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1990 Volkswagen DoKa Syncro

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Coming from what appears to be the same New Jersey importer/seller as yesterday’s Golf Country is another Syncro special, the beloved Transporter DoKa. This one eschews common add-ons like lights, bullbars, and bumpers for a unique aluminum rolltop utility body over the bed. The rest is just clean, straight, and like-new. Bucket seats up front give a slightly more comfortable look to the interior than the common work-truck bench seen in DoKas, and from the roof to the undercarriage and the under-bed storage bin in between. One thing I can’t figure out is the zippers in the headliner; any ideas, readers?

Overall, it’s as nice as T3 VWs come without too many frills but plenty of capability. With no-reserve, we should get an interesting look at how hot the market is getting for the now easily-importable DoKa Syncros.

Click for details: 1990 Volkswagen DoKa Syncro on eBay

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1990 Volkswagen Golf Country

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The Mk2 generation of the Volkswagen Golf holds some of my favorite Euro-only forbidden fruit. The proto-R Rallye Golf is a sexy little beast with flared fenders, all wheel drive, and a supercharged G60 engine. They sold 5000 of them, a remarkable number considering they were twice the price of a GTI. Even rarer than the Rallye is the Golf Country, an outlier whose influence could perhaps be seen in the Audi Allroads but really has no modern analogue. A revised suspension gave it 8.25″ of ground clearance with Syncro making sure traction was never a problem. Bullbars and skidplates give protection against rocks and limbs, including extra protection for the Syncro system. This all combines for a hatchback that’s even a little more rally-ready than the Rallye. The one unfortunate area of inferiority is under the hood, as the Country only came with the standard, naturally-aspirated 1.8-liter with 98hp.

This example is a recent beneficiary of the 25-year importation rule, though we don’t know exactly where it comes from. With just 25k miles, it’s about as nice as you’re going to find anywhere in the world. The only flaw I see is some potential scuffing/repair under the bumper on the right rear; otherwise the exterior and interior look outstanding. Many, including this author, think the 25-year importation rule is draconian and ridiculous, but the upside is that forbidden fruit like this excellent Golf Country becomes that much sweeter when finally available to us. With a very reasonable starting bid and a no-reserve auction, this is an incredible chance at some new-to-the-US rare.

Click for details: 1990 Volkswagen Golf Country on eBay

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1990 Volkswagen Transporter DoKa Syncro

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I have been in Syncro heaven recently. It all started on the way to a hike in the Santa Cruz mountains last weekend. I forced my friends to pull over when I saw it to grab a picture, and ended up meeting the older owner of an incredible orange DoKa Syncro completely maxed out – Subaru swap, South African Headlights, diamond-plate bed, and an adventure tent on top (shown below for your viewing pleasure). The guy said his grandkids called it “Grandpa’s Adventure Truck.” Thanks for putting all other grandpas to shame, guy. He loved that I knew what it was at all, let alone the details – hooray for automotive pedants!

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After returning to Washington State I’ve seen more Syncros than I can count, including a nice DoKa in my hometown and several excellent Westies and tintops. They cruise around, looking like the great Northwest vehicles they’ve always been, but I’d bet a lot of money (not Syncro money, mind you…) that almost no one knows that they’re passing a $40k-60k vehicle.

Case in point, we have a beautiful red DoKa Syncro today with just 28k miles and a $55k asking price. Yes, just over 1k miles per year for this gem. It looks it too, with an immaculate interior and very nice exterior, although there are a few scuff marks to show that it has really been used. That use came from a Swedish fire department, again proving that European fire departments are amazing. It has a nice bullbar/Warn winch combo up front and light/rollbar/cage behind the cab. Not shown are a canopy and uninstalled South African grill, the latter of which would spruce it up a bit but isn’t necessary to look cool. The only think I’d say it’s missing is a top tent like Grandpa’s Adventure Truck.

Click for details: 1990 Volkswagen DoKa Syncro on eBay

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1987 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia Syncro

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It’s been a while since we’ve seen the kind of Syncro Westy that can command the better part of a hundred thousand dollars. We’ve seen some nicely restored and modified examples, but even then they’ve struggled to break $40k. Well, folks, we caught a big one. Let’s see if we can haul it aboard.

Inside out and top to bottom, this Westy is mega. Starting with the mechanicals, there’s no Subaru imposter or rebuilt wasserboxer here – it’s a like-new, $35k 1.8T conversion putting out a very healthy 255hp with custom cooling and exhaust systems. Underneath you also get new suspension and a big brake kit, along with a rebuilt front differential and Porsche 930 axles. I especially like the dual fuel tanks for removing any range anxiety when you’re way out in the woods.

From there, we’re just looking at a no-holds-barred interior and exterior. Inside, there’s an entertainment system with a back-up camera surrounded by a custom houndstooth interior. It has everything a Westy lover dreams about, from the solar system connected to twin auxiliary batteries to an on-board air compressor and front-mounted Warn winch, though I’m rather confused as to why they put the Hella lights in a position where they’re blocked by the winch.

This van goes well beyond what is necessary to live the Van Life. It’s an exercise in how far you can go and how many dream-boxes you can check, but the resulting price tag is similarly fantastical.

Click for details: 1987 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia Syncro on eBay

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1986 Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro Hightop EJ22 Swap

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Here’s one of the best deals on a Syncro camper we’ve seen in a while (if not ever!) and it comes with a well-done Subaru boxer swap. These High Top campers are much more rare than their pop-top brethren, but it’s a pretty awesome look with more 4-season capability. Though listed with 290k miles, the engine was put in 20k miles ago and had a decent refresh at the time along with a rebuilt transmission. Clearly owned by a well-informed and diligent Vanagon enthusiast, this Syncro camper is going for about half of where most start. It’s caveat emptor with any swap, high-mileage car, or 80s Volkswagen in general, but anyone looking at this van should have a healthy level of project-excitement and an appreciation of getting this much Vanagon for a reasonable price.

Click for details: 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro on eBay

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