At 10:47 PM 9/20/98 -0400, JordanVw@AOL.COM wrote:
>In a message dated 98-09-20 20:35:59 EDT, ltim@BELLSOUTH.NET writes:
>
><< > > << I was intrigued  by Marvin Peitz's note stating that 88-and-later
>GL's were
> > >  at least a foot longer than 87-and-earlier. I've owned almost every
year
> > >  from 86 to 91 and never noticed a difference.  Having an 88 and an
87 in
> > >  the driveway at the moment, both GL's,I dashed out and measured them
>both,
> > >  headlight-to-tailight.  They were exactly the same, 169 inches.
> > >   >>
> > >
> > > but did you know they are taller too???  yes, about 5/8 inch..  its
>because
> > > the thickness of the metal.  the '88 and later GL's are made with good
>metal,
> > > instead of the bad metal that the earlier vans were made of.
> > > personally, i'd stay away from the earlier vans, because of the quality
>of the
> > > metal.

And this is also why the later vans all came with black finished magnesium
folding cupholders to save weight, and as an added bonus, they never break.
  Unfortuately, VW lost $50 on each cupholder they made, and so they are no
longer made.   There is one on display in the Lars Anderson automotive
museum (near Boston), next to the gasoline pills.

Dave