VW Vanagon and Eurovan thread:

[speeder]

I know that Vanagons have been discussed here in the past but can't remember if Eurovans have. Both of these vans have a pretty much unrivaled interior layout with the easy walk-through from the front, booth seating w/ table and fold-out bed. I'm not talking about Westies, which I know have the same layout, rather the Eurovan MV and Vanagon Wolfsburg.

I'm aware of the mechanical issues and lack of power if Vanagons, how about early (5 cylinder) Eurovans? Anyone had one? How was power and fuel mileage? How about the later ones w/ VR6? Same questions. Thanks a lot in advance.

[Jim Richards]

IIRC, John Cramer used to tow his 911 to the track using a Eurovan with the VR6.

[sprio]

I had a 93 Eurovan, bought used in 96 when I went into the antique clock business. Man, did that thing hold some cargo! It was comfortable, good ride, and I thought the 5 cylinder was relatively peppy for what it was pulling. I wish I still had that thing ....

Drove it for about 5 years, then moved, and traded it in for a Passat wagon. No mechanical problems in that time period.

[BeyGon]

Just get the Vanagon and put a Subaru in it, very good power and reliability.

[Seahawk]

What are you thinking Denis?

[ckissick]

A lot of vanagon fans, myself included, don't really like the eurovan. Eurovans are more modern, more powerful, and more comfortable. (Or so I here. I've never been in one.) But they are too much like an ordinary minivan.

Probably the biggest complaint we have about them - and I think you can appreciate this - is that the engine in a eurovan is at the wrong end of the car. The vanagon is just more of a "pure" VW.

GoWesty has this write-up, well worth reading.

Model Choice: Are You a Vanagon or Eurovan Person?* - Library Article - GoWesty Camper Products - parts supplier for VW Vanagon, Eurovan, and Bus

[CurtEgerer]

I just Googled some HP/towing info:

# 2.5-liter, five-cylinder Broad Torque engine

* Peak horsepower, 109 @ 4,500 RPM
* Peak ft./lbs. torque, 140 @ 2,200 RPM
* Towing capacity, maximum 4,400 lb. braked-trailer

# 2.8-liter, 6-cylinder VR6 engine

* Peak horsepower: 140 @ 4,500 RPM
* Peak Ft/lb. torque: 177 @ 3,200 RPM
* Towing capacity: max. 4,400 lb. braked trailer
* 4-wheel disk anti-lock braking system

I like the idea of a Eurovan as a tow vehicle, but 4400 pounds pulled with 109HP/140FT-LB seems a bit wishful to me Maybe John will check in with some real-life observations .....

[BeyGon]

Even a 2.2 Subaru would give you 135 hp, If you didn't want to do the exchange yourself there is a guy in Torrance that does a pretty good job.

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

I just Googled some HP/towing info:

# 2.5-liter, five-cylinder Broad Torque engine

* Peak horsepower, 109 @ 4,500 RPM
* Peak ft./lbs. torque, 140 @ 2,200 RPM
* Towing capacity, maximum 4,400 lb. braked-trailer

# 2.8-liter, 6-cylinder VR6 engine

* Peak horsepower: 140 @ 4,500 RPM
* Peak Ft/lb. torque: 177 @ 3,200 RPM
* Towing capacity: max. 4,400 lb. braked trailer
* 4-wheel disk anti-lock braking system

I like the idea of a Eurovan as a tow vehicle, but 4400 pounds pulled with 109HP/140FT-LB seems a bit wishful to me Maybe John will check in with some real-life observations .....

Curt, your numbers are for the early VR6. The 2001-2003 VR6 was rated 201 HP. Dunno about torque. I talked about this with John C. a few years back. It's real-life, not wishful stuff, in that he pulled his early race car with AL trailer using a late VR6 Eurovan.

[speeder]

Wasn't thinking of using to tow anything but a light trailer. I read the article on Vanagon vs. Eurovan above and it makes me lean even more towards the Eurovan. I've owned my share of old busses and campers and appreciate the "coolness" but the drivetrains are just too substandard for actual highway use. I include the waterboxer in that. I've never owned a Vanagon but I'm familiar w/ their mechanical shortcomings.

The other thing is that I am not interested in a full camper. Just the standard body w/ *weekender* layout interior. The prices at that "Go Westy" place are just fking bananas. They are on crack and anyone who buys from them is someone I'd like to meet the next time I'm selling something.

[speeder]

I'd love to hear from someone who has owned the later VR6 in terms of reliability, mpg, etc.

[RWebb]

GoWesty appears to sell to a class of people with a LOT of disposable income.

The Samba is a bbs for Vanagon owners & some Eurovans. The Vanagon is slower than molasses, tho faster than the old Buses. The Vanagon has 6.5" gnd clearance and the Syncro has 7.5" - it will go places that most camper type vehicles will not, but is expensive and requires a fair amt. of repairs/maintenance.

You can also get a Ford Van with a poptop conversion and they are large enuff to sleep in w/o that.

For a still larger vehicle, the MB based newer Dodge vans are not bad at all.

What exactly are you planning to do with this vehicle?

[nota]

you can add a turbo to a 5 banger useing stock junkyard parts from older turbo audi
use a low boost wheel to add tork to low+mid range for better drivability without over taxing
the drivetrain with a hi boost hi power setup

[speeder]

Originally Posted by RWebb

GoWesty appears to sell to a class of people with a LOT of disposable income.

The Samba is a bbs for Vanagon owners & some Eurovans. The Vanagon is slower than molasses, tho faster than the old Buses. The Vanagon has 6.5" gnd clearance and the Syncro has 7.5" - it will go places that most camper type vehicles will not, but is expensive and requires a fair amt. of repairs/maintenance.

You can also get a Ford Van with a poptop conversion and they are large enuff to sleep in w/o that.

For a still larger vehicle, the MB based newer Dodge vans are not bad at all.

What exactly are you planning to do with this vehicle?

I'm not even interested in pop-top VWs, just regular vans w/ the factory layout I described above. (Fold-down seat/bed, booth seating in the middle). Pop-tops are nice when parked but suck even worse on the road with all that extra weight and wind resistance 6+ feet off the ground. Regular vanagons have the aerodynamics of a sail.

I'm leaning completely towards a Eurovan in the future, something like this:

Volkswagen : EuroVan : eBay Motors (item 280486031557 end time Apr-08-10 09:10:46 PDT)

[RWebb]

in that case, what is the adv. of the EV over a Ford full size or a nice Honda mini-van or something?

[speeder]

Originally Posted by RWebb

in that case, what is the adv. of the EV over a Ford full size or a nice Honda mini-van or something?

Neither a Ford or a Honda compares in terms of interior layout although I suppose that a conversion van may have a similar deal. I've owned full-sized Ford (and Chevy) vans and they are good for what they're good for but they're a completely different animal. They're a PIA to drive/park in the city compared to minivans, (VWs are minivans), and the fuel mileage sucks to the point that traveling in one would be out of the question, IMO. Just not a good choice for ambling up and down the coast.

Honda makes great minivans but they are built for a different purpose than the VW. They are suburban kid-haulers, not camping vehicles. The VW has the most brilliant seating/floor layout on the planet and they've had it since the '50s in their camper vans. At some point, they started putting it in regular roof vans. (I had a 1971 Westy w/o pop-top that had it). The Vanagon Wolfsburg had it and the Eurovan MV had it. Tint the windows dark and you have the best little vehicle to live in for a week or two on the road. Park it anywhere and go to sleep when you get tired on the road, it just looks like a parked car. Have a cup of tea and check the Pelican bbs on the little coffee table/booth. It's genius. Plus it's German.

A Ford full-sized van is better for a commercial vehicle if you're hauling a lot of weight or towing. Ford has made a TDI (Powerstroke) van for years, that would be an OK choice to convert for a road machine but still not as nice as a VW, IMO.

[island911]

Let say the Vanagon is like a 912 . making the Eurovan like a 924. IMO, there is nothing too special about the Euro. they are not bad... just nothing great.

I have a syncro (aWd) Vanagon. Its the best ski vehicle, has great capacity. The upsides to the Euro are that it has less road noise, and is more aero.

[Normy]

Originally Posted by island911

Let say the Vanagon is like a 912 . making the Eurovan like a 924. IMO, there is nothing too special about the Euro. they are not bad... just nothing great.

I have a syncro (aWd) Vanagon. Its the best ski vehicle, has great capacity. The upsides to the Euro are that it has less road noise, and is more aero.

-Just don't have a front end collision! You probably need your feet~

N!

[ckissick]

Originally Posted by Normy

-Just don't have a front end collision! You probably need your feet~

N!

Here we go again. Actually, the vanagon is surprisingly well-equipped for a frontal collision. It's nothing like the old buses. In a crash test between a vanagon and an '80s Volvo station wagon, the "driver" of the vanagon was uninjured, while the "driver" of the Volvo was killed instantly.

Just read the following thread for a real-life example.

TheSamba.com :: View topic - Real Life Crash Test

[island911]

Originally Posted by Normy

.... The Volkswagens are either the hideous "waserboxer" vanagon, an underpowered joke of a car which needed both cylinder head gaskets changed at 60,000 miles. I'm not sure why the water-cooled Vanagon is not the subject of a class-action suit, considering how easily they blew their head gaskets,but that is just me and since I have a brain....I never bought one....

N

What? 180K on mine w/o issue. 240k on my friend's w/o issue. ....of course, I know a secret. ...changing coolant as specified keeps the galvanic corrosion from happening. -actually you don't have to change the coolant, but rather just add the anti-corrosive brew.