It's not that the PO's wife didn't like the van (she love it, I think). It's that they got stuck one too many times by the side of the road, wallet out.

Speaking of...
One of my favorite things to do after getting a new car is seeing what the PO left behind. Best find? A Vaughn Bode book from the 70's (not for the kids) buried in a mound of crap in a dead Ghia (removed crap, brought back to life).

Haven't cleaned this one out yet, but the PO left all his records - and a bunch from the owner before that. An interesting read:

PO #1 - 1996-2002
-- $560.00 in labor
-- $3,088.67 in parts (1/3 of which was a new engine in 2000)

PO #2 - 2003-2007
-- $1,833.95 in labor
-- $2,142.94 in parts

That's just for what was kept. I know a lot more was spent by the PO (#2) since he'd ask questions all the time. The main difference was that PO#1 did a lot of work himself, or went to small shops. PO#2 got to be very good friends with the dealer -- who does good work but gets paid a lot more!

john