In a message dated 00-03-10 11:29:17 EST, you write:

<<
 When considering mine there was a 85 for $500 and I could have picked up a
 camping interior for another 300. Figure another 3,000 for rebuild and other
 parts. Just under 4,000 you have a great van, and if your married you get to
 here about the "clunker" up on jacks for however long it takes you to get it
 on the road :-) Thats the real plus. >>

     I'd say just the opposite. Bite the bullet and pay the bucks for a
decent one. I went the above route,too, and have regretted it. $4,000.00 IMHO
is conservative, and does not factor in your labor. Plus, every Monday while
you read posts from folks who spent the weekends enjoying their Westy's,
you'll be thinking about your weekend spent sanding, welding, painting, or
covered with grease and oil. And if your married you may just end up single
again when your spouse gets tired of you spending all your free time working
on the "clunker". You do learn a lot going this way, but not everyone
can/wants to do it this way. Westy's are expensive, and the closest thing
you'll find to one new is a conversion on an American van chassis for between
45 and 55 thousand dollars, and these IMHO are still not as nice as a Westy.
      Jeff S.