4x4 Cars

4WD for Sale, 1987 Vanagon Syncro Westfalia

Found Vanagon Syncro for sale by the owner in Portland. Offered by Volkswagen in the 80s based on the third generation of Type 2 known as the Vanagon, this a rare model with an in-house 4x4 drivetrain system called the Syncro. The camper was converted and built by Westfalia in 1987, the body was completely overhauled and repainted in 2017 also the engine was upgraded during current ownership.

The Syncro was listed on Craigslist about 11 days ago and is still online when we posted it here. Driven about 172K miles and less than 2500 miles on the replacement engine. If you're interested, please read more detail below.

Year of construction	1987
Brand	Volkswagen
Model	Westfalia Camper
Type	4x4 Vanagon Syncro
Fuel	Gas
Color	Grey
Miles	172000
License	Yes
Price	$38,000
For Sale By	Owner
Contact	SOLD
City	Overlook, Portland, Oregon

Detail by owner
You see here a 1987 Vanagon Syncro Westfalia. My wife and I purchased it from its first owner in 1988 and since then it has seen many adventures with our family including 2 cross country trips. Although the van spent most of its life in the east (Cape Cod, mostly) the body was completely overhauled and repainted in 2017 before we moved to Portland in 2019 to be closer to family. In addition the engine was upgraded. The replacement engine is a “bostig conversion” (https://www.bostig.com/), essentially a Ford 
Focus engine with the necessary adaptations to the Vanagon. The conversion it well supported by the manufacturer and adds greatly to the performance of the vehicle. The radio and speakers have been updated. The interior lighting is converted to LED. Other than the engine the vehicle is pretty much stock. The main limitation is that the AC was removed when it was re-engined mostly because it was never very effective. It could easily be reinstalled. The vehicle has never had smokers use it. It has travelled roughly 172K miles although less than 2500 miles on the replacement engine. It has been used very little since moving to Portland because of the pandemic. After 35 years with the vanagon we purchased a Pleasure-Way Tofino last year, hoping to get a slightly larger vehicle modeled on the VW. Sadly, it is not as beautifully designed as the westfalia but it suits us in our older years. We are sad to part with our dear VW, but it needs new owners and adventures.