----- Original Message -----
From: <JordanVw@AOL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2005 9:25 AM
Subject: Re: [vanagon] Clean '89 vanagon Carat on ebay...

> In a message dated 3/12/05 9:37:37 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> CTONLINE@webtv.net writes:
>
>  >>
>> I sure wouldn't pop 2 g's plus for any ride with a tired squirrel
>> cage--especially knowing it's point of origin--
>>

Doesn't this just tie right in with the tedious "Vngns are Junk!" thread?
To me, the soundness of the body and condition of the interior far outweigh
the mileage on the motor.  A "good" paint job with some body work cost me
$4000.  The plan is to keep my van for ten years.

If the cost of owning a comparable *new* vehicle is more than $2-3K per year
(after a down payment), then buying something like this Carat and fixing the
one major thing that is wrong with it is good economics.  Save the car
payment money for the inevitable "renewal repairs".

The conditions of Vanagon ownership are very simple:  You either work on it
yourself (and enjoy it) or you have to be able to afford to pay somebody
else to work on it.  And it will never be worth what it is to you to
somebody else.

http://www.salicos.com/VanPics.htm

http://www.salicos.com/EG-33Progress.htm

Tom Salicos
'87 Westy Syncro
'76 Bug