>dcbluegrass@HOTMAIL.COM wrote
>i have three questions:
>
>1.) how much should i expect to pay for a RELIABLE vehicle--will $3500 do
>it?

NO --- I suspect this post is going to generate a few opinions. Reliable??
These are old vehicles and they have some unique problems. If I was doing
it all over again I'd look for a rust free vehicle --- hopefully with a
blown engine and tranny. I'd put an I-4 or Subie conversion in, along with
a rebuilt tranny. This is what I've sort of ended up doing anyway ---
except I have to deal with rust. The cost of this???--- 10 to 15 grand.
One of our number ( www.roadhaus.com ) spent a very large amount of money
looking for and re-building a 'reliable' camper. Check out his site, he
tried very hard to do everything right and still had a bunch of problems
--- though a fantastic experience. Stan Wilder, another of our number,
says to expect to spend your purchase proce in the couple of years or so
on repairs. He wasn't far wrong in my case.

>2.) what should i look for in terms of reliability (models, years,
features,
>etc to avoid?), and

Another hotly debated questions. 86 to 91 have the most bells and
whistles, 83.5 to 85 are simpler and possible more robust for that reason,
80 to 83.5 are air-cooled and possibly more reliable than all the others
for that reason

>3.) where is the best place to look for such a vehicle--CA is not out of
the
>question.

Somewhere where they don't get rusty --- Arizona etc.
>
>thanks for ANY help you can offer. i am ignorant in the ways of the VW
>vanagon camper!
>
>thanks
>
>kip

These vehicles are wonderful and a bit of an addiction. They are perfect
for what you want it for --- and you can drive it to work too if that be
your pleasure. But it takes love/devotion/money/blind luck to keep them on
the road.  This said, mine has been great this year on a coupole of long
trips and a number of weekends. There is nothing so sweet as when you pull
into your driveway after a trouble-free trip.

Good Luck -- and I'll be watchin other responses to your post with
interest,

Cheers,
Doug