> youll have to find one used....AFAIK theyre NLA
> new for the 80-84.   i have a used one im saving for my
> own 84 van as a spare but i wont sell it..

The '80-84 outside sliding door handles are indeed no longer being made.
This will present a huge problem over time, as they are failure-prone
(particularly in the winter when they tend to freeze and snap). Of
course used ones may be found, but since this is a failure-prone part a
used one may be in only marginally better shape.

The good news is, I still have some left, having stocked up when supply
started to dwindle.  The price is $69, which is consistent with what
they sold for when still readily available.

It's worth grabbing one while you still can, as you'll need it sooner or
later. And as supply continues to dwindle (which every indication is
that it will), it's pretty safe that you could easily recoup your
investment down the road if you ended up not needing it, by selling it
to another Vanagon owner (or even on Ebay), so there isn't much risk.
I've already seen some suppliers mark them up to $100 or more.
(California Import Parts, for example - at least for a while. Now they
don't list them at all anymore, nor does Motorworks.)

As for '85-up Vanagons, the handle is currently still available, but I'm
guessing VW is just selling off remaining stock, so eventually it may
also go away. For now it's about  $5 cheaper.

80-84:
http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=251843704

'85-91:
http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=251843704E

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

_____________________________________________
Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :  1-866-BUS-DEPOT

>
> chris
>
>