Used 1986 VW Vanagon Weekender for sale in Cardiff By The Sea, CA

Thank you for stopping to look at our beautiful 1986 Vanagon Pop-top Weekender. The Weekender was a version that doesn’t have a kitchen and instead, provides a larger bench seat, a table, a jump seat, and much more room for camping, sleeping, and daily enjoyment. We purchased this van in August 2020 and have loved every minute of ownership. It has safely and reliably transported our family of four to Joshua Tree, Anza Borrego, Julian, San Clemente, and various other camping sites in Southern California. We have spent the last two years adding critical updates to make the van run like a top. This van makes for a great time at the beach or simply driving around and seeing people smile.
Why am I selling? This was my first love and it was better than I could have imagined. While it pains me to part ways, I’ve recently purchased a 2nd VW Vanagon and don’t have room for two.
Please see the below details of the work I’ve done (i.e. paid a well-known and reputable mechanic to do), I have receipts and records to support all of it.
The Good
1. Clutch, fuel lines, starter, aluminum coolant expansion tank, master/slave cylinder, all updated right before I took ownership.
2. New pop-top 3 window tent installed – 8/25/20
3. Rebuilt transmission – 8/25/20 (~5,000 miles on new transmission)
4. New CV joints and boots – 8/25/20
5. New aluminum fuel injector rails – 8/25/20 (the original VW fuel injector rails are made of plastic and are notorious for leaks and fire hazards)
6. New Mansi Speed fuel injectors – 8/26/20 (more power and reliability over the original fuel injectors)
7. New California CARB catalytic converter – 9/4/20 (passes SMOG no problem)
8. New Land Rover side view mirrors – 9/4/20 (Old VW mirrors would move around at highway speed)
9. New exhaust system – 9/4/20
10. New rear heater core under the bench seat – 9/4/20 (old VW heaters would sometimes leak coolant fluid)
11. New front windshield wipers – 9/4/20
12. New 3 point shoulder seat belts for rear bench – 9/9/20 (we have young kids, safety first)
13. 16 inch rims and new tires – 9/22/20
14. New spark plugs, wires, belts and tune up – 10/8/20
15. New LED Headlight bulbs – 10/6/20 (Great for driving at night)
16. New stainless steel coolant pipes, new rubber coolant lines throughout the entire van – 3/31/21
17. New German high performance radiator – 3/31/21 (we had some overheating issues climbing out of the Anza Borrego desert. This plus the coolant lines completely solved the issue)
18. Resealed the gas tank – 3/31/21
19. New USB ports and 12v adapter in dash – 3/18/22
20. Auxiliary battery under drivers seat that is wired to operate internal lights, USB ports, 12v adapter, and stereo – 3/18/22 (now you can party at night while camping and the primary van battery will not drain. Car starts right up the next day)
21. Not mentioned, but has always had regular oil changes.

Signs of a life well lived
1. Air conditioning. These old vans are notorious for not having working AC. The van’s system is primed and holds pressure, and you could easily get it to work. We never used it, so I have removed the belt that drives the compressor.
2. Rear windshield wiper doesn’t work. It never rains in Southern California anyway.
3. Power steering rack has minor leak that requires topping up of fluid every so often.
4. Minor seam rust on back of the van and around rear window
5. The clock next to the speedometer does not work.
6. The interior has tears in both front seats and the bench seat. It never impacted us for days at the beach or camping, so I never made it a priority to fix. This is part of its charm.
7. Mileage is unknown. The speedometer and odometer were replaced by the prior owner on 06/2018. I bought the van with 13,000 miles and there are ~19,500 miles now.

Please remember, you’re looking at purchasing a classic car that is 36 years old. In car years, it’s over 250 years old, so it will require maintenance, patience, and understanding. If you’re good to it, it will be good to you.