Club 80-90 Forums

jason k wrote:Westys are IMHO the best t3 camper you can get in terms of practically and clever storage space. Every nook and cranny is utilized and there's no orrid 20 year old carpet moulting as in Brit conversions.

I am the proud owner of a 30 year old moulting/ mouldy headliner carpet in our Devon moonraker. It will go one day, though not sure what to replace it with - grey felt doesn't do it for me

jason k wrote:I am the proud owner of a 30 year old moulting/ mouldy headliner carpet in our Devon moonraker. It will go one day, though not sure what to replace it with - grey felt doesn't do it for me

Another vote for the old Devons....

I would suggest that as these vans can be 30 years old plus find the one with the best body, mechanical s you can afford, be it a Devon, Autosleeper, Holdsworth, Westy or whatever.

shaky wrote:I would suggest that as these vans can be 30 years old plus find the one with the best body, mechanical s you can afford, be it a Devon, Autosleeper, Holdsworth, Westy or whatever.

Yep.

Start with figuring what you want - fridge, water, hookup, charger, leisure, storage, top - then find the best condition van that meets those requirements. Who fitted it out is irrelevant, whether it's Westy/other German/UK/home-brew.

I think to be able to do a homebrew you need to know exactly what kind of layout you want from the outset, or otherwise you need the knowledge to be able to install it or re-configure it yourself i.e. you've spent enough time in campers to know where the cooker would work best, how much storage you're likely to need, etc, etc. Great if you've got that experience but a real drawback if you haven't.

We didn't have the experience, and so we went looking for a ready made interior that would have been given enough consideration to be workable, and as a result we went for a Westy. It's from a company that have got a long enough track record in designing camper interiors to know what most people are likely to need from the outset, it's detailed to german standards so is clean and precise, it was purposed designed for the T25 rather than being the T25 version of a standard interior, and with the grey finish, it doesn't look like a bad flashback to Little Chef interiors from the 70's. On top of all that, the interior parts are still readily available and the vans keep their value.

That's not to say that other types don't also have their merits, but the Westy was what worked for us.

Thanks for the input. I'm looking into a westy I've been offered and it seems to have lots of sliding, swivel features that make it very versatile but the interior is a little plasticky. I'm won on the resale value if I find its not for me.

I've seen some dreadful vans but the westy always cost more but generally seem to better cared for, no rust, full history etc..

I've been looking for 8 months and it just gets more involved the deeper I look into it!

plastic.....I think the accepted words are sterile, medical, boring or lifeless when describing the interior beauty of said German fit out.

keith wrote:plastic.....I think the accepted words are sterile, medical, boring or lifeless when describing the interior beauty of said German fit out.

Works for me

re.. resale value.
please note that nothing guarantees resale value.
if you buy a cheap westy ...it will allways be one for a reason

expect around £1000 a year on expenses to keep the van on the road and roadworthy...that's on any van.

Sounds like you've done it already but I would suggest you look at as many different conversions as poss. And I do mean look as in walk around the inside, open cupboards etc. We were lucky in that Lindsay's sis in law lent us hers for a weeks holiday, and we liked it so much we bought one (A/S High Top), but we did look at other conversions too.

Plymman wrote:Thanks for the input. I'm looking into a westy I've been offered and it seems to have lots of sliding, swivel features that make it very versatile but the interior is a little plasticky. I'm won on the resale value if I find its not for me.

I've seen some dreadful vans but the westy always cost more but generally seem to better cared for, no rust, full history etc..

