Good information here! So it works out to a bit more than $100 a month over
the long haul, with everything done by mechanics.

Some of your expenses were for installation of optional items, like wheels,
too, so in a way you could subtract that from maintenance costs.

Disappointing that the AMC heads lasted only 60K miles. It looks like that
was the biggest single repair item of all.

The costs would have been way down, of course, if you had DIY'ed the whole
way along. Things like replacing your alternator ($230) could have been done
for much less.

It's always hard to figure out how much a vehicle really costs, especially
in comparison with another. I bought my Westy at 22 years old for a bit
under $2000, and even though like all of us I'm eating it on the gas, I feel
it's cheap to run based on lower insurance rates, low registration fees, no
depreciation (in fact, appreciation, depending on the van), savings on meals
and motels while travelling, and the like. But how you gonna figure all that
out?

I would bet that someone who bought a good '91 Syncro Westy in 2000 (for
$15K?) and sold it today (for $25K?) would have NO cost of ownership
whatever if they DIY'ed the repairs.

Thanks for the post.

Geza