Hi,

Once again, I find myself pondering the jump from 1968 VW bus to a
more modern water-cooled VW Transporter. I have run across a few
interesting Vanagons all of which are late 1980s models and most seem
to have automatic transmissions.  I have logged a couple of hundred
miles behind the wheel of various Vanagons (Westy's and passenger
models ) but all have been manual transmission.

I am curious about the reliability, loss of power as opposed to
manual trans, and any other general thoughts on the subject. Although
I live in a fairly flat region I do do some driving and camping in
the Appalachian Mtns. I am considering passenger vans as well as
Westfalia campers. Please feel free to share your thoughts and
experiences.

Thanks
Chris
www.everybus.com