FYI: you might find this little bit of garbage useful ... in trying to decipher whether the owner of a potential bed-buggy is telling you the truth about the model year of the bus. the VIN is always (well, for 1971-1991, anyway) in the lower left-hand corner of the windshielf (left-hand, from the driver's point of view). also remember that 'Average' mileage is now at 15,000 miles per year. so then 1971 - 23 model years - 345,000 miles 1981 - 13 model years - 195,000 miles 1972 - 22 model years - 330,000 miles 1982 - 12 model years - 180,000 miles 1973 - 21 model years - 315,000 miles 1983 - 11 model years - 165,000 miles 1974 - 20 model years - 300,000 miles 1984 - 10 model years - 150,000 miles 1975 - 19 model years - 285,000 miles 1985 - 9 model years - 135,000 miles 1976 - 18 model years - 270,000 miles 1986 - 8 model years - 120,000 miles 1977 - 17 model years - 255,000 miles 1987 - 7 model years - 105,000 miles 1978 - 16 model years - 240,000 miles 1988 - 6 model years - 90,000 miles 1979 - 15 model years - 225,000 miles 1989 - 5 model years - 75,000 miles 1980 - 14 model years - 210,000 miles 1990 - 4 model years - 60,000 miles 1991 - 3 model years - 45,000 miles NOTE: this is all 'average' speculation. my 88 vanagon has 72,000 miles on it, so i'm below 'average'. just use as a 'rule of thumb'. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- volkswagen buses and vanagons: an bunch of opinions. Buses and Vanagons in general: * the air-cooled buses and vanagons, by nature of their engine, are rather loud when running down the highway. this can be helped in a few ways, one of which is to put a thick foam mattress over the engine area (like the 1985-1991 water-cooled vanagons). another way is to spend about $100 and a couple of days putting sound proofing material and sound deadening material around inside the bus (on the big flat metal panels inside the doors, sliding door, and walls of the bus). it really will make quite a bit of difference in the 'road noise'. because of the basically square shape of all the buses, the wind noise can be rather high with the windows down. adjustment of the little triangular vent windows can help a little, but it will still be a lot noisier than a 'regular' car. * all vw buses (up to but NOT including the Eurovan) have the front seats atop the front wheel wells. this makes for a very different manner of going around corners: you go a little bit PAST where you think you ought to turn, then turn the steering wheel. otherwise, the rear wheels of the bus/vanagon will clip the corner/curb. this seating layout also causes some thrills the first time the driver slams on the brakes pretty hard: the front end drops/dips pretty severely. it's no more than the front end of a 'regular' car, but you just happen to be sitting in a place that makes it very very noticeable. :) * all vw buses and vanagons have the engine in the rear, and the driver is at the very front of the vehicle. this puts the driver's feet very close behind the front bumper. i.e., no 'crush' distance to speak of. unsafe? well, it would seem so, but it doesn't seem to turn out that way. the buses/vanagons have a massive frame that runs all the way up to the bumpers (so there is lots of strength there) and the excellent visibility from the driver's seat seems to allow the driver to avoid most accidents, rather than plowing through them. but it IS different, and the driver has to learn to use this to his (or her) advantage. ------------- Buses ------------ 1968-1969 same rear end as 1967 body. beetle engine, swing axles. drum braks on all wheels ... makes stopping not quite as nice as could be. big single piece windshield. vent 'wing' windows for ventilation. 1971 dual-port heads (better breathing for engine). DISC BRAKES. great. fantastic. much much better stopping. 'power' assisted 1972-1974 changed to porsche 914 (Type 4) engine. more expensive for parts, but much more durable (if built right) and powerful. engine for 72-79 also has standard oil filter for cleaner oil dual carbs: a pain to work on. the 72 has NO engine access hatch. 73-74 have a removeable hatch over the carbs for easier access. bigger brakes on the 73-> later. much bigger taillights from 72-79. 1975-1977 slightly larger engine. fuel injection. redesigned steering column. wiper switch on the column. better than the 72-74. 1978-1979 best of the bread-loafs: hydraulic valve lifters (no more valve adjustments!). worst of the colors offered!! really bad dark-brown/light-brown. sliding side windows are nice. bread-loaf bus advantages: parts are generally cheaper. many more of these were sold in the u.s. (than vanagons). 78-79 don't need valve adjustments. 71-79 have better braking. 73-79 have even bigger disc brakes. disc brakes are very easy to work on (changing pads and such). rear wheels are drum brakes on all years. 71-79 have all the same wheels (i.e., are interchangeable from year to year) actually, 1971-1991 have the same wheels. good fuel economy on trips. 