The biggest benefit to putting any newer, modern, reliable, engine in a
Vanagon is you can shut the white lid and forget about it. That is the goal,
or at that is ours.  The negative?  100k later when you need a new timing
belt, you find you know little about the engine, as it has been running
trouble free. The only new car I ever bought was a 91 Toyota pickup.  I
drove it for 115K miles.  I knew absolutely nothing about it.  Perfect.
Downside?  I hated driving it for more than an hour. My next vehicle was a
87 Westy.  One year later I was a Vanagon guru.  Not good! But 10 hours of
driving was an enjoyable road trip, instead of a chore.
     I am a huge Vanagon fan.  Anybody who makes Vanagon ownership better is
OK by me.
     When timing belts first became popular 15 years ago I hated them.  I
thought, what a joke!  15 years later, they are reliable, cheap (20-70
bucks), quiet, and efficient.  Their only drawback is that OEM dealers
charge 800-2000 to change them, which is a complete ripoff.
     I would rather change a timing belt on one of our conversions, or a
Bostig, than change a CV boot on the front of a Syncro, to put it all in
perspective.

     John
     East Coast Vanagon