I'd have to disagree, my Golf Diesel has 275,000 miles on it, original
clutch, starter, alternator. Have not done anything to the engine, just
regular maintenance. The thing still drives like a champ with EXCELLENT fuel
economy (600 miles/tank). Try that with your caddy...oh, and I can fit 4 MT
bikes in the hatch.

Ken
87 GL Vanagon
87 Gold Diesel
96 Jetta GLX

-----Original Message-----
From: James T. [mailto:jboldway@INTCON.NET]
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 6:53 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: superbeetle

Rust, rust, rust. Where do you live? How much rust does it have? The actual
amount of rust is 3X what you can see . . . .
Rust is all that matters. VW that lived its life in NM or AZ with a blown
engine and tranny is worth way more than a new engine and tranny VW in some
place like New England. I lived there. What appeared "rust free" to massive
structural failure in 2 years on cape cod.
$2,800 for a fender, headlight and respray is waaaaaaaaaay too much. It's a
damn VW. Buy some Krylon spray paint and new bumper from JC Whitney and have
a
go at it. Tell them reality hits - every piece of stuff they sell on ebay
they
have to pack - find box, shipping materials, take to PO or UPS, disassemble,
hope Ebay person actually pays then if check is good . . . .
Good luck!
Why not buy an economy car rather than a VW? My other car is a 1993 Cadillac
DeVille that I purchased 4 years ago at 75,000 miles. Now has 120,000 miles.
Good for another 100,000K. Needed 4 tires as piece of krap michelin with
plenty
of tread left blew out on me. Other than that I change the oil and put in
gasoline. Replaced plugs at 100,000 (first time manual say is needed). I get
18
MPG around town and 26 on the highway (would be more for others but I drive
fast and peel out from stops) and the Caddy has a 4.9L V8 under the hood
that
blows the doors off most non-sports cars. Repair bills in 45,000 miles of
service? ZERO! NADA! NOTHING! Interesting that an "economy" vehicle like the
VW
costs way more to own than a "luxury" car. A '93 Cadillac can be had for
about
$5,000. Plus, it's a Cadillac, not a VW. I can fit the horn cabinet 4 x 12"
of
my Fender Bassman 100 in the rear seat area! Only other way to move this is
with a modern pick-up truck. Or a mountain bike will fit in back seat!
Strange
as it seems a Cadillac is cheaper to own than a VW. Plus Cadillacs don't get
speeding tickets. I've gone 120 MPH in my DeVille. I've done 85 MPH in a
beetle. Almost soiled me armor. (as Monty Python would say).

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