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Microcars have witnessed a revival in the past few years, with good examples of cars like the BMW Isetta and Messerschmidt bring big dollars at auctions. Now that the popular models have taken off in price, it a good time to look around at some of the lesser known models, such as this Lloyd LT600 for sale by our friends at Evolve Motors. It’s what could best be classified as a fixer upper, but is complete and would make a great runabout for an urban business looking to catch some attention on the streets.
I’ve been on a bit of a van kick recently (forever?), and today we have a gorgeous VW that is, in fact, NOT a Westy, Transporter, or Vanagon at all. It’s one of VW’s commercial vehicles from Europe that has spent time as a fire van, but has covered just 13k miles in its 24-year life. Apparently the seller couldn’t register it in California due to the intense EPA rules, which is hugely disappointing as it means I can’t buy it. If you live in any other state, though, this van is impeccably clean, with the normally-dull firetruck’s paint still shining. The interior is an enticing proposition as well; while I’m usually musing about how I would discard the original equipment and turn a van into a camper, this one is all set to become whatever you want as it’s just extremely clean metal with some useful mounting points in the side. And, as always, I fricking love jump seats. This is a very cool and very unique VW van that has a Buy-It-Now lower than just about every nice US-market VW Van sale.
VW vans are not usually known for their speed, with a few amazing skunkworks exceptions. There’s a reason my continent-traveling friend’s blog is titled 63mph – that’s about the best his Weekender can do on the highway. While those in search of more power usually go OEM+ or Subaru routes, this owner clearly does things his own way. He bought a 2.0l Ford Zetec crate engine pushing 130hp, as well as fabricating some fun bits himself like the bumpers and some funky wood interior panels. I happen to like the Mad Max-styling, especially the steel wheels. The Zetec is a completely new direction; can you handle a little American in your German?
Here’s a good standard-bearer for all of those Vanagons I post. It’s a clean, non-Syncro pop-top with just 117k miles; about all you could ask for in a clean Westy. The omission of 4WD keeps it about 50-75% cheaper, but it’s still pretty steep for a 27 year-old van and speaks to the desirability of what many see as the ultimate vacation (or living, in many cases) vehicle.
Another day, another musing regarding a potential future RV conversion for Nate. This one brings it a little closer to home, however. I’m a rowing coach, and a few years ago my former coach eschewed the Ford Excursions used as team vans and bought diesel Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. With the ability for 6’5″ dudes to stand up, serious A/C for hot races, and diesel efficiency, they are a great choice. It just so happens the brand of boats we race are German and come exclusively in a pale yellow – see where I’m going with this? I want to buy this van and turn it into my Race Headquarters, tastefully logo’d up and ready to analyze data, rewatch footage, and catch a nap. My coworker said she’d buy my Toyota truck for whatever I paid for this proto-Sprinter, and right now that’s looking like a great deal on both ends.
