my aunt is looking for an early 90s transporter to lug her stuff around, and i said i would ask on behalf of her what she needs to look for in the van, what are its flaws (if any, are the watercooled engines better in these then the early 80s ones?). any advice much apreciated.

Ryan

I have heard that the head studs are prone to corrosion around the 100.000 mark, causing the heads to come loose, apparently the material (metal) they were made from was being attacked by the coolant, these motors are notoriously expencive to repair as well!
Rob..........

Hi Ryan

If you are talking about 2.1 Litre T3 Transporters then Robo is spot on.The head stud bolts are in the water jacket and they have caused problems.It occurred a lot ,particularly a few years ago ,when the original factory coolant was a lot more expensive and owners opted for a cheaper inferior coolant and have paid the price.I have owned a 1.9 litre and currently own a 2.1 litre T3 and have had a perfect run with them.I have just done the 1st clutch replacement at 246000km"s which i think is pretty darn good.Apart from the clutch last week i have travelled about 350000km"s all up between the two Transporters i have owned and have always used the factory coolant and replaced it every 2 years.The main things i have done with both the Transporters is regular oil filter and oil changes every 5000km"s and have always used a Finer Filter Air Filter and replaced the outer band of the Finer Filter every 6 months.

I hope this helps
PAUL

Simarly I heard if the PO didnt use the correct coolant then could be troubles...Now I know why.
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did someone say air cooled ?