In a message dated 8/23/02 2:13:05 PM, westyutah@YAHOO.COM writes:

>       My first question is about air cooled vs water cooled. I am still on
> the hunt for a westy and i have really appreciated all the advice I have
> recieved so far. As for the air vs water, I have heard arguments in support
> of each. Now as a non mechanic, i would like to know what I would be better
> off buying. The main thing that I have heard about the water cooled is the
> problem with the head gasket leak. Also, my budget will only allow me to
> buy a westy between 1980 and maybe 1984 or 85. So even if I did get a water
> cooled it would be an early one.
>
>
The air cooled engine is (or was in the beginning) a simpler engine to
understand. A good book for the non-mechanic (especially for air cooled
engines) is How to keep your Volkswagen Alive, by John Muir Publications. It
doesn't go into the water cooled engines.

> My next question is another conversion question. I have decided not to
> pursue the subaru conversion simply because I am not a mechanic. But there
> is a 1983 westy that was a diesel and has been converted to a VW Golf
> gasoline engine. it has about 60k on the golf engine. Any advice on whether
> or not this might be a good buy? Thanks for all the help!
>

I've never owned a diesel, but again, they are a simpler design than the gas
power engines. Depending on what size Golf engine was put in to the 83 Westy,
this might be a very good choice. The Golf engine itself is pretty darn
reliable. The size issue is mainly one of power. A 1.6 liter just isn't going
to be much fun unless you have a lot of time. The 1.8 liter will move you,
but you'll always be the last one in the traffic light drag races (unless the
other person is in a 1.6 or diesel). The 2.0 is the way to go. Makes the
Vanagon a joy to drive, even in daily driving.

On the other paw, getting a conversion and without being a mechanic means
that you'll probably have difficulty getting service at a dealer. The good
news is you probably won't need much service beyond filters, oil and coolant
changes.