Date:         Mon, 4 Sep 2006 13:15:54 -0700
Reply-To:     Zeitgeist <gruengeist@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Zeitgeist <gruengeist@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Who syncro-knows it all?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Hmmm, I've got a few Syncro-related questions for the more learned in our
midst.

My wife is firmly convinced she needs to have an all wheel drive vehicle
with decent ground clearance for her alpine-related program activities.  I
remain somewhat skeptical, but it's my job to humor her and "make things
happen".  She wants something with lots of room for people and stuff, yet it
must get good fuel mileage and have the capability of running on biodiesel
(not immediately, but sometime down the line).  I've boiled it down to
two-ish options:

   - Jeep Liberty CRD [I'm not sure I want an American vehicle with an
   Italian engine]
   - Vanagon Syncro (to be converted to turbo 1.6/1.9l/TDI) or DoKa
   Syncro with the same engine combo.

So, how much can we expect to pay for either a Syncro Vanagon or DoKa?
[There doesn't seem to be a lot of info or vehicles for sale out there, so
that I can gauge prices right now]

Is it technically feasible to convert my Wolfsburg Edition 2WD over to
Syncro, assuming I have a complete donor vehicle for swapping?  I really
like the WE model I currently have, and haven't seen too many Syncros with
all the options contained therein, so I'd prefer to just convert my present
rig over to first, Syncro, then diesel.  Keep in mind that I'm fairly
mechanically inclined, with lots of tools (mig setup & oxy/ace, etc.) and
experience--e.g. years ago, I swapped a '70 balljoint frontend into my '67
splitwindow.

Has anyone done this?

TIA

--
Casey
Olympia, WA
Biodiesel: "I drive in a persistent vegetative state"
'87 300TD intercooler #22 (218k)
'84 300D (216k)
Gashuffer:
'89 Vanagon Wolfsburg Edition (187K)
http://users.zhonka.net/zeitgeist/Misc/IMG_0171.JPG