Hi.

If you have time/room, and get one or a good price, then yes. IMHO,
having a parts van is more economical not to mention convenient. And
again IMHO, don't buy a *really* rusty  Vanagon with a toasted engine
and tranny. It may not be worth your time. Especially if you're not in
the business of fixing/parting out Vanagons. I'm sure there are those
that might disagree --- :^)

I recently parted out an 85' down to bare bones. Even though I was
initially concerned about how my neighbors might react to seeing a
dead Vanagon in my carport for a while, (there are some tight bylaws
around here. And it took twice as long as I planned on btw), I don't
regret it for a second.

Also be aware of the towing/removal costs. Mine: $100 for the tow and
$50 for pick up. Normally PU is free, but w/o engine/tranny wheels
etc., the 3 scrap car guys I spoke with all said they would charge to
take it away.

I gained knowledge during the process, have spare parts and parts I
will used on my engine conversion.

Just my .02

Neil.

--
Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia - "Jaco"

http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/

On Feb 12, 2008 4:38 PM, Crawford, Neil <neil.crawford@hp.com> wrote:
> Vanagons seem to be rare at the parts yards around Portland, OR, so I'm wondering if I could save time, money and have less issues with color matching and all the related hassles of ordering parts from vendors by buying cheap used Vanagons.  If you've experience with both modes of parts sourcing:
>
> Is it a viable option to buy vans and use them for parts instead of touring the parts yards every month in your area?
>
> Neil
>