Not all Volkswagen Transporter camper vans go by the name of Westfalia. The German company Dehler Mobile, defunct since 1998, also offered a range of high-quality Transporter-based camper vans. One of them was the Maxivan, using a short wheelbase Volkswagen T4 as a starting point.
The fourth generation of the Transporter, with a front engine and front-wheel drive layout, was introduced in 1990. From 1992 onwards the T4 was also exported to North America, where it was called the Eurovan. The fifth generation of the Transporter was launched in 2003.
The 1991 van I caught is powered by a naturally aspirated, 2.4 liter inline-5 diesel engine with a maximum power output of 78 DIN-hp. This power unit, with Volkswagen’s engine code AAB, was built from September 1990 to September 1998.
No less than 432,060 of them were used in the T4, making it the most common engine in this Transporter generation.
Sure, the striping has faded throughout the years, but this Maxivan seems to be capable of roaming the roads for many years to come.
The peaceful happy camper stickers on the van’s right side must be of a more recent date.
The driver’s compartment is still looking good and clean too. The somewhat less peaceful window sticker is just saying there’s a security alarm system aboard. No one is getting tasered when approaching the ol’ VeeDub.
Here’s a splendid 1997 Dehler Maxivan I found on the web. For more pictures and info go to the Wohnmobil-Galerie in Germany.
Kulturschock-alert!
Dehler Mobile also converted US Ford and Dodge vans. The Broughamification turned out quite well. Gut gemacht Jungs!
VW has not offered a VW built van in the US in years. Their last attempt was a rebaged Dodge Caravan.
Interestingly, the current VW camper van, which is not available in the US, is called the California.
A moment of silence for the T4. This was ours- a late ’99 with the 2.8 VR6. If there ever was a COAL in our family garage, this was it. (check out the license plate)
For someone who uses a tent for camping, these camper vans are very tempting as I get older; especially when it rains;-}
Sadly, thanks to the housing crisis, ‘car-camping’ has become an actual permanent dwelling for many low-income people. I’ve read that it’s particularly acute in San Francisco where entire streets are filled with old campers that people call their homes.
i’m a big fan and an owner of the t4 westy. mine is a ’93, the only year it was offered in the u.s. with a 5 cylinder (gas) and manual transmission. canada did get the diesels but we were denied. i was unaware of the dehler mobile. it appears to be very high quality. there were some outfits in calfornia that also did camper conversions to these and i believe at least one is still active. there’s also a guy in colorado who does beautiful modern updates to the t4 westies:
http://www.cavevan.com/
Those folded down individual seats in the back don’t look like very comfortable beds. Or are the beds the sling cots above them? Either way, this conversion seems to have neglected the most important part of a camper van: comfy beds.
I had the same thought, except that hammock doesn’t look very comfortable either. Maybe it’s for kids, and there’s some sort of filler cushion to bridge the gap in the folded seats. Looks like a sore back in the morning either way, though.
The very long gear lever in the Ford conversion brochure is interesting. Would a big van, luxurious and for leisure, have been sold with a manual in the US?
I had an 81 econoline that had the 300 six and what the owners manual called a 3 speed with overdrive (4speed). It had been camperized by the previous owner. It had a 2 burner stove, ice box and bed in the back which I changed out to a folding bench seat so I could put the kid in a car seat but still sleep back there. I bought it for $1100 CDN and put another 110 000 kms on it. With repairs and purchase price over its life I was into it for less than $3000. One of the cheapest reliable vehicles I have ever owner. Finally the transmission went and it was not a common one with a strange side loader gear shift to make it work for the van set up. If the body had been in better shape I would have gotten it rebuilt or tried to find a good used one. So the stick shift ones on the floor were available at least in Canada. Most I have seen at the wreckers were 3 on the tree. My only complaint about the manual was the heavy clutch when you were in stop and go traffic but on the highway or in the snow it was great.
Vans of this size with a manual transmission were available but very, very, very (did I say very?) few were built.
I lurk at an Econoline Facebook site and someone had pictures of their’s the other day with the manual transmission. This person was located in the US.
Now, as to your specific question about one being modified and having a manual, that’s tough to say but it’s rather doubtful.
I found that out the hard way when the welds on my clutch pedal shaft broke. Got it welded up but it didn’t last long. Went to Ford and they did a world wide search and came up with nothing. Probably a good thing as I am sure they wanted a pretty penny. Luckily I found one at the wreckers on one that had a 3 on the tree with the same pedal.
No, not as a conversion van. The conversion company would have to have been crazy to convert a manual van and then try to sell it.
Holy s*** I have now officially experienced the heretofore unknown Reverse Curbside Classic Phenomenon.
In northern Virginia on my way to work this morning I saw an old man piloting a motorhome with the same VW chassis. It was tatty as hell but the myriad of stickers advised that fella was a fellow USAF veteran. I wondered if he had brought it from Germany which I thought at least reasonably likely since I couldn’t recall ever having seen such a rig in the US.
…and then Mr Dutch goes and posts this! 😂
Small world, ladies and gentlemen! Small indeed.
The Dehler is perhaps the ultimate vw bus conversion, as its more complete than any other. Both tv and shower was avaliable. Seems the shower unit is the same as in the Vanagon version.
The hightop nature is a much better compromise than westfalia’s either way too tall hightop, or the low poptop.
Another
T3 outside.
Thanks for the interesting write-up!
No 12 hours after I read it I ran into a Dehler conversion at my local hardware store’s parking lot. Light conditions were difficult, bit here is one pic. It is a post facelift model with the long nose and the 12 valve VR6.
Your post, and also Paul’s enthusiasm brought my attention to older VW camper vans. incidently, there is a crazy hype for those fascinating vehicles in my neighborhood – I hope I’ll get around to doing a piece on them here!
How nice you saw another one, quite the coincidence!
“Motorhoming” is a booming business here. From camper vans (such as the T6 California) to big, integral motor homes (Hymer, Dethleff). Depreciation of these vehicles is also low, they keep their value very well.
I’ll take this one.
In response to one comment here suggesting that Dehler didn’t make their conversions with manual transmissions…well they most certainly did. They were made in Germany and Europeans aren’t averse to standard transmissions.
Which is good, because the automatics were always a problem.
You want to buy a T4, you buy the gas-powered 5 speed manual. The diesels are noisy, lacking power and troublesome to repair. My gas 5 cylinder has 325k and still doesn’t use oil.
If I could find a Dehler in Canada with a standard transmission, I’d buy it. Going to Germany, where they are plentiful, is a bit much of an undertaking.