I agree...Basic is Better.   "Lowly" might apply when it comes to what the
collectors seem to be starting to go after...Westphalia Campers.   So a non
Westie might sell for 25% the cost of a Westie...lowly price.

  But over the years I have had complete and fancy campers and they are
never as good or as versatile as the ones without much at all inside.   My
current one has the stove/sink/water tank from a Westie and nothing
more....That leaves me room enough for other things, other uses than just
camping..

  Just a few days ago I had 3 sailboards, 5 sails, all the rest of the gear
for a day of windsurfing....and my bicycle stuff... all that gear inside.
When the wind died down, I had some lunch inside, changed my 'costume' and
got out the road bike for a ride.  If I owned a Westie....I'd have had to
tie all that gear on the roof...probably would have blown off since I drove
home about 65 miles against a 60+ mph wind that was still blowing as I
drove down river...

  In a simple GL style van you can always toss a stove and ice chest inside
and hit the road.  But it's not so easy to take the cabinets out of a
Westie to carry a sheet of plywood or perhaps a couple of full  grown
hogs....Not Harleys, real hogs.

On Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 8:24 AM, JRodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com> wrote:

> David,
>
> I'm with you on that. I get far more utility out of my "lowly GL" than I
> ever could from one of the other versions of a Vanagon - except possible
> a Syncro - and even then with differences in maintenance and operating
> costs my "lowly GL" still gives the best utility. It carries 7-8 people
> inside out of the weather, 1000 lbs pallets of plaster inside out of the
> weather, 4X8 sheets of plywood inside, queen size mattresses inside, 12
> foot ladders, camping, - the list goes on and on. In my opinion there is
> not another vehicle made today that matches it's utility. Even at stock
> - it has just the right amount of power coupled to the 4-speed manual
> tranny to get the job done. Maybe not a 100 miles an hour with your hair
> on fire - but it happens. I would be hard put to be without my "lowly GL"!
>
> John
>
> On 4/17/2013 9:23 AM, David Bjorkman wrote:
>
>> IMHO, there are no "lowly" Vanagons,
>>
>