In a message dated 13/03/2005 12:03:18 AM Eastern Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

"""These  folks were going to the tip of South America and back in a
group of VW  vans.""""

Just as a note on this subject to say that you  should check out the Travelog
of Gerry & Sharon at > _www.travelpod.com/members/thymeoff_
(http://www.travelpod.com/members/thymeoff) .  They are friends  from the Ottawa area, bought
an '87 Westy that I found for them and helped them  get set up for a trip down
into South America.  They have been gone  now for a few months more than a
year and have had very little problems except  for changing shock absorbers twice
now due to the bad roads they  take.  Their worst experience was just lately
in Chile where they got run  off a narrow mountain road, in southern Chile
looking for glaciers, by some  crazy pick up driver.  Seems the van is still
running but has a few dent  problems.  The whole story in on their Travepod site.
It's great  reading with great pics.  And, their Vanagon is certainly not
junk.   It has taken them very reliably to some of the most remote scenic spots
on the  planet and they have always managed to find the parts and repairs
needed to keep  going.  I have only once needed to send a care package, a headlamp
that  broke as they failed to use the Lexan headlight guards due to possible
theft !  So much for that story !

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 09 ~ 12, 2005
'87 Westy, '90 Carat &  Lionel Trains
Member: _Vanagon List_ (http://www.vanagon.com/) , _LiMBO_
(http://www.bcn.net/~limbo/) , _IWCCC_ (http://www.westfalia.qc.ca/)  & _CCVWC_
(http://www.ccvwc.ca/)
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in  the Ottawa Valley
_STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel  Mufflers_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)
_Frank Condelli &  Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
or  http://frankcondelli.com