The ad for today’s Nice Price or No Dice VW touts it as being the “Lowest Price Eurovan on Craigslist.” We’ll just have to see about that and decide if that low price is low enough.
When dealing with any project car or truck, at some point you know that you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. In the case of yesterday’s ’70s-something Fiat 124 Spider, that opportunity would arise even before you could get the car home. That’s because it was sitting in a dirt lot and would require some digging to pull it out. Amazingly, aside from it appearing as some sort of ant-hill trophy, the long-dormant car appeared to be in halfway decent shape. That apparently wasn’t enough to overcome the seller’s $2,000 asking price, however, as we watched the Fiat sink in a 62 percent No Dice loss.
Fiat made a name for itself as a maker of cars for average folk. Oh sure, on occasion the Italian giant gets a wild hair and builds a wonderfully exclusive car. Mostly, though, it’s offered up simple solutions for the transportation needs of the masses. This, of course, is the same cloth from which Germany’s Volkswagen was cut, a company whose name literally means car of the people. The big problem that Volkswagen had to overcome was that initially those “people” were under the control of the Nazis. Luckily for both the company and world peace, the post-WWII Marshall Plan helped Volkswagen expunge that nasty bit of origin story and the company went on to make all sorts of people cars for all sorts of people all around the world.
One such people carrier is this 1999 Volkswagen Eurovan VR6, and it’s promoted as being the lowest priced such model for sale on Craigslist. That’s noteworthy not just from its standard valuation as a used minivan option, but also because these VW vans have quite the following. That makes the demand for them a good bit stronger than for much of the competition.
This one is a bit less desirable for not being a Weekender, so it does not have the desirable pop-top sleeper station. Making up for that a bit is its ability to sleep three across in the back by way of its reconfigurable seating arrangement. We’ll just have to figure out who gets to be little spoon. A pair of pop-up tables and foldable captain’s chairs add to the van’s versatility.
Beyond the interior attractions, the ad claims this VW to also run and drive “in a fantastic manner.” Under the short hood lies VW’s wonderful 2.8-liter narrow-angle V6, which here makes 138 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. Were this van a year newer it would have the 24-valve edition of the engine, good for over 200 horses. A standard four-speed automatic sends the ponies to the front wheels. It should be noted that the automatics in these vans have long been known as a notorious weak spot. This van has done over 212,000 miles, and if it’s still on its original gearbox that makes it extra impressive.
Those impressive miles don’t show up in the Eurovan’s bodywork. The silver paint still seems to pop, and there are only a few minor scrapes, dings and chips to remind you of the van’s age. On the downside, it is wearing different wheels front and back, with the rears seemingly off of a Mercedes. I wonder if the seller has a Benz that’s wearing VW wheels on the back and simply hasn’t noticed the mix-up? How hilarious would that be?
The interior does exhibit some staining on the upholstery, and the carpet appears to need a good vacuuming. The ad notes some issues with the fuel gauge and dashboard illumination but says those may be fixed before the sale. Other than those problems, it all looks livable. An aftermarket stereo provides tunes, and the seller includes three pictures in the ad of other vans so you can see that this isn’t the only one in existence. Seriously, I don’t really know what’s to be gained by showing those.
The title is clear and as we noted at the outset, the seller claims the van’s $6,500 price is the lowest you are likely to find on Craigslist.
The question for you, of course, is whether that is low enough. What do you say, is $6,500 a fair price for a Eurovan with these specs and mileage? Or, would that price need the top to pop in order for you to hypothetically pop out your wallet?
You decide!
Portland, Oregon, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!
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