>> cooled folks out there.  If you love your van, enjoy it.  But a
>> watercooled
>> engine will last longer and have more horsepower while giving out less
>> emissions (that's why they stopped making Air Cooleds).  It is just a
>> fact.

Which is why my air cooled is hangin out around 200K miles, never been
opened, original everything, and the water cooled are dealing with leaky
heads, air in the coolant system, and 'what color anti freeze do I use
this year?' :-)

There is no such thing as the "best" engine. I don't really care about the
emissions, and the engine is very well designed so it just works. There
are water cooled engines failing all over the place. The bone yards are
full of em.

Too many blanket statements going around here. There is nothing wrong with
an VW air cooled engine. There is nothing wrong with a water cooled
engine. Some people take care of their machines, and others don't.

Horsepower is nice, but if you are talking about a water cooled 2.1l, HP
is nothing to write home to mom about <g>

John