Date:         Wed, 24 Aug 1994 10:48:32 -0400 (EDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         RGOLEN@umassd.edu
Subject:      Re: Florida lemons


Don't knock'em 'till you've tried em...EuroVans that is...Oh shit...
Here we go again another potential EuroVan vs "real VW" "discussion".

Dave, if you really want to be a "purist" then VW should have stayed
"air cooled" with its vans....but instead the watercooled flat
four (IMHO) is a poor imitation of a Subaru engine. It was nothing
more than a stop-gap measure. 

You suggest putting a regular 4 mounted flat in the back as a solution..
that is no real solution...you will have to deal with a dry sump, and
all that plumbing, which I may add is a pain in the ass to deal with on
a Vanagon, to the front radiator. Why do you think the failure rate
of waterpumps on Vanagons is so high? Bad design...Nope..its the
pump having to push all that water so far forward that kills them
off.

There was no other way for VW to go with its vans...remember its
primary market for Typ2s is Germany and Europe at this point...it
designed the T4 for those markets, not the US. If you have read
any lit from Germany or Europe, you will see that it is the
safest, best constructed, and best selling van over there. They
probably sell more T4s there in a month than they did here in
one year.

One last thing...my sources for my info....no gut feelings...
no wishful thinking...for sales figures/best construction, etc..
"Auto Motor und Sport" - April 94. Safety - Gute Fahrt - April 91.

As to "gut feelings", I have owned beetles (still drive a 56),
T1 Typ 2s, Rabbits, Golfs (still drive an 86 GTI with 206k miles),
and the EuroVan, so I have a pretty good set of bench marks and
experiences to base MY opinion. The EuroVan is every bit as good,
and in many ways better than its predecessors, it is every bit
a VW as any other VW model. The EuroVan is to earlier Typ 2s
as the Rabbit/Golf is to the Beetle. Both generations are
so different...but so much the same. If you have to ask me
to explain that concept...then you don't get it, it should
be self explanitory.

Oh well...I do appologize if you think this defense of the
EuroVan borders on a flame...but we went through this once
before, and the EuroVan came out as an accepted member of the
Typ 2 family...I just feel its my duty to defend its honor!

Ric