1989 Volkswagen Syncro Fully Restored

Seller's Description

After three years of ownership and many adventures/memories, we are looking to pass on our 1989, two-knob (4WD + Rear Locker) Syncro to the next owner. The van is powered by a 2003 H6 3.0L Subaru Engine that has been meticulously maintained by us and our friends at Small Car Performance/Crooked Fingers Designs in Fife, Washington. The van sports a Carat interior with both rear facing jump-seats in excellent condition and a flip up table in the rear section of the van. Our family of 5 has continued to grow (mostly in physical size), which has forced us into exploring other options for family road trips/adventures. We are the third owners of the van and have loved the time we have had with it. The van has many upgrades and is in excellent condition. We have invested a lot of time, $$$ and our own blood/sweat into making this a pretty sweet rig. Here are the recent upgrades/work done to the van: Full interior and exterior restoration in the winter/spring 2024 by Shane Jordan @ Live the Vanlife Restorations in La Paz, Mexico. The restoration included: Full body work, removal of rust and welding in of new metal where needed Full body paint job in the original Titan Red color New bed liner coating on the lower portion of the body Underside cleaned and painted black New window tinting New stereo system and speakers (sub-woofer beneath driver seat) New interior carpeting New material lining the interior walls New headliner to match the upholstery New upholstery to jump seats, rear bench and door panels New wheels (Mobelwagen Interceptors) and tires (Baja Mexico specials!) Custom front and rear bumpers with rear spare tire and storage locker swing aways ARB awning installed (with room add on…goes on super quick and easy!). The previous owner had a Fiamma installed. Super heavy! We are much happier with the ARB. Rebuilt transmission by AA transmission in fall/winter 2023 Transmission oil replaced fall 2024 I rebuilt much of the front end in the fall of 2024, this included: Replacing all front-end bushings with new PowerFlex graphite bushings, all greased with BushingSnot (Purchased from T3 Technique) New T3 Technique Syncro upper control arms New upper and lower ball joints (T3 Technique) New tie rod ends (T3 Technique) Replaced all front-end hardware (T3 Technique) Wilwood front disc brakes installed by me, purchased from Small Car Performance. 2024 New front driver-side CV Axle, fall 2024 Short throw shifter plate and shifter rebuild kit installed fall 2024 Removed, cleaned and repacked (Redline CV grease) both rear 930 CV axles with new CV boots. Spring 2025 New brake pads installed for the GoWesty rear disc brakes summer 2025 Replace valve cover gaskets. Summer 2025 Other items we have addressed with the van while it has been in our ownership: Replaced springs (Schwenk) and Shocks (Old Man Emu) in 2022 New rear wheel bearings. 2022 Replaced electric front window system and had switches moved out of the doors to the front dash Small Car Performance sealed, cold air intake system 2023 Keyless entry system for power locks 2023 New spark plugs, wires and coil packs. Fall 2022 We had a switch installed beneath the steering wheel that disables the starter. I often utilize this when I am parking in a “sketchy” area. This quickly prevents any theft from taking place. 2022 Other features of the van worth noting: Full engine rebuild by Crooked Fingers Designs in 2022 VanagonLife center console and air intake covers Gauge cluster upgrade (no blue foil!) Scan Gauge II for monitoring the Subaru Engine and actual Van speed while driving Much of the exterior lighting has been upgraded to LEDs Multiple power ports throughout the van Zamp solar panel system (roof rack) and BattleBorn house battery beneath the driver seat Marine grade interior fan that serious moves air, creates white noise and keeps the van cool at night Gray leather Recaro front seats (passenger seat rotates to rear) Sleeping cot installs over the front seats for tiny sleepers or for use as a camping shelf Custom dash installed w/a navigator’s table installed on the passenger side (handy for a map or making sandwiches for hungry passengers) Windows screens (side-sliders and rear hatch) for keeping the bugs out while camping All original curtains and front snap-in curtain included There are probably other things I am leaving out. We have a full three-ring binder of all the receipts and work performed on the van back to the original owner. We have loved this van deeply and have done everything we can to make this a sweet, comfortable, reliable machine. If you are interested, please contact me and we can discuss details further. Also, just to get this out there…I am not interested in trades nor ridiculous low-ball offers. If you have experience with these rigs, they are priced where they are for a reason. Let’s chat! Thanks!

Amenities

Kitchen