I checked my vin number against the chart Ron provides on his excellent
vanagon.com page to detrmine what year my syncro really is.

My syncro has black mirrors, not white mirrors, so i always assumed that
it was a 1989 model, even though the po called it a 1990.  According to
Ron's chart, however, it is a 1990 since it has the "L" designation for
the year of manufacture.  The California title also states that it is a
1990.  But the date of manufacture on the door jam sticker states "mfg.
by Volkswagen AG West Germany 5/89."  The line below it states
"incomplete manufacture 6/89."  According to the VIN code, the van was
manufactured in Austria and was number 209 to come off the line.

Is it an '89 or a '90?

Steve...
89 or 90 syncro westy
san francisco