I've been looking for 8 months and it just gets more involved the deeper I look into it!

i will pull you up here,,,, no rust = no visible rust usually
mm

Also known as the Bandwagen

Our first bus was a homebrew conversion former panel van....had loads of fun messing around with it and great times camping in it......
However, when I bought our Westy it showed me how good a T25 interior could be...So much quieter as the floor has a cork underlay, panels insulated etc..with both front seats span round you have so much room...you could seat 5 to eat and still easily get to the cooker and fridge...I can leave the present Mrs Bobdog in bed and get up and make a cuppa, read the paper, etc. Heating system that works well, loads of storage...we don't sleep in the pop top but all the crap goes up there out of the way. BBQ outlet on the gas tank for the Cadac, only need to fill the gas up once a year...and we use our van a lot.
Loved my old van, but the Westy has more than replaced it....

Westys are undeniably a decent conversion but no conversion is 'best' and they certainly are over hyped by the VW camper press, much like the Splitties and Bay's are, which is why I they cost more and why I suspect potential new buyers automatically migrate towards them.

They aren't to my personal taste mainly because I don't like the finish; I do find them cold, unemotional and clinical which is why I don't have one, and why I own a 'grannies cottage' conversion (I do love that description, can't think who first coined it), but they are well laid out and practical, as are many conversions. Also I think that the high top version wastes potential storage space over the cab as it slopes down 'early'.

The other downside is the the peer pressure to keep it 'original' or risk devaluing it. I love the Komet conversion but that didn't stop me re-upholstering the seats and beds, re-carpeting it, re-trimming it and adding all sorts of stuff to make it perfect for ME, bit like redecorating a house when you move in, it's still the same house but the décor’s changed. I think your hands are a bit tied with a westy from that perspective.

Get yourself to a show or meet if you can, view them all in the flesh and speak to the owners, then you can make an informed decision. Bottom line is the more research you do the more likely you'll end up with a decent van suited to your personal needs and taste, and if that happens to be a westy then fair enough buy one, but don't rule others out just 'cos they're not Westys.

As mentioned previously, don't forget that the vehicle itself is as important as the conversion, otherwise you'll just end up with a small, well appointed static caravan commanding magnificent views of your driveway.

when I undertook my mammoth search including a trip Torquay to look at reimo conversion (superior westie stylee ) I found it quite a harsh interior and decided on a nan's palace. the problem then is finding one that hasn't been parked in the sea or had the 1000000 mile service interval. enjoy the hunt and the camping.

mark

fixed that for you

keith wrote:plastic.....I think the accepted words are sterile, medical, boring, toastless or lifeless when describing the interior beauty of said German fit out.

1664 wrote:Also I think that the high top version wastes potential storage space over the cab as it slopes down 'early'.

That upstairs window more than makes up for any loss in space. Not that there's much of that - the front cupboard's a decent height and very, very, very long. We really didn't suffer from a lack of storage space in the van - the opposite, we took stuff we never used. BUT, having said that, we were using the upstairs bed as an attic. If we'd had stuff for four, it may have been a different story - but I'm sure there'd have been plenty of space for a fortnight away. We had to have all season stuff.

The other downside is the the peer pressure to keep it 'original' or risk devaluing it. I love the Komet conversion but that didn't stop me re-upholstering the seats and beds, re-carpeting it, re-trimming it and adding all sorts of stuff to make it perfect for ME, bit like redecorating a house when you move in, it's still the same house but the décor’s changed. I think your hands are a bit tied with a westy from that perspective.

If it's a perfect, utterly original immaculate van - then, yep. Originality is where most of the value is. But that'd apply if it was a similar AS or whatever, too - mebbe not to the same ultimate price, but who pays that much to use the van anyway?
OTOH, if it's your average few-rough-edges van, then - soddit. Dive in there! Repaint stuff. Refinish stuff. Change the fridge & door. Retrim it. GO FOR IT. Unless it's one of that tiny handful of fifteen grand Atlantics, then the value's in the usability, not the originality.

Quite right Mark....as newbees you should know that its virtually impossible to toast bread in a westy......unless you spend two quidd on a folding mesh toaster.

This obviously needs careful consideration as buying one without this knowledge could affect future budgeting.

....thats the other thing with the westy.

Buy a good one....look after it.....not much to add as its all pretty factory standard.