zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
Germany Is Full Of Diesel Manual Chrysler Minivans And They Are Dirt Cheap
Germany Is Full Of Diesel Manual Chrysler Minivans And They Are Dirt Cheap-January 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:39

Image: TBV-Automobile (Mobile.de)

Today I bring you a revelation: Germany is chock-full of absurdly cheap equipped with two coveted features never offered in the U.S.: a manual transmission and a diesel engine. Yes, I’m talking about the torquey and fuel efficient glory of a compression engine bolted to fun-to-drive transmission, all encapsulated in an efficient minivan body. Just look at these deals.

Over the past couple of days, Jalopnik has on a Chrysler minivan , specifically drooling over manual transmission models with red interiors. And can you blame us? You get all of the practicality associated with a unibody van, plus the joy of rowing through your own gears, all in a bright red, extremely 1980s cocoon—it’s awesome.

But the issue with minivans in the U.S. isn’t just that manual transmission models have always been supremely rare, it’s that such workhorses have pretty much only come with gas engines. The joy of a torquey turbodiesel motor built to handle huge loads while scoring great fuel economy has been relegated to other markets, including Germany, where I frequently and scour Craigslist (). Recently, I’ve found myself drooling over Plymouth Voyager minivans that I’ve otherwise never been interested in, and I feel a bit weird about it. So I figured I’d share this recent fetish with you, dear readers.

Among the apples of my eye is the third-generation “NS” Chrysler minivan—you know, the really round one that may have looked cool when it launched for the 1996 model year, but has not aged well at all. That’s one in the top photo there, and it’s for sale for only 350 Euro, or about $393. Sure, the engine fires up and immediately stalls, but that can be fixed, and you can find these things in similarly workable shape for well under $500 all day.

This blue one actually appears to be in decent shape:

Image: Autohandel Andre Koschuhar (Mobile.de)

Here’s a look at the three pedals and the shifter:

Image: Autohandel Andre Koschuhar (Mobile.de)

And here’s another one for sale for only 450 Euro, or about $500:

Image: F. A. AUTOMOBILE (Mobile.de)

Image: F. A. AUTOMOBILE (Mobile.de)

What’s that you say? You strongly prefer the 2001 to 2007 “RS” fourth- generation Chrysler minivan? Fear not, for those, too, were offered with diesels and stick shifts. This beauty right here costs only 450 Euro or about $500:

Image: Autoscheich Live (Mobile.de)

It honestly looks pretty damn clean, and the extremely brief description “motor getriebe top” seems to imply that the engine and transmission are in tip-top shape.

Image: Autoscheich Live (Mobile.de)

If you’re not feeling any of those overly-round minivans above, the good news is that the second-gen “AS” minivan was also available in Germany (fun fact: This generation could be had in the U.S. with a manual, though not a diesel), and this one costs under $700:

Image: Mobile.de

Someone replaced the shift knob with a strange looking one, and my god does that engine look oily and radiator fluid-y as hell:

Image: Mobile.de

Image: Mobile.de

If you want one in nicer shape, and you’re willing to drop $900, there’s this red second-gen that’s apparently in good mechanical condition, per the seller. It honestly looks great:

Image: Mobile.de

Image: Mobile.de

Many of the cars need some basic repairs to receive their “TUV” inspection, and it’s worth mentioning that the VM 2.5-liter turbodiesel, which makes about 120 horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque, isn’t really known to be the most reliable engine ever.

Still, the sheer number of manual diesel Chrysler minivans—vehicles that simply do not exist in the U.S.—plus the fact that they’re so cheap has me extremely intrigued.

screenshot: Mobile.de

I’m not saying buying one of these would be a great idea, but the quirkiness-per-dollar ratio of these Graz, Austria-built vans is ridiculously high. And I just thought you all should know that.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
According to its seller, today’s Nissan 4X4 shows “pride of ownership.” Let’s see if it would take swallowing one’s pride to pay its asking price. Opinions were split on how well the design of yesterday’s has held up over the years. Some of you commented that the design still...
Jan 16, 2025
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Let’s cut right to the chase: buying a is not a good idea unless you have deep enough pockets for the upkeep. For those not in the know, they’re sirens. They draw you in with their premium Italian image and sweet songs of and then go in for the...
Jan 16, 2025
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
The seller of today’s Caddy claims they should be selling it at auction but says who’s got time for that? Let’s see if we have the time for this custom convertible at its non-auction price. Many of you agreed that the $950 asked for yesterday’s was “chump change.” Even...
Jan 16, 2025
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
One of the calling cards of today’s Plymouth Colt is its “Twin Stick” overdrive gear change, which gives the car eight speeds going forward and two in reverse. Let’s see if this project car has anything else to offer. Just as Goldilocks discovered when appropriating Papa Bear’s lifestyle and...
Jan 16, 2025
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
The (and Tacoma) have a death grip on used values. It’s been this way for years. Go ahead, go try and buy any TRD trim that’s a couple of years old; it’ll cost you as much as a new one — not that you could buy a new one...
Jan 16, 2025
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
Today’s Mustang is being sold by a towing yard, which means it’s probably a lien sale. Let’s see if this clean title convertible is priced to put a new buyer on the hook. The general consensus on last Friday’s was that it would be the perfect car for someone...
Jan 16, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved