Date:         Mon, 22 Jul 1996 17:19:55 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         natasha!kombi@adobe.mv.us.adobe.com
Subject:      Re: the cool lingo.......help!

Meam people out there -- shame on you guys.  You were new once, too.

There have about 8 serious variations on VW busses over the years,
not counting all the model differences.  A loaf (breadloaf) is a
1969 through 1979 bus, with the curved windshield and basic body
style.  The splitties had split front windows, as built from the 
beginning of time through 1968.  They call the Vanagons "bricks". 
The EuroVan (EV) is called "EV".

8 variations?  The way I count is:

Barndoor Splits
Early Splits (little rear window and lid, mostly split tranny)
Late splits
Loaf with type II engine
Loaf with type IV engine
Vanagon with type IV engine
Vanagon with Watercooled (more like a type II engine)
EuroVan

Mechanically, the early loafs were more like the late splits -- the type IV
engine is really different.  The early Vanagons are mechanically quite like
the late loafs.  The Waterboxer Vanagon's engine is much more like the
original type II engine than like a wet type IV.  

Most people just go by appearance, and get four variants.  There is alot of
continuity for the first 40 years, but the EV is really different.  It's
a van, built by VW, and still called a "Transporter", but I don't know of
any mechanical or body similarities.  This list is supposed to be for the
watercooled Vanagons, but most of us have lots of VW's of all vintages.
I was at somebody's house the other day that has a 1950 Beetle AND a 1991
four-wheel-drive (syncro) Vanagon.  I have four Vanagon variants, two
air-cooled, two water-cooled, and used to have an early split (not barndoor,
but still 36hp engine and split-case transmission).

I know nothing about the EV.  Though about buying one, but...
I've owned most of the others (no barndoor) and I think the 1986 through
1991 Vanagons are the best of breed.  The fanciest ones are Westfalia
camper conversions, and the Syncro is cool.  Thus the "best" VW van is
generally considered to be a 1991 Westfalia Syncro.

Of course I think the best ones are the truck variants.  So a late model
Doublecab pickup Syncro Transporter is the most valuable...

malcolm