My '84 daily driver with ~197k has never been towed (except after being
sideswiped).  It's had its dirty little hand in my pocket a lot, but no
catastrophic failures since I've had it (water pump while in Scotland).  Of
course if I hadn't noticed the camshaft squeak when I had the lid up there
*would* have been a catastrophic failure.

david

At 10:46 AM 5/10/2001, Roy Olynick wrote:
>I bought a brand new '87 Westy to be used as a my family's second vehicle. I
>believe in preventative maintenance and addressing problems early before they
>get worse. Since the WW (Westy Warranty) expired in 1989, I have more than
>paid
>for the vehicle, in repairs and parts. There has only been one year since
>purchasing the vehicle in which it hasn't been towed (at least once) due
>to some
>kind of mechanical breakdown.
>
>Sorry Volks, I threw away my rose coloured VW glasses years ago.

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