On 7/23/07, Daniel Groups <danielsgroups2005@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> So the question I have is what is the reputation of the commercial stores?
>
>   GoWesty (Ca)
>   PoptopHeaven (South Ca)
>   JDB Import Specialists (Colorado)
>
>   Poptop and JDB have some interesting looking ones in their inventory but
> it means a flight to see them and I really want to know if it's worth it
> before I go.
>
>
I bought my '89 Westy from JDB. Pretty easy to work with, and a nice
selection of clean vehicles. He has a stable of parts cars to harvest, but
you should make sure all the bits are in place on the vehicle of interest
before you drive away. Once he recognized that I had educated myself and was
mechanically inclined, he let me come back and grab some stuff that was
missing/not up to snuff. Knowing what I know now, I paid too much, but I
agree that buying a needy vehicle could definitely sour the experience if it
is your first Vanagon.

I doubt that the mechanic(s) he employs go to anywhere near the lengths that
GoWesty seems to go to find and correct problems. GoWesty seems to do a lot
of pre-emptive repairs, which can be nice. JDB gets them to the point of
good presentation, but not much more. Of course, it's been ~2years since I
stopped by, so things may be different.

If you see a vehicle on JDB's website that you are seriously interested in,
I would be glad to swing by and look at it for you. A probably more thorough
assessment can be had by asking the folks at Blazer Automotive on Broadway
in Denver to do a pre-purchase inspection.

--
Cheers!

David McCallum
'89 Westy - "Boris"