1989 VW SYNCRO DOUBLE PANEL
1989 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon Description
1989 Vanagon Transporter Syncro. VIN is wv2zzz25zkg119158
It is a NON-Locker Syncro.
I recently imported it from Germany using a reputable middleman from Belgium. I would mention who he is, but I have not gotten permission so I do not want to throw his business name out there. It shipped out of Belgium 27 JULY and arrived in Baltimore 17 AUG. It was finally released 23 AUG and I went and picked it up today 24 AUG.
My intentions were to do a pop top conversion and possibly add lockers. Lucky for me I found one stateside with everything I needed so I no longer have to hack this one up.
This is a double slider vanagon. It was not offered here in the United States. I just thought it was unique and it really drew me to it. It has extremely low miles. 74671 KM which converts to roughly 46,400 miles.
The body is pretty nice. There are a few low spots on the panels, but you have to look for them. I tried to take pictures of it and hope it showed up. There is some paint bubbling that will need to be addressed. The main problem I think is that there is a bit of rusting under the weather stripping that the previous owner put rust treatment on and applied color matched paint. To properly fix it the window will need to be removed and the rust treated properly/painted/sealed. I think maybe someone might have been stepping around on the roof because there is a small dent up top. I do not believe the paint is original, but someone may have a better eye than me. There is a possibility that the driver rear corner may have been hit. I was looking at the body behind the bumper and the corners are fine, but are not as smooth as the passenger rear corner. It is hard to capture this in a photo so you may have to see it in person. From the outside it looks fine I did not notice until i was crawling around it.
The bottom has under body protection painted on it. I gotta be honest it looks really good. Too good to be original. But, my knowledge on this matter is limited. The wheels are rough they will need to be painted/replaced or just have new hubcaps put on. I figure whoever buys this next will probably just put on a set of 16 inch wheels anyways.
The interior is sparse. I am sure it was used to haul some kind of cargo, but I could not have been anything that would have banged around inside, because the interior paint looks pretty good. The seats leave much to be desired. Eurovan or Town and country middle seat replacements would probably do good here. The rear seat is not a z bed (fold down into a mattress). It only folds forward. The front door cards are in good shape. The window roll down handle needs to be replaced which I can take care of. The speedo will need to be swapped to MPH. There is a place near my house that advertises this service so I can have it done for a cost, but I have no experience working with them.
I drove this van approximately 100 miles today. I drove on the highway, traffic, and city. The van shifts through all the gears perfect. The clutch does not slip. The engine pulls strong. The brakes work great especially with people cutting me off in stop and go traffic. But that could be the fact that it is an empty panel van. If you plan to add extra stuff you will probably will want to go with a big brake kit.
The van comes with a webasto heater. I do not know if it works, because its my first time seeing it. I will take a look around online to see if I can get it to work. The bubble dome on top is a vent van. You can make it blow in or out. It is neat, but may get in the way if you ever put on a full roof rack, but may not if you go with a thule/yakima rack set up.
I tried to capture the quality of this van as best as I could through the pictures. I just got it home. I will be getting the fluids changed in the next couple days as I get to it. I will get it titled in Virginia as soon as I can. I have a lot of commitments coming up this month so I am not sure how soon I will be able to do it. If the van sells before I get it done we will have to see if your state will allow you to title the vehicle to you with my name on the customs forms, etc.
I will have this van on other web sites as well. So I may take it down if it sells someone else or locally. It is not registered and has no tags so you cannot test drive this. I can let you take it up and down the neighborhood though.
It is a 1989 Volkswagen Vanagon. The syncro/double panel does not add value in the eyes of lenders. You will not be able to get a traditional auto loan on this. Only personal loans/loans against your home. So make sure you can pay for the van.
There is a buy it now offer, but please feel free to make an offer. As far as payment goes I will take cash, bank checks, or wires. If payment is in cash the van is yours that day. If I get a bank check I will have to wait until the check clears before I release it. The same applies to wires.
The van is as-is. There is no warranty. I described it as best as I could and I would expect you to ask any questions you need or come see it in person to make sure you are comfortable buying it. I will do everything I can to make sure I answer any question you have. I am not a mechanic, so if you want to have a mechanic take a look at it you are welcome to at your own cost. It will probably have to be a mechanic that can come to look at it in person.
If you need the vehicle shipped I will do every thing I can to help. I am not a dealership or a car salesman so you will have to work with me because I have other obligations as well. If you need any additional photos I can take more pictures
UPDATE AUG 29: I had a question about how tall it is. Vanagons are 6'4" and Syncro 14s add an additional 1.2". The roof vent cover adds approximately 5", but it was a rough measure. It is removable as well.
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