68-71 engines are very easy to remove: remove bumper and sheet metal, and there it sits, ready to be pulled backward out of the bus (of course, you have to disconnect other things). bread-loaf bus DISadvantages: parts are harder to find. cause the buses are older. the dealers are not stocking very much for them anyway. sensitive to cross-winds and passing big trucks. seats are uncomfortable after about two hours (which is sort of a mixed blessing: kinda makes you take breaks on long trips). camper version is much heavier, puts strain on engine. battery is in rear right corner, in engine compartment. tends to boil over in summer, rusting out metal below. water level needs to be checked weekly in summer. Best of the 1968-1979? 1971 - beetle engine (cheap parts, easy removal), disc brakes 1978-1979 best of the Type 4 engines, better brakes, more power. ------------- Vanagons ------------ 1980-1983 Brand New Body. square. resembles huge Rabbit (with no nose). more aerodynamic that older buses, less sensitive to wind. much better seats. much better brakes (needed cause the bus is heavier). same engine and transmission as the 1978-1979 buses. much bigger windshield and windows. HUGE rear hatch (makes loading stuff much easier). spare tire under front (out of way ... doesn't take up storage room inside). rear hatch window wiper available as option. HUGE engine access hatch: exposes entire engine compartment. you can't ask for better engine access. hatch is kinda heavy, though. 1981-1983 Diesels. same body as before, but with radiator up front and coolant hoses running the length of the body and a tiny littl Rabbit diesel engine in the back. slow as a turtle, but it gets 28 mpg on the highway! and any fool dealer (who can work on rabbits) can work on it. just keeps going and going and going ... 1983.5-85 new engine: water-cooled 4-cylinder 1900cc. basically same engine as air-cooled but with water-cooled heads. no need for cooling fins, so engine is shorter. new transmission. the cv-joints supposedly will last longer cause they are at a 'better' angle to the transmission. the bus now has a radiato just above the front bumper and great big coolant pipes running from the radiator to the engine. and a water pump! all those things vw used to tell us that we didn't need. pretty much the same as 80-83 bodywise. colors are different. 1984 gets a much lighter engine access hatch! 1985 got a better sliding door and a 'weekender' package: a rear seat that folds down into a queen-sized bed. 1986-1991 another new engine. actually the same one, but bumped up to 2100cc. engine plumbing is straightened out for easier workin on the engine. square headlights. totally new air conditioner housing and ducts ... all the machinery is in the rear (means shorter hoses, better cooling). arm-rests on front seats. 1988-1991 get plastic bumpers. 1989 gets blacked out window trim. these years are pretty much all the same. 88-91 have lowered suspension (30mm) like previous Wolfsburg Editions. the Syncro: a four-wheel drive version. uses a viscous coupled front-wheel drive: if a rear wheel slips, the front wheels start pulling. means 8 cv-joints instead of only 4. lower fuel economy. bigger gas tank (in the rear, like the older buses). little bit higher ground clearance. different wheels. transmission parts are very expensive. vanagon advantages: 80-91 all have hydraulic valve lifters. 81-83 diesels get great fuel economy. fairly easy to get parts (anybody that can work on diesel rabbits can work on this.). 86-91 automatic transmission is not so bad. all years have much more comfortable seating. weekender package (fold-down bed rear seat) is really neat and useful. visibility is fantastic. seems much more roomy inside as well. still only 15 feet long ... about a foot longer than a Rabbit! 85-91 sliding door opens/closes easier. NOT nearly as sensitive to cross-winds and passing big trucks. much better handling (independent rear suspension). electric heated outside mirrors available from 86-91 (really great!!) power windows available 86-91 (also great if you can find them. GL models from 90-91 had them as standard). i list these as an 'advantage' because of the ease of ventilating the car from the driver's seat (as opposed to reaching over and rolling up/down the passengers window). power door locks available (86-91). power steering pretty much standard equipment after 1985. engine access hatch is great! 1980-1983.5 should swap for a 1984-1991 engine hatch (much lighter). 1986-1991 engines have plenty of power (as compared to other vw buses) and can cruise along at 70 mph with no trouble. hills are not a problem and you don't have to downshift except on really steep ones. LOTS of heat in the winter. extra little heater under the rear seat helps, too. 1986-1991 air conditioner really works. if it is kept in good shape. spare tire being under the front of the car really helps make more storage. battery is under passenger seat. helps in weight distribution. also keeps terminals clean and battery doesn't boil over in summer. vanagon disadvantages: parts are hard to find. cause they didn't sell too many. dealers are not stocking very much for them because of the new vw models and the eurovan. many dealers don't know how to work on them. water-cooled engine parts are expensive (see above). vanagon parts in general are expensive (see above). 