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

it depends. on the individual bus you bought. but you must remember a
few things about it ...
a. it is a 16-year old user car.
b. all used cars are suspect ... cause their condition depends
entirely on the care, or lack thereof, by the previous owner(s).
c. all used cars need work to get them up to decent shape. the used
car that needs no work is a myth. :)
d. no car, of any sort, lasts forever without maintenance and repairs.
not rolls-royce, not mercedes. a vw is no different. you MUST fix
things as they need fixing, or they'll just get worse.
e. it's always cheaper in the long run to fix and keep an old car
running ... than it is to buy a brand new car. really. suppose you
paid $5000 for your camper. and you wound up spending another $5000 to
get it up to nearly-new specs. that's a total of $10,000. can you find
a new camper van for $10K? nope. maybe $35K.  the biggest problem with
this is that banks won't lend you money to fix old cars ... it's
cutting into their racket (loaning money to buy new cars from dealers
who owe the same bank for financing the same cars!).

the biggest worry about a 16-year old bus is finding someone to work
on it if/when you go on a trip. especially to mexico, where the
watercooled buses were never sold. and that's why most of us learn
something about fixing things ourselves ... that way, we're fairly
certain of being able to limp back home if a problem comes up. this is
also why people spend larger sums of money on preventative maintenance
just before going on a trip ... so the things they fixed won't break
on them. usually works. :)

should you be worried? hmmm. well ... sorta. if you don't know enough
about the bus, and how to fix it, to feel comfortable with it, then
yeah, worry a bit. but the more you know about it, the less you'll
worry. cars are not as fragile as people think ... otherwise, you
wouldn't see those smoke-belching junkers rolling along on the
streets. :)  but a bus, or any car, NEEDS maintenance ... it cannot go
indefinitely without it. and german cars are designed with the idea
that the owner/driver WILL do this and that according to the schedule
of maintenance. :)  it's the law or something. ;)

buy a copy of the Muir book (How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive (A
Guide for the Compleat Idiot) by John Muir. about $25 at most large
booksellers) and read through it. it's all about the aircooled beetles
and buses, but a lot of stuff carries over to the watercooled side of
things. stuff like wheels, cv joints, brakes, bearings, and electrical
stuff, to name a few. it's good to be familiar with the terminology
and the location of stuff on a car. and the book helps you learn that.

or to put it another way, you wouldn't think of sky-diving without
learning the terminology and location of the various parts of the
parachute, would you? how about scuba diving and not learning the
terms and methods of the mask and flippers and wet suit and air tank
and regulator (didn't know they had one, eh?)?? :) of course not. but
people just assume that cars are gonna work right ... i guess it's
kinda like the old days when folks just assumed a horse would work
right. without care. only needs grass and water. :)  anyway, a camper
is sort of like scuba diving ... you're safer and more confident if
you get involved with the equipment. ;)

good luck!
joel