BajaSavana
New member
2003 Savana 2500 AWD Pop Top 69,000 original miles
Selling my full camper Westfalia hybrid. I bought the van with 36k miles 8 years ago and painstakingly added the full compliment vanagon era Westfaila components.
I have owned and loved many VW vans, right up to the pinnacle Syncro Westfalia. They are undeniably awesome vehicles. Unfortunately they are also undeniably exorbitantly priced, almost impossible to find with reasonably low mileage, and are perhaps a bit unsafe (unless you enjoy riding the tip of the missile).
As our second car, the van was used almost exclusively for surf/kiting safaris. One of the many advantages over the VW version is space for 10' stand up paddle boards under the bed. Other advantages include: dual passenger airbags, a big powerful V8 (with similar gas mileage), parts and service available everywhere & relatively cheaply, excellent A/C and heat, and more carrying and towing capacity.
The Van:
-The Savana is the GMC equivalent of the Chevy Express
-3/4 ton version, only offered two or three model years.
-5.3 gas motor, plenty of power, quiet, no stinky diesel exhaust, 15 to 20 mpg depending driving conditions
-AWD vs 4x4: All wheel drive is there when you need it with no shifting or buttons to push. It has worked flawlessly in soft sand, snow and loose dirt roads. If you're looking to go rock crawling this probably isn't the rig for you.
-Independent Front Suspension for a smooth ride.
-Many new parts & maintenance in the past 5000 miles including: Pirelli Scorpion ATX tires; upgraded headlights; front end parts and alignment; transmission filter service; air, oil and fuel filters; engine, transfer case and differential oil service; upgraded brakes with vented rotors and high performance pads.
There is no rust. The van was repainted from white to metallic grey when it was new to match original owner's fleet. There's a shallow dent in the driver's side door, the paint is oxidized on the roof. There are scratches and other minor dings.
The Westy Conversion:
The top works exactly as it did on the vanagon, painted to match. I welded 1" square tube around the opening I cut in the roof in the roof for a strong sano install. The top raises and lowers easily with the weight of the fiberglass top counter balanced by springs in the lifting mechanism. The canvas is the upgraded three window style in good shape.
The kitchen is also stock Westy. The fridge is a three was propane/120v/12 volt. It works fine on gas and 120v but isn't hooked up to the 12v system. The two burner gas stove works great. The previous owner apparently used the stainless dish rack to cook pancakes which left it discolored. The sink uses the original water tank that is approximately 15 gallons and a new pump style faucet. If the faucet pump hasn't been used in a while it helps to prime the pump by blowing into the tank vent line.
The rear seat flips down to form a bed in conjunction with an additional bench seat. The bench can be placed on either side of the folded down seat to make space fore or aft as needed. It also works great outside the van. The fabric is worn and could be re-covered, I throw a blanket over it. Because the van started its life as a work van, the interior lacks some of the snap in plastic trim pieces.
The super comfortable front seats are BMW 8 way electric Sport Seats upgraded to Captain's chairs using BMW adjustable armrests. The driver's side leather is showing some wear, but the foam is as firm as ever and they work smoothly. The passenger's side swivels to the rear to form a cozy camping habitat.
Buy this very capable van for a fraction of the price of a syncro or sportsmobile...save your money for time off and gas!
My typing skills are not good. Include your phone number in your response and I'll call you back. Sorry for mis-rotated and duplicate photos, I'm having trouble getting my apple products to upload. More pics by text or direct email only...
Thanks for looking,
Dieter
Kite2LB@aol.com
Sent from my iPad
Selling my full camper Westfalia hybrid. I bought the van with 36k miles 8 years ago and painstakingly added the full compliment vanagon era Westfaila components.
I have owned and loved many VW vans, right up to the pinnacle Syncro Westfalia. They are undeniably awesome vehicles. Unfortunately they are also undeniably exorbitantly priced, almost impossible to find with reasonably low mileage, and are perhaps a bit unsafe (unless you enjoy riding the tip of the missile).
As our second car, the van was used almost exclusively for surf/kiting safaris. One of the many advantages over the VW version is space for 10' stand up paddle boards under the bed. Other advantages include: dual passenger airbags, a big powerful V8 (with similar gas mileage), parts and service available everywhere & relatively cheaply, excellent A/C and heat, and more carrying and towing capacity.
The Van:
-The Savana is the GMC equivalent of the Chevy Express
-3/4 ton version, only offered two or three model years.
-5.3 gas motor, plenty of power, quiet, no stinky diesel exhaust, 15 to 20 mpg depending driving conditions
-AWD vs 4x4: All wheel drive is there when you need it with no shifting or buttons to push. It has worked flawlessly in soft sand, snow and loose dirt roads. If you're looking to go rock crawling this probably isn't the rig for you.
-Independent Front Suspension for a smooth ride.
-Many new parts & maintenance in the past 5000 miles including: Pirelli Scorpion ATX tires; upgraded headlights; front end parts and alignment; transmission filter service; air, oil and fuel filters; engine, transfer case and differential oil service; upgraded brakes with vented rotors and high performance pads.
There is no rust. The van was repainted from white to metallic grey when it was new to match original owner's fleet. There's a shallow dent in the driver's side door, the paint is oxidized on the roof. There are scratches and other minor dings.
The Westy Conversion:
The top works exactly as it did on the vanagon, painted to match. I welded 1" square tube around the opening I cut in the roof in the roof for a strong sano install. The top raises and lowers easily with the weight of the fiberglass top counter balanced by springs in the lifting mechanism. The canvas is the upgraded three window style in good shape.
The kitchen is also stock Westy. The fridge is a three was propane/120v/12 volt. It works fine on gas and 120v but isn't hooked up to the 12v system. The two burner gas stove works great. The previous owner apparently used the stainless dish rack to cook pancakes which left it discolored. The sink uses the original water tank that is approximately 15 gallons and a new pump style faucet. If the faucet pump hasn't been used in a while it helps to prime the pump by blowing into the tank vent line.
The rear seat flips down to form a bed in conjunction with an additional bench seat. The bench can be placed on either side of the folded down seat to make space fore or aft as needed. It also works great outside the van. The fabric is worn and could be re-covered, I throw a blanket over it. Because the van started its life as a work van, the interior lacks some of the snap in plastic trim pieces.
The super comfortable front seats are BMW 8 way electric Sport Seats upgraded to Captain's chairs using BMW adjustable armrests. The driver's side leather is showing some wear, but the foam is as firm as ever and they work smoothly. The passenger's side swivels to the rear to form a cozy camping habitat.
Buy this very capable van for a fraction of the price of a syncro or sportsmobile...save your money for time off and gas!
My typing skills are not good. Include your phone number in your response and I'll call you back. Sorry for mis-rotated and duplicate photos, I'm having trouble getting my apple products to upload. More pics by text or direct email only...
Thanks for looking,
Dieter
Kite2LB@aol.com
Sent from my iPad
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