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therealdeal
Sep 10, 2004, 10:40 PM
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Hey,
I'm buying a 2002 VW Eurovan Weekender. This has the poptop, but not the stove and fridge.
Anybody have one of these, or any Eurovan?
Any problems?
Anything you love/hate?
Thanks,
Neal
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telluryan
Sep 10, 2004, 10:49 PM
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I have got the vanagon style Westy. Love it. Better clearance than the eurovan. Stove/ Fridge rarely gets used except for storage.
Would be rough to cook bacon in the van and always live w/ the smell on everything. Great for coffee in the am or boiling water though...
Weekenders are nice though...
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c-money
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Sep 10, 2004, 11:09 PM
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Sounds nice! The newer style EuroVans are nice: big, but not too huge. A little more metal/cushion up front for protection in collisions. They can be pretty pricey however...
I wouldn't really want the fridge or stove anyway... fridges in earlier models often create body-rust issues (I don't know if this is an issue with newer body-types). It is easy enough to use a cooler and campstove. Cooking outside of your van will keep the interior from getting too stinky on roadtrips: you can always set up a tarp to cook under in ugly weather.
Pop-top is nice - good to stretch the legs and stand-up if you a stuck inside - but would not really be a deal-breaker for me...
The main thing to consider with VW, in my mind, is the issue of repairs and breakdowns. If you breakdown in some little town without a VW mechanic, you may be looking at a long tow to someone who is willing to work on your vehicle (a friend of mine had to get towed from basically Yosemite to Walnut Creek). If you are mechanically inclined, this might not be an issue...
Vans are the way to travel... you should have some fun roadtrips soon!
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therealdeal
Sep 11, 2004, 12:01 AM
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bump...
thanks alot.
anymore info out there...???
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carbo
Sep 11, 2004, 12:03 AM
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I have had no experience with Eurovan but plenty of recalls and leaking gaskets on an Audi. Reliability might be an issue
check this out
http://www.myvwlemon.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=EuroVan&number=7&DaysPrune=1000&LastLogin=
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davidji
Sep 11, 2004, 12:06 AM
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In reply to: Hey, I'm buying a 2002 VW Eurovan Weekender. This has the poptop, but not the stove and fridge. Anybody have one of these, or any Eurovan? Any problems? Anything you love/hate? Thanks, Neal
Don't know if they offered the 5cyl as late as '02, but I'd avoid 5cyl 5-speed in favor of V6 auto.
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therealdeal
Sep 11, 2004, 12:12 AM
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In reply to: I have had no experience with Eurovan but plenty of recalls and leaking gaskets on an Audi. Reliability might be an issue check this out http://www.myvwlemon.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=EuroVan&number=7&DaysPrune=1000&LastLogin=
yeah...that is a good site. alittle spooky (if you've pretty well bought the car in question like Ihave) but its best to get both sides of the story...and you certainly get one side there!
i,ve got a A4 2.8L Audi and its had little quirks, but never anything major, and the drivetrain has been ultra dependable...but of course, it only has 132,000 miles....
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climbs4fun
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Sep 11, 2004, 12:12 AM
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I love my Westy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wouldn't get one without the stove. I don't use my refridgerator though.
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therealdeal
Sep 11, 2004, 12:15 AM
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From the one I road tripped in a few years back, the only problem I remember (other than a busted fridge) was clutch slippage. Clutch wasn't worn out either, just too weak for such a hefty van.
Don't know if they offered the 5cyl as late as '02, but I'd avoid 5cyl 5-speed in favor of V6 auto.
the 2002 has a 201 hrspwr v6...i've driven the full camper extensively (which must be a bit heavier) and it has some nice pull....they overhauled the v6 after 2000.
thanks!
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climbs4fun
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Sep 11, 2004, 12:20 AM
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Mine is a 1990 4cyl auto. Sucks when the water tank is full, but empty, it isn't too bad. Just avoid hills. :wink:
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therealdeal
Sep 11, 2004, 12:23 AM
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In reply to: I have got the vanagon style Westy. Love it. Better clearance than the eurovan. ...
yeah...that is a big reason why i did not want the full camper, b/c the propane hook up and waste water outlet make it really low slung...not the best thing for a climber's vehicle.
thanks!
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carbo
Sep 11, 2004, 12:39 AM
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You could be fine one never knows (our A6 2.8L has had quite a few gaskets replaced). Get the extended warranty if you can, we did and it has paid itself off.
Enjoy the road trips
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billiebob
Sep 11, 2004, 12:58 AM
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You are lucky it's not the camper with the stove and fridge. On my partner's 2000 eurovan camper, there were annoyances from DAY 1.
The spare battery kept going dead. 10 trips to the dealer and 4 batteries later, they found a short somewhere. The venetian blinds wouldn't stay mounted, the mouldings on the kitchen panels came right off, and other plastic parts quickly broke. The water pump on the VR6 went within a year or so as well. The propane tank was mounted so low it nearly always bottomed out on pretty casual dirt roads. I suppose it could be moved, but it's a big job. Also, handling was HORRIBLE with the heavy kitchen appliances all on the left side of the rig.
That said, it got excellent fuel economy and is far more comfortable than a pickup. The stove and fridge worked perfectly all the time.
The Weekender (what you got) handles FAR better, and has FAR fewer crap to break. It's a great ride, as long as you can tolerate higher than average frequency of repair and higher than average repair costs.
Good luck
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therealdeal
Sep 11, 2004, 2:00 AM
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In reply to: That said, it got excellent fuel economy and is far more comfortable than a pickup. The stove and fridge worked perfectly all the time. The Weekender (what you got) handles FAR better, and has FAR fewer crap to break. It's a great ride, as long as you can tolerate higher than average frequency of repair and higher than average repair costs. Good luck
Yeah..I gotta admit, having owned a couple of german cars, deep down i'm ready to have the odd (lets hope) maintenaince issue with this van...who knows maybe i'll get super lucky, i'll let ya'll know.
the one thing though...with the german cars i tend to get a solid feeling/driving car that feels pretty much the same with 300k miles as it did with 25k...
thanks for the input!
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overlord
Sep 11, 2004, 6:53 AM
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dont be too afraid of the lemmons. its like lotery, some times you jsutdont have any luck.
we have a VW car (skoda octavia) and never had a serious problem in about 5 years. actually the only problem requiring towing was when i blew the oil reservoir (dont know the term, under the engine) on a rock :oops:
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therealdeal
Sep 11, 2004, 1:45 PM
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...the oil pan.
Yeah, I like VWs...I'm psyched.
Thanks...
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karlbaba
Sep 11, 2004, 2:42 PM
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I've had 3 VWs but not the newer ones like the Eurovan. I've had friends with the more recent VWs.
I'm sick of the weak engines and frequent maintenance problems.
Now I have a camper van conversion based on a Ford Econoline. These kinds of vehicles are available used at cheaper prices than VWs and are more powerful. I still get about 15 miles per gallon but haven't had any major problems in 75000 miles.
I know folks thinks VWs can be cool and fun, but I'd start building up a savings for the "emergency new engine" fund from day one
Peace
Karl
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