In a message dated 11/30/04 3:08:26 PM, icecoldvw@HOTMAIL.COM writes:

<< What is

worse for storing my van - exposing it to the elements or the humidity? >>

The humidity hands down.  With no chance to dry, the humidity will provide
just the chemistry for rust to wreak havoc on your airframe.  It won't do the
mechanicals or electricals any good either.

Years ago, I went to check out a Syncro to buy.  It was newer and had half
the miles of my 2WD Sunroof.  Since the Sunroof had spent about eight Northeast
winters outdoors and still was presentable, I had great hopes for the Syncro.
The Syncro was a rust bucket.  It had been parked in one of those hillside
garages seen around Pittsburgh which are sort of like bunkers half buried in the
hillside and the garage had a dirt floor.

I was just talking to a friend and fellow Vanagon owner who worked at a
rustproofing shop in the late seventies.  He said the business was incorporated to
go bankrupt as soon as the lifetime rust-out warranties started to outpace the
supply of new suckers.  He was there near the bitter end and whenever a
customer in a rotted out Ford, waving the warranty would pull in, my friend was
instructed to ask them if they parked the car in a garage.  When they responded
in the affirmative, he had the unenviable task of getting out a magnifying task
so that the customer could read the clause which made the warranty null and
void if the car was parked in a garage.

George