one:
1983.5 intro of watercooled
1986 upgrade from 1.9 to 2.1l, better cooling system, better brake system,
square headlights
1987 grey interior
1988 fiberglass bumpers, vent-sidewindows

there are other changes but thats the main ones.
i drive an 87 as it has all the technical upgrades plus grey interior, but
is cheaper than 88-91
i paid $6.5k  for a california 87 westy on ebay with 128kmiles, no a/c,
good  condition

two:
aircooled is a lot weaker than the later watercooled

three:
a subaru transplant is very economical and  all parts very available.
calculate $3k if you do the work yourself.
doing it on an aircooled seems a lot harder and more expensive

fourth:
yes man and auto possible, although man has better gearing

fifth:
this is feasible but only if you do some little compromises with the bed.
was recently discussed, look in the archives. you might consider converting
a syncro
since these are rarer and go for more money than a 2wd westy

sixth:
same thing i think? but CA'S have less rust!!

florian

On 2/12/06, John Liu <johnliu@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> Hello all.  I'm starting my search for a Westy Camper Vanagon.  I've
> been lurking here for some time and researching online.  I still have
> some questions, and hope you folks can shed some light.  Thank you!
>
> First, what were the major differences between model years of the
> Westy Vanagon?  I know that they went from aircooled to watercooled
> around 1982, and it seems that interior went from brown to gray
> somewhere around 1986.  Otherwise I don't know what the difference
> between, say, a 1984 and a 1990.  I assume there must be some
> significant difference as the price seems to go up 2X.
>
> Second, how big are the disadvantages, if any, of the aircooled
> Vanagons as compared to the watercooled?  I'd like the option of
> transplanting a different motor down the road.  In a couple years the
> 3.2L from my Porsche 911 may become available (I plan to upgrade the
> motor in the 911) and  am guessing it would be easier to transplant
> the aircooled 911 motor into an aircooled Vanagon.  But in the
> meantime, I'd be driving the Vanagon with the stock motor.
>
> Third, is the idea of doing a Porsche 3.2L transplant just silly,
> when used Subaru boxer motors are cheaper and the Subaru-Vanagon
> adapter kits and knowledge much more available?  If this is the case,
> I guess I'd want to look for a water-cooled?
>
> Fourth, can the Subaru boxer motors be transplanted into both the
> manual and automatic Vanagons?  My wife can drive a stock, but
> prefers an automatic.  I'm the other way around.
>
> Fifth, how feasible and costly is it to locate a used Westy interior
> (the full camper, not the Weekender) and roof, and install those in a
> regular Vanagon?  In case I found an irresistible non-Westy Vanagon,
> for example.
>
> Sixth, were there major differences between the California and non-
> California Vanagons?  I live currently in the SF Bay Area, which is
> crawling with used Westys for sale, but may be moving to another
> state, where I think Westys are less common - but they'd be 49-state
> versions.
>