[shanemhansen]

Westfalias are expensive because they are a bit of a fetish item. I have a 2000 converted camper van (pop top, fridge, solar panels, stove, running water) that I bought for 13k. It's still expensive, but not compared to a tempermental westfalia that's 20 years older.

[nosuchthing]

I assume it's somewhat due to the slim form factor?

There are ford/dodge van campers but they're cumbersome compared to the slimmer Volkswagen Westfalias and similar early Toyota TownAce models. Westfalias have a much larger userbase and parts aftermarket though.