Dollar Daze - Volkswagen Vanagons for a buck
There's always lots of junk on Craigslist, especially cars. There are also often screaming deals, but seven VW Vanagons for a buck still strikes us as an upside-down transaction. While they're quirky, delightful, and generally well made, Vanagons can also be appallingly unreliable, especially mit der Wasserboxer engine. Still, when you've spent a good part of your formative years rousting around in a beloved Vanagon named Big Blue, it's hard to not quickly consider rescuing the lot before they turn into a pile of fine German oxide.
The cruel reality of this gaggle of vehicles is that their value is mostly scrap. Seven Vanagons - some Westys, some standard, possibly an air-cooled engine or three in among the water-pumpers (that undoubtedly have their quirky head gaskets blowing bubbles into their water jackets) will require more funding than the Detroit Bailout to put right.
[Source: Craigslist]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Guneenya 10:29AM (12/20/2008)
Ha ha. I remember when they put the 1.9 diesel in this beastie.
It was faster just to get out and walk.
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Mark Sandstrom 10:17AM (12/21/2008)
If you're talking about the USA diesel Vanagon of c. 1982-1986, it was only a 1.6L not a 1.9L, and not a turbo. 48 horsepower or maybe it was 51? I recall seeing a brand new one climbing Tioga Pass in 1983, the east entrance to Yosemite NP that reaches over 10,000 ft altitude. It was going 25, maybe 30 mph max, or so it seemed. I should say, I saw it after I blew by it in my 76 horsepower '80 Scirocco. Before I passed it, all I could see was a huge black cloud of soot.
dukeisduke 10:32AM (12/20/2008)
Well, the ad says, "Parting 7 vans", so it sounds like they're being parted out. Maybe the $1 was just a figure used to list the ad.
Speaking of problems, didn't some Vanagons have problems that caused them to catch fire?
VW hasn't built a serious minivan since the T1- and T2-generation Type 2s. The Crouton, er, Routan? Give me a break.
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yournamehere6785 10:35AM (12/20/2008)
check out the Touran (sp) and Shoran (sp). they are sold in Euro-land.
also, the subaru boxer engine is a common swap for this vans.
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dukeisduke 11:04PM (12/20/2008)
I did see a Mexican Sharan in McAllen, Texas (Rio Grande Valley) last summer, and I thought it looked nice. Kinda small, though.
Here's a 2003 Sharan for sale, at eBay Mexico:
http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.mx/MLM-25445883-sharan-2003-todo-pagado-bien-cuidado-_JM
Sid 10:51AM (12/20/2008)
"generally well made, Vanagons can also be appallingly unreliable,"
Aren't 'well-made' and 'unreliable' at odds with each other? I've read this sentence a lot in regards to VW and some other German cars. "The Jetta has class leading construction however is prone to technical and mechanical issues".
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Alex Nunez 11:27AM (12/20/2008)
As a former Passat owner, I can attest to the validity of this statement. Solid construction consistently undermined by warning lights and other niggling, annoying BS. Putting the seats down in the wagon, it felt as if the hard bits were made of leftover Panzer tanks. VWs are a love/hate thing.
Sid 12:03PM (12/20/2008)
Interesting!
Brian 3:30PM (12/20/2008)
Germans have a special talent for making cars that are well made, yet unreliable.
It can be done.
Paul ALlen 12:26PM (12/20/2008)
I used to have a watercooled Vanagon camper, and loved it almost as much as my 911 (but for different reasons!). A camper in good shape can be worth $10K or more- see www.poptopheaven.com - and there is a popular conversion that replaces the expensive and underpowered VW engines with Subaru motors.
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Fletcher 11:46AM (12/20/2008)
The $1 figure in the Craigslist posting header is common shorthand for 'parting out', 'make an offer' or 'look at my ad, and find the actual (usually unreasonable) asking price after the click.' I've never posted a for-sale ad in Craigslist, but this leads me to believe you have to enter some kind of dollar amount.
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catgirlshyla 12:17PM (12/20/2008)
Oh come on, why not take a cue from the British Automotive show Wheeler Dealers with Mike Brewer and Edd China (Yes, THAT Edd China) and convert one into a camper van?
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8vjEziB8Dg
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGJ7LWbFUrw
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbUC-zqNbRc
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catgirlshyla 12:17PM (12/20/2008)
Part 4:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH0z1eEwQLo
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkXynWOUyEs
Spule4 12:53PM (12/20/2008)
The guy in MI and this guy in Nashville should get together:
http://nashville.craigslist.org/rvs/940200279.html
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Mike 3:39PM (12/20/2008)
The T3 not only had a great driving position, but the turning-radius and parking-ease of a Jetta. The wasserboxer's heads were rubbish. Indeed, many folks are replacing that motor with Subaru boxers or VW inline engines with success.
The older air-cooled engines were not unreliable, but just slow.
Synchro campers in good repair sell for quite a bit, due to where they can take you.
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Tony 3:28PM (12/20/2008)
Our family travelled in our new 1972 VW camper from Vancouver Canada down through the states to San Francisco, to New York, up to Nova Scotia and then right across Canada back to Vancouver. The trip took three months and provided us with many stories for years.
I really took a shine to a Syncro 4x4 crew cab Transporter with a tuner package available from VW. It was one of only 39 trucks brought into North America with this package.
My dream van is the one from Porsche, a Vanagon that they were using as a pursuit vehicle for prototypes. It was very slow pursuit vehicle so they removed the four and put in a Carrerra six cylinder. Car & Driver I do believe has a picture of the van airborne in the German countryside. The van was still limited to a max speed of just over 100 mph as the van would do it's best imitation of flight.
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Damion R 3:33PM (12/20/2008)
Here's 2 crash test videos of a Vanagon.
This one makes me cringe...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPpU5azjCB8
This one is more informative...
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/1857733/6094647
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Don 5:51PM (12/20/2008)
I recall my parents' V(W)an rolling backwards down a hill in North Carolina due to insufficient power.
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Billy 11:14AM (12/21/2008)
That's why the truckers call these rolling guardrails... Aircooled are the best.
I have had two and drove another as an Army MP in Germany in the early 90s... Imagine getting on the autobahn with your lights and sirens blaring. We usually just shut them off until we hit the side streets again.
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Rob 10:08AM (12/22/2008)
More specifically, the Eg33 from the mighty Subaru SVX is used for these swaps. 230hp/230ftlbs stock, add some headers and you can get over 250 easy, and they last to 300,000 miles with minimal maintenance.
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