Greetings fellow travelers:

The family and I just returned from our first-ever Vanagon Westy trek. The stats follow, perhaps later I'll write up a more detailed trip report. (I know when I read these things I want to know one thing: did they break down or not. The short answer is no, there were no major problems. Makes for a boring trip report but that's the way I like it.)

Total miles: 7,409
Total number of days on the road: 49
Number of nights spent in hotels: 5
Number of states visited: 17
Number of Canadian provinces visited: 2
Highest gas mileage: 19
Lowest gas mileage: 16
Miles now on odometer of Westy: 165,000 and change.
Number of times the engine has been rebuilt: 0
Mechanical problems: passenger-side windshield wiper arm stripped and had to be removed, auto stop valve on propane tank crapped out allowing all propane to leak out, fuel pump got very noisy (but never stopped pumping), mystery knocking from rear that scared the sh*t out of me but vanished as soon as I pulled over never to recur, window vent screen on driver side broke out, persistent coolant drip from junction of long plastic hose and radiator hose, slight case of Vanagon stumbles after 2,500 miles of driving (cured with installation of tantalum capacitor).
Number of times since I've been home that I wish I was still on the road in my Westy: approx 100

Being new to Vanagons, I had my reservations about making this trip. My Westy, though in excellent shape, is long in the tooth, engine wise. But it ran like a champ through rain, heat, city traffic, and miles of very, very remote two-lane roads. Don't let anyone tell ya it ain't possible, cause it is. I would have loved a little more power to get through the Appalachians, and a touch more top end to shorten the drive through Illinois, but I just can't complain about the WBX. It got me there and back. And it shows every sign of being able to do it again.

Now I've got my sights on Alaska...
bw