I don't want to be a killjoy, and certainly I spent many happy hours
in the way-back of a Beetle as a toddler, traveling across the
country with my parents.  Heck, when I was 10, my Mom drove a
squareback VW from California to Iowa with three kids and a weeks-old
baby in a bassinet balanced on the back seat.

But those VWs also had no seat belts in the back seats, and attitudes
about child car safety have changed.

In California, at least, children under 6 must be in an approved car
seat or booster seat unless they've grown to 60 pounds.  I doubt a
booster seat can be used properly without a shoulder harness, and I
don't know whether the Vanagon's rear lap belts can properly secure a
modern car seat.

The laws may grandfather vehicles that lack the necessary
equipment.  I know I wouldn't worry about being ticketed for carrying
passengers in the rear seat of my '67 Beetle with no seat belts.

But I wouldn't let a 4-year-old sleep unrestrained in the back of a
Vanagon or ramble around on the floor.  And I certainly wouldn't put
a child in the front passenger seat.  I'd want to do some research
into the safest way to restrain a child when only lap belts are available.

Sorry to be a downer.