LONG VOYAGER BAIT: David Tracy Has Problems. (Jalop Repost)

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
08/21/2020 at 08:52 • Filed to: None

Let’s merely analyze the title of his story:

Here’s Everything Wrong With The $600 [1994] Diesel Manual Chrysler Minivan That I Bought Sight Unseen In Germany.

There is re ally nothing about about that statement that is not wrong or perilous. Forget that the capitalization for a title is probably not correct...

Things Perilous or Outright Wrong:

1. $600 (Get whatcha pay for)

2. 1994 Model Year (OLD)

3. Diesel (Unicorn)

4. Manual (Oddity)

5. Chrysler (Enough Said)

6. Minivan (Likely Abused)

7. Sight Unseen (Well, who doesn’t like to roll the dice?)

8. Germany ( TÜV? Parts? LOL!)

To address these would definitely be TL;DR, but is this not the ultimate unicorn of a vehicle on Unicorn Island ?

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

DISCUSSION (50)

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/21/2020 at 09:00

This still feels like one of his weird “unicorn Jeep” stories— but in a different language.

I always feel like those “oh I found a manual transmission in a rusted out old jeep unicorn” stories could be better synopsized as “Dude, have you never heard of a transmission swap into a better donor?”

duurtlang > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/21/2020 at 09:02

It’s not a unicorn though. They were built in Austria, of all places. I was looking on the German craigslist-equivalent for ads of people parting out mk2 Chrysler vans. I found 4; 2 diesel, 2 gas. I shared this all in a reply to the article here: https://jalopnik.com/1844772114

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
08/21/2020 at 09:05

The older I get, the more I appreciate an automatic transmission that does its job properly.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > duurtlang
08/21/2020 at 09:06

Yes. This!

Usually his “unicorns” aren’t all that rare-- and could probably be synthesized and repaired in a form that wasn’t still junk when he finished.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/21/2020 at 09:14

I mean, really, other than the oddity, what’s the appeal of a stick in a minivan?

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/21/2020 at 09:16

I find it pretty amusing that he spent most of that video focusing on bushings and the like when the van isn’t even a runner. Seems like that has to be high priority.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
08/21/2020 at 09:18

Yup. But the dude can't wrench for shit.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
08/21/2020 at 09:20

Well, he rebuilt that gearbox in his kitchen...

Oh, wait a minute, that doesn’t prove anything. other than that he’s single, I guess.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/21/2020 at 09:21

Hi got it running but I don’t see how that thing is going to pass inspection with out $ 1,000’s of new parts. Almost every wear item needs to be replaced.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > duurtlang
08/21/2020 at 09:22

It isn’t in its home country, but would be extremely unusual in the US. It does not have all that much rust, but that can be expected from passing TUV not too long ago. It’s at least more interesting than most minivans.

Ash78, voting early and often > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
08/21/2020 at 09:23

There’s a spectrum of sti ck shift reasons ranging from “need it compensate for a mediocre engine” to “Makes driving a lot more fun!”

Most cars are somewhere in the middle , but this one seems more like category 1. And we’re romanticizing it, as we usually do. I would say that most cars in Europe were firmly in the first category until maybe 10-20 years ago, too.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Ash78, voting early and often
08/21/2020 at 09:36

Yeah, given how gutless that Motori diesel (especially a clapped out one) was, that’s a point. I wonder what the gearing looks like with such a narrow power band.

duurtlang > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
08/21/2020 at 10:05

Like this:

Kinja'd!!!

And while we’re at it:

Kinja'd!!!

Long_Voyager94 > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
08/21/2020 at 10:07

In this instance, economy and making use of the diesel’s narrow power/torque band.

Honestly I’ll bet that van gets amazing economy and actually moves better than it’s V6 powered US counterparts thanks to the diesel’s loads of low end torque.

Long_Voyager94 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/21/2020 at 10:09

Wear items for these are insanely cheap. Rear shocks for instance are $20/pair for the pricier Gabriels.

Honestly if he does the work himself, he can completely rebuild the suspension, brakes, and fuel system for well under $1k.

Long_Voyager94 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/21/2020 at 10:09

I already told him when he ultimately gives up and is ready to be rid of it I’ll buy it if he can get it shipped over here.

I think it’d be a perfect daily.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long_Voyager94
08/21/2020 at 10:23

I’m sure part are cheap, especially here with access to Rock Auto, but I’m not sure it’s as easy in Germany to get suspension bushings for $4.35.

duurtlang > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/21/2020 at 10:28

If you give me the parts number for the bushings (or other parts) , I will check how cheap they are in Germany :)

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
08/21/2020 at 10:29

You had me in the first half

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
08/21/2020 at 10:32

When I was a teen, my dad bought an ‘86 Ram Van, with the slant six and a 4 on the floor manual transmission. He didn’t buy it for economy or because it would be “fun to drive”. He did it because it was cheap.

bison78 > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
08/21/2020 at 11:59

what’s the appeal of a stick in a minivan?

