Dar,

Their are a few of us hanging out here. The majority of Vanagon camper
owners on the list have the Westfalia so we Adventurewageneers are somewhat
careful  about touting the virtues of our AW's. Actually I did a little of
earlier today but that's not the norm.

Try to get your hands on the full color 12"x16" eight page Adventurewagen
Mark VII brochure published in the 80's. In it Ed Anderson, the
owner/builder, compares the AW against the Westfalia, feature by feature in
30 different categories. It's not all one sided. He gives the Westfalia its'
due in some departments (though not many).

Probably the biggest objection is the high top fiberglass roof which
eliminates the AW from being parked in standard home garages. As well as
many inner levels of public parking garages, etc. However he states that
many Westfalia owners cannot garage their campers either. I'm not sure about
that. Due to the roof wind resistance has also been mentioned but it's
really not a problem. I had a 1983.5 Westfalia for 5 months prior to buying
the AW and my gas mileage and performance were about the same.

Are you buying the white 87 Syncro Adventurewagen from the fellow in Austin,
Texas?

Garrett Adams
83.5 Adventurewagen GL (bought in June 1987)
Stockton, California

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Dar Crammond
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2000 11:15 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Adventurewagen v. Westy

Hello Vanagon list:
I am poised to purchase an 87 adventurewagen.  Any advice or insight about
this breed would be very welcome.  How does it compare to the Westy?  I know
about the SS water tank, the propane furnace, and the different floorplan.
Are there any major omissions or problems relative to the Westy?
Thanks for the input.
DAR