1981-1983 diesels have pitiful acceleration. even the old split-window buses can outrun them. but diesels cruise nicely ... except for hill 1983.5-1991 water cooled engines are almost completely unknown to the dealers. they have nobody who knows how to work on them. independent mechanics don't want to touch it. water-cooled engines have aluminum heads: ONLY phosphate free coolant should be used. otherwise the phosphates (in Prestone or Zerex) can 'aggrevate' any corrosion and damage the heads and the head gaskets. so the coolant in the little plastic tank should be BLUE, not green. water-cooled engines seem to have all had water-pump problems. vw supposedly got a really bad batch. some people have reported this being cured (by a proper fix). others have have 4 or 5 water pumps. Large windows are great for visibility, but they tend to make the bus into a greenhouse: it gets rather hot in the parking lots. window tint is a must. painting the roof white should help. a completely white vanagon is much cooler inside that a blue or brown one. Tires are a bit hard to get. because of the weight, you need to get reinforced sidewall tires. cost more. light truck tires have been used by some owners with good success (be sure to get the proper weight load range. gross vehicle weight is over 5000 lbs). the front windshield wipers are 18", but the rear hatch wiper is 16"!! so you have to buy two different sizes of wiper blades/arms. the spare tire being under the front of the car means you WILL get dirty changing a flat. especially in the rain and mud. but how many flats have you have in the last ten years? heater and fresh air controls are really kinda stupid. it takes a while to get used to them. 1986-1991 brake pads are terribly expensive. vanagon quirks (neither advantage nor disadvantage): all years have the oil filter spout behind the rear license plate. this can confuse the gas station cretins, who might try to put gasoline into the oil. not a good idea! all years have the brake fluid reservoir in the back of the instrument console (where the speedometer and clock are). some folks like this, and others don't. all years have the battery under the passenger seat. tends to make jump-starting a little different. Best of the Vanagons? 1980-1983 - air-cooled engine. 1981-1983 - Diesel engine. best fuel economy. 1986-1991 - best of the water-cooled engines, power mirrors, power windows, fold-down rear seat, better a/c. ------------- Eurovans ------------ 1993-???? Brand New Body. Definite 'nose' on a more rounded body. Front wheel drive. Five-cylinder Audi gasoline engine. much larger rear hatch (all the way down to the bumper), easy to lift and close. sliding door is easier to open/close. spare tire is under the rear of the car now. dual air conditioners (front is in dash vents, rear is overhead in roof paneling). eurovan advantages: engine is older, proven component, generally averaging 150,000 miles before needing serious maintenance. engine has plenty of power (as compared to other vw buses) and can cruise along at 70 mph with no trouble. hills are not a problem. hydraulic valve lifters. NOT nearly as sensitive to cross-winds and passing big trucks. good handling (independent rear suspension). LOTS of heat in the winter. MV package (fold-down bed rear seat, easily removable rear facing middle seats, table, and flourescent light) is a nice compromise between the base van and the weekender/camper package (which has a pop-up top). Weekender package (fold-down bed rear seat, pop-up top, second battery under driver's seat , DC powered refrigerator , screens on the middle sliding windows, snap-on screen for rear hatch , curtains for all windows) is available from factory. sliding door opens/closes easier. electric heated outside mirrors available (really great!!) power windows available as standard on upscale models. i list these asan 'advantage' because of the ease of ventilating the car from the driver's seat (as opposed to reaching over and rolling up/down the passengers window). power door locks available on upscale models. power steering standard equipment. still only 15 feet long ... about a foot longer than a Rabbit! larger flat floor area than any previous vw bus. eurovan disadvantages: water-cooled engines have aluminum heads: ONLY phosphate free coolant should be used. otherwise the phosphates (in Prestone or Zerex) can 'aggrevate' any corrosion and damage the heads and the head gaskets. so the coolant in the little plastic tank should be BLUE, not green. this is the same for all water-cooled volkswagens. Large windows are great for visibility, but they tend to make the bus into a greenhouse: it gets rather hot in the parking lots. window tint is a must. On Weekender package, there is NO rear seat air conditioner, but the dash mounted a/c seems to do an adequate job. the spare tire being under the rear of the car means you WILL get dirty changing a flat. especially in the rain and mud. but how many flats have you have in the last ten years? bumpers are fibreglas 'covers', not as forgiving to parking lot dings as steel or even plastic ones. eurovan quirks (neither advantage nor disadvantage): air filter is a bit oddly placed and seems difficult (at first glance) to remove. it isn't. Best of the Eurovans? ......................... end .........................................