Missing Trixie my old Eurovan 5cyl, ?? about engine stop, seats

[bksi]

Warning long winded post with a couple of questions from a newbie...

A long time ago I owned a white Eurovan, probably year '91. 5cyl, rear facing back seats, little table, automatic, with automatic windows/locks. Trixie was the third VW van/bus after Babycakes the Vanagon and Betsy the Bus.

I bought her in San Jose around 1995, moved circuitously to San Diego around 2004. While in San Diego, Trixie had a recurring and worsening problem. While driving, whether warm or cool, A/C or not, regardless of the weather, she would stop. Not stall but engine would just shut off. I took her into every available VW mechanic and then some trying to discover the why with lots of theories and replaced parts, tubes, wires, plugs, housings, etc. Things came to a head when driving the 405, middle lane, at about 70mph and she quit. There was slowing traffic and I managed to brake to a stop and restart without mishap. Terrifying moment when the power steering locks, engine is dead, and you're still going fast with lots of cars going fast too.

I sold her and wished I'd just kept her and bought a second car. Oh well.

Over the years I've made forays into buying another Eurovan but when I've managed to find a non-camper with rear facing seats that is newer and 6cyl, I can't pull the driver's seat forward enough! I'm short and don't feel comfortable stretching to reach the gas/brake.

My questions are first, what the hell was wrong with Trixie and the engine stopping? Why couldn't numerous, competent mechanics figure this out?

Second, what year did VW shorten the seat track? Is this tied to a model or general "No one could be that short!" attitude? BTW I'm 5' 1.5"

Third, how do I make sure I don't buy a Eurovan with the same engine stopping issue? BTW did they even make Eurovans with standard transmission?

Fourth, should I just buy a Vanagon? I loved my Vanagon more than the Eurovan but really for someone that doesn't work on cars (but is willing to put up with quirkiness) wouldn't the Eurovan be a better choice?

[Scottn59c]

I can't say what might have been going on with the engine cutting out and why mechanics couldn't figure it out, but as the owner of an '02 MV, I can attest to them being pretty maneuverable with the seating. My wife drives ours all the time, and she's perhaps 5'3" or 5'4".

I've never had problems with the power giving out at speed, and that's not something that's going to be common, however, it speaks to the need to have a good mechanic who knows these machines and is willing/able to work on them. I've said here before that in the Bay Area, mechanics seem more knowledgable about Vanagons than Eurovans. They were made for a lot longer, and there's more of a niche market for them.

There's tons of Eurovans with automatic transmissions, and plenty with 5 speeds too, depending on what you want. "Trixie" was likely a '93, as that's the first year you could get them here in the US.
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Farfignewton!

[jjvincent]

If you like working on your own vehicle, get a Vangon or make sure you find some oldtimer mechanic to wrench on it. A Eurovan is better at finding someone to work on it but they don't require nearly the amount of work. I worked on tons of Vanagons and that's the reason I never bought one. Even though I can work on them, I don't want it to be in the driveway always needing something. A friend of mine has 4 of them and a Eurovan. Guess which one actually functions 100% of the time.

Plus, the Vanagon is not a good utilization of space as compared to a Eurovan. Most importantly, a 6 cylinder Eurovan can actually keep up with the rest of the world on a highway. No goofy overpriced engine swap needed. The Vanagon market is overpriced because hobbyists buy them up and then when they are fixed, ask way too much for that they actually do.

[Joshwa]

As far as the van cutting out at speed, I've only experienced that sue to worn coils, but a I would think an experienced mechanic would have checked that. As for the seat sliding forward, the vans with coach batteries, allow you to pull the seat so far forward that it nearly hits the column.
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93 Weekender TDI conversion (AHU)
93 MV TDI conversion (1Z)
Weekender rear cot
Late model cabin air filter on 93
Euro spec bumper install on 93

[bksi]

[Joshwa]

For all years eurovan, the Weekenders have the coach battery under the drivers seat. I couldn't say about the MV or or GL. I would more think that there was a in issue with the particular van you drove than anything else though. The seat comes up pretty far forward on all the models. Some of the seat or rail fasteners sometimes come loose and keep you from being able to move the seat forward to a certain point. This happened to me and I couldn't access the coach battery. I ended up having to pull the seat off to tighten a couple of bolts.
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93 Weekender TDI conversion (AHU)
93 MV TDI conversion (1Z)
Weekender rear cot
Late model cabin air filter on 93
Euro spec bumper install on 93