Date:         Fri, 06 Oct 95 00:17:26 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Steve Hoge <steveh@pauli.emu.com>
Subject:      Syncronicity Achieved! (LONG)

Well, I took the plunge last weekend: paid $8300 cash for a 1989 GL
Syncro with 91K miles.  One owner, electric everything, working
diff lock, maintained at the dealer on an extended warranty, good
cosmetics (for a 6 year old car) and pretty dry underneath - a
little oil film but no coolant or residue on the heads (new
gaskets, coolant pump and resevoir at 60K.)  On the strength of all
the *good* signs, (and because there were 3 more potential buyers
lined up) I talked the PO down $700 and bought it on the spot
without having my local mechanics check it (it was located out of
town) and in spite of a few *ominous* signs: 

* Rough idle, claimed as from day one by PO (exactly like the '87 I
test-drove a couple of weeks ago)
* Old cracked CV boots in the rear (4 fronts already replaced)
* Major tranny/clutch work done (and a follow-up fix to the fix) at
around 70K
* Gunk looking suspiciously like aluminum powder in the reservoir
(the infamous ALUMASEAL??)

After driving around the Bay Area for a day a few more gotchas
appeared:

* Subtle fuh-fuh-fuh sound during high-speed cornering in both
directions (how to tell front CV's from rear, inside from out?)
* Not-too-subtle metallic clatter from the rear especially
noticeable during engine deceleration and intermittently at idle
when hot (tight valve? loose tin?)
* No cooling from A/C (not a big issue here in Santa Cruz)
* Cruise control also a NOP (another yawner)

Of course I've got a million questions to ask the group but I'll
try and dribble them out slowly over time so you all don't get sick
of my whining.  The guys here at the Volks Cafe will get paid to
answer the obvious questions, so maybe I can reserve the stumpers
for the group. (One I gotta ask now: is there a consensus that this
ALUMASEAL stuff is bad, and if so, is there any way to flush the
extra gunk back out of a micro-clogged radiator?)

Mostly I want to thank all those (Joel, David, Drew, John, Tim,
Kevin) whose unanimously negative reaction to my previous Syncro
test drive report (Re: My Syncro Obsession Sated?) combined with a
thumbs-down from the Volks Cafe (everybody who said "new head
gasket" gets a gold star) caused me to pass on that one; if I'd
gone for it I wouldn't have come across this beauty (Titian Red!),
2 years newer and $2000 cheaper. If I get the go-ahead from the
Volks guys maybe I'll see some of you down in Panamint Springs in
November...4-wheelin' - whoopee!


Steve Hoge
'77 Loaf      (Da Rust Bucket, FS!)
'89 GL Syncro (Da Stud Bucket!)