>> Am I hearing the worst of the worst? I am reading a lot of problems with
these van's now and I am nervous I don't know if I can take this thing out
of the city or trust it on a long trip. Engines blowing, CV Joints. <<

I would cross my fingers taking any 18 year old vehicle across the country.
:) As several people have said, you are only seeing a large percentage of
problems because this list is where everyone goes for help. I've been on
this list for about 10 years and it's been indispensable for fixing
problems.  My '83 Westy has been almost trouble free for the 8 years I've
owned it.  The key issue is maintenance. These vehicles require allot of
attention. They are not ones where you can ignore a problem and it will go
away.  Make sure you have the vehicle well checked out before taking the
trip. IMHO, one of the biggest secrets of longevity is making sure there is
no air in the cooling system. Look in the archives for the proper way to
bleed the system.  After that, for the next week or two, after the vehicle
cools down, make sure there is the proper level of coolant in the overflow
tank. Mine kept taking more for a week.  My temp gauge never ever goes past
the light in the center, even on the hottest days. It has never blinked. I
wish I knew this with my '84. After a coolant flush (and not bled properly)
the gauge went way past the center all the time until the engine blew up 2
weeks later.

Luckily I've been from Maine to South Carolina in my '83 and it's never had
problems when traveling.  Any issues I've had happened near home.

I must say, it is so much easier owning a Vanagon now than it was 10 years
ago. Before the Bus Depot, eBay, and all these new aftermarket exhaust
systems, etc. we had the dealer. You know, $150 brake rotors, $120 O2
censors, $800 exhaust, etc.

Bryan