Dear Council of Collective Wisdom,

I'm looking at a 1982 air cooled deluxe Westy.  The only obvious problem is
oil leaks at the gaskets causing smoke when they hit the exhaust.  It is not
smoking out the exhaust.  It appears to have been carefully maintained, so
the story goes, of course.  It was bought new by one couple, always garaged,
etc., used only for camping.  The owner developed cancer.  Then it went to
his son, who didn't want it.  He sold it to the present owner, who has had it
for less than 2 months.  She is selling it because her kids don't consider it
cool enough.

It has 103,000 miles.  The engine was rebuilt in 1992 at 83,000 miles by a
local VW specialist.  It had the valves done once since then.  It has also
had brake work, etc.  There are receipts for all the work done since new.  I
will probably pay a mechanic to check it over, but I would appreciate any
suggestions of what to look out for.

All the camping equipment works, and the interior and exterior are in good to
excellent condition.  There is one hole in the tent, repaired with duct tape.
 Since it's air cooled, there won't be any engine conversions, so buying one
without worrying about the present engine is not a consideration.

I would also appreciate any suggestions on the value, especially if you've
bought or sold a similar one lately.  I know this may not be of general
interest to everyone, so please pmail.

Thanks, David Hunt