Matt said

"suggest wherever you are to have a pro VW mechanic look it over
>  before you buy, his/her 50 buck fee is a lot cheaper then serious
>  structural problems or similar expensive items you might miss, even if
>  you're pretty good at that sort of thing, an extra set of eyes is always
>  useful{I keep spares just for that reason:oD}
>
>  Either way Best Luck.
>  Tromper
>  1982 Dieselfant II
>  "The Manatee"
>
>  "It's all the same stuff. Just Different"

I just want to say ditto to thee buyer diagnosis before you buy. My
diagnosis in San Diego cost me $75 and the seller agreed to pay for any
"serious" needed work taken off the price. That came to $1154.00 and I even
found about $1000 after that I elected to do. (See web link below for
maintenance record)

I also want to recommend a second opinion after you buy (or before.) In my
case, after steam cleaning the engine, we discovered the oil leak was not as
serious and came from an engine plug that needed to be tightened and saved
about $500 in unnecessary work and parts. My mechanic tightened this plug
for free. It took about 10 seconds.

William
http://members.home.net/holisticdream/vanagon1989.htm