What's better: Refrigerator (not working) or Ice Box?

[BV]

Should we buy the ‛77 Westy with the Ice Box (which I hear has a good reputation for keeping things cold for many days) or should we buy the ‛79 Westy that has a refrigerator that needs some attention (I don't know any thing about why it is not working)?

Background: My wife and I want to purchase a Westy and are looking at two Westfalias that are very equal in condition, features and price. We do not have experience with Westies and so we do not know how difficult it would be to repair a broken refrigerator (are parts available?).

Which one would you go for?

A couple other variables:
Sink Pump: The ‛79 needs a new sink pump; the ‛77 has been replaced
Stove: The ‛79's stove is working fine; the ‛77 does not have one (not a deluxe Westy).
Engine: The ‛79 is a 1.8L FI Porsche (recently rebuilt); the ‛77 has a 2.0 FI rebuilt a couple of years ago, running great.

Thanks for your help. BV

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'70 KG Convertible
1776 cc

[dstar5000]

I'd go with the 79 if careabout the stove. You can easily run up another $1000 or 2 to install a stove and tank.

Don


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78 Westy 2.0l
71 Bradley GT 1641cc(soon to be twin turbo 2.6)

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do".
Walter Bagehot

[germansupplyscott]

BV,

my vote: get the '79. the fridge is easy to fix, probably just a wiring issue. you want the stove. the icebox is an electric fridge without the cooling element - the rest is the same.

go to: http://type2.com/bartnik/fridgediag.htm

beware of "recently rebuilt" engines. ask to see the reciepts. post what they say to this list, if need be. rebuilt engines are worse than blown ones in many cases, they give a false sense of security, and lots of shops do a poor job of rebuilding them. i'd rather an original untouched (tired) engine than a rebuilt one. that said, if the van has all the features you want, go for it. just make sure to scrutinize the engine details carefully. you don't know how many times people have been through this with a westfalia with a supposedly "new" engine that lasts about 10k miles before self-destructing.

scott lyons

[This message has been edited by punkinfair (edited 02-06-2003).]

[John W. Kelly]

My junk-yard refugee 69 Westy has an ice box. Hell, I've forgotten beer in it and drank it two months later during summer weather. Not bad. As far as a stove goes, I just use a Coleman stove on the table that lifts up when the sliding door is open. I like that system because I can cook food away from the bus if I want to.

[amoto]

In this area of the country, the thing I'd be concerned the most with is RUST. Climb underneath both buses with a flashlight and screwdriver and poke around.

Buy the one with the least amount of rust. All the camping gear can be swapped out later if it really makes that big of a difference. Even the engine and mechanical problems can be fixed easily compared to fixing a bad case of rust.

[BV]

I appreciate all your help. We are looking forward to visiting these Westies with the hope that one will be the right one for us.

BV

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'70 KG Convertible
1776 cc

[John W. Kelly]

Do what I'd do: buy them all!

[metropoj]

I hated my fridge, uses heat to cool and pumps all that hot air into the cabin. Smaller than the icebox because of all the plumbing for the cooling fins ...I replaced with a westy ice box and use a plug in cooler as well ...

I also stayed away from the stove becasue grease is a good way to kill your canvas in a real hurry ... cook outside ...

[rayanah]

i would not like to say you, use greases.

[richard123vmt]

Let me tell you. That is a no-brainer. Take the icebox and forget the refrigerator. They are a drain on the battery. If you want that then get a dual battery setup (battery on each side.) When you say you don't know what's wrong with it? It's on the Fritz is what's wrong with it and like any cheap refrigerator it is not serviceable. There is also a drop in version which may be solid state but an enornous draw on the unrunning vehicle.I hasten to say I am talking about the electric refrigerator. If it has propane or something else then that is worth having. But for the amount of days you will actually be living in the bus, you will always be buying food and so you will buy some ice. It is quaint. But it fits right in.
But the more shocking thing is that you would be choosing on this basis. Let me tell you that someone who knows VW buses would have a definitely preference and it would the important stuff. If you are paying a lot of money you should get new everything.

[richard123vmt]

I would go with the 79 with the porsche engine that's for sure. Those sink pumps are (was) a five minute replacement from a junkyard. You only live once. Go with Porsche style.

[Piledriver]

1) three year old thread.
2) Both are T4 motors. The 1.8 makes more power, yet is probably in better shape, as the bottom end borders on bulletproof. I am curious if either one got bought now...

[Chiebr]

I often wonder how efficient an icebox you could make with modern insulation. I mean, wrap 3 feet of insulation around a space, let it cool down, put some ice cream in there with a bag of ice. I wonder how long it'd last.
___________________________________________________________
The gods are on the side of the stronger.
All the best, Diceus

[ajdenette]

my father was noting how big the outside of the YETI coolers were compared to their inside volume due to the amount of insulation they have. it is a toss up in my opinion there is last space with anything to make it cold for a long time.