Hi,

So I wanted to wait until Friday to chime in on this, as I have always
found this an interesting topic. I couldn't wait another hour or two as
I feel the prose now.

I have driven cars into the dirt - spending very little on upkeep along
the away. What was the car worth after doing so? Very little. As a
mechanic once told me about a Honda Civic I had brought in for repair,
"This is a $2000 Honda. It's going to cost you $2000 to fix it. And it
will be worth about $2000 when you are done." I took that to mean that
it was worth absolutely nothing as I had brought it in - probably
fairly close to the truth.

I didn't care a lot about that Civic and never really did intend on
keeping it for a long period of time. The Vanagon is a different story
though - as I'd like to keep it for a long while.

I pulled out the Vanagon's gas tank last weekend, and will be putting
it back in this weekend. What I found was brittle fuel lines, cracked
vapor lines and marginal seals. I probably could have ignored this and
spent nothing to repair it. (The previous owners obviously ignored
this.) I went ahead and spent the money to take care of it though -
because I want the Vanagon to be worth something in the future. While I
am at it, I am replacing the high-pressure fuel lines and injector
seals. [Please follow Stan's advice and take a look at your lines this
weekend.]

I knew the tires on the Vanagon were marginal when I bought it - the
sidewalls are now cracked after having spent a couple of months in the
Texas heat. How long will they last? Yes I could probably get another x
miles on them, but why push it? I am getting new wheels/tires before
going on any trip over 5 miles away - cost of about $600 but worth it.

I've also learned my lesson on using the wrong oil filter and oil. I
wish I had known to put in a Mann+20w50 before driving 1400 miles
(after buying the Vanagon in Chicago) + 1200 on various camping trips.
Cost of ownership includes the price of ignorance and stupidity
sometimes as well. The 1.9's mains are toast and that $135 2.1 I bought
is going in next weekend.

I believe the people who have spent money on their Vanagons are more
likely to have very well maintained and cared for vehicles. I applaud
this. It is possible that some of us who have spent very little have
the same situation, but I bet if you took the same person who has spent
a great deal of money on theirs to look over ours, they'd find
something to fix.

In my opinion, cost of ownership is paid for now or later - you put
money into it now, or assume that it won't be worth anything when
you're done. My difficulty has always been focusing on the "need to"
items - but hopefully I am turning a corner now. The front suspension
is #3 on the "to do" list.

Conrad