Before the Westfalia owners and those finding them interesting are 
divided into air and water, let me fire your collected neural cells.
  As I understand, the VW Westfalia has it's origins in a sector of 
Germany bearing the name Westfalia.  In reasonable pride and 
understandable hope, when VW elected to export them into the US market, 
the Westfalia name was attached to it as a model designation.
  At first West jumps out at the uninitiated, and smart advice of a 
former age, "Go West young man" and thoughts of how "cool" far-west 
California was, give it a fine start as a marketing name.  But Westfalia 
drags on for too many sylables.  Worse, it's easily mispronounced to 
phonetically seem to contain the english word fail.  By the time you have 
to explain that this isn't right, the incorrect association has only been 
reinforced, a self defeating process.
  I've heard people integrate the word hatchew or similar style into 
their noise made in sneezing.  It's silly of course, but I imagine a 
Japaneese warior attempting to integrate four traditional sylables into 
his manly sneeze.  It would be a stretch.  Four sylables is just too long 
for a familiar common reference.  Like children so named, the names beg 
to be shortened.  And here's where the affectionate diminutive comes to 
our attention.
  Single sylables are potentially too short for good communication.  Said 
alone and quickly, they can be confusing.  By the time someone notices 
that you've said something, you've stoped talking and they aren't sure 
they know just what you did say.  Besides, the concept of sylables is 
useful but shouldn't be pressed too far. Phonetically take the names Jay 
and Jake.  Jake takes about twice as long.  Still, they're both one 
sylable.
  But two sylables make nicely functioning names.  Westfalia recognizably 
and pleasingly shortens to Westie or should it be Westy?  It seems to me 
that many of this affectionate diminutive's users and opinion leaders of 
others who may use it are right on this list.  As Lewis Carrol so well 
explained, words mean what we decide they mean, and may I add, are 
spelled as we decide they are to be spelled.  It's curious that a 
spelling disabled person like me should find this interesting, but for 
the moment, I do.
  I think of my Westfalia to be either neuter or, like a ship, feminine. 
And because of that, I've decided I favor Westie over Westy.  I know that 
as an unusually complex vehicle, it's more subject to having its 
component parts need attention.  So to engendering the warmest most 
positive feelings toward it, should, I think, be a goal.  So the one that 
is most easily and naturally associated with affectionate and forgiving 
feelings, should be adopted.  For me, that's Westie rather than Westy, 
even though I'm strongly attracted to the apparent efficiencey 
improvement in one less letter.
  But on balance, I propose that this phonetic affectionate diminutive be 
spelled Westie.

  Respectfully submitted,
  John Wakefield