At 05:26 PM 4/11/2001, Debbie Walters wrote:
>I'm gettin' scared here.  I bought my 85 westy 2 months ago after checking
>around and being told how good VW's are, and that they last forever,

Bwahahahaha....they *do* last forever.  Do you also want them to run?

>  and now on the list and VW web pages I keep seeing people getting
> excited because their van DIDN'T break down, as if it's expected of it to
> have something go wrong during a trip.

To be fair, her trip was through the puckerbrush in Mexico, and lasted
months.  Also, they don't fail beside the road all that often, it's just
that dealing with it when they do can be a real nuisance because there's no
pool of mechanics on every corner who can deal with the beast.  You're
better off on the coasts than in the middle.

>Wassup?  Am I in for spending some big dough on my van?

Yes.  Sooner or later it will break your heart and rob your pocket.  But by
that time you'll have decided whether you can live without it -- if you
can't you'll spend the money and the time and the heartache and when it's
working again you'll remember why you did.  If you *can* live without it,
aren't either dedicated or rich, or don't want to learn first-hand the
delicacies of a love-hate relationship, ditch that puppy and get a Toyota.

But if the Vanagon, especially the Westy, is what you need -- there's
nothing else like it, so you're stuck.

:)
david

David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"