Vanagon!
So I bought this thing along with Pepe.
I hated the damn thing when we got it. It was slow and hot as hell with no AC in the 90+ degree Sacramento Valley heat. We have done a lot of work to it since that day barely over a week ago. Now I like it a lot more.
It doesn't so much accelerate on the freeway as gain momentum. The quarter mile takes less time than 0-60. On city streets it has no trouble keeping up with traffic and is actually fairly fun to drive with good handling characteristics. The door locks were very hard to open on the van but I found the trick to open them with little trouble! Also its hard to shift into first gear but I got good at shifting with no problem. I had to shift it into first for a mechanic that was trying to smog it. It failed the EVAP test twice unfortunately. It helps that I lubricated the box... yes it's an extremely primitive 3 sided metal box that acts as a "gate" for the 4 speed shifter.
Driving on the freeway requires a bit of a Zen driving style. The van slows down on the hills and there just isn't much you can do about it. Shifting into 3rd just slows you down as the engine's torque falls off a cliff above the 3000 rpm peak. The van is involving though. You really have to work to steer the manual steering and get the rather finicky transmission to shift with ease. Freeways are an exercise in patience, planning ahead, and maintaining momentum. It's freakin enormous inside and gets looks of approval from people that like old VW's. The air cooled motor allows it to hang with the old vintage VW's but the rest of the van is relatively modern MK1 style VW which is a neat compromise. It is just new enough to have been designed with safety features and crash testing in mind. The backseat is downright scary and terribly uncomfortable. I already have plans in the works to improve it. I think we will keep this one.
I hated the damn thing when we got it. It was slow and hot as hell with no AC in the 90+ degree Sacramento Valley heat. We have done a lot of work to it since that day barely over a week ago. Now I like it a lot more.
It doesn't so much accelerate on the freeway as gain momentum. The quarter mile takes less time than 0-60. On city streets it has no trouble keeping up with traffic and is actually fairly fun to drive with good handling characteristics. The door locks were very hard to open on the van but I found the trick to open them with little trouble! Also its hard to shift into first gear but I got good at shifting with no problem. I had to shift it into first for a mechanic that was trying to smog it. It failed the EVAP test twice unfortunately. It helps that I lubricated the box... yes it's an extremely primitive 3 sided metal box that acts as a "gate" for the 4 speed shifter.
Driving on the freeway requires a bit of a Zen driving style. The van slows down on the hills and there just isn't much you can do about it. Shifting into 3rd just slows you down as the engine's torque falls off a cliff above the 3000 rpm peak. The van is involving though. You really have to work to steer the manual steering and get the rather finicky transmission to shift with ease. Freeways are an exercise in patience, planning ahead, and maintaining momentum. It's freakin enormous inside and gets looks of approval from people that like old VW's. The air cooled motor allows it to hang with the old vintage VW's but the rest of the van is relatively modern MK1 style VW which is a neat compromise. It is just new enough to have been designed with safety features and crash testing in mind. The backseat is downright scary and terribly uncomfortable. I already have plans in the works to improve it. I think we will keep this one.