Which model Vanagon do I have?

[Jake de Villiers]

[ZsZ]

[dhaavers]

^^^ Granted.

However, my (January-built) 1986 w/2.1 WBX still has the 1985 AC system.
Not everything changed in August, it seems!
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86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[kamzcab86]

[Love My Westy]

[dillon70]

Old thread, but I found some data. I just bought a 1985 GL with the weekender package from the original owner and got the original paperwork that call out the weekender package. He paid $15,104 out the door from a National Auto Brokers, weird it wasn't a VW dealer.

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2001 ZO6 (450+hp)
1985 930 Turbo (400+hp)
1970 Z28 (360+hp)
1979 911 (235 hp)
1970 Chimney Pop Top (120 hp) SRFBUS1
1990 Vanagon (95 hp)
1985 Vanagon GL (85 hp)
1969 Tin Top 1 owner OG
Can I get any slower?
2015 CC R-Line (heavily mod'd)

[0to60in6min]

so... where and when the term Multivan came from?

as far as we have now

- 7 Passenger Van

- GL

- TinTop

- Weekender

- Westfalia or Westfalia Camper

[Terry Kay]

<<Carat did not exist until the 1989 MY and had many luxury features standard, as opposed to optional, hence it being far from a base model.>>

Yes & no.
I had an 86 Wolfsburg which had the same exact ammenities as the later model Carat--
Sat the same,( low ) had all of the optional power accessories added, drop side wall mounted table--jump seats etc.

I have seen one other, and both of them were silver--
Maybe these were an early run of the 87's--introduced in 86,t not sure ,but I haven't seen any more of them running around.
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T.K.

[OddN]

[Jake de Villiers]

[OddN]

I am still a little confused about these North American Multivan models.

More specific about the difference between a Carat and a Vanagon Multivan, especially when it comes to seat fabric.

Am I correct in the following assumptions conserning Carat and Multivan:

Both had the table and two rear facing detachable jump seats.

All Carats were tin tops

All Carats had grey single colored seats with grey piping

No Carat had rear cupboard nor overhead locker


All Vanagon Multivans were pop tops

All Vanagon Multivans had rear cupboard and overhead locker/AC unit

All Vanagon Multivan had grey seats with black dots and black piping (Gitterpunkt velour in german)


Carat interior:

Multivan interior:

Pics borrowed from the classified section.
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1991 VW Multivan syncro 1,9 TD

[OddN]

And some other questions:

Does all the Carats have the "later style" rear seat. The one With metal frame, Wooden front and release handle on the back?

And likewise, does all the Multivan rear seats have the "earlier" style, with plastic panel front, and release knob also in front.

I have read that it is not possible to fit a Multivan rear cabinet behind the Carat style rear seat without modification. Is That correct?

Dont know if the terms later and earlier style is correct for these vans, but they are for European Multivans at least.
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1991 VW Multivan syncro 1,9 TD

[Big Bill]

We had an 85 Vanagon"Weekender" according to the dealer we purchased it from. It was really a passenger van, but the rear seat folded down had a thick mat over the engine compartment that matched the folded seat to make a bed. No table, cabinets or anything of that nature. Also had a full metal sunroof, and no Weekender type of decals/logos. Wouldnt mind having it back

[Terry Kay]

The folding down rear seat was an option, which then folks have now for some odd reason updated automaticly to a weekender--not so.
It's just a GL with an optional fold down rear seat.

A "Weekender" has always been a pop top Vanagon with no ammenities.
No stove , sink, camper equipment--but did have an optional removeable Dometic cooler / ice box available that could be mounted behind the seat & on the floor.

The Westfalia has it all---but in the earlier model could have had a Wolfsburg Edition badge on the sides of the front cowel panel--after maybe 86 that wasn't usually found, unless somebody who own it , did thier own update by sticking a badges on the Van--not from the factory.

The Carat was and is identical to the Wolfsburg which was available from 86, to 87, and then in 88 it became the Carat--both hardtops, both with the shorter springs, rear facing jump seats, folding side table , etc.

And possibly there was deviations of all of this in Europe for the benifit of the poster in Norway--
VW did what they wanted to do in model idetification, nothing is etched in stone--
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T.K.

[crazyvwvanman]

The origin of the term "weekender" was from VW, applied to only hardtops as below.

Mark

[Jake de Villiers]

[Terry Kay]

I have an 88 VW issue sales VHS tape, and the word "weekender" doesn't even get mentioned.

GL, Carat, Westfalia is it--

Talk about misguiding info all over the place.
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T.K.

[PDXWesty]

Straight from the Samba 1990 archives: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/1990_vanagon.php

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89 Westy 2.1 Auto

[OddN]

Thank a lot Jake. Ive always found it interesting to try to figure out the different models, and why and when VW did the different changes.

My Caravelle Coach has the grey "Gitterpunkt velour" like in a Vanagon Multivan, only with a dealer installed rear seat, like this:

I have always fancied the Multivan/Carat interior, having it in my syncro, and I guess I must try to track down the rear seat of a Vanagon Multivan now in order to get matching seats. Not an easy task Im afraid.
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1991 VW Multivan syncro 1,9 TD

[TKentT]