I love my Camper but wouldn't recommend a Vanagon to anyone who isn't willing to get dirty and do all the maintenance themself.

As far as Stan's theory goes, I still haven't invested $6k (my purchase price) into my Camper in the +4 years and +90k miles I have had it. I (actually my employer) paid more to park it last year than I did to maintain it.

A lot has to do with the condition of the vehicle when you buy it and the amount of preventive (not corrective) maintenance it had received by the previous owners. Its well worth your time and money to shop around before taking the plunge. I put a lot more value in a stack of receipts than a fresh detail job.

Good luck,

Tim

_____________________________________________

Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET> wrote:
If you don't like auto repair work, don't buy a Vanagon.
It stands to reason if you paid more to get a really good and dependable
Vanagon Westy then you wouldn't have to worry much about working on the van.
Not so! Vanagons require a considerable amount of preventive maintenance and
a great deal of mollycoddling just to keep them on the road.
I've stated this before but here goes again; "You will probably spend as
much on maintenance and parts within the first year of ownership of a Westy
as you paid in the purchase price".
As for me I paid $2000.00 and spent well over $3000.00 that first year.
I replaced both the engine and transmission that first year, along with
tires, brakes etc. etc.
If you've been lurking on this list it should have scared the hell outa you.
Get yourself a nice Chevy or Dodge conversion van and fly past the Vanagons
and Westy you see on the highways struggling to keep them up to 68 mph.

Stan Wilder
Engine Ceramics
214-352-4931
www.engineceramics.com

TJ Hannink
Goldibox - 1987 Vanagon Camper, Wolfsburg Edition
1981 Bluebird Wanderlodge, FC-33
Winter Park, Florida
http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wolfsburg_campers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FC_wanderlodge
FAVOR website:  http://home.earthlink.net/~clubvanagon

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