>Yeah, if you're going to the trouble, I'd do a 2.2 for sure.  I have an
>'87 Subaru 4wd wagon currently and have owned two others with 1.8
>motors.  They leak oil like wasserboxers leak coolant.  It's common to
>do anything from the cam seals to a complete engine reseal every 60K or
>so.  I've done head gaskets on two of the three I've owned.  Granted,
>it's a cheap Japanese motor, so parts are a fraction of VW costs.
>Dependable too, but gutless and I can't imagine how gutless they would
>be in a Vanagon.

Those are Leone EA engines, totally different to Legacy EJs. They
also crack heads.

The EJ18, like the other EJs (16, 20, 22, 25) are stoneaxe-reliable.
The EJ18 is just... lackluster.
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut
� Opinions stated are mine, not of the University of Otago
"There is water at the bottom of the ocean"  - Talking Heads