that’s pretty funny … i have a 60, 78, 82, and just bought an 82 diesel … my mechanic is a 70 german mechanic … he’s like a diesel superstar ;) .. but more on MB than VW’s … he has built all the engines in my buses except for the 82 … he wants to rebuild the 82 as stock if its good and eventually replace it with a 1.9 … he says the best would be a 1.9 with 5 speed tranny, he says I could also go with a 1.9 with 16” rims … he knows of a guy who had a 1.9 with the stock tranny rebuilt and modified but there was a problem of some sort. 

There was an 82 Diesel Gypsy camper around with a 1.6 … funny … i’ve never driven it it but it must have been god awful slow … 

OTOH … my 60 had a stock transaxle and 1200 for years .. i can’t imagine it was any faster than the 1.6 diesel ;)

jdd

> On Feb 13, 2015, at 3:55 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Sorry for the new post lost the thread.
> 
> Jim and others who are OK with stock diesels in Vanagons...I did not intend
> my post as disrespectful of your ride....If they work for you, that's what
> matters.
>  My post was for those who may be contemplating getting one, like Neil,
> but may have never had the experience of one in motion.
>   I was stunned, even frightened,
> when I rode in one, so I'm suggesting that, to avoid being surprised, find
> someone to show you before you just assume something like " Well, ya, I
> know they'll be slow, but they can't be THAT slow, I can deal with
> slow...." or something like that..
> 
> My one trip up a grade of ~10mi of 6%....being passed  by a middle aged
> cyclist (my SO) and just barely beating my own personal peddling time up
> that same grade, that was a real Eye-opener!  During that hour-long+ climb,
> with 3 people aboard we had multiple irate and impatient drivers doing
> extremely dangerous passing attempts, despite our using every available
> turnout.  Not a safe trip. ~12mph was what we could do.... I suppose a 5sp
> manual might have helped, we couldn't hold speed in 2nd with the 4sp.
> Once we reached the plateau at the summit we were able to just make about
> 50 mph on the flat, but that was again causing repeated sketchy and
> dangerous passing, and we were having rude gestures despite always pulling
> aside whenever we  could.
> 
> Now my inline Jetta Vanagon is no speed demon but the very same trip with 3
> up takes well under half the time and I don't piss everyone off or get rude
> gestures and dangerous passing (or both of those at the same time)
> 
> Consider the diesel was meant to push a vw rabbit or the tiny, light rabbit
> pickup... and those were considered very slow, at perhaps 1/3 the weight
> and half the aero drag of a vanagon..
> 
> Again no disrespect to those who's diesel vans work for them..I thought one
> might work for me, till I tried one..