On 3/11/05 18:31, "mark drillock" <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET> wrote:

> I have seen lots of Vanagons where the new owner spent very little in
> the first year of ownership. It is called buying right. If you buy a
> clean, well loved machine then there are less likely to be big things
> that have been ignored. It is simply human nature for many owners to
> start to neglect maintenance and repairs as they start thinking about
> selling. A thorough inspection is always called for. If there are a lot
> of little things that could be fixed easily and cheaply then you can
> figure that as a sign of neglect.

I bought my 82 Westy for a very cheap price.  But the selling point was that
the vehicle showed signs of constant upkeep.  Also had stickers for half the
US, Canada, and Mexico.  Was known to be running on a VW rebuild for about 5
years.  Almost everything else was original.  To me that immediately meant I
was probably looking at at least 3 major failure points.  Fuel pump,
alternator, and/or AFM.  It was the AFM that went flakey about 6 months
later.  I replaced all rubber fuel lines in the first month.  Habit. Put new
tires on it.  That was basically all that I did to it for a year and a half
when I finally decided that the 2L AC engine wasn�t what I needed.  Subie
time.  

At my own choice and option I am now rebuilding the kitchen and adding
bigger battery bank, and a furnace.  When I finish that I will start
prototyping my shower.  External rear bumper/tail gate with its own 13
gallon tank.  Unheated - why heat it?

����������������������������������������
jimt
Planned insanity is best.
Remember that sanity is optional.
http://www.tactical-bus.info (tech info)
http://www.westydriver.com