Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
They may not be exactly your cup of tea, but Syncros are like Faberge eggs; you just have to accept that somewhere someone wants to pay a lot for it. Today’s lacks the camping ability of the Westy, but makes up for it with outstanding mechanicals, the heart of which is a Subaru SVX 3.3l boxer six. Add on some bigger brakes and transmission mods and this box-on-wheels must move pretty well. With 115k miles on all pieces, this is a great van.
Dan’s recent acquisition and post about the new GCFSB Project GLi got me thinking about GLis again. Truth be told, I’m firmly in “Camp Golf”, but I had a few friends with nice GLis growing up and they were always great looking and fun. One in particular was a very clean black 91 model, correct with the original BBS wheels. One day my friend came to me and asked if I wanted to buy it; I did, but it was pretty far outside of my price range at that point, so I watched it disappear to some distant land and new owner. That seems to be the story with many GLis and German car fans; everyone seems to know someone who had one at some point and now misses it. I have a feeling that today’s owner is someone who will miss this particular GLi very much, as likely will be all of his friends – who probably like me want it very much but can’t swing buying it right now. But unlike my friend’s clean 1991 2.0 GLi, today’s example shares very little in common with most GLis at all. A bunch of runs to the Volkswagen parts bag have yielded a pretty unique GLi – a VR6-swapped, Syncro-swapped sleeper. Yes, please!
There’s been some chatter about whether the US government will end the infamous chicken tax, a tariff placed on potato starch, brandy and, oddly enough, light trucks during the Johnson administration. Given the limited variety of new compact pickups available to consumers, a repeal of this tax would be a boon for consumers, as there are a number of attractive options from foreign manufacturers, most notably Volkswagen, with their new pickup, the Amorak. While Volkswagen fans dream of the day they could trailer their vintage Mk1 and Mk2 iron behind a pickup truck wearing the same badge, they can satisfy their cravings with this T3 Double Cab Tristar Syncro for sale in San Diego.
Sport Utility Vehicle. The term is a bit overused in modern vernacular. Most vehicles that fall under this category offer little sport and if they do, utility is compromised. However, Volkswagen really captured a niche in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the Vanagon Syncro. The number of vans that have offered four-wheel drive throughout history are few, but the Vanagon had a rugged air about it, something that hasn’t been lost on lovers of the great outdoors to this day. A trip to Montana might not be on everyone’s agenda during this extremely cold winter, but if you’re on the hunt for a good T3 Syncro, your search might take you there.
My love for obscure cars dictates my leaning towards one of my favorite Volkswagens of all time: the Quantum Syncro Wagon. Known as the Passat, Santana, Corsar and Carat in other markets, the Quantum was the choice for someone seeking German engineering in a mid-sized package on a budget. Curiously, Volkswagen only offered Syncro four-wheel drive in the Quantum Wagon, as it was the bigger seller. This car shared its drivetrain with the Audi 80 and required a completely new floorpan which relocated the gas tank and deleted the spare tire well. Mated exclusively to the 2.2 liter inline-5 engine, this was a very versatile machine popular with those in the snow belt.
Few of these Quantum Syncro Wagons survive in good condition, but they have a rabid following of enthusiasts. Rarely do you see a pre-facelift Quantum Syncro Wagon but here is one for sale in Seattle. A few items need doing but nothing too terrible to put off those handy with a wrench.