In a message dated 2/27/02 12:58:32 PM, SyncrogalVW@CS.COM writes:

<< I have replaced the windshield twice and have found good used ones at local
wrecking yards for under $100. The last time I checked a new PPG windshield
for a vanagon was listed at $189 at my local supplier.  >>

Loretta,

When I needed a windshield, the first person I called was my buddy
Chuck-the-Bodyman.  Chuck is a good ol' boy who has both a foul mouth and a
work ethic like I never imagined possible.  He knows two things for sure:
anything I have or I come upon which I do not need, he can have gratis; and,
anytime I need body work, it's his to do.  In other words we have a great
working relationship and I couldn't hope for a more generous friend.  So,
when I called him about the windshield, he told me his wholesale cost would
be more than the total bill at a glass house and Chuck can drive a harder
bargain than a New York camera dealer.  Try shopping around a bit, you might
be surprised.

There is one thing a used windshield will never provide and which is well
worth the price of admission of a new one: streak-free, glareless vision
through the front glass.  Until I replaced the windshield, I had been
futilely changing wipers and cleaning the glass with the hope that in rain or
at night I would have a decent shot at seeing where I was going.  With all
those minute nicks a windshield collects, this was never to be.  The
difference is dramatic and so worth the cost that I changed a windshield
which was not even cracked on another high mileage car.

Rich