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1991 Volkswagon Vanagon on 2040-cars

Year:1991 Mileage:178000
Location:

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Phoenix, Arizona, United States
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1991 Volkswagon Vanagon Carat

I have owned this van for about three years. It was sold new at Volkswagen of Honolulu and spent all but the last year of its life on the island of Oahu. I purchased it from it second owner, a Captian of the Honolulu fire department. He owned the van from 1994 to 2012. 

The van was well cared for over the years, but was in need of some work when I got it. As with nearly all waterboxer VW's it developed a head gasket leak. I removed the engine and replaced the all gaskets. During this process I discovered the original VW heads had been replaced with AMC heads. AMC heads are far superior to the original VW heads. The original head are prone to crack between the valve seats. AMC heads are not cheap! They are about $1000 for the pair.

Since the engine was out I replaced the transmission pump seal as it was leaking too. All new hardware for the exhaust was installed. New O2 sensor and catalytic convertor was was also installed. The water pump was also replaced along with all coolant hoses. (those hoses are VERY expensive, about $250), All new drive belts. Remanufactured distributor along with all plugs and wires. I also installed a new Bosh fuel pump while the engine was out. The fuel pump is not the cheap one, it cost me about $250.

The A/C system does work. I converted it to a R134a system. If you know much about these vans, dont expect the system to work like your newer cars A/C. When the temps get very high over 105-110 the system takes the edge off of the heat. Below 105 if works very well and cools the van great.

The suspension received new ball joints and tie rod ends. New brakes on all four corners were installed. This van does have the big brake kit on it. This is a conversion to the 96 Audi A4 front brakes. When you get from brake parts you must get 96 Audi A4 pads, rotors and calipers. This kit cost around $800-$900, if I recall. ??The van also have VERY RARE South African Rhine wheels on it with newer tires (Sams Club Honolulu). The tires are the correct load rating for the van!! The Rhine wheels were used on the South Africa Vanagons. These wheels are no longer made and are in high demand among Vanagon enthusiast.  ( The wheels are original VW, not cheap imitations) I have been stopped many times by other Vanagon drivers and offered cash for the wheels.

The paint is faded and their is some seam rust on the passenger side. Overall for the age of the van, it is not bad. Remember this van is 23 years old with 178K miles on it so it is not perfect.

I have owned a twin turbo Supra, a Z06 Corvette and some other cool cars. The van get more attention from the ladies than another car I have owned. (The rear seat does fold down into a bed!)

The van is very reliable, but it is not perfect. When we moved to Phoenix from Hawaii last summer I drove it from San Diego to Phoenix in 115 degree heat. I hate to sell it, but it is time. 


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Matthias Muller officially named VW Group CEO

Fri, Sep 25 2015

While the vast number of rumors made it seem like a foregone conclusion, Porsche boss Matthias Muller has officially been named Volkswagen Group CEO to replace the recently resigned Martin Winterkorn. His contract runs through the end of February 2020, and until a replacement is found, Muller also gets to hang onto his old job as chairman of Porsche. At the same time, the VW Group Supervisory Board is announcing a massive structural reorganization across the entire company, with the new management model in place by the beginning of 2016. Contrary to previous rumors, Michael Horn remains as President and CEO of VW Group of America. The board wants a greater emphasis on brands and regions going forward, and the scale of this shift can be seen in the US. On November 1, VW Group business in the US, Mexico, and Canada is being combined under the leadership of current Skoda chairman Winfried Vahland. However contrary to previous rumors, Michael Horn remains as President and CEO of VW Group of America. Other brands are also seeing some significant changes mechanically. Porsche, Bentley, and Bugatti now fall under the Group's "sportscar and mid-engine toolkit." This means that the brands will start sharing standardized technical parts. A Chief Technical Officer across all of the company's brands will also start working toward future innovations. The new brand-centric view means the end of a group-wide production department. "Going forward, the brands and regions will also have greater independence with regard to production. So it follows that they should also hold the responsibility for these activities," Berthold Huber, interim Chairman of the Supervisory Board, said in the announcement. In a statement with the press release about his promotion, Muller promised to turn the company around after such an international crisis. He said: "My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry." Matthias Muller appointed CEO of the Volkswagen Group Muller remains Chairman of Porsche AG until a successor has been found Matthias Muller (62) has been appointed CEO of Volkswagen AG with immediate effect.

Recharge Wrap-Up: Tesla, CarCharging and the EPA

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