Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2011 21:24:55 -0700
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: LVC Searching for a project
In-Reply-To: <0ab601cc2265$156d55f0$6401a8c0@PROSPERITY>
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On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 8:11 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans <
scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
> You should/could get one.....just to see how they are.
> I think you will find they are nightmarish to work on..
> and they 'like money' when miles are high ..
> 'maybe' that's at least semi-true.
>
> if
>
Since it is Friday....
Scott, it's a farkin' Toyota. You never work on Toyotas...Who cares if
it's hard to work on, if nothing ever needs work?
Really, you could just toss the thing and get another cheaper than you
could buy a WBX rebuild, without the cost of installing it in your Vanagon.
I agree though about Vanagons being really easy to work on. But 'dollars
per mile' or 'hours of maintenance per mile' for a 4wd van? I don't think
the Syncro would rate too well there, especially given that a decent one
seems to be somewhere North of $8k just to get started .
Besides, there is some similarity between the VW van's evolution and the
Toyota vans...Remember those tiny little 4x4 vans from the late 80s from
Toyota that later changed to the Previa?. Those were like Bay
windows...Then came the small underpowered 4 banger Previa (sort of like a
waterboxer was a development of the Bay, the Previa from that small original
Toy)
They did that Previa for a few years and then supercharged em...I wish VW
had gone that route with the Vanagon. An inline four, supercharged... Then
they stopped the Previa and came out with the 6 cylinder....Sienna or
something...Kinda like VW quit the Vanagon and started up the Eurovan,
because everyone wanted MORE POWER...But both of the end vehicles from VW
and Toyota ended up just generic minivans...Someone left out the cool quirks
and weirdness or replaced it with "Airliner charm"
"Easy to work on"...Vanagons got that, for sure. And I wouldn't trade
mine for a Previa...I want the Previa in addition to the Van...Just have to
off a few of my other motor toys and my spare F-250 diesel that hasn't
moved much since 2009.
.But I would, if say I had to whip down I-5 from Portland to San Diego and
back for some reason, in the winter.... I would like taking a nice quiet
smooth all wheel drive that can cruise comfortably at 85 all day and not
have to stop to chain up in Ashland or Yreka and that I didn't have to bring
along 3 milk crates of spare parts, 'just in case'. A vehicle that I could
pass the semis without a preemptive steering correction as I approached the
truck's cab. One that wouldn't draw the EYE of the CHP because nobody
notices a minivan....everyone sees Vanagons.. You could roll out a sleeping
bag and pad on any residential street and nobody would ever even glance
inside a Previa.
I don't think I would choose a Syncro for an extended freeway
blitz...unless it was really tricked out with de-couplers, Subie motor
transplants, big aftermarket suspension mods and on and on into the low
$20s or $30s...thousand that is. We'd also be talking >$500+ one way for
gas in a rig like that.
Fun to think about..It would be a good 'project' like the OP was wanting.
D. Hanson
