted brown in 2019 under prior ownership and is capped by a pop-up white fiberglass roof that underwent repairs around the same time. Exterior appointments consist of a black grille, upgraded LED lighting, Land Rover-sourced sideview mirrors, a custom heavy-duty rear bumper with a tow receiver, and a replacement exhaust system.

Black-painted steel wheels with chrome center caps are wrapped in tires with good tread remaining. The brake master cylinder, pads, hoses, bearings, and front calipers have been replaced in the last 20k miles. Maintenance in 2015 included replacement of the left upper ball joint and an alignment.

The camper-style interior is fitted with brown cloth bucket seats up front and a bench in the rear, color-matched to the door panels replacement carpeting while contrasted by a black dash and a rubber floor covering up front. Equipment includes wood cabinets, curtains, a sink, a stove, a refrigerator, and a stereo system. The window rubber seals were replaced in 2015, the camper water pump has been replaced per the seller.

Instrumentation includes an 85-mph speedometer, an analog clock, an auxiliary Autometer 8k-rpm tachometer, ad gauges for oil pressure, coolant temperature, and voltage. The five-digit mechanical odometer reads approximately 2,800 miles, although true mileage on the chassis is unknown.

The replacement 2.0-liter inline-4 was sourced from a Volkswagen Jetta and installed in 2008. The seller has provided service history for the past decade. Within the last 20,000 miles, the clutch master cylinder, slave cylinder, fuel pump, coolant temperature sensor, mass airflow sensor, and alternator were replaced, and the alternator and the shift linkage for the transmission have been rebuilt. A new fuel filter kit from GoWesty and a fuel pressure regulator were installed in December 2020. Power is fed to the rear wheels via a floor-shifted 4-speed manual transaxle. The seller notes that this Vanagon is not compliant with California emissions.

Photos showing the underside are available in the carousel.

The sale includes service records. A driving video is provided below.