Hi all,

I just REDUCED the price of my beloved 1988 WLE on _www.thesamba.com_ 
(http://www.thesamba.com)    

_http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=188699_ 
(http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=188699)      

I'm the original owner, and don't really want to part with her,   but the  
time 
has come.

More photos can be seen at: _www.syncro.photosite.com_ 
(http://www.syncro.photosite.com) 
(This   van is NOT a Syncro.)

If it doesn't sell in about a week on The Samba it  will be on eBay  soon.

Regards,
Jim   Davis

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Description:

1988  Vanagon Wolfsburg, WLE, like  Carat - NOW REDUCED TO:  $2,400!
See  more photos at: _www.Syncro.photosite.com_  
(http://www.Syncro.photosite.com)   (This  van is NOT a  Syncro)  

1988 Volkswagen Vanagon GL, Wolfsburg Limited   Edition 
(Like a  Carat model, but 1 year before VW used that  name.)  
Original Owner,  Automatic Transmission, Power Steering,  Power Door  Locks, 
Power Heated  Mirrors, Power Windows, Cruise  Control, Alloy  Wheels (5), 
142,595 
Miles,  Great Body and  Interior Condition, Complete  Accessories, Not 
Running  

Accessory Items Included with purchase of  ‘88 Vanagon  WLE:  
Original Window Sticker 
Original 1988 Vanagon   Brochure  
Original Door/Ignition Keys, Two (2) 
Original  Glovebox  Key  
Original Key Serial Number Tags 
Spare Key  (duplicate, not  VW)  
Pioneer KEH-P4800 Cassette Stereo (4 x 40  Watts) 
Two  California  “BXONWLS” License Plates (Box On Wheels)  
Front “European  Style”  License Plate “BXONWLS” 
“Wolf” Brand  Vinyl Front End Cover  “Bra”  
Windshield Sunshade 
Tinted  Windows – Dark in rear, light  on  driver’s & passenger’s windows  
Additional Grab handles above  front  doors and on driver’s  A-pillar 
Additional convenience light  above  driver’s door  
Complete Set of Custom-Fit Floor Mats (Lloyd’s  Brand??)  
Rear  Seat Outside Shoulder Belts 
(These were factory  belts I   installed. VW didn’t include them until ’89 
or 
‘
90. 
Lap  belts  still  installed which work better with baby seats.) 
Original   Jack with  plastic storage bag. 
Original Lug Wrench 
Original   Phillips/Flat  Screwdriver 
Original 10/13mm Open End Wrench  
Hella  “flexi-stem”  Reading Lamp Mounted above the passenger  window 
Complete  Snap-in  Curtain set, Rarely Used, Perfect  Condition, Includes: 
Left  Side  Windows, Right Side Windows, Rear  Hatch Window, 
Cab-separator,  and  original plastic storage bag.  
Original Literature Including:   
Silver Plastic Storage Pouch  
Owner’s Manual 
Dealer Directory,   June ’87 Edition  
Quality Assurance System paperwork 
Maintenance   Booklet  
Warranty Booklet 
Air Conditioner Supplement to Owner’s    Manual 
Consumer Warranty Brochure 

Mileage: 
Odometer  reads   118810, but original odometer was replaced under warranty 
at  
23,785  miles,  so actual total mileage is: 142,595.  

General  Information:  
--------------------------  
Not Running: 
In late  2001, this van  (after many years of  faithful service) started 
making  
an unusual clacking   (clicking?) or knocking sound in the engine. I was  
listening to is  while  the engine ran, attempting to determine if this  was 
lifter  
clicking or  something worse. While listening to the engine  I  decided it 
was 
too dirty.  I sprayed on some engine de-greaser  and  hosed it off, as I’ve 
done 
many  times, on many vehicles  successfully.  This time however I did not 
protect 
the distributor  well enough from the  water and the van would not re-start.  
I  opened and dried the  distributor, and attempted to re-start. Still  no  
start. I opened the  distributor again and discovered that I  had not been  
careful  
reassembling it, and the attempted  re-start tore off internal  wires  and 
bent 
the little metal  shield. After this the vehicle was parked   and there has 
not  
been any attempt to restart it. So, this means it at   least needs  a new 
distributor (or replacement parts). And frankly the   sound  I was hearing 
before I “
cleaned” the engine sounded more  like   knocking than clicking, but I’m not 
sure. 

Tires:  
Van has   Michelin MXT tires, size 205/70R14, max load rating  1709lbs at 
50PSI.   These tires have about 90% of their tread wear  left and “
mileage-wise
” are  
almost new. However, these were put on  not long before the van was  parked  
and have been sitting for  about 4 years, without driving. I’m  concerned  
that 
these  tires may have to be replaced, but this would be  up to you and  your  
tire 
supplier. All wheels are original VW  five-spoke alloy  wheels,  even the 
spare 
has the alloy wheel.  

The  Good:  
----------------- 
Original Owner: 
This  vehicle is  being sold  by the original owner. Service was regularly   
completed, and synthetic oil  was used with discipline. This  vehicle  served 
our 
family well for many  years, 1988 – 2001.  I really love this  van and 
actually 
hate to part with  it.  But, now that our kids are 17  and 14 it is no longer 
needed by  our  family ( I also have an ’87  Syncro). If you do the math,  you
’
ll 
find we  bought it shortly after  our 17 year old was  born. What a great 
baby 

carrier! 

