Vanagon vs. Eurovan Reliability

[aguabonita]

Hey all,
I'm writing for a friend. Not trying to start a flame war or schism here.

He is interested in buying a camper van and is scared off by the "reliability issues" of a Vanagon. It doesn't seem to me that Eurovans are any more reliable than Vanagons but my theory is based on anecdotal info that I have gleemed off the information superhwy.

What do you all think? I know that a LOT of it depends on the year, maintenance record, etc. I also know that most of you/us are Vanagon owners so let's try to be objective. Let's also assume a comparable sales price and go from there.

Cheers,
Kevin
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'87 Westfalia, GW 2.2, and some other goodies
'90 Volvo 245

[the caveman]

50 cents of one and 1/2 dollar of another. With vanagons you are going to get more high milage and wear issues and eurovans can sometimes a pain to work on. Lots of parts are still available for vanagons but some stuff is drying up but there sure a lot people who know how to work on them and used parts seem to be still plentyful. Eurovan parts are still all out there including lots of aftermarket. a eurovan is a little better drive wise without having to any mods such as taller wheels ,more usable power etc. eurovans are a little bigger inside i believe and of course modern.
If your pal can wrench himself then a vanagon might be okay but if not and you don't have a good garage who know those trucks then maybe something a little newer might be better. Vanagons are pretty easy to work and if there is front end work to do on the eurovan like i said it can be a real pain. If you do look at a eurovan make sure the coolant pipes to the rear heater are perfect.
Better to get a perfect vanagon than a fair eurovan. cooler also!

[foodeater]

Ive heard that the auto on the EV's is a weak point, sort of like the head gaskets for the Vanagons. So I guess pay attention to the trans. for slipping, jerky shifts and such if looking at an auto EV.

I would post this same question over on VWVortex them seem to have more EV content.
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89 Bluestar-2.5 Subaru Powered-RIP
'84 Westy Tiico-daily driver-sold
'82 Caddy diesel-sold
'87 Vanagon Syncro-RIP
'81 diesel rabbit-sold
'82 Vanagon auto-RIP

[ChesterKV]

Dude,

One mechanic I know that spends all day working on all types of VWs told me once, "Don't ever buy an early 90s Eurovan".

That was it and he didn't elaborate.

Can I add anything to his statement?..... nope



Good luck,

Chester
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1984 Wolfsburg 7-passenger stock sunroof
1992 Subaru Legacy EJ22 boxer motor installed.... van is now sold.... currently playing with a 1987 Toyota MR2 with 1.6 liter twin-cam motor. Better than the Subaru boxers....... I'm impressed. Well, okay, in an "apples and oranges" kind of way.

[msinabottle]

I don't speak from recent experience, but I don't THINK an Eurovan is larger inside than a Vanagon. A Vanagon is, for its size, one of the roomiest things on four wheels.

My biggest problem with Eurovans is their price--GACK!

Otherwise, more power to them!

Best!
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'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[ddonnell]

Just keep up the maintenance and you SHOULD be fine. Before I bought my Vanagon it was owned by a man who worked for Budweiser and he had it maintained by the company mechanics for free!!!
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1990 Vanagon Carat-SOLD
1995 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 V10
1966 Baja "The Beast"

instagram #bajabugproject

[tds3pete]

I've put a lot hours both driving and wrenching both. They both have pros and cons so it depends on your objective.

My Vanagon synchro was one of the coolest cars I've owned, but it also had several times the mechanical issues of any car I've owned. It was a great people hauler especially around town, and not bad on the road although a bit underpowered. The non-synchro versions that I drove handled a bit better in my opinion.

I waited a couple of years after the synchro because I thought the EV seemed a little bland for me. I finally got tired of waiting for VW to bring over the T5, so I bought a 95 EVC to tide me over and have been pleasantly surprised. It is a great road car and okay in town (opposite of the Vanagon) in my opinion. I have all of the history and it has been amazingly troublefree. The I-5 has a great reputation, and I avoided the automatic transmission which is definately a weak point. The 5 speed is sweet.

My choice for a road tripper would be the EV and for a daily driver the Vanagon. Best of luck in your decision.
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'58 Westy camper-come and gone
'73 Westy-bought new in Holland,now gone
'86 Syncro weekender-come and gone
'79 Westy...Oscar
'95 Eurovan Camper/5 spd...Marsha Mellow

[the caveman]

I have one customer who found a 93 diesel with more than 300,000kms on it. it's now got almost 400,000 and with very few issues although he doesn't maintain it as well as he should. It's a little beat but everything works and he loves it. converted it to WVO last year and drives tons of kms with it.