Club 80-90 Forums

Just back from a short business trip to Germany where I got the opportunity to spend an hour at a German Government surplus equipment disposal yard. I was brought there by a fellow Syncro enthusiast who owned a very smart Tdi 110 DoKa which started out life with the German Army in 1991. He had access to this yard somehow and we got to look at some of the 'lots' that had been tendered on and won. There were no Tanks or guns or anything like that but all sorts of vehicles that were being passed on by the German, American and British Armed forces. An Aladins Cave if ever I saw one. My friend is well up on what seems to be going on in these places and seems to have an 'in' and gets to hear of the lots that may be on the way.

And now to make Syncro owners sick ........ I saw a lot of ten Syncros, a mixture of DoKas and Kombis in what to my mind was very good condition. One DoKa Turbo Diesel had only 17000Kms on the clock and was gleaming all over and had a rear diff lock. Most of the Kombis had between 65,000kms and 150,000kms covered and only a few were higher than this. This 'lot' of 10 vehicles had been sold for an average price of €1850 each. Value or what??

The drawback is that you only get to see the vehicles and don't get the opportunity to drive them at all and there is absolutely no warranty or come back. I was then looking at a nice row of VW Itlis diesels wondering if I could have a bit of fun with these when a Transit bus arrived up and a gang of people got out and started firing up the Syncros. After about 15 minutes and much paperwork and walking about they started to drive off in convoy. We later found out that these were destined for Poland and this is where about 50% of the T25 that go for disposal will end up.

I managed to get onto the website of this and other yards when we went back to the factory where I was supposed to be working and there are about 130 T25 vehicles currently up for tender of which 31 are Syncros all around these German yards. You need to be a member to view the web site and general access is limited. I could have tendered for a MIG fighter plane !! Other interesting snippets obtained along the way were the fact that there are still a large number of T25s and Syncros still in Armed Forces facilities all over Germany and they were bought well into 1992 until the T4 arrived. Also there are quantities of parts still in storage which will become available when the last of the T25 are disposed of.

Not a bad days work eh??

And I guess all those spare parts will go the same way as the whole trucks...... damn.

I see you don't waste your time dear amigo...

The worst thing there is you see a lot of the Syncro's you like and I am sure you (we would like) want to have the most of them or a nice one and well prepared for offroad... engines with a few kilometres, and of course it is supposed that the mechanical things like trasmission will work very well... by the way I had to give you some money to buy a new VC... maybe there was cheaper... (just kidding )

Ok mister, please, if you are going this weekend to do something special (drive your van or anything related about offroad... ...but if you want a spanish cooker you can also call me, I like experiments in the kitchen) please send me a text or just go out your house and shout my name!

P.S.: This morning I was cleaning the engine just a bit with a cold water jet washer in a Maxol Station near Bray... and yesterday I was at Woodie's DIY looking the Karcher and other brand names high pressure machines and prices are not so expensive... ...I think...

Suspected as much for a while... but didn't realise Poll land was where many of them go. The spares would be worth waiting for.. bound to be a few syncro boxes in that lot?

There's supposed to be a big cave in Norway with countless such vehicles in pristine waxed unused condition - ready for the big bang (No. 2). Only time will tell...

Ive heard of that cave in Norway too Clive but was it all a dream? No doubt there will be quantities of everything in that spares mountain if it is indeed as big as people think.
A few of the 2WD T25s have found their way over to these shores and can be seen on the streets of our capitol - nout t do with me!!

Various dealers were advertising these ex army Syncros on mobile.de recently--the average price was £4k--& they seem to be selling--I suppose if these vehicles are in tip top mechanical condition It may be worth it if the alternative was payin £2&half k for summat you might have to spend on--although lookin at the pictures they are of course basic interior spec wiv plastic seats--the interiors look multivan tho--I wonder if the seats are r&r bed?--even if you were able to buy one of these direct I imagine they would have no TUV so the only way to drive home would be on uk trade plates--

Come to think of it there were very strange looking plates on the ones that went to Poland. I dont think any of those vehicles had a TUV and if you look at mobile.de they all seem to have new TUVs so the dealers must be doing them.

quite a few secret caves here too.

Cheap syncros in Swiss--Dave-----& your gonna tell us where they are--yes?--- ----

not cheap if they're any good billy.

but ye knew that already.