Wolfsburg  Limited  Edition: 
The Wolfsburg model is  really great and was important   in my original 
decision to buy a VW van. I  love the rear-facing   seating configuration 
making a 
great conversation  area. Also,  these  rear-facing seats are very easily 
removed to 
make for  a  VERY large  cargo area. Big enough to hold a full-size roll-top  
desk. Yes,  I did  carry our roll-top desk in there on the way  home from the 
furniture   store. I love this seating arrangement  so much, I removed the 
forward   
facing seat from my 1987  Vanagon Syncro and installed rear-facing  seats  
just 
like the  Wolfsburg models. The Wolfsburg also comes with a  fold-down  side  
table on the driver’s side. With it in the “UP”  position, it makes  a  
perfect 
eating, writing, planning, or mapping  table for  those in the rear.  

Great Body Condition / No Rust:  
The  body is in near-perfect  condition. Despite being 17 years old, the   
body 
is in near-perfect  condition and there are no signs of  rust.  None. Really, 
I 
mean it, I can’t  find any signs of  rust. Ahhh, the  life of a California 
vehicle! This  vehicle has  never been in an  accident, and no body repairs 
have been 
damaged  or repaired. The only reason  I don’t say “perfect condition” is   
that there is one very small dent  on the sliding door. I’m certain  that it  
can 
be removed by one of  those “paint-less dent  removal” services. I was  
going 
to take a photo  of the dent, but  I couldn’t see the dent through the  
camera, 
so I  didn’t.  It’s about 1.3” long and about the depth of 5 sheets  of 
paper.   
(I used a ruler and paper as a “feeler gage”.) It’s really very   small.  

Complete Accessories: 
Please see the list of  what’s  included  with this purchase. I’m sure that 
no 
other  van I’ve seen sold has  come  with all the original items like this  
one, 
even including the  original  window sticker!  

Great Interior Condition: 
The  interior is  in very  good condition. Please look closely at the  
photographs. It was   well taken care of by us, and cleaned regularly. The  
carpets are  
in  very good condition mostly due to the fact that they’ve   always been  
covered by the custom-fit mat set that we got from the  dealer  when we  
purchased the 
van. While the mats took a few  spills they protected  the  VW carpet 
underneath that has rarely  seen the light of day. The dash   sun shield has 
protected 
the  dash and it shows no signs of craking or   fading. The vehicle smells  
fresh 
inside because it HAS NEVER ONCE BEEN   SMOKED IN. All  the interior items 
function well. Seats fold, slide,   recline  properly. From armrests are in 
good 
condition and are not   “wobbly”  as some get at this age. One little thing 
though,  
the  glovebox has two  tabs which hold it in the open position,  and one is  
broken off – still  function fine though. I’ve  installed a couple handy  
switches 
you might be  interested  in. One cuts off the A/C compressor  for short term 
use while   motoring up a grade. Another pair of switches  control the 
interior  
lights  – one turns on all the interior lights  that ate in the  “door” 
position. 
The other turns off all the lights even if  the  doors are open.  
Heaters, fans, windows, door locks, instruments,   defroster, mirrors,  etc 
all 
worked fine when last used.  

No  Engine or Transmission  Leaks: 
At the time the vehicle  was parked, it  didn’t leak anything  from the 
engine 
or  transmission, including engine  oil, coolant, or ATF.  Since it’s been  
sitting for years, I couldn’t  predict what it might do  today  though. S
ometimes 
seals “dry-out” with  non use and age.   

The Bad:  
-----------------  
Engine: 
The  engine is not currently running.  See the story in the  “General  
Information” section. Before being parked,  the coolant   temperature would 
sometimes 
climb fairly high when in   stop-and-go  traffic, but would drop again when 
the van’
s speed  picked up.   

Transmission: 
The Automatic Transmission  began occasionally   slipping about 5,000 miles 
before the vehicle  was parked. It was only   occaisional and adding some ATF 
Additive  all but stopped the slipping,   which still happened once in a  
while. After 
sitting for years, I  couldn’t  predict how the  transmission would respond 
today. I would  expect that it  will  need servicing or rebuilding soon. 

Power  Steering Rack:   
The power steering rack had a fluid leak before the van  was  parked.  The 
leak 
was not very much volume, and I hardly had to  add  any fluid, but  
nevertheless it was leaking and will need to  be  repaired or replaced.  

Air Conditioning: 
The AC was  not working  when the van was  parked. I believe it was just a  
small leak that  caused the trouble, as I  recharged it and it  worked fine 
for 
several  weeks before the cold went  away. I  was deliberating over whether 
or 
not  
to have it repaired with  the  original “old style” refrigerant or the  “new 
stuff”. At the  time all sorts  of rumors were flowing around about  what you 
need  
to do to convert to the  new stuff, and I was waiting for   consensus before 
doing the work. Now,  it’s a moot point and the  only  refrigerant is the new 
stuff, and all shops  have years of  experience  doing conversions. 

Cruise Control 
The  vacuum  actuator for the  cruise control developed a tear in it and so  
could  no longer actuate  the throttle. I removed this part. I  believe that  
replacing this part  will have the cruise control  working again.  

The Ugly:  
---------------- 
Paint  on the Top of the  Roof 
The paint on the  top of the van’s roof  definitely shows the van’s  17 year 
old age and  is in poor  condition. It should be repainted to make  the van 
really  look  “prime again”. This also effects places on the tops of  the  
bumpers  
where the sun has taken it’s toll. However, the paint  most  other  places on 
the 
van is still in good condition. It  could stand some  TLC  with buffing, 
waxing, 
etc before it  would really look good though.   

Missing Fluorescent Light  Cover 
The interior fluorescent light   over the table is missing a  little gray 
plastic cover which normally   covers some  electrical  components.