Greetings,

First post, here.  I've been lurking, reading the archives and current
discussions.
Used to drive a plain jane Mitsubishi L300 with a futon & camping gear
tossed in back and was sorry to see her go when she developed
electrical problems.

Nothing like the 85 Westy I'm about to drive 200 miles roundtrip to go
check out.
This Westy's got 211,000 miles on the original engine and tranny.
For comparision, another Westy in the vicinity just sold for $6500 with
155,000 miles on the original engine and tranny.

I'm in NorCal near Chico and would like to drive her out to the coastal
redwoods (4 hr drive)
and then up through Oregon along the Columbia river gorge.  That means
going East to West across mountain passes, and then some.  But, it
seems to me that's taking an awful chance...
at 211,000 miles, isn't it waaaaay overdue for a new tranny/engine
overhaul/replacement/blown head gasket?
Also, the a/c doesn't work. Could be all it needs is freon recharge...
or new seals.

Other questions:
What can I reasonably expect to pay a good VW mechanic for engine
overhaul & transmission work when needed?
Would you pay $7500 for a Westy with 211,000 miles on the engine if
everything else (not the ac) looks and sounds good?  What's a
reasonable offer in California?

thanks a million,

Felicia - rank noOb