I think this is a perversion of Jerry-rigged.  Gerry being a derisive
term to describe Germans.  While Jury-rigged appears in the
Merriam-Webster dictionary with no history attached to it, I also found
this entry in the M-W dictionary:

Main Entry: jer�ry-built
Function: adjective
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1869
1 : built cheaply and unsubstantially
2 : carelessly or hastily put together

Anyway, if the German reference is correct, the Vanagon content would be
assured.

This would be an interesting question for a etymologist. (As opposed to
an entomologist)

_____
 
Donald Baxter  Iowa City, Iowa
(319) 337-0494
www.mindspring.com/~onanov