[304065]

Denis,

I towed my 2300 pound 911 race car with a Trailex 750 pound trailer for a couple years using a Eurovan GLS. The MV was what I wanted, with the "club" style seating arrangement, but an inexpensive GLS came along.

I loved the van, it had 201 cubic feet of interior volume, which meant you could fit all the stuff you need for the track, toolboxes, folding chairs, etc., in the back without trouble, and I actually camped in the thing a couple times at Lime Rock before I discovered that a good night's sleep before a race can lower your lap times.

Mine had the 201 hp VR6 Motor. Got about 22 mpg single, 11 mpg towing. A couple times I had to pull the car up a 4% grade for about two miles- the van slowed down to 25 MPH during this process and the tacho went to 6000 rpm. For operation in hot-high-humid environments I would not recommend towing with any of the smaller displacement engines.

VW vans are like a cult. . . once you are in the cult it is HARD to get out. Even though I bought this van for a very good price, it had virtually zero liquidity when I went to sell it. . . I had it advertised for four months and got a single bite, discounted it to move. . . and ended up selling it to a guy who was replacing his older four-cylinder Eurovan because it had rusted out. So I was able to break free of the VW van cult but it wasn't easy. . .

The service I received at two shops in the NY Metro area was nearly unrivaled for how terrible it was. Every time I consider buying a Jetta TDI Sportwagen, I think back to what a lousy customer service experience I had with the dealer service departments, and I consider alternative brands. I am not particularly demanding of service departments and they STILL managed to alienate me. . . get yourself a good independent or do the work yourself and you'll be all set.

In summary: I enjoyed my operational experience with the van itself, although compared to alternative tow vehicles it's somewhat underpowered.