RE: What is it about the Vanagon?
Or in my case the Vanagon based Westfalia camper.
My comments are going to be an echo of other responses to this question but
here goes.
My first Westy was purchased strictly for the utility.  I wanted something
that could haul a lot of astronomy gear to remote dark sites for observing
and then camp in it also.  My gosh, cook in it, sleep in it, drive to
locations that were not practical in a car and boy, did it beat car camping
and tents. By the time that first '85 Westy was totaled (following a major
astronomy outing) there was never a question about not replacing it.  And
that led me to both this and other Internet (and International) Vanagon and
Westfalia related lists and to the local VW camping community here in the
NW, the WetWesties.  So now my Westfalia is my 'escape pod' while I'm in
retirement and the WetWesties have led me to a community of people I really
enjoy spending camping and travel time with.
Got to go now, got to straighten out Starwagen (yes, I named my rig) and
stock it  to go get together with some other Vanagon people tomorrow and go
camping.