Volkswagen Volkswagon VW Golf Country Syncro Rally Overland Adventure Bilstein

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE LISTING. I MAINTAIN PERFECT FEEDBACK AND A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP AND MY REPUTATION ARE WORTH MORE TO ME THAN MONEY. THE VEHICLE IS FURTHER ALONG IN MY VIEW THAN, ‘A PROJECT’, HOWEVER, THIS IS SUBJECTIVE SO PLEASE REVIEW THE PICS CAREFULLY. I CAN FORWARD A LINK TO OVER 100 ADDITIONAL PICS, MANY DETAILING THE RUST SPOTS. PLEASE ASK ANY QUESTIONS PRIOR TO BIDDING.

This auction is for a solid runner. Perfectionists should avert their eyes and move on (maybe bid on the 'Chrome' version that's been listed for the last year for a bazillion dollars).

Wikipedia

7735 cars produced (never sold in US), co-manufactured by Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Austria, designed for medium off-road driving. It had more suspension travel, Syncro four-wheel drive, improved ground clearance of 21cm, bullbars at front and rear (generally over a single headlight grille), a skid plate for protecting the engine area, sub-frame to protect the rear Syncro differential and propshaft and a spare wheel mounted externally on a swing-away triangular frame on the back. In Europe, it was offered with the acclaimed 98bhp (73kW) 1.8 8v 1P petrol engine.

My Ownership

Purchased from importer (who purchased from original owner in Germany) and driven primarily to the beach and back with my kids. Since the car is cosmetically rough, I intended it to be my local mountain rig during snowboarding season, instead it has remained garaged in SoCal tethered to a battery tender. Since I’ve had it, I’ve changed the oil, and vacuumed the interior. That’s it. A weekend’s worth of work would be transformative to the vehicle’s running condition.

It is very seldom driven. We have (2) drivers for (6) cars and are parents to (3) young kids. What’s more, we are in the midst of moving and I travel 1-2 weeks out of the month for work. Bottom line, the car deserves more attention than I currently have time for. THE VEHICLE CAME FROM THE FACTORY WITH NO A/C. HEATER WORKS WELL.

Mechanical Condition

· Mechanically sound. Good runner, goes down the road straight and smooth. The 8V is still peppy, however, the vehicle is not fully sorted. ONLY 124K MILES (199472 KM'S).

· Weeps coolant from lower radiator hose

· Weeps fluid from differential drain bolt

· Engine is dry otherwise

· Has intermittent warm start issue where it takes a few additional cranks to start. I’m told this could be a fuel pressure regulator or accumulator. I’ve seen both for under $150-200 on ebay.

· Brakes feel a bit spongy and could use re-bleeding

· Has an intermittent 1-2 gear grind when shifting quickly. If rpms are allowed to fall slightly or shifting to 3rd first (leaving clutch in), the grind is non-existent. The gear DOES NOT pop out. The forums suggest this condition may be mitigated or altogether remedied with a fluid change

Exterior

· The Montana Green paint is original but most of the clear coat is gone producing a patina’d, underdog look. I dig it, others may not

· There are some spots where the paint has been abraded down to the white primer. I’ll let the new custodian decide whether to paint it or leave it as is. To me, it’s only original once

· Prior to my ownership, the bumpers, flares, rocker covers and skid plate were painted either satin black or with some type of texture coating. It looks decent

Interior

· Abrasion/scuff/worn cloth in seat bottom, front leading edge, driver seat

· Hole in outer bolster, passenger seat

· Missing OE floor mats, rubber ones included

Moderate in the usual MK2 places, lower fenders, lower door corners, lots of surface rust on undercarriage. As previously mentioned, I have driven my (3) kids to the beach in it several times which I would not have done if I believed structural rust was evident. The previous owner did some spot coating with rust inhibitor. I do not have access to a car lift but I’m sure more can be done (particularly to the undercarriage where a spray on application might be better). In bone dry SoCal, I have not worried about it or noticed any of the rust progressing. IF YOU SEND ME YOUR EMAIL I WILL SEND YOU A LINK TO SEVERAL CLOSEUPS OF THE RUST SPOTS. I WOULD CATEGORIZE 90% OF THE RUST I CAN SEE AS MINOR.

More highlights

The good

· Clean and Current Vermont registration / plates (no paper title as vermont does not issue paper titles older than 15years) allowing simple transfer to your state

· Hella Driving lights

· Smoked front parking/indicator lights

· Cross Bars and roof rack

· CB Radio

· New bilsten HD rear shocks

· New firestone winterforce tires

· New aftermarket 15” bbs rs-style wheels

· Recent oil / filter change

· Always garaged in SoCal under my ownership

The bad and ugly

· Moderate Rust as stated (please message me if there are certain shots you would like to see)

· Lots of non-oem hardware throughout

· Many scratches and dings (PDR can address)

· Missing original body decals

· Majority of clearcoat gone

· Couple dents on Brushguard

· Turn signals don’t work

· Needs Brake Job with a rebleed as a minimum

· Light weeping from differential drain bolt

· Light weeping from lower coolant hose

· Missing OE floor mats

· Driver side roof seal (aka hockey stick) / door seal has seen better days. I will supply replacement, non-OE bulb seal material. I notice no water intrusion (whilst washing car), however, the vehicle has never been driven in the rain while under my ownership.

· Amateur-ish body work on rear lower valance

· Exhaust leak(s)

· A bit cold blooded, idle stabilizes as she warms up

Extras

· Cap and rotor

· Belt

· Touch up Paint

· Door seal

· 16” wheels, tires and spacers

Items not included

· Rotopax spare fuel carrier

· I do not have the factory wheels

Lastly

· Please do your own due diligence in regards to titling/plating/emissions in your state.

· NO RESERVE AUCTION. PLEASE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION CAR'S RARITY, ITS FLAWS, MANAGE EXPECTATIONS AND BID ACCORDINGLY. PLEASE ASSUME NOTHING AND ASK ALL QUESTIONS PRIOR TO AUCTION’S END.

· Will work with out of state buyer’s transporter for pickup and loading

· IN PERSON INSPECTIONS PRIOR TO AUCTION CLOSE WELCOME.

· $500 NON REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT DUE WITHIN 24HRS, BALANCE IN 7 DAYS.