1989 Volkswagen Vanagon GL -Wolfsburg Edition from North America - Comments

Kept having to add coolant 4 years ago-head surfaces became corroded from coolant seepage. Heads were "shaved",head gaskets replaced to the tune of $900.

One of the front wheel bearings went bad 3 years ago-silently- hub assembly (aka spindle) totally destroyed. This repair costed $700.

Transmission went bad 2 years ago-$1200 to re-build.

Hatch struts lost their hold and replaced to the tune of $80 (soon after I bought it)

Auxiliary rear heater core nipples developed cracks 2 years ago-costed $150 to replace.

Driver side elecric window motor and up/down switch on the fritz 4 years ago-replaced to the tune of $200.

This van was purchased new by the guy I bought it from> VW (at the time) was offering an extended 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. He bought it and rightfully so-I was shown a thick file of work orders the dealer had to absorb as the warranty covered all the repairs. Last item replaced before I bought the van-engine.

Actually, the engine only had 59000 miles, the rest of the van 159000 miles.

So really the van has 264000 miles on it now.

This van has more room than any van in its class before or after 1989 (except its successor, the Eurovan).The rear facing jump seats right behind the driver and passenger seats are of the quick release type-very handy when cargo is to be hauled.

It is set up as a day camper and the rear seats fold down and so the combo rear cargo / folded seats provide a bed that sleeps two. A pop up table with overhead fluorescent light rounds out the package.

The quality of upholstery is excellent (Westfalia made it, same company that makes the camper version),given the brutal punishment inflicted upon it by 4 spirited little boys.

The whole van is very comfortable and rides smooth (our particular van sits lower due to purposeful chassis lowering by the factory).

The 2.1 opposed 4 cylinder engine has built in design flaws which VW tried to keep quiet with their dealer only secret warranty-see how many vanagon owners have had to replace headgaskets and/or heads.

I suggest all vanagon buyers consider removing this direct descendent of the old,air cooled beetle engine and replacing it with a subaru 2.1 liter engine out of the legacy model (almost an exact fit-an adapter kit is sold for just this swap) - makes for more power (the vw motor is anemic) and better gas mileage.

Sure, I'd buy another one, like a 1991 model with a subaru engine retrofit. No other van even comes close to it in the comfort and room class.

Oh yes, ours has an automatic transmission which contributes to the poor get up and go-do yourself a favor and get the 4 speed manual version (vanagons never came with 5 speed manual transmissions).

There were a few 'years' of vanagons where the heads/gaskets were just a plain and simple problem, if you brought it to a 'competent' volkswagen deal they would go through the engine, warranty the work and not 'hassle you'

The vanagon syncro did come with a 5 speed.

I think you had bad luck on this one, I'd own another 'headache' VW in a heart beat!

John.

The majority of people who've had problems with leaky heads either didn't use the right anti-freeze (phosphate free) or didn't bother to flush their systems every 50K.

I just read that the old head gasket lubricant was the problem with leaking heads. There is a new green-colored sealant that is being used, as well as NO sealant and these vehicles have not had any problems. Joe.

We have owned an '88 Wolfsburg edition Vanagon for about eight years, purchased from another retired couple who bought it new. We've owned many VWs, Porsches, Audis (2 TTs now), including transporters, Eurovans, etc. This has been our favorite camp-mobile, tho. I read somewhere that you have to be truly committed and resigned to the fact that you'll spend your life savings to have one of these (and also be slightly nutty), and that is certainly true! We get together with other Vanagon owners and compare stories about where the vans have quit running, and some of the precarious situations this has left us in. And yet... somehow we all love these things.

VW makes mostly good, reliable engines but, this wasn't one of them. You've probably heard about the head gasket problems. In two years of traveling the country (about 30,000 miles), we replaced the head gaskets twice. Then, just as the mileage turned 200,000 and right after my comment that I hope it goes another 200, the engine blew, filling the van with smoke (and terror!) Unfortunately, it was 12:30 at night, in the middle of Utah and 5 below zero.

Anyway, enough is enough and so we did a lot of research on the internet regarding new engines and decided to install a Subaru 2.1 from a '91 Subie (partly cuz son has 2 Subarus w/over 300,000 miles and no problems). We got amazingly lucky and found a brand new engine (no miles) in a raggedy car (on eBay) that a dealer wanted to get rid of cuz the owner couldn't pay for the repair. Luck still with us, we found a German car repair shop in Tucson that had done this swap before.

All told, we spent about $4,000 on this -- worth every penny. The van now has 242,000 miles and the engine 42,000. Not one problem. NONE! The engine is peppier (we don't feel like we're sliding backwards down the hills!), gets better gas mileage (between 19 and 22), and we can cruise all day at 65. We're looking into changing 4th gear for better mileage, faster top speed and less wear/tear on the engine. We now actually feel relaxed when we travel and the many times I, an adventuresome senior, travel and camp alone, I don't have to be concerned about being stranded somewhere the cell phone doesn't work.

The Vanagon has NO rust (AZ car), but we had to paint it because of faded paint (AZ car). VW makes GREAT, long-wearing seat fabric, which still looks very good. We lowered the van a bit (handles better), put Go Westy wheels on it, and a little wider tires. When we put the new engine in, it had a new AC unit (AZ car!). Someday, we'll replace the rubber around the windows (only rattles in the van). No other issues. Away we go!

- G'ma Deb in Green Valley, AZ.

Actually the 5-speed trans from the 4x4 Vanagon Syncro will fit the 2WD Vanagons. Nice upgrade.