Date:         Sun, 3 Mar 1996 22:54:07 -0500 (EST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         William Alan Killian <killian@qnet.com>
Subject:      Re: I heard a 'nasty' rumor!

> >>VW's thinking of putting a different engine in the Eurovan?  The Eurovan
> >>is the new Vanagon.
> >
> >Not even close!
> 
> leave us not forget: the "Vanagon" body style is STILL being made in South
> Africa ... with an inline 5-cylinder engine, no less. so how much trouble
> would it be for them to produce a left-hand-drive version for the u.s.??
> with a wabbit engine?? surely not as much trouble as it was for the mexican
> plant to completely re-engineer the bread-loaf for a water-cooled engine.

Maybe.  But aren't the Mexi buses a cross of T1, T2 and now water cooled 
components?  Wasn't the engine area on the T1 generation (or is it a T2 
generation on these buses) larger/taller than on the T3?

The only reason the T3 is made in SA is that it is too small to justify 
the tool up costs for new body parts.  They obviously agree the flat four 
is pretty much out of date.  It could be brought back but it would 
probably be a whole new engine that shares little more than layout with 
the old engines.

> >drives the big thing. Even in Europe. But with VW's base prices about 5K
> >more than the others why would anyone buy a VW.  I can buy a caravan for
> 
> that would be the only problem i see with the SA Vanagon ... price. those
> things are pretty high-priced down there already.

It would be pricey no matter where it was made.  Costs have risen.  But 
these ain't mini-vans.  Compare them to comparably equipped full sized 
vans.  The Chevy Astro or Ford Aerostar are similar since they are more 
truck like than the others from those companies.

bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets