And the Subaru engine swap is legal in the state of Calyforneeaaa.
Iffun the swap is done here, or if you ever plan on living here, until
the I4's become certified, Soobaroos seem to be the way to go.
I suspect, that swap or not, my vanagons will never see the inside of a
VW garage.

BTW, with the gearing in the Vanagon, why are you that concerned with
bottom end torque anyway? Before you know it, you should be out and into
the power band of the 'roo. Any input from Ron Bloomquist? How does this
thing get off the line?

tim o'brien (lover of that nasty inline 4 from Toyota 22RE)

David Marshall wrote:
>
> I have no experience with the Subaru engines but I have a few things
> against them in general:
>
> -- No bottom end torque as compaired to a 2.0L I4 or WBX
> -- Japanese engine in a German van
> -- The VW dealer will laugh at you if you come in for repairs
> -- The Subaru dealer will laugh at you if you come in for repairs
> -- A 2.0L I4 can easily make 130hp with a mild cam and a chip
> -- The VW engines can be fully serviced by the VW 1551/2 computer (assuming
> you get a used North American spec engine).
> --  VW I4 engines are cheaper than the Subaru engines.
>