Diesel Volkswagen Vanagon

ghettomobile · Post by **ghettomobile** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 1:40 am

Check this out.

<a href='http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 04465&rd=1' target='_blank'>1982 Volkswagen Vanagon diesel on ebay</a>

The only thing I'm not sure of is the miles on the odometer. it says 953,350. i have heard of vehicles getting to point of high mileage on the original engine and transmission, but usually the body isnt in such good condition.

clbolt · Post by **clbolt** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 10:31 am

If you want to see a car with high mileage and a good looking body, check out Irv Gordon's Volvo p1800. He's refurbished his as it's been needed, bbut in over 2 million miles, the engine has only been rebuilt once.

That said, that vanagon has had a lot of spray-paint work around the edges, and they don't claim the paint is original. They're also not claiming it's the original engine, and that's basically a Rabbit engine, so if it has nearly that many miles, chances are the engine has been replaced at least a few times. As for the mileage, there's a good reason to doubt it. The odometers in german cars are notoriously inaccurate.

If they have the documentation to back up that mileage, the owner was a fool for getting rid of that van. Once it hits a million miles, it'll be worth quite a bit in endorsements, and VW would probably like it for their collection.

ghettomobile · Post by **ghettomobile** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 1:37 am

I once saw a 1985 Volvo 740 sedan in the Junkyard, and it had 499,000 on it. This girl i know has a 1988 Volvo 240gl that has about 300,000 on it, and although i could hear it about a mile away because of the clicking of the valve train, the rattling of the heat shields, and the occasional screaching and squeaking of the belt, it was still working like new. It was so noisy that this one time i got a ride with her, i thought it was a diesel. The thing that i found strange was that the stock gold paint was in showroom like condition, the windows were not chipped or scatched, and the dashboard was not faded. It must have been garaged its whole life. The only thing about it is that it is slow. Once i was with her and we were getting on the freeway, and it was very slow getting up to speed, and this was mostly because it was a 2.3 liter 4 cylinder with an automatic from the 1980s. This other time, one of my neighbors at my mom's house had a 1976 242dl for sale. At the time, I didnt have a car, and it looked like a good deal. It had 288,000 miles on it, and it had a 4 spd transmission and a 2.3 liter engine. Being $600 and still running, I wish I would have bought this car due to the fact that it wouldnt have to pass smog in California, and i could put a better (more powerful)engine, and a 5 speed transmission(for fuel economy at freeway speeds). I would also be sure that the engine and transmission I put in it are built by Volvo, to make sure it stays a volvo, and not some chevy or ford v8 powered jalopy.

this is what the car (242dl) looked like:

clbolt · Post by **clbolt** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:40 am

I had a 1987 Volvo 240DL wagon that I found on the back of a car lot in Dallas. It had about 250k miles, and still had the original paint. I bought it, installed a new clutch and crank pulley, and drove it till it had about 275k miles. I resold it to the first guy who looked for 4 times what I paid for it. Even at that mileage, it didn't use any oil, and it drove great.

I currently have a 91 240 wagon that I found abandoned in a Wal-Mart parking lot in North Carolina. I was looking for a 91-93 at the time, and this one fit the bill. I ran the license plate and called the owner, who had paid cash for the car new. He left it at Wal-Mart when he and his wife bought new cars, because he didn't like the look of a third car parked at his half-million dollar house. The Volvo had 59k miles on it when I bought it.

BTW, that picture is a 242GT. It's a 1980 if the wheels haven't been swapped.

ghettomobile · Post by **ghettomobile** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 12:23 am

It is a 1980.

clbolt · Post by **clbolt** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 12:47 am

I have a plan for my perfect Volvo wagon, and I have a friend who'd do the body work if I ever decide to go through with it. I want to combine a 1978 Volvo 262c Bertone Coupe with a 240 wagon, to build a 2 door chopped top wagon. I'd also use the round headlight grille with a flat hood, and a B230 ft turbocharged engine with a lockup automatic and a factory intercooler setup. It would be silver with a grey interior in either leather or tweed. If I ever build it, it'll never be for sale.

I could actually do the build using any Bertone coupe from 1978-81, but I really want the 78-only wheels.

It's all doable, but it'll involve butchering a solid Bertone Coupe, which would require quite a commitment. I actually know of a good 1978 donor, but I just don't have the time or the inclination to go through with it right now. One of these days...