Allen Wrote: I've suddenly been stricken with the idea of trying to find a VW Eurovan in good shape. I really like the seating configuration and interior space layout.
Anyone have any experience with them? I had a Jetta years ago and was quite satisfied with it. How is the VR6 engine, longevity-wise? I know the old wasserboxer in the Vanagon was pretty high maintenance. I don't own one, but spent a week in one once. They're a pleasure to drive, handle quite well considering, have very comfortable seats all around, and lots of space. The VR6 is supposed to be a good mill, and has plenty of power, but is thirsty: a friend of mine with a passat wagon gets 17 or so in town, and she's a mom with small kids who drives conservatively. VWs in general have horrible reliability ratings in recent years, and my friends with new ones have all been affected. Electrical, mainly, but pretty much everything else, too. I know folks who've had vanagons forever that eventually went to Eurovans and were mightily disappointed on the reliability front. I wouldn't buy one. Check consumer reports. I have two vanagons, one with a eurospec turbodiesel, one with a Jetta gas engine. THey're both westfalias, and I love 'em. There's nothing like 'em, and the conversions--both very satisfying--get around the Wasserboxer problem. Were I to want a 7-passenger van and didn't want to go to a lot of trouble, I'd probably get a stock Toyota Previa with a stick shift-- they're mid-engined, handle very well, have legendary Toyota quality, get decent milage and power out of their 2.5 liter 4, and have very flexible interiors. If you're willing to get an automatic, you can get a turbo version of the same engine for a bit more power. Were I interested in going to some trouble, I'd get a late-model vanagon (they were made until '90) and have Hans at vanaru.com install a subaru engine in it. Any subie motor will fit, Hans does a great job, and the result is a very reliable, quiet vanagon, with anything from plenty of power to a rediculous amount of power, as even the sixes and the SVX tiresmoker will fit back there. Or, you can get thewestfaliaman.com to install a VW TDI motor in one--another good option if you wanted to stay diesel. Either conversion will run you about 8 grand, I think (don't quote me), plus the cost of the vehicle. Vanagons aside from their wasserboxer engines are great vehicles--50/50 weight distribution, so they handle great, 1-ton capacity chassis, so you can really fill 'em up, and since most of the weight is still between the wheels, they stay level and ride and handle even BETTER, and they have much more room than other minivans. They're in a class by themselves in that regard. They also crash test pretty well, in spite of appearances--they've got very beefy front ends designed specifically for that. Engine over the drive wheels gives them decent traction, and they're very good on rough roads or for limited off-road use. I love driving mine, and am regularly gone for 5k miles at a shot for work, living and working out of the van the whole time. If I had a choice between getting rid of my westy or my SD, the SD would be gone in a heartbeat, much as I love it. Dan _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
