In a message dated 7/2/02 8:25:12 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
Blair.Young@TELUS.NET writes:

<< I'm looking to purchase my first Vanagon and have located an 84 Vanagon in
San Francisco around Ellis Street. Unfortunately I'm in Canada. I was
wondering if I could ask for some help from someone to have a look at this
vehicle for me. It would really be greatly appreciated.  >>

What do you mean by "look"? A test drive and a cursory test drive is easy to
manage. I don't think I would want to take the responsibility of evaluating a
vehicles mechanical condition. We have shops to do that kind of work. Shop
rates are between $75-$300. The extreme end is what some of the local VW
dealers are charging.

The man who purchased my Syncro paid Ron Price VW in South San Francisco $300
for their evaluation of the vehicle. Another person told me he only paid $100
at another VW dealer (yes, we have several in the immediate area). Most
independent shops will charge a minimum of an hours worth of labor. Then
there's AAA.

At any rate it takes lots of time to look at a vehicle. Ellis Street where
you mentioned the vehicle is located is in a busy area of the City. Most of
it is in the heart of the Tenderloin District. Parking is a bear and parking
tickets are easy to get.

Get my drift? How inexpensive can this thing be? I know of at least a half
dozen Westies and Vanagons of various persuasions for sale outside of
downtown SF.

BenT
 <A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/bentbtstr8/myhomepage/index.html">Vanagon
Cafe</A>