The same reason that stick shifts have generally persisted much longer in Europe: fuel costs. Slush boxes were traditionally less efficient so added to running costs. Fuel is taxed much more heavily in Europe.

Long_Voyager94 > duurtlang
08/21/2020 at 12:16

Ball Joints: SKP SK7185 ($4.33 each)

Control arm Bushings: MOOG K7294 (13.71 each)

Shocks: GABRIEL 73589 ($10.15 each)

Just for some comparison.

Long_Voyager94 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/21/2020 at 12:18

Dual citizen. Order the parts in the US, ship them over in one box.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
08/21/2020 at 12:21

Some people just strongly prefer manual. I’m one of them. I’ll take a 3 on the tree over a slusher every day

duurtlang > Long_Voyager94
08/21/2020 at 12:30

I could only find 1/3 . However I did find the same parts from other manufacturers:

Ball Joints: RTS 93-17185 (€7. 89 each)

Control arm Bushings: MOOG K7294 (€ 18. 82 each)

Shocks: KYB 344080 (€18. 98 each)

So, more expensive but certainly not bad at all.

Long_Voyager94 > duurtlang
08/21/2020 at 12:34

Realistically, the KYB shocks are likely much better than the Gabriel’s I listed, but ya, not much of a price difference overall.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long_Voyager94
08/21/2020 at 12:35

You are now going to be featured in a future David Tracy article . “How a Jalop reader saved my butt by sending me all the parts to fix my van for $147.68 ”.

Long_Voyager94 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/21/2020 at 12:37

HAHAHAHA, if it helps me get the van here to buy it from him, I’m in.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick)
08/21/2020 at 13:19

I’ve got a three-on-the-tree in my ‘71 GMC van. There was one of those that had an electrically actuated Borg Warner overdrive. I want to track one of those down. The majority of people alive right now have never seen a 3-o-t.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > bison78
08/21/2020 at 13:19

Automatics have come a long way.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
08/21/2020 at 13:20

I had an early Plymouth minivan with a 2.2L four-banger and the manual was good to have.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager94
08/21/2020 at 13:21

You’re the man to keep that car on the road.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/21/2020 at 13:22

It needs everything. And the parts are getting less readily available. My ‘97 Safari, there was a phase when all the NOS parts were showing up on Ebay for cheap. Now many of those are depleted.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > facw
08/21/2020 at 13:23

Definitely is. It’s the Autobahn, we’re talking about, after all.

Long_Voyager94 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/21/2020 at 15:10

Given how David’s vehicles generally end up, I’m actually quite sad this has landed in his hands.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
08/21/2020 at 16:08

But he sure can write a novel about getting nothing accomplished!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager94
08/21/2020 at 16:12

I know practically zero about him or his exploits and this write-up was TL;DR for me, but my expectations are not high. What I’m curious about, though, is whether that vehicle has any American crash safety requirements on it. American cars are designed with the philosophy that Americans can’t drive and are going to crash into each other. The Germans, on the other hand, require cars to be well maintained and drivers to be well trained, relatively speaking.

He’s going to have to do a lot of work on that van to even have a prayer of passing the TÜV inspection.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager94
08/21/2020 at 16:21

I just actually read the piece and I have to credit David Tracy with being a good writer.

duurtlang > Long_Voyager94
08/21/2020 at 17:03

There are more where that came from. Not many, but a few.

https://m.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/chyrsler-voyager-2-5td-tuev-12-20/1489198913-216-8277

https://m.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/chrysler-ohne-tuev-an-bastler/1479741999-216-859

https://m.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/chrysler-grand-voyager-arbeits-fahrzeug-ohne-tuev/1475034182-216-1416

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/21/2020 at 18:09

But you’ve forgotten about the great appeal of it wearing (old, worn, failing) Slovakian -made tires that we don’t see in the US! Who doesn’t love those?!

Other than nearly everyone, I mean.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager94
08/21/2020 at 19:47

How does he finance a venture like this one?

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/21/2020 at 21:56

I’m one of those people! I would love a chance to drive one. So it was 4 speeds including the overdrive? Could you control overdrive yourself?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick)
08/21/2020 at 22:37

A 3-o-t with an electric toggle switch to engage the O/D. I was told that you can use the O/D and split the lower gears and have effectively five forward speeds.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/21/2020 at 23:37

Very cool, if it’s the same as old Volvos you can use it to split lower gears if there’s no lockout, but iirc 3+OD was almost the same ratio as 4th

Long_Voyager94 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/22/2020 at 07:17

I’m basing it off his usual exploits.

He generally half asses things at best, then acts surprised when it doesn’t end well and ends up costing him more.

Being a good writer does not make one competent to wrench.

Long_Voyager94 > duurtlang
08/22/2020 at 07:21

You’re not helping.......

Wonder what it would cost to get one shipped over and registered....

duurtlang > Long_Voyager94
08/22/2020 at 07:44

All of those will be in a similar somewhat derelict condition as the one David has. None of them has a valid inspection.

Shipping; $1-2k? Registration